Just Plain WEIRD #2
Richard Payne from the University of Sydney is the senior author on a study that might lead to the development of an entirely new class of drugs to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Stefanie Zingsheim/The University of Sydney – By Michael Franco 2026 Feb 10 – …
The pottery fragments are some of the earliest botanical depictions ever recorded and also point to prehistoric mathematical cognition. Photos courtesy of Yosef Garfinkel View 5 Images – By Jay Kakade 2026 Feb 07 – We generally associate the origins of mathematical thinking with …
Bacteria and infection appear to impact the onset of cognitive decline, but we’re not sure how. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Feb 08 – Scientists have uncovered an intriguing link between infection and brain health, finding that a common bacterium in the eye …
A fresco shows St. Francis speaking to the birds in the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, Italy. Photo Beto/iStock Getty Images Plus – By Vanessa Corcoran, Adjunct Professor of History, Georgetown University Published: 2026 Feb 02 – On the 800th anniversary of the …
The vast majority of people who get measles are not vaccinated against the measles virus. Andrzej Rostek/istock via Getty Images Plus – By Alla Katsnelson, Associate Health Editor, The Conversation US Published: 2026 Feb 06 – The measles outbreak in South Carolina reached …
The discovery paves the way for new medicines to treat cirrhosis. Depositphotos –By Pranjal Malewar 2026 Jan 11 – Chronic liver disease gets worse when the liver’s immune system stays overactive, resulting in ongoing inflammation and scarring. Signals from the gut make the situation …
The findings indicate MS could have two distinct degenerative pathways, one fast and the other slow. And this knowledge could help better inform patients and doctors. Depositphotos – By Chelsea Haney 2026 Feb 04 – For decades, multiple sclerosis (MS) has been defined primarily …
Yuvezzi breaks new ground in restoring sight without glasses. Depositphotos – By Bronwyn Thompson 2026 Feb 03 – The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a landmark eye drop that uses a combined dose of medication to restore age-related near-sightedness, without the need …
Could the Earth and everything on it – and even the whole universe – be a simulation running on a giant computer? OsakaWayne Studios/Moment via Getty Images – By Zeb Rocklin, Associate Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology Published: 2026 Feb 02 …
Sonograms could get a lot more comfortable thanks to solid gel pads made by researchers in Japan. Professor Hajime Monzen from Kindai University, Japan – By Michael Franco 2026 Jan 31 – If you’ve ever had a sonogram you know that, even though the …
