A groundbreaking study published in Nature reveals that even after drastic weight loss, the body’s fat cells retain a “memory” of obesity, making it difficult to stay trim. Researchers found that the experience of obesity leads to changes in the epigenome, a set of chemical tags that affect gene activity, causing fat cells to malfunction….
A groundbreaking discovery in particle physics has left scientists stunned. The J/psi particle, a subatomic particle first detected in 1974, has been a source of fascination and confusion for decades. Recent research has shed new light on the particle’s composition, revealing it to be a combination of a charm quark and its antimatter counterpart. As…
Alibaba’s Qwen team has released a new reasoning AI model, QwQ-32B-Preview, which has 32.5 billion parameters and can consider prompts up to 32,000 words in length. The model performs better on certain benchmarks than OpenAI’s o1-preview and o1-mini models and is available for download under a permissive license. QwQ-32B-Preview has shown promising results in solving…
Researchers at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore have made a significant breakthrough in noise pollution reduction by developing a new approach to absorbing sound waves using the triboelectric effect. The team has created a fibrous polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate (PP/PET) composite foam that uses the triboelectric effect and in situ electrical energy…
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is on the cusp of a major overhaul, with proposals from both chambers of the US Congress and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump aiming to reform the agency’s structure and research portfolio. The NIH’s advisory group has launched a series of meetings to consider the proposals and…
A new biography, “Ingenious,” sheds light on Benjamin Franklin’s scientific contributions, dispelling common misconceptions about his famous kite experiment and highlighting his approach to science as a joyful and humble pursuit. The book explores Franklin’s diverse interests, from electricity to geology, and his role as a founding father of the United States. As we reflect…
Researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have made a significant breakthrough in X-ray imaging by developing a new detector using cascaded single-crystal devices. This innovation has the potential to reduce radiation exposure while maintaining excellent image quality, paving the way for improved clinical X-ray imaging and various applications that require…
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding the human brain’s unique genetic features, which could lead to new therapies for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. By comparing human and primate brain cells, researchers found that human dopamine neurons express more genes that boost the activity of damage-reducing antioxidants, allowing them to cope…
A new book, “How to Kill an Asteroid,” highlights the growing concern of asteroid defense and the need for a more robust planetary security system. The book’s author, Robin George Andrews, emphasizes that while scientists have made progress in deflecting asteroids, the real challenge lies in developing a reliable asteroid detector and navigating the bureaucratic…
Physicists in China and Austria have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of quantum mechanics, calculating the effect of entanglement on the emission time of photoelectrons. Their research reveals counter-intuitive predictions that could be tested using improved free-electron lasers. The study focuses on the photoelectric effect, where photons interact with electrons in atoms, and…
