In a new podcast episode, a scientist warns against the threat of a future fungal pandemic. Five years after COVID became a global pandemic, could another health crisis be on our horizon? According to scientists who study diseases, the possibility of

A new study finds that one of the hottest periods in Earth’s history may have driven lampreys apart—genetically speaking. The work could have implications for how aquatic species respond to our current changing climate. “Lampreys are simultaneously c

Antibodies can improve the rehabilitation of people with acute spinal cord injury, researchers report. Researchers at 13 clinics in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Spain have investigated this with promising results. For the first time,

A common sleep aid may leave behind a dirty brain, according to new research. Getting a good night’s sleep is a critical part of our daily biological cycle and is associated with improved brain function, a stronger immune system, and a healthier hear

Researchers have developed a non-invasive method to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy while reducing its harmful side effects. By applying brief, localized pulses of magnetic fields, the team demonstrated a significant increase in the uptake

Researchers have discovered new evidence for hidden water reservoirs and rare magmas on ancient Mars. Their new study explores how variations in Mars’ crustal thickness during its ancient history may have influenced the planet’s magmatic evolution an

A new study estimates that 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year globally due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. In developing countries, the case count is particularly

Researchers have calculated just how much energy it takes to put animal products like meat, cheese, and eggs, along with other foods on our tables. You probably know that if you want to help cut greenhouse gas emissions, you shouldn’t eat meat or oth

Law lecturer Scott L. Rogers has answers for you about the benefits of embracing optimism. Most people make New Year’s resolutions that they cannot keep. Studies show that very few can follow through with losing weight, eating healthier, or starting

A new analysis of DNA from ancient modern humans (Homo sapiens) in Europe and Asia has determined, more precisely than ever, the time period during which Neanderthals interbred with modern humans. The findings show the interbreeding started about 50,

Analyzing 16 years of race results and air pollution levels, a team of researchers found that poor air quality had a negative effect on marathon times. When the research team assessed the association between fine particulate matter in the air and mar

Fitness trackers and smartwatch bands are the latest consumer products found to contain “forever chemicals,” according to new research. In a study in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers tested 22 watch bands purchased in the US fr

Researchers have created an artificial intelligence system capable of “imagining” its surroundings without having to physically explore them, bringing AI closer to humanlike reasoning. The new system—called Generative World Explorer, or GenEx—needs o

A psychologist has answers for you about how to make your New Year’s resolutions last. It can be fun to make New Year’s resolutions, but hard for most of us to keep them. Gyms, for example, get crowded in early January, but come February the determin

Researchers have discovered a new gold-sulfur complex that sheds light on how gold deposits are formed. Gold in ore deposits associated with volcanoes around the Pacific Ring of Fire originates in Earth’s mantle and is transported by magma to its sur

A new tool for fighting malaria called a spatial repellent showed a significant impact on reducing malaria infections in a new study. The spatial repellent product, Mosquito Shield™, used alongside insecticide-treated nets, reduced first-time and ove

A new study finds large language models are prone to social identity biases similar to the way humans are—but LLMs can be trained to stem these outputs. Research has long shown that humans are susceptible to “social identity bias”—favoring their grou

People with severe, treatment-resistant depression who received a nerve-stimulating therapy showed significant improvement in depressive symptoms, quality of life, and ability to complete everyday tasks after a year, according to the results of a nat

A new conductive ink can be printed directly on the surface of a patient’s head and measure their brainwaves. Since the emergence of temporary, skin-attached electronic tattoos more than a decade ago—and their evolution to measure heart activity, tra

New research digs into the science behind storytelling, including why we root for underdogs and resent when characters get lucky breaks. When audiences first met Breaking Bad‘s Walter White, they embraced him as a tragic figure—a humble chemistry tea

Urban trees may bolster education outcomes and their loss could disproportionately affect students from low-income families, according to new research. Economics professor Alberto Garcia of the University of Utah looked at changes in school attendanc

Happy new year! To say goodbye to 2024, we’re counting down Futurity’s top 10 posts of the year. We hope you’ve been able to find useful, surprising, mind-expanding research news on the site this year. Come back throughout 2025 to find more fascinati

In South Florida, two Caribbean lizard species met for the first time. What followed provided some of the clearest evidence to date of evolution in action, researchers say. Lead author James Stroud, an assistant professor in the School of Biological

A new study reveals artificial intelligence’s toxic air pollution footprint and toll on people’s health. Computer processing demands for artificial intelligence, or AI, are spurring increasing levels of deadly air pollution from power plants and back

Do animals get jealous like people? Researchers say it’s complicated. It’s a question that has puzzled thinkers for centuries: Are we humans alone in our pursuit of fairness and the frustration we feel when others get what we want? In recent years, e

In a new analysis of data from more than a dozen studies, coffee and tea consumption was linked with lower risks of developing head and neck cancers, including cancers of the mouth and throat. Cancers of the head and neck are the seventh most common

A new study shows that when people’s sleep cycles aren’t aligned with their internal clocks, or circadian rhythms, it can have drastic effects on their moods. Conversely, however, that means getting sleep when the body’s expecting it provides a poten

Some millennials are rethinking their retirement plans in the face of uncertainty related to climate change, a new study finds. “Millennials are the first generation to reach retirement-savings-age amid the climate crisis,” says lead study author Mar

Soil plays a much bigger role in the spread of antibiotic resistance than one might imagine, new research indicates. Surprisingly, the ground beneath us is packed with antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs)—tiny codes that allow bacteria to resist antibi

Researchers are studying potential therapies to target specific cells linked to the development of disorders like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Their newly released study focused on a cluster of chemoreceptors cells located near the caroti