science wire

Scientists sifting through archival data captured by NASA's former NEOWISE mission found an unusual star that quickly disappeared, fading to nothing more than a wispy shell.

16:27 Press release HIER - the Hub for Impactful and Engaged Research - is a new collaborative initiative that brings together five leading knowledge institutions in South Holland: Erasmus University

Lung cancer patients who have never smoked make up a significant and growing share of global lung cancer cases, yet remain an understudied group, according to a new review written by UCL researchers.

New research from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin shows that falls represent a major and growing problem for the health system in Ireland.

How rapidly does information spread through a quantum system? How does a quantum system forget its past? And can today's noisy quantum computers tell us anything trustworthy about the limits of these

Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have developed a new methodology for a robot to learn how to move its arms autonomously by combining a type of observational learning with intercommunication between its limbs.

Research team including Göttingen University collaborate on EuroWorm project to study marine worms   Species are disappearing at an alarming rate worldwide - accelerated by climate change, habitat loss and invasive species.

VUB researcher Wen-Juan Ma receives ERC Grant to unravel the remarkable diversity and evolution of sex chromosomes Research by Wen-Juan Ma, who leads the Evolutionary Genomics of Sex lab at VUB, sheds new light on the remarkable diversity and evolution of sex chromosomes in the animal and plant kingdom.

Economic, educational and gender inequities can contribute to problematic social media use among teens, findings suggest A new McGill study suggests that problematic social media use among teens is in part related to broader social inequalities. Zékai Lu, a PhD candidate in McGill's Department of Sociology and author of the study, had set out to determine whether problematic social media use is driven mainly by individual traits or whether the social environment of the country a teen lives in also plays a significant role.

Study suggests that one way to foster egalitarian norms in society is to observe and then replicate others' behaviour A new study co-authored by McGill researchers suggests people can be taught to reject unfair advantages. "We often benefit personally from an unequal distribution of resources, a phenomenon known as advantageous inequity - for example, receiving a higher salary than a colleague with the identical role," said senior author Ross Otto, a psychology professor.

Brussels, 11 February 2026 - On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February) and in the lead-up to International Women's Day (8 March), Vrije Universiteit Brussel is launching the campaign 'Women shaping Science' .

Companies that continue to degrade nature not only endanger ecosystems, but ultimately put their own survival at risk.

Middle-aged women from more deprived backgrounds in Great Britain are significantly more likely to smoke and face greater challenges when trying to quit, according to a new study from researchers at UCL. The study, published in BMC Medicine and funded by Cancer Research UK, analysed women's smoking habits by age and socio-economic status and revealed that for women from less deprived backgrounds, smoking rates were highest in adolescence and early adulthood before declining through middle-age and later life.

AI stethoscope can help spot 'silent epidemic' of heart valve disease earlier than GPs, study suggests Artificial intelligence could help doctors detect serious heart valve disease years earlier, potentially saving thousands of lives, a new study suggests. Researchers led by the University of Cambridge analysed heart sounds from nearly 1,800 patients using an AI algorithm trained to recognise valve disease, a condition that often goes undiagnosed until it becomes life-threatening.

Cancer patients who suffer a heart attack are exposed to a particularly dangerous combination of risks: they have a higher risk of death, a higher risk of bleeding and a higher risk of other ischemic (such as heart attacks or strokes) events.

An investigation in the canton of Zurich has shown that certain rare earth elements can enter bodies of water via wastewater treatment plants in concentrations that pose a risk to aquatic organisms. These elements are gadolinium, which comes from contrast agents used in healthcare facilities, as well as lanthanum and cerium, which are used in a number of wastewater treatment plants to remove phosphorus.

Restrictive policies may bring a small economic benefit to schools and are not linked to better student mental wellbeing Teachers in secondary schools in England are spending significant time policing students' smartphone use, as the average sized school could be committing more than 100 hours each week to manage it according to new research.

At a time when the world's glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate, tourism around these ice giants is exploding, increasing pressure on these vulnerable regions and disrupting ecosystems.

Following new research, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has introduced guidelines to help veterinarians safely check feeding tube placement in dogs and cats.

Women in the UK who use online banking tools are nearly five times as likely to manage their household finances and about twice as likely to have the final say in major financial decisions, compared with women who don't bank online, a new UCL-led study has found. Using nationally representative data of heterosexual couples aged 20-64 from the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, researchers show how online banking enhances its usersfinancial influence within their relationship, making them more likely to manage the couple-s money and have the final say in major financial decisions.

Researchers from The University of Manchester have contributed to a new global benchmark designed to measure the limits of today's most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

A new research centre based at the University of Glasgow is setting out to develop the 'cognitive' cities of the future which will revolutionise urban life.

Our planet is suffering from air pollution, including climate-relevant halogenated gases. Empa researcher Alina Begley ensures that these gases can be detected and measured - even when they are previously unknown or occur only in vanishingly small quantities. Their measurements serve as a long-term basis for regulation.

The in-depth study of autoimmune diseases and new technologies will help researchers identify innovative therapeutic perspectives.

A group-based support programme for foster carers significantly improves carer wellbeing, reduces burnout and stress, and strengthens relationships with children in care, while also offering good value for money, finds a new study led by a UCL researcher.

Earth's biosphere is brimming with symbiotic relationships: from bacteria that became our cells' mitochondria, to mycorrhizal fungi that help plants grow, to the myriad mites, wasps, worms, and flies that make a living by parasitizing other animals.