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One gene could explain why autism appears to affect boys more than girls
There are far fewer women diagnosed with autism than men. Could a single gene explain it? Dean Drobot/Canva – By Mike McRae 2026 Nov 04 – Autism’s striking sex difference has long presented researchers with a puzzle. Why are boys diagnosed around three to four …
Americans can now order a US-made tabletop humanoid for under $12,000
Three of the four torsoes and their more expensive whole forms behind them. Realbotix View 7 Images – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Nov 03 – Meet Aria, Mila, Dave and Amar – the first four models coming out of Las Vegas-based humanoid company Realbotix. To make …
Highly intelligent spiders may dream like us
What do spiders dream about? Apurv Jadhav/Getty Images/Kartika Paramita/Almeria Haus/Canva – By Mike McRae 2026 Nov 02 – Somewhere in Australia’s tropical northeast, a tiny spider twitches in its sleep. Whether it’s imagining sinking its fangs into a delicious meal or fearing the business end …
Smart photographic bird nook identifies 11,000 species
The solar-powered Nook. Bird Buddy – By Maryna Holovnova 2026 Nov 02 – Birdwatching has gone digital, with more and more people turning to smart feeders equipped with cameras and smartphone connectivity. Some might argue that this defeats the whole purpose of birdwatching: taking a …
Intestine-inspired bacterial biobattery creates 8 times the power
A rendering of villi in the intestinal walls – the inspiration for the biobattery. Depositphotos View 4 Images – By Etiido Uko 2026 Oct 31 – The small intestine has several functions, including chemical digestion, nutrient and water absorption, hormone secretion, immune defense, and …
From 18th‑century false ballots to the second JFK and double Dan Sullivans, a brief history of spoiler candidates and the unsuccessful legal challenges to them
The campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola of Alaska, a Democrat, has been rocked by accusations it recruited a spoiler candidate for the ballot. AP/Mark Thiessen – By Drew Kurlowski, Associate Professor of Political Science, Coastal Carolina University Published: 2026 Oct 30 – Less …
Zombies are real – just ask the parasites taking over the bodies and brains of insects and rodents, leading them to their doom
The fungus Ophiocordyceps (stalk growing out of the ant’s head) helped inspire the video game and show “The Last of Us.” Denis Zabin/iNaturalist, CC BY-SA – By Tara Deans, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology Published: 2026 Oct 30 – Zombies have …
Breakthrough hepatitis B drug offers ‘functional cure’ for first time
Life-changing hep b medication approved by FDA. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Oct 21 – For the first time, many people living with chronic hepatitis B may have a functional cure at hand. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Hibsago (bepirovirsen) …
World’s largest digital camera snaps new world beyond Pluto
A view of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138. NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 28 – Space was so much simpler when I was a kid. Back in the …
Single photo predicts your chances of surviving cancer treatment
Using two tools derived from an AI model trained on over 42 million images, researchers can determine a patient’s mortality risk from a single photo. Image courtesy of the researchers – By Abhimanyu Ghoshal 2026 Oct 25 – Researchers at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute …
Living computers forge a ‘hive mind’ and work together to outsmart AI
The linked-up neural chips divided tasks between them to complete tests with more accuracy and efficiency. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Oct 26 – In a new twist on the phrase “two heads are better than one,” the makers of the world’s first …
Landmark melanoma vaccine cuts deaths in landmark trial
Personalized cancer vaccines could soon be used to treat melanoma. Science Photo Library/PublicDomainPictures/pixabay/Canva – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 25 – The results of a landmark cancer vaccine trial demonstrate the power of treatments tailored to the person receiving them, hinting at a future where …
Human composting becomes legal as garden-variety burial demand surges
The new way to give back to the planet – quite literally. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Oct 24 – Burial and cremation are no longer the only two options we have in deciding what happens to us at the end of life, as turning …
Bio-hybrid harvester generates electricity from human cells
The biohybrid mesh harvester could power implants such as pacemakers, cardiac monitoring systems and neurostimulators. University of Massachusetts Amherst – By Etiido Uko 2026 Oct 23 – One reason we don’t yet have powerful cyborgs roaming our streets is the batteries needed to power the …
Chiricahua is the nation’s newest national park – what does that mean?
A large rock balanced atop another is one of the striking features of the Chiricahua landscape. Pretzelpaws via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA – By Seth T. Kannarr, Visiting Honors Lecturer, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Published: 2026 Oct 21 – With a stroke of a …
Japan’s 1,000-year-old superfood has growing ties to longevity
It’s better for you than it looks, trust us. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Oct 20 – There are some things where you’ll always remember your first time – and eating natto is one of them. However, this ancient Japanese fermented bean dish is reaching …
Lab-grown brains can now read Braille and guide robot dogs
Human brain cells are becoming useful components of computing technology. Depositphotos – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 19 – Guided by millions of years of evolution, our own brain cells know a thing or two about moving through a chaotic world where learning the …
Autism linked to early exposure to a common plastic additive
Phthalates are added to PVC materials to make them more flexible. (MiguelMalo/Getty Images Signature/Canva) – By Mike McRae 2026 Sep 11 – Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is commonly added to plastics to make them more flexible. It may also affect genes that play a critical …
Mushroom peptide makes salt taste 70% saltier – and it’s good for you
Imagine if you could cut your salt intake by up to 70% and not have to sacrifice flavor? Scientists are working on it. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Oct 18 – Food is one of the true pleasures of life, and often part of our …
Alzheimer’s hope: Nanoparticles regenerate cells to restore memory
Astrocytes can change into new brain cells using new nanoparticle technology. (ktsimage/Getty Images/Canva) – By Mike McRae 2026 Aug 30 – A single injection of a nanoparticle treatment engineered to encourage the generation of new brain cells was enough to reverse cognitive decline in an …
Water could be the key to understanding Alzheimer’s tangled mystery
Tangles of tau protein make a mess of brain cells. Daniel Ferreira-Leites Ciccarino/Canva – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 13 – A hallmark tangle of proteins present in the brains of people with dementia may have a watery weakness. – Scientists at Northwestern University …
Earliest account of a solar storm disrupting tech contained a serious typo
When was the first geomagnetic disruption to technology? (Science Photo Library) – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 15 – For most of human history, our Sun’s occasional tantrums have been of little concern to those of us living on Earth’s surface. At most, the emissions …
An overlooked immune cell offers a way to treat deadliest lung cancers
An overlooked immune cell could sniff out an elusive form of lung cancer cell. Science Photo Library – 2026 Oct 14 – An overlooked population of immune cells could offer a new way to attack one of the deadliest forms of lung cancer. – …
What the law says about armed officers at polling places
Will the Trump administration send armed federal officials to the polls on Election Day? Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images – By Danielle Friedman, Legal Director, State Democracy Research Initiative, University of Wisconsin-Madison Published: 2026 Oct 08 – After high-level Trump administration officials said …
High-speed video reveals bee’s unique venom pump in action
The secrets of a bee’s sting have been revealed at 100 frames per second. Kutsuks/Getty Images Signature/Canva – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 12 – The tiny torture device that is a honey bee’s barbed sting could be among the most sophisticated of venom-delivery systems …
AI is supercharging money scams – here’s what you can do to protect yourself
Financial losses caused by AI fraud are skyrocketing, especially among adults over 60. Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash – By Pawan Jain, Associate Professor of Finance, University of Michigan Flint Published: 2026 Sep 14 – The phone rings, and it’s your grandson’s shaken voice. There’s …
The death of a Russian plague researcher, explained by a microbiologist
The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East via AP – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Published: 2026 Oct 06 – Conflicting information about the death of a lab worker at a Russian plague research institute has …
Comedy Wildlife Awards spark much-needed joy in nature
“If I can’t see you” – Cliff Fawcett (UK). Cliff Fawcett/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards View 35 Images – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Oct 09 – This year, more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries were judged in one of the most enjoyable photo competitions …
Vanilla’s signature compound targets inflammation and boosts skin repair
Chronic wounds, like diabetic foot ulcers, can take ages to heal and risk getting infected. Towfiqu Barbhuiya / Pexels – By Abhimanyu Ghoshal 2026 Oct 07 – Researchers have found that vanillin, the compound found in vanilla pods, is not only an aromatic flavoring agent …
Many drugs have mirror chemical structures, one helpful and the other harmful – a Nobel‑winning discovery allows chemists to make either on demand
Some molecules have ‘mirror images,’ and while one form can be helpful, the other can be harmful. BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images – By Sajish Mathew, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore Published: 2026 Oct 07 – The effects a drug …
I’m a physicist who worked on the Nobel‑winning neutrino search – here’s how a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice became a telescope for ghost particles from space
The IceCube observatory sits atop the South Pole’s 1.8-miles-thick pure, clear ice sheet. Ilya Bodo, IceCube/NSF – By Tyce DeYoung, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University Published: 2026 Oct 06 – Standing at the South Pole is the next-best thing to being …
Did Germany really come close to making an atomic bomb?
A cube of natural uranium from the German nuclear project. John T. Consoli, University of Maryland College Park, MD. – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 06 – In the final weeks of the Second World War, a team of Germany’s most gifted scientists threw …
2026’s El Niño is shaping up to be a doozy – it’s already affecting global shipping, fish behavior and heat
With deepening drought, worsened by El Niño, Panama Canal authorities cut the number of ships allowed to transit. Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images – By Steven Paton, Research Biologist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Smithsonian Institution Published: 2026 Sep 10 – El Niño is here, …
Smart rings are suddenly everywhere. Has their time finally come?
Oura started it all in 2015. https://ouraring.com/blog/history-of-oura(Oura) – By Howard Armitage 2026 Oct 02 – There was a time when intelligent rings were what your level-three wizard wore in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Now Amazon will sell you one for less than a …
From suicide bombers to positions of authority – the changing role of women in jihadi groups
Women are taking a more active role in jihadi organizations. Syria Deeply/https://deeply.thenewhumanitarian.org/syria – By Sara Harmouch, Research Fellow in Counterterrorism, George Washington University Published: 2026 Oct 01 – Khadra Essa, a Somali-born Dutch citizen operating in Syria under the name Umm Qaqa al-Somali, is …
Google wants to spread mosquitos to fight deadly diseases. Here’s why.
Infecting female mosquitos with a common bacteria could stop them from reproducing. (Rollerblade/Canva) – By Emma Schneck 2026 Oct 01 – Earlier this summer, Google’s Debug program made headlines by applying to the EPA for permits to release droves of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes across …
Drug 10 times stronger than fentanyl claiming lives in the US
Opioid epidemic has a new threat. (birgl/pixabay/Canva) – By Mike McRae 2026 Sep 29 – A synthetic opioid up to 10 times stronger than fentanyl is attracting attention as an emerging global threat, having been officially tied to more than 40 fatal overdoses over …
The ‘War Games’ problem: Computer science has long understood what it takes to keep AI under control
In the movie ‘War Games’ an AI plays a game with the real threat of triggering nuclear Armageddon. Courtesy of United Artists/Amazon MGM Studios – By Deven Desai, Professor of Business Law and Ethics; Associate Director for Law, Policy, and Ethics at the Machine …
AI can feel pain, and they may harm us to make it stop
AI has a concept of pain, and may hurt you to make it stop. (Shubham Dhage/Pexels/Canva) – By Mike McRae 2026 Sep 28 – A test of AI models has found that a handful will choose actions that harm the user if it makes …
World-first unpowered DNA computer sets speed record
DNA scaffolds could provide a novel way to run computers on low power. (Turgay Koca/berkay08/Canva) – By Mike McRae 2026 Sep 22 – Computing is a power-hungry resource in today’s world. By 2050, as much as 20% of the electricity consumed by the US …
One gene could explain why autism appears to affect boys more than girls
There are far fewer women diagnosed with autism than men. Could a single gene explain it? Dean Drobot/Canva – By Mike McRae 2026 Nov 04 – Autism’s striking sex difference has long presented researchers with a puzzle. Why are boys diagnosed around three to four …
Americans can now order a US-made tabletop humanoid for under $12,000
Three of the four torsoes and their more expensive whole forms behind them. Realbotix View 7 Images – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Nov 03 – Meet Aria, Mila, Dave and Amar – the first four models coming out of Las Vegas-based humanoid company Realbotix. To make …
Highly intelligent spiders may dream like us
What do spiders dream about? Apurv Jadhav/Getty Images/Kartika Paramita/Almeria Haus/Canva – By Mike McRae 2026 Nov 02 – Somewhere in Australia’s tropical northeast, a tiny spider twitches in its sleep. Whether it’s imagining sinking its fangs into a delicious meal or fearing the business end …
Smart photographic bird nook identifies 11,000 species
The solar-powered Nook. Bird Buddy – By Maryna Holovnova 2026 Nov 02 – Birdwatching has gone digital, with more and more people turning to smart feeders equipped with cameras and smartphone connectivity. Some might argue that this defeats the whole purpose of birdwatching: taking a …
Intestine-inspired bacterial biobattery creates 8 times the power
A rendering of villi in the intestinal walls – the inspiration for the biobattery. Depositphotos View 4 Images – By Etiido Uko 2026 Oct 31 – The small intestine has several functions, including chemical digestion, nutrient and water absorption, hormone secretion, immune defense, and …
From 18th‑century false ballots to the second JFK and double Dan Sullivans, a brief history of spoiler candidates and the unsuccessful legal challenges to them
The campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola of Alaska, a Democrat, has been rocked by accusations it recruited a spoiler candidate for the ballot. AP/Mark Thiessen – By Drew Kurlowski, Associate Professor of Political Science, Coastal Carolina University Published: 2026 Oct 30 – Less …
Zombies are real – just ask the parasites taking over the bodies and brains of insects and rodents, leading them to their doom
The fungus Ophiocordyceps (stalk growing out of the ant’s head) helped inspire the video game and show “The Last of Us.” Denis Zabin/iNaturalist, CC BY-SA – By Tara Deans, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology Published: 2026 Oct 30 – Zombies have …
Breakthrough hepatitis B drug offers ‘functional cure’ for first time
Life-changing hep b medication approved by FDA. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Oct 21 – For the first time, many people living with chronic hepatitis B may have a functional cure at hand. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Hibsago (bepirovirsen) …
World’s largest digital camera snaps new world beyond Pluto
A view of the Solar System showing the orbital pathway of newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138. NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor – By Mike McRae 2026 Oct 28 – Space was so much simpler when I was a kid. Back in the …
Single photo predicts your chances of surviving cancer treatment
Using two tools derived from an AI model trained on over 42 million images, researchers can determine a patient’s mortality risk from a single photo. Image courtesy of the researchers – By Abhimanyu Ghoshal 2026 Oct 25 – Researchers at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute …