Scientists find hidden brain cells helping deadly cancer grow

 A team of researchers in Canada has identified a new way to slow the growth of glioblastoma, the most aggressive and currently incurable type of brain cancer, and they have also pointed to an existing drug that could potentially be used to treat it.

The study reveals that some brain cells, previously believed to only support normal nerve function, can actually assist glioblastoma in growing and spreading. These cells send signals that strengthen tumor cells. When scientists blocked this communication in laboratory models, tumor growth dropped significantly.

The findings also highlight a potential treatment opportunity. Researchers found that a drug already used to treat HIV might be able to interfere with this process, offering a new option for patients who currently have very limited treatment choices. Glioblastoma has a poor outlook, with survival often measured in months.

Study Details and Research Teams

The research was published Neuron and conducted by scientists at McMaster University and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). The co-first authors are Kui Zhai, a research associate in the Singh Lab at McMaster, and Nick Mikolajewicz, who was a postdoctoral fellow in the Moffat Lab at SickKids during the study.

"Glioblastoma isn't just a mass of cancer cells, it's an ecosystem," says Sheila Singh, co-senior author of the study and professor of surgery at McMaster University. "By decoding how these cells talk to each other, we've found a vulnerability that could be targeted with a drug that's already on the market," adds Singh, who is also director of the Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research at McMaster.

Oligodendrocytes and Tumor Communication

Scientists have long known that glioblastoma relies on networks of interacting cells to grow. Interrupting these connections can slow the disease. This study focused on identifying which specific brain cells are involved.

The team found that oligodendrocytes, which normally protect nerve fibers, can change their behavior and begin supporting tumor growth. These cells communicate with cancer cells through a defined signaling system, creating conditions that help the tumor survive and expand. When this signaling was blocked in lab models, tumor growth slowed considerably, showing how essential this interaction is.

Existing HIV Drug Offers New Hope

A key part of this signaling process involves a receptor called CCR5. This receptor is already targeted by an HIV drug known as Maraviroc. Because this medication is already approved and widely used, it could potentially be repurposed more quickly as a treatment for glioblastoma.

"The cellular ecosystem within glioblastoma is far more dynamic than previously understood. In uncovering an important piece of the cancer's biology, we also identified a potential therapeutic target that could be addressed with an existing drug. This finding opens a promising path to explore whether blocking this pathway can speed progress toward new treatment options for patients," said Jason Moffat, co-senior author of the study, senior scientist and head of the Genetics & Genome Biology program at SickKids.

Building on Earlier Discoveries

These findings build on earlier work by Singh and Moffat published in Nature Medicine in 2024, which showed that cancer cells can take advantage of pathways normally used during brain development to spread. Together, these studies point toward a new direction in glioblastoma research focused on disrupting the communication systems that tumors rely on.

The research was supported by the 2020 William Donald Nash Brain Tumour Research Fellowship and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. Singh is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Human Cancer Stem Cell Biology, and Moffat holds the GlaxoSmithKline Chair in Genetics & Genome Biology at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists inject one tumor and watch cancer vanish across the body

 For more than two decades, scientists have explored a group of cancer drugs known as CD40 agonist antibodies. Early experiments suggested these treatments could strongly activate the immune system and help it destroy cancer cells. However, results in people were disappointing. Clinical trials showed only modest benefits, and the drugs often caused serious side effects such as widespread inflammation, dangerously low platelet levels, and liver damage. These reactions occurred even at relatively low doses.

In 2018, researchers led by Jeffrey V. Ravetch at Rockefeller University reported a potential breakthrough. The team redesigned a CD40 agonist antibody to improve its effectiveness while reducing harmful side effects. Their work relied on specially engineered mice that mimic key immune pathways found in humans. The encouraging findings suggested the therapy might work better in people if delivered differently.

The next step was testing the drug in patients.

Early Clinical Trial Shows Tumor Shrinkage and Remission

Results from the phase 1 clinical trial of the modified drug, called 2141-V11, have now been published in the journal Cancer Cell. Among the 12 participants in the study, tumors shrank in six patients. Two of those patients experienced complete remission, meaning their cancers disappeared entirely.

"Seeing these significant shrinkages and even complete remission in such a small subset of patients is quite remarkable," says first author Juan Osorio, a visiting assistant professor in Ravetch's Leonard Wagner Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology and a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Researchers also observed something unusual. The treatment did not only affect the tumors that were injected with the drug. Tumors located elsewhere in the body also shrank or were eliminated by immune cells.

"This effect -- where you inject locally but see a systemic response -- that's not something seen very often in any clinical treatment," Ravetch notes. "It's another very dramatic and unexpected result from our trial."

How the Engineered CD40 Antibody Works

CD40 is a receptor found on the surface of certain cells and belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily. These receptors are mainly present on immune cells. When CD40 is activated, it signals the immune system to mount a stronger response, helping trigger anti-tumor immunity and generate cancer-targeting T cells.

In 2018, Ravetch's team engineered the antibody 2141-V11 with support from Rockefeller's Therapeutic Development Fund, founded by trustee Julian Robertson and continued by the Black Family Foundation. The redesigned antibody binds tightly to human CD40 receptors and was modified to improve crosslinking by interacting with a specific Fc receptor. Laboratory studies showed the new design was about 10 times more effective at triggering an immune attack against tumors.

Researchers also changed how the drug was delivered. Traditionally, CD40 therapies were given through intravenous infusion. Because CD40 receptors exist throughout the body, many healthy cells would absorb the drug, leading to toxic side effects.

Instead, the team injected the treatment directly into tumors.

"When we did that, we saw only mild toxicity," Ravetch says.

These findings laid the groundwork for the phase 1 clinical trial, which aimed to determine a safe starting dose and better understand how the therapy works in patients.

Tumors Disappear in Some Patients

The trial involved 12 people with several types of metastatic cancer, including melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and different forms of breast cancer. None of the participants experienced the severe side effects previously associated with CD40 drugs.

Six patients showed tumor shrinkage throughout the body. Two patients achieved a complete response, meaning all detectable cancer disappeared.

The two patients whose cancer vanished had melanoma and breast cancer, respectively. Both cancers are known for being aggressive and prone to recurrence.

"The melanoma patient had dozens of metastatic tumors on her leg and foot, and we injected just one tumor up on her thigh," Ravetch says. "After multiple injections of that one tumor, all the other tumors disappeared. The same thing happened in the patient with metastatic breast cancer, who also had tumors in her skin, liver, and lung. And even though we only injected the skin tumor, we saw all the tumors disappear."

Immune Cells Transform the Tumor Environment

Samples taken from treated tumors revealed how strongly the immune system responded.

Source: ScienceDaily

A gene mutation may trap the brain in the wrong reality in schizophrenia patients

 A common feature of schizophrenia is difficulty using new information to understand the world. This challenge can make decision-making harder and, over time, may contribute to a disconnect from reality.

Researchers at MIT have identified a gene mutation that may play a key role in this problem. In experiments with mice, they found that the mutation disrupts a brain circuit responsible for updating beliefs when new information is received.The mutation occurs in a gene called grin2a, which had previously been flagged in large genetic studies of schizophrenia. The new findings suggest that targeting this brain circuit could help improve cognitive symptoms associated with the disorder.

"If this circuit doesn't work well, you cannot quickly integrate information," says Guoping Feng, the James W. and Patricia T. Poitras Professor in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, a member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and the associate director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. "We are quite confident this circuit is one of the mechanisms that contributes to the cognitive impairment that is a major part of the pathology of schizophrenia."

Feng and Michael Halassa, an associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Tufts University, are the senior authors of the study, which appears in Nature Neuroscience. Tingting Zhou, a research scientist at the McGovern Institute, and Yi-Yun Ho, a former MIT postdoc, are the lead authors.

Genetic Clues and Schizophrenia Risk

Schizophrenia has a strong genetic component. In the general population, about 1 percent of people develop the condition. That risk increases to 10 percent if a parent or sibling is affected, and rises to 50 percent for identical twins.

Scientists at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute have identified more than 100 gene variants associated with schizophrenia through genome-wide association studies. However, many of these variants are located in non-coding regions of DNA, making their effects difficult to interpret.

To address this, researchers used whole-exome sequencing, a method that focuses on protein-coding regions of the genome. This approach allowed them to identify mutations directly within genes.

By analyzing around 25,000 sequences from people with schizophrenia and 100,000 from control subjects, the team identified 10 genes where mutations significantly increase the risk of developing the disorder.

How a Gene Mutation Alters Brain Function

In the new study, researchers created mice carrying a mutation in one of those genes, grin2a. This gene produces part of the NMDA receptor, which is activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate and is commonly found on neurons.

Zhou then examined whether these mice showed behaviors similar to those seen in schizophrenia. While symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions (loss of contact with reality) cannot be directly modeled in mice, scientists can study related issues like difficulty interpreting new sensory information.

For years, researchers have proposed that psychosis may result from a reduced ability to update beliefs when new information becomes available.

"Our brain can form a prior belief of reality, and when sensory input comes into the brain, a neurotypical brain can use this new input to update the prior belief. This allows us to generate a new belief that's close to what the reality is," Zhou says. "What happens in schizophrenia patients is that they weigh too heavily on the prior belief. They don't use as much current input to update what they believed before, so the new belief is detached from reality."

Experiment Reveals Slower Decision-Making

To test this idea, Zhou designed a task where mice had to choose between two levers to receive a reward. One lever was low-reward -- mice needed six presses to get one drop of milk. The other offered a higher reward, delivering three drops per press.

At first, all mice preferred the high-reward option. Over time, however, the effort required for that option gradually increased, while the low-reward lever remained unchanged.

Healthy mice adjusted their behavior as conditions shifted. When the effort required for the high-reward option became comparable to the low-reward option, they eventually switched and stayed with the easier choice.

Mice with the grin2a mutation behaved differently. They continued switching back and forth between the options for longer and delayed committing to the more efficient choice.

Source: ScienceDaily

Deafness reversed: One injection restores hearing in just weeks

 A new study shows that gene therapy can significantly improve hearing in people born with congenital deafness or severe hearing loss. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, working with hospitals and universities in China, treated ten patients and saw hearing improve in every case. The therapy was also well-tolerated. The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine.

"This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults," says Maoli Duan, consultant and docent at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and one of the study's corresponding authors.

Targeting the OTOF Gene

The trial included ten patients between the ages of 1 and 24 who were treated at five hospitals in China. All had a genetic form of deafness linked to mutations in a gene called OTOF. These mutations prevent the body from producing enough of the protein otoferlin, which is essential for sending sound signals from the inner ear to the brain.

Rapid Results After a Single InjectionTo address this, researchers used a synthetic adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver a working version of the OTOF gene directly into the inner ear. The treatment was given as a single injection through a membrane at the base of the cochlea known as the round window.The effects appeared quickly. Most patients began to regain some hearing within one month. After six months, all participants showed clear improvement. On average, the level of sound they could detect improved from 106 decibels to 52.

Strongest Gains Seen in Younger PatientsChildren showed the most dramatic responses, especially those between the ages of five and eight. One seven-year-old girl regained nearly full hearing and was able to have everyday conversations with her mother just four months after treatment. At the same time, the therapy also produced meaningful improvements in adult patients."Smaller studies in China have previously shown positive results in children, but this is the first time that the method has been tested in teenagers and adults, too," says Dr. Duan. "Hearing was greatly improved in many of the participants, which can have a profound effect on their life quality. We will now be following these patients to see how lasting the effect is."

Treatment Found To Be Safe

The therapy was shown to be safe and well-tolerated. The most commonly reported side effect was a decrease in neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell. No serious adverse reactions were observed during the follow-up period of 6 to 12 months.

Expanding Gene Therapy for Hearing Loss

"OTOF is just the beginning," says Dr. Duan. "We and other researchers are expanding our work to other, more common genes that cause deafness, such as GJB2 and TMC1. These are more complicated to treat, but animal studies have so far returned promising results. We are confident that patients with different kinds of genetic deafness will one day be able to receive treatment."The research involved multiple institutions, including Zhongda Hospital at Southeast University in China. Funding came from several Chinese research programs as well as Otovia Therapeutics Inc., the company that developed the gene therapy and employs many of the researchers involved. A full list of disclosures and conflicts of interest is available in the published paper.

Source: ScienceDaily

This tiny claw in a 500-million-year-old fossil just rewrote the origin of spiders

 After a long day of teaching, Rudy Lerosey-Aubril turned to a familiar task: preparing a Cambrian arthropod fossil for study. At first glance, the specimen looked typical for its age. But as he carefully removed surrounding material, something unusual appeared. Instead of an antenna, there was a claw.

"Claws are never in that location in a Cambrian arthropod," said Lerosey-Aubril, "It took me a few minutes to realize the obvious, I had just exposed the oldest chelicera ever found."

Oldest Known Chelicerate Identified

In a study published in Nature, Research Scientist Rudy Lerosey-Aubril and Associate Professor Javier Ortega-Hernández, Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology - both in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard - describe Megachelicerax cousteaui, a 500 million year old marine predator discovered in Utah's West Desert. It is now recognized as the earliest known chelicerate, a group that includes spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. This finding extends the known history of chelicerates by about 20 million years.

"This fossil documents the Cambrian origin of chelicerates," noted Lerosey-Aubril, "and shows that the anatomical blueprint of spiders and horseshoe crabs was already emerging 500 million years ago."

Detailed Anatomy of an Ancient Predator

Revealing the fossil's structure required patience and precision. Lerosey-Aubril spent more than 50 hours working under a microscope with a fine needle to expose its features. The animal measured just over 8 centimeters long and preserved a dorsal exoskeleton made up of a head shield and nine body segments.

These two regions had different functions. The head shield carried six pairs of appendages used for feeding and sensing. Beneath the body were plate-like respiratory structures that resemble the book gills seen in modern horseshoe crabs.

The First Clear Evidence of a Chelicera

The most striking feature is the chelicera, a pincer-like appendage that defines chelicerates. This structure separates spiders and their relatives from insects, which instead have antennae at the front of their bodies. Chelicerates rely on grasping appendages, often associated with venom delivery.

Despite the abundance of Cambrian fossils, no clear example of a chelicera from that period had been identified before. This discovery fills that gap and provides direct evidence of when these defining features first appeared.

Source: ScienceDaily

Saturn’s magnetic field is twisted and scientists just figured out why

 Saturn's magnetic field does not form a balanced, symmetrical bubble like Earth's. Instead, it is noticeably uneven, according to new research involving scientists from University College London (UCL). The study suggests this distortion is caused by the planet's rapid rotation along with the large amount of material it drags through space.

Planetary magnetic fields (magnetospheres) act as protective shields, blocking streams of highly charged particles from the solar wind. Saturn's magnetosphere is enormous, extending to more than 10 times the planet's diameter.

Cassini Study Pinpoints Saturn's Magnetic Cusp

The findings, published in Nature Communications, are based on six years of observations from NASA's Cassini mission. Researchers focused on identifying the exact position of Saturn's cusp -- a region where magnetic field lines bend back toward the poles and allow charged particles to funnel into the atmosphere.

The analysis showed that this cusp is consistently shifted to one side. When viewed from the Sun, it appears displaced to the right and is most often located between 1:00 and 3:00 (as it might appear on a clockface), rather than at 12:00 as seen on Earth.

Fast Rotation and Plasma Drive the Shift

Scientists believe this offset is linked to two key factors. Saturn spins extremely quickly, completing one rotation in just 10.7 hours. At the same time, it is surrounded by a dense "soup" of plasma (ionized gas), much of which comes from gases released by its moons, especially Enceladus.

Together, the rapid spin and this heavy plasma environment appear to pull the magnetic field lines sideways. Researchers note that further simulations will be needed to fully confirm this explanation.

Enceladus and the Search for Life

Saturn's surroundings are of growing interest because of Enceladus, a moon that ejects icy plumes from a subsurface ocean and may potentially support life. It is also a primary target for a proposed European Space Agency mission planned for the 2040s.

Co-author Professor Andrew Coates (Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL) said: "The cusp is the place where the solar wind can slip directly into the magnetosphere. Knowing the location of Saturn's cusp can help us better understand and map the whole magnetic bubble.

"A better understanding of Saturn's environment is especially urgent now as plans for our return to Saturn and its moon Enceladus start to be developed. These results feed into the excitement that we are going back there. This time we will look for evidence of habitability and for potential signs of life.

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists create “smart” DNA drug that targets cancer cells with extreme precision

 How can doctors destroy cancer cells without harming healthy tissue? That question remains one of the biggest challenges in modern oncology. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have now developed a "smart" system built from synthetic DNA strands that can identify cancer cells with remarkable accuracy and release powerful drugs only where they are needed. In addition to cancer treatment, this approach points toward a future of programmable, responsive medicines. The findings appear in Nature Biotechnology.

Targeted therapies have already reshaped cancer care by directing drugs straight to tumors, helping reduce damage to healthy cells and easing harsh side effects linked to chemotherapy. One of the most successful strategies involves antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which use monoclonal antibodies to carry treatments directly to cancer cells.

However, ADCs still have drawbacks. Their relatively large size can limit how well they penetrate tumors, and they can only carry a limited amount of drug. These challenges have pushed scientists to explore new ways to deliver therapies more effectively.

DNA-Based Drug Delivery Offers New Advantages

To overcome these limitations, the UNIGE team designed a system based on short DNA strands. Because these molecules are much smaller than antibodies, they can move more easily through tumor tissue. They can also be engineered to carry multiple components, increasing their potential effectiveness.

A "Two-Key" System for Precision Drug Activation

The new method relies on several separate DNA strands, each carrying a specific function. Some strands include binders that recognize cancer markers, while another carries a toxic drug.

When two distinct cancer markers are present on a cell, the DNA components attach to them and assemble at that exact location. This triggers a chain reaction that builds up more DNA structures at the site, boosting the amount of drug delivered. The process works much like two-factor authentication on a banking website. Both markers must be detected before activation occurs. If one is missing, the reaction does not begin, and the drug remains inactive.

Lab Results Show High Selectivity and Power

In laboratory experiments, the system successfully identified cancer cells with specific combinations of surface proteins and delivered potent drugs directly to them. Nearby healthy cells were not affected.

The researchers also showed that multiple drugs can be delivered together using this approach. This could be important for preventing or overcoming resistance, a common problem in cancer treatment.

"This could mark an important step forward in the evolution of medicine, with the introduction of a self-operating drug system. Until now, computers and AI have helped us design new drugs. What's new here is that the drug itself can, in a simple way, 'compute' and respond intelligently to biological signals," explains Nicolas Winssinger, full professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of science, UNIGE, and last author of the study.

Source: Sciencedaily

Stroke triggers a hidden brain change that looks like rejuvenation

 A new study in The Lancet Digital Health suggests the brain can respond to stroke in a surprising way. Researchers at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) found that people with severe physical impairments after a stroke may show signs of a "younger" brain structure in areas that were not damaged. This appears to reflect how the brain adapts and reorganizes itself after injury.The research was conducted as part of the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Stroke Recovery Working Group. Scientists analyzed brain scans from more than 500 stroke survivors collected across 34 research centers in eight countries. By applying deep learning models trained on tens of thousands of MRI scans, the team estimated the "brain age" of different regions in each hemisphere and examined how stroke affects both structure and recovery."We found that larger strokes accelerate aging in the damaged hemisphere but paradoxically make the opposite side of the brain appear younger," said Hosung Kim, PhD, associate professor of research neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and co-senior author of the study. "This pattern suggests the brain may be reorganizing itself, essentially rejuvenating undamaged networks to compensate for lost function."

AI Reveals Brain Rewiring After Stroke

To carry out the analysis, researchers used a type of artificial intelligence called a graph convolutional network. This system estimated the biological age of 18 brain regions based on MRI data. They then compared this predicted age with each person's actual age, a measure known as the brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD), which serves as an indicator of brain health.When these brain age measurements were compared with motor function scores, a clear pattern emerged. Stroke survivors with severe movement impairments, even after more than 6 months of rehabilitation, showed younger-than-expected brain age in regions opposite the site of injury. This effect was especially strong in the frontoparietal network, which plays an important role in movement planning, attention, and coordination."These findings suggest that when stroke damage leads to greater movement loss, undamaged regions on the opposite side of the brain may adapt to help compensate," Kim explained. "We saw this in the contralesional frontoparietal network, which showed a more 'youthful' pattern and is known to support motor planning, attention, and coordination. Rather than indicating full recovery of movement, this pattern may reflect the brain's attempt to adjust when the damaged motor system can no longer function normally. This gives us a new way to see neuroplasticity that traditional imaging could not capture."

Large-Scale Data Reveals Hidden Patterns

The study relied on ENIGMA, a global collaboration that combines data from more than 50 countries to better understand the brain across different conditions. By standardizing MRI data and clinical information from many research groups, the team created the largest stroke neuroimaging dataset of its kind."By pooling data from hundreds of stroke survivors worldwide and applying cutting-edge AI, we can detect subtle patterns of brain reorganization that would be invisible in smaller studies. These findings of regionally differential brain aging in chronic stroke could eventually guide personalized rehabilitation strategies," said Arthur W. Toga, PhD, director of the Stevens INI and Provost Professor at USC.

Toward Personalized Stroke Recovery

The researchers plan to continue this work by following patients over time, from the early stages after a stroke through long-term recovery. Tracking how brain aging patterns and structural changes evolve could help doctors tailor treatments to each person's unique recovery process, with the goal of improving outcomes and quality of life.Learn more about associations between contralesional neuroplasticity and motor impairment by viewing this video made by the Stevens INI.The study, "Deep learning prediction of MRI-based regional brain age reveals contralesional neuroplasticity associated with severe motor impairment in chronic stroke: A worldwide ENIGMA study," was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant R01 NS115845 and supported by international collaborators from institutions including the University of British Columbia, Monash University, Emory University, and the University of Oslo.

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists solved the mystery of missing ocean plastic—and the answer is alarming

 Scientists have uncovered something surprising in the Atlantic Ocean. The majority of plastic pollution may no longer be visible at all. Instead, it exists as nanoplastics, particles so small they are measured in billionths of a meter.

"This estimate shows that there is more plastic in the form of nanoparticles floating in this part of the ocean than there is in larger micro- or macroplastics floating in the Atlantic or even all the world's oceans!" said Helge Niemann, researcher at NIOZ and professor of geochemistry at Utrecht University. In mid-June, he received a 3.5 million euro grant to further investigate nanoplastics and what ultimately happens to them.

Ocean Expedition Reveals Tiny Plastic Particles

To gather data, Utrecht master's student Sophie ten Hietbrink spent four weeks aboard the research vessel RV Pelagia. The ship traveled from the Azores to the European continental shelf, where she collected water samples at 12 different locations.

Each sample was carefully filtered to remove anything larger than one micrometer. What remained contained the smallest particles. "By drying and heating the remaining material, we were able to measure the characteristic molecules of different types of plastics in the Utrecht laboratory, using mass spectrometry," Ten Hietbrink explains.

First Real Estimate of Ocean Nanoplastics

Previous studies had confirmed that nanoplastics existed in ocean water, but no one had been able to calculate how much was actually there. This research marks the first time scientists have produced a meaningful estimate.

Niemann notes that this breakthrough was made possible by combining ocean research with expertise from atmospheric science, including contributions from Utrecht University scientist Dusân Materic.

27 Million Tons of Invisible Plastic

When the team scaled their measurements across the North Atlantic, the results were striking. They estimate that about 27 million tons of nanoplastics are floating in this region alone.

"A shocking amount," Ten Hietbrink says. The finding may finally explain a long-standing mystery. Scientists have struggled to account for all the plastic ever produced. Much of it appeared to be missing. This study suggests that a large share has broken down into tiny particles that are now suspended throughout the ocean.

How Nanoplastics Enter the Ocean

These microscopic plastics come from multiple sources. Larger plastic debris can fragment over time due to sunlight. Rivers also carry plastic particles from land into the sea.

Another pathway comes from the atmosphere. Nanoplastics can travel through the air and fall into the ocean with rain or settle directly onto the water's surface through a process known as dry deposition.

Potential Risks to Ecosystems and Human Health

The widespread presence of nanoplastics raises serious concerns. Niemann points out that these particles are small enough to enter living organisms.

"It is already known that nanoplastics can penetrate deep into our bodies. They are even found in brain tissue," he says. Because they are now known to be present throughout the ocean, they likely move through entire food webs, from microorganisms to fish and ultimately to humans. The full impact on ecosystems and health is still unclear and requires further study.

What Scientists Still Don't Know

There are still important gaps in knowledge. Researchers did not detect certain common plastics, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, in the smallest particle range.

"It may well be that those were masked by other molecules in the study," Niemann says. The team also wants to determine whether similar levels of nanoplastics exist in other oceans. Early indications suggest this could be the case, but more research is needed.

Prevention May Be the Only Solution

While this discovery fills a critical gap in understanding ocean pollution, it also presents a difficult reality. These particles are too small and too widespread to remove.

"The nanoplastics that are there can never be cleaned up," Niemann emphasizes. The findings highlight the urgency of preventing further plastic pollution before it breaks down into an even more persistent and invisible problem.

Source: ScienceDaily

This quantum computing breakthrough may not be what it seemed

 A team of researchers led by Sergey Frolov, a physics professor at the University of Pittsburgh, along with collaborators from Minnesota and Grenoble, carried out a series of replication studies focused on topological effects in nanoscale superconducting and semiconducting devices. This area of research is considered crucial because it could enable topological quantum computing, a proposed approach to storing and processing quantum information in a way that naturally resists errorsAcross multiple experiments, the researchers consistently identified other ways to interpret the same data. Earlier studies had presented these results as major steps forward in quantum computing and were published in leading scientific journals. However, the follow-up replication studies struggled to gain acceptance from those same journals. Editors often rejected them on the grounds that replication work lacks novelty or that the field had already moved on after a few years. In reality, replication studies require significant time, resources, and careful experimentation, and meaningful scientific questions do not become outdated so quickly.

Combining Evidence and Calling for Reform

To strengthen their case, the researchers brought together several replication efforts into a single, comprehensive paper focused on topological quantum computing. Their goal was twofold: to show that even striking experimental signals that appear to confirm major breakthroughs can sometimes be explained in other ways, especially when more complete datasets are analyzed, and to suggest improvements to how research is conducted and reviewed. These proposed changes include greater data sharing and more open discussion of alternative interpretations to improve the reliability of experimental findings.

A Lengthy Path to Publication

Gaining acceptance for these conclusions took time. The broader scientific community needed extensive discussion and debate before considering the possibility that earlier interpretations might be incomplete. The paper underwent a record two years of peer and editorial review after being submitted in September 2023. It was ultimately published in the journal Science on January 8, 2026.A group of scientists, including Sergey Frolov, professor of physics at the University of Pittsburgh, and coauthors from Minnesota and Grenoble have undertaken several replication studies centered around topological effects in nanoscale superconducting or semiconducting devices. This field is important because it can bring about topological quantum computing, a hypothetical way of storing and manipulating quantum information while protecting it against errors.In all cases they found alternative explanations of similar data. While the original papers claimed advances for quantum computing and made their way into top scientific journals, the individual follow-ups could not make it past the editors at those same journals. Reasons given for its rejection included that being a replication it was not novel; that after a couple of years the field has moved on. But replications take time and effort and the experiments are resource-intensive and cannot happen overnight. And important science does not become irrelevant on the scale of years.The scientists then united several replication attempts in the same field of topological quantum computing into a single paper. The aim was twofold: demonstrate that even very dramatic signatures that may appear consistent with major breakthroughs can have other explanations-especially when fuller datasets are considered, and outline changes to the research and peer review process that have the potential to increase the reliability of experimental results: sharing more data and openly discussing alternative explanations.It took significant time and argumentation for the rest of the community to accept this possibility: the paper spent a record two years under peer and editorial review. It was submitted in September 2023. It was published in the journal Science on January 8, 2026.

Source: ScienceDaily

This hidden state of water could explain why life exists

 Researchers at Stockholm University have used advanced x-ray lasers to uncover a long-suspected feature of water: a critical point that appears when water is deeply supercooled. This occurs at about -63 °C and 1000 atmosphere. Even under everyday conditions, this hidden point influences how water behaves, helping explain many of its unusual properties. The results were published in the journal Science.

Water is everywhere and essential for life, yet it does not act like most other liquids. Properties such as density, heat capacity, viscosity, and compressibility respond to temperature and pressure in ways that are opposite to what scientists see in typical substances.

In most materials, cooling causes them to contract and become denser. Based on this pattern, water should reach its highest density when it freezes. Instead, ice floats, and liquid water is actually most dense at 4 degrees C. That is why colder water remains below warmer water in lakes and oceans.

When water is cooled below 4 degrees, it begins expanding again. If pure water is cooled below 0 degrees (where crystallization happens slowly), this expansion continues and even accelerates as the temperature drops further. Other properties, including compressibility and heat capacity, also behave in increasingly unusual ways as the temperature decreases.

Capturing Water's Hidden State With X-Ray Lasers

To investigate these strange behaviors, scientists used extremely fast x-ray pulses generated by powerful lasers in South Korea. These pulses allowed them to observe water in a supercooled state just before it turned into ice.

"What was special was that we were able to X-ray unimaginably fast before the ice froze and could observe how the liquid-liquid transition vanishes and a new critical state emerges," says Anders Nilsson, Professor of Chemical Physics at the Department of Physics at Stockholm University. "For decades there has been speculations and different theories to explain these remarkable properties and one theory has been the existence of a critical point. Now we have found that such a point exists."

Two Liquid Forms of Water and a Critical Transition

Under low temperatures and high pressure, water can exist as two distinct liquid phases with different molecular bonding structures. As conditions change, these two forms merge into a single phase at the critical point.

Near this point, the system becomes highly unstable, and water rapidly shifts between the two liquid states or mixtures of them. These fluctuations extend across a wide range of temperatures and pressures, even reaching normal environmental conditions. Scientists believe these constant shifts are what give water its unusual characteristics.

Beyond the critical point, water enters a supercritical state, and under everyday conditions, it already exists in this regime.

A "Black Hole-Like" Effect in Water Dynamics

The researchers also found that molecular motion slows dramatically as water approaches the critical point.

"It looks almost that you cannot escape the critical point if you entered it, almost like a Black Hole," says Robin Tyburski, researcher in Chemical Physics at Stockholm University.

A Breakthrough Decades in the Making

"It's amazing how amorphous ices, such an extensively studied state of water, happened to become our entrance to the critical region. It's a great inspiration for my further studies and a reminder of the possibilities of making discoveries in much-studied topics such as water," says Aigerim Karina, Postdoc in Chemical Physics at Stockholm University.

"It was a dream come true to be able to measure water under such low temperature condition without freezing," says Iason Andronis, PhD student in Chemical Physics at Stockholm University. "Many have dreamt about finding this critical point but the means have not been available before the development of the x-ray lasers."

"I find it very exciting that water is the only supercritical liquid at ambient conditions where life exists and we also know there is no life without water. Is this a pure coincidence or is there some essential knowledge for us to gain in the future?" says Fivos Perakis, an associate professor in Chemical Physics at Stockholm University.

Source: ScienceDaily

Lost in space: Microgravity makes sperm lose their sense of direction

 Starting a family beyond Earth could be more challenging than expected. New research from Adelaide University shows that sperm struggle to navigate in low gravity, suggesting that gravity plays a key role in helping them reach an egg.

Scientists from the Robinson Research Institute, the School of Biomedicine, and the Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing studied how space-like conditions affect sperm navigation, fertilization, and early embryo development.To simulate microgravity, researchers used a 3D clinostat machine developed by Dr. Giles Kirby at Firefly Biotech. This device continuously rotates cells to mimic the disorienting effects of zero gravity. Sperm from three different mammals, including humans, were tested by sending them through a maze designed to resemble the female reproductive tract.

"This is the first time we have been able to show that gravity is an important factor in sperm's ability to navigate through a channel like the reproductive tract," said senior author Dr. Nicole McPherson from Adelaide University's Robinson Research Institute.

"We observed a significant reduction in the number of sperm that were able to successfully find their way through the chamber maze in microgravity conditions compared to normal gravity.

"This was experienced right across all models, despite no changes to the way sperm physically move. This indicates that their loss of direction was not due to a change in motility but other elements."

Progesterone May Help Guide Sperm

The researchers also found that adding the sex hormone progesterone improved how well human sperm navigated under simulated microgravity conditions.

"We believe this is because progesterone is also released from the egg and can help guide sperm to the site of fertilization, but this warrants further exploration as a potential solution," said Dr. McPherson.

Fertilisation and Embryo Development Affected

The team examined how exposure to microgravity during fertilisation influences early embryo development in animal models.

After four hours in simulated zero gravity, the number of successfully fertilized mouse eggs dropped by 30 per cent compared to normal Earth conditions.

"We observed reduced fertilization rates during four-to-six hours of exposure to microgravity. Prolonged exposure appeared to be even more detrimental, resulting in development delays and, in some cases, reduced cells that go on to form the fetus in the earliest stages of embryo formation," said Dr. McPherson."These insights show how complex reproductive success in space is and the critical need for more research across all early stages of development."

Why Gravity Matters for Reproduction

Earlier research has explored how sperm move in space, but none had tested their ability to navigate through a reproductive channel under controlled conditions like this.

The findings were published in Communications Biology.

This study was conducted in collaboration with Adelaide University's Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources, which focuses on the challenges of long-term space exploration and living beyond Earth.

"As we progress toward becoming a spacefaring or multi-planetary species, understanding how microgravity affects the earliest stages of reproduction is critical," said Associate Professor John Culton, Director of the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources.

Future Research on Reproduction in Space

The next phase of the research will explore how different gravity environments, including those on the Moon, Mars, and in artificial gravity systems, affect sperm navigation and early embryo development.

A key question is whether these effects change gradually as gravity decreases or if there is a threshold where changes occur suddenly, creating an "all or nothing" response.

Answering this will be essential for planning human reproduction in future Moon and Mars settlements and for designing artificial gravity systems that support healthy development.

"In our most recent study, many healthy embryos were still able to form even when fertilized under these conditions. This gives us hope that reproducing in space may one day be possible," said Dr. McPherson.

Source: ScienceDaily

One of Earth’s most explosive supervolcanoes is recharging

 Scientists have discovered that the magma reservoir tied to the largest volcanic eruption of the Holocene is filling again. The finding, led by Kobe University researchers studying Japan's Kikai caldera, offers new insight into how massive caldera systems such as Yellowstone and Toba evolve over time and may help improve future eruption forecasting.

Some volcanic eruptions are so extreme that they release enough magma to bury all of Central Park under 12 kilometers of material. After such an event, the landscape collapses into a broad, relatively shallow crater known as a caldera. Famous examples include Yellowstone in the United States, Toba in Indonesia, and the largely submerged Kikai caldera in Japan. Kikai last erupted 7,300 years ago in the most powerful eruption of the current geological epoch, the Holocene. While scientists know these systems can erupt again, the buildup to such events remains poorly understood. "We must understand how such large quantities of magma can accumulate to understand how giant caldera eruptions occur," says Kobe University geophysicist SEAMA Nobukazu.Underwater Seismic Imaging Reveals Magma System

Kikai's underwater setting provides a unique research advantage. Seama explains, "The underwater location allows us to implement systematic, large-scale surveys." Working with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), the team used airgun arrays to generate controlled seismic pulses and ocean bottom seismometers to track how those waves move through the Earth's crust. This approach allowed them to build a detailed picture of the structures beneath the caldera.

The results, published in Communications Earth & Environment, confirm a large magma-rich zone directly beneath the site of the ancient eruption. The researchers were able to map the reservoir's size and shape and determine its connection to past activity. Seama says, "Due to its extent and location it is clear that this is in fact the same magma reservoir as in the previous eruption."

Fresh Magma Injection Drives Recharging Process

The magma currently present does not appear to be leftover from the earlier eruption. Scientists had already observed a lava dome forming at the center of the caldera over the past 3,900 years. Chemical analysis shows that this newer material differs from what was released during the previous eruption. "This means that the magma that is now present in the magma reservoir under the lava dome is likely newly injected magma," summarizes Seama. These findings support a broader model explaining how magma reservoirs beneath caldera volcanoes refill over time.

Implications for Yellowstone and Future Eruptions

The proposed magma re-injection model aligns with observations of large, shallow magma systems beneath other major calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba. Seama suggests this work could help scientists better understand how magma supply cycles develop after massive eruptions. He concludes, saying: "We want to refine the methods that have proved to be so useful in this study to more deeply understand the re-injection processes. Our ultimate goal is to become better able to monitor the crucial indicators of future giant eruptions."

Source: ScienceDaily

Scientists shocked to find lab gloves may be skewing microplastics data

 A University of Michigan study suggests that the nitrile and latex gloves scientists commonly use could be causing microplastics levels to appear higher than they actually are.

Researchers found that these gloves can unintentionally transfer particles onto lab tools used to analyze air, water, and other environmental samples. The contamination comes from stearates, which are not plastics but can closely resemble them during testing. Because of this, scientists may be detecting particles that are not true microplastics. To reduce this issue, U-M researchers Madeline Clough and Anne McNeil recommend using cleanroom gloves, which release far fewer particles.Stearates are salt-based, soap-like substances added to disposable gloves to help them separate easily from molds during manufacturing. However, their chemical similarity to certain plastics makes them difficult to distinguish in lab analyses, increasing the risk of false positives when studying microplastic pollution.

The researchers emphasize that this does not mean microplastics are not a real problem.

"We may be overestimating microplastics, but there should be none," said McNeil, senior author of the study and U-M professor of chemistry, macromolecular science and engineering, and the Program in the Environment. "There's still a lot out there, and that's the problem."

Clough added, "As microplastic researchers looking for microplastics in the environment, we're searching for the needle in the haystack, but there really shouldn't be a needle to begin with."

The research, led by Clough, a recent doctoral graduate, was published in RSC Analytical Methods and supported by the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts' Meet the Moment Research Initiative.

Unexpected Source Behind Inflated Results

The discovery began during a collaborative project examining airborne microplastics in Michigan. The effort involved researchers from multiple U-M departments, including Chemistry, Statistics, and Climate and Space Sciences Engineering. Clough and McNeil worked with collaborators such as chemistry professor Andy Ault and graduate students Rebecca Parham and Abbygail Ayala to collect air samples.

To capture particles, the team used air samplers equipped with metal surfaces that collect material from the atmosphere. These samples were then analyzed using light-based spectroscopy to identify the types of particles present.

While preparing the sampling surfaces, Clough followed standard practice and wore nitrile gloves. However, when she reviewed the results, the number of detected microplastics was thousands of times higher than expected.

Source: ScienceDaily