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Pumpkins’ journey from ancient food staple to spicy fall obsession spans thousands of years
Pumpkin patch excursions have become a fall staple in many U.S. households. Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images – By Shelley Mitchell, Senior Extension Specialist, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Oklahoma State University Published: 2025 Oct 24 – October in much of the U.S. …
Curious kid hospitalized after swallowing nearly 100 high-powered magnets
Deadly attraction: Powerful neodymium magnets are sending children to the emergency department. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 23 – A 13-year-old boy was admitted to hospital after four days of abdominal pain – when he then admitted to doctors that he’d swallowed …
Bowel cancer’s “sugar shield” removed to reawaken immune defenses
Scientists have cracked the sugary shield that allows bowel cancer to hide itself in the body. Depositphotos original, extended using Firefly – By Paul McClure 2025 Oct 22 – In a world-first breakthrough, scientists have discovered how a sugary “cloak” helps bowel cancer hide …
Prehistoric ‘road signs’ guided ancient humans to rare desert water
One of the impressive camel paintings, believed to indicate to passing humans that water was nearby. Maria Guagnin – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 30 – Large rock-face murals scattered across the desert in northern Saudi Arabia represent one of the most ambitious – …
Cancer drug combo slashes risk of death by more than 40%
New hope for cancer patients with a combo of existing treatments delivering robust long-term results. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 20 – A new drug combination to treat advanced recurring prostate cancer has shown remarkable results in a long-term trial, lowering the …
Archaeologists finally decode the age of Egypt’s ancient Karnak temple
The new research offers some of the strongest evidence to date proving the origins of Egypt’s Karnak temple complex. Depositphotos – By Pranjal Malewar 2025 Oct 18 – The ancient site of Karnak is one of the most impressive places to visit in Egypt. …
Popular hair loss drug linked to higher suicide risk
Building on several years of study, the new research calls for more controls over access to this popular hair loss remedy. Depositphotos – By Pranjal Malewar 2025 Oct 18 – Finasteride has long been a popular choice for millions of people seeking to achieve …
Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data
If consumed in high doses, lead and other heavy metals have serious, well-documented health risks. whitebalance.space/E+ via Getty Images – By C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut Published: 2025 Oct 17 – Powder and ready-to-drink protein sales have …
First long-acting hair regrowth pill hailed as ‘new benchmark’
This drug has been in the pipeline since 2021, and could soon get FDA approval for treating pattern hair loss. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 16 – A new oral drug stands to become the first prescription pill specifically designed to regrow …
Focused sound energy holds promise for treating cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases
Focused ultrasound directs powerful beams of energy to specific disease targets in the body. Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images – By Richard J. Price, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Published: 2025 Oct 15 – Sound waves at frequencies above the threshold …
Beached dolphins show signs of Alzheimer’s due to polluted waters
Studying the remains of several beached dolphins the research found significant signs of neurodegeneration. Public Domain – By Pranjal Malewar 2025 Oct 14 – In 2022, scientists examined the brains of 22 stranded marine mammals and found something astonishing: Alzheimer’s-like pathology in dolphins. And …
COVID-19 infection may alter sperm in ways that shape offspring behavior
SARS-CoV-2 infection in fathers affected sperm, leading to changes in offspring behavior. Depositphotos – By Paul McClure 2025 Oct 13 – A new study suggests that a father’s COVID-19 infection could do more than make him sick – it may leave marks on his …
Naked mole-rat DNA repair could unlock natural human longevity
These animals live underground for around 37 years. John Brighenti/Wikimedia Commons/(CC BY 2.0) – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 12 – What naked mole-rats lack in the looks department they make up for it in longevity, living healthily for nearly four decades. Now scientists …
Calcium supplements found not to raise dementia risk
The suggestion that calcium supplements contribute to dementia has been debunked. beyza yurtkuran on Unsplash – By Paul McClure 2025 Oct 11 – A large study has found that calcium supplements, long recommended for bone health, particularly in older women, don’t increase dementia risk, …
Mom and dad’s DNA team up to shape aging and disease from conception
Parental DNA actively affect an offspring’s telomere length during embryonic development. Depositphotos original extended using Firefly – By Paul McClure 2025 Oct 02 – A groundbreaking study has revealed that your mom and dad’s DNA don’t just pass on telomere length, they actively reshape …
Why free speech rights got left out of the Constitution – and added in later via the First Amendment
Supporters of free speech gather in September 2025 to protest the suspension of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, across the street from the theater where the show is produced in Hollywood. Mario Tama/Getty Images – By Donald Nieman, Professor of History and Provost Emeritus, Binghamton University, …
Next-gen vaccine prevents up to 88% of multiple aggressive cancers
A new vaccine bolsters the immune system to prevent cancer growth and spread. ChatGPT 5 – By Paul McClure 2025 Oct 09 – A next-generation cancer vaccine has shown stunning results in mice, preventing up to 88% of aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers by harnessing …
‘Breakthrough’ blood test detects chronic fatigue in 92% of cases
People with ME/CFS can wait years for a diagnosis. Photo by Marco Bianchetti/Unsplash – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 07 – Researchers believe they have developed the first dedicated blood test to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which …
Federal shutdown deals blow to already hobbled cybersecurity agency
The federal cybersecurity agency is crippled by layoffs and shutdown furloughs. The Conversation, CC BY-ND – By Richard Forno, Teaching Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and Associate Director, UMBC Cybersecurity Institute, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Published: 2025 Oct 07 – …
What are solar storms and the solar wind? 3 astrophysicists explain how particles coming from the Sun interact with Earth
The Sun occasionally ejects large amounts of energy and particles that can smash into Earth. NASA/GSFC/SDO via WikimediaCommons – By Yeimy J. Rivera, Researcher in Astrophysics, Smithsonian Institution And by Rosa Tatiana Niembro Hernández, Astrophysicist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Institution And by Samuel Badman, …
We choose ignorance as we age – even when knowledge is more useful
Study finds the age at which we decide to turn our brains off more frequently. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 05 – Whether it’s avoiding the news or checking a bank account, adults often deal with uncertainty by switching off and not …
Virtual particles: How physicists’ clever bookkeeping trick could underlie reality
Scientists imagine virtual particles popping in and out of existence to explain how forces transfer between particles. koto_feja/iStock via Getty Images – By Dipangkar Dutta, Professor of Nuclear Physics, Mississippi State University Published: 2025 Oct 03 – A clever mathematical tool known as virtual …
Massive expanding chasms are eating cities alive from below
For the first time, scientists have documented the extent of the urban gully crisis. Matthias Vanmaercke – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 02 – Nearly 3,000 growing chasms have opened up in dozens of towns, swallowing up roads and houses in their path. Known …
Meet Irène Curie, the Nobel-winning atomic physicist who changed the course of modern cancer treatment
Irène and Frederic Joliot-Curie shared the Nobel Prize in 1935. Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images – By Artemis Spyrou, Professor of Nuclear Physics, Michigan State University And by Andrea Richard, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University Published: 2025 Oct 02 – The adage …
Jane Goodall, the gentle disrupter whose research on chimpanzees redefined what it meant to be human
Jane Goodall appears on stage at 92NY in New York on 2023 Oct 01. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP – By Mireya Mayor, Director of Exploration and Science Communication, Florida International University Published: 2025 Oct 01 – Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the …
How to identify animal tracks, burrows and other signs of wildlife in your neighborhood
A paw print in baked mud at Joshua Tree National Park, likely from a coyote. Brad Sutton/National Park Service – By Steven Sullivan, Director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History, Miami University Published: 2025 Sep 29 – Your neighborhood is home to all …
A billion-dollar drug was found in Easter Island soil – what scientists and companies owe the Indigenous people they studied
The Rapa Nui people are mostly invisible in the origin story of rapamycin. Posnov/Moment via Getty Images – By Ted Powers, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis Published: 2025 Sep 29 – An antibiotic discovered on Easter Island in 1964 …
Low-dose radiation relieves knee osteoarthritis pain, improves function
Low-dose radiation treatment may delay knee replacement surgery in people with osteoarthritis. Wikimedia Commons/NP2025 CC BY-SA 4.0 – By Paul McClure 2025 Sep 28 – In a clinical trial, six sessions of low-dose radiation significantly eased knee osteoarthritis pain and improved function for months …
Rivers are heating up faster than the air − that’s a problem for aquatic life and people
Rivers are also heating up as global temperatures rise. Darwin Fan/Moment via Getty Images – By Li Li (李黎), Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State Published: 2025 Sep 25 – When you think about heat waves, you might picture sweltering cities, shimmering …
Dumped World War munitions and sunken ships serve a wild new purpose
Along the Potomac River in Maryland, more than 100 abandoned World War I steamships make up the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay. Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 25 – Old Nazi warheads and US warships have …
Key HIV weakness could pave way for a cure
Scientists now know how HIV (the tiny yellow particles seen here) integrates into the human genome. NIAID – By Paul McClure 2025 Sep 20 – A groundbreaking discovery reveals how HIV integrates its genetic material into human DNA, exposing a key viral vulnerability that …
Hobbits of Flores evolved to be small by slowing down growth during childhood, new research on teeth and brain size suggests
Hobbits are exceptions to the rule that older ancient humans had proportionally larger wisdom teeth and smaller brains. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images – By Tesla Monson, Professor of Anthropology, Western Washington University And by Andrew Weitz, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Western Washington …
Nano-cubosome eye-drops target macular degeneration without needles
Dao Nguyen examines a vial of lutein formulation for use in eye-drops. Will Wright/RMIT University – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 12 – Scientists have developed a new eye-drop that can ferry protective compounds all the way to the retina, paving the way for …
Tumor-targeting Salmonella engineered to boost colon cancer survival
Scientists have engineered a species of Salmonella that self-destructs inside colon cancer tumors. Wikimedia Commons/NIAID CC BY 2.0 – By Paul McClure 2025 Sep 22 – Scientists have engineered Salmonella bacteria to self-destruct inside tumors, releasing signals that spark powerful immune hubs and shrink …
Siberia’s mysterious exploding craters have a deep, violent origin story
Eight of these craters have so far been identified. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 21 – On the remote Yamal and Gydan peninsulas of western Siberia, the landscape is marked by massive craters that look as though the Earth has blown holes …
Cheese cave fungi unlock secrets of rapid evolution – and it can benefit us
Cheese cave fungi mutate to survive, giving scientists a rare glimpse of evolution. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 20 – A chance discovery in a Vermont cheese cave has given scientists a rare glimpse of evolution unfolding in real time – and …
How plastic could be lurking inside the veggies on our plates
Scientists have shown how plastics in soil can travel into the food we eat. Depositphotos – By Pranjal Malewar 2025 Sep 19 – In the shadowy underworld of soil, tiny plastic particles are lurking like molecular saboteurs. Researchers have long suspected they’re sneaking into …
Cocoa flavanols help fight heart ‘inflammaging’ in older adults
Participants taking the cocoa supplement had a significant improvement in biomarkers relating to heart inflammation. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 17 – A daily cocoa extract supplement rich in flavanols appears to reduce age-related inflammation, according to new results from the largest …
Hunger-blocking exercise molecule drives weight loss without workouts
Exercise produces a powerful metabolite that nixes hunger. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 17 – Scientists have found out exactly how an exercise-triggered molecule suppresses hunger signals in the brain, leading to weight loss. And the good news is that it could …
Caged drugs still ‘STING’ cancer, but make treatment much safer
The new drug-delivery system only activates when inside a tumor and calls upon the body’s own immune system to destroy it. ChatGPT – By Michael Franco 2025 Sep 16 – A new breakthrough from researchers at the University of Cambridge removes the dangers involved …
Pumpkins’ journey from ancient food staple to spicy fall obsession spans thousands of years
Pumpkin patch excursions have become a fall staple in many U.S. households. Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images – By Shelley Mitchell, Senior Extension Specialist, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Oklahoma State University Published: 2025 Oct 24 – October in much of the U.S. …
Curious kid hospitalized after swallowing nearly 100 high-powered magnets
Deadly attraction: Powerful neodymium magnets are sending children to the emergency department. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 23 – A 13-year-old boy was admitted to hospital after four days of abdominal pain – when he then admitted to doctors that he’d swallowed …
Bowel cancer’s “sugar shield” removed to reawaken immune defenses
Scientists have cracked the sugary shield that allows bowel cancer to hide itself in the body. Depositphotos original, extended using Firefly – By Paul McClure 2025 Oct 22 – In a world-first breakthrough, scientists have discovered how a sugary “cloak” helps bowel cancer hide …
Prehistoric ‘road signs’ guided ancient humans to rare desert water
One of the impressive camel paintings, believed to indicate to passing humans that water was nearby. Maria Guagnin – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Sep 30 – Large rock-face murals scattered across the desert in northern Saudi Arabia represent one of the most ambitious – …
Cancer drug combo slashes risk of death by more than 40%
New hope for cancer patients with a combo of existing treatments delivering robust long-term results. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 20 – A new drug combination to treat advanced recurring prostate cancer has shown remarkable results in a long-term trial, lowering the …
Archaeologists finally decode the age of Egypt’s ancient Karnak temple
The new research offers some of the strongest evidence to date proving the origins of Egypt’s Karnak temple complex. Depositphotos – By Pranjal Malewar 2025 Oct 18 – The ancient site of Karnak is one of the most impressive places to visit in Egypt. …
Popular hair loss drug linked to higher suicide risk
Building on several years of study, the new research calls for more controls over access to this popular hair loss remedy. Depositphotos – By Pranjal Malewar 2025 Oct 18 – Finasteride has long been a popular choice for millions of people seeking to achieve …
Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data
If consumed in high doses, lead and other heavy metals have serious, well-documented health risks. whitebalance.space/E+ via Getty Images – By C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut Published: 2025 Oct 17 – Powder and ready-to-drink protein sales have …
First long-acting hair regrowth pill hailed as ‘new benchmark’
This drug has been in the pipeline since 2021, and could soon get FDA approval for treating pattern hair loss. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2025 Oct 16 – A new oral drug stands to become the first prescription pill specifically designed to regrow …
Focused sound energy holds promise for treating cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases
Focused ultrasound directs powerful beams of energy to specific disease targets in the body. Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images – By Richard J. Price, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia Published: 2025 Oct 15 – Sound waves at frequencies above the threshold …