Fitness trackers often fail people with obesity by underestimating their energy burn, leading to discouraging results and misguided health data. A scientist’s frustrating experience in an exercise class with his mother-in-law where her effort wasn t reflected on the fitness leaderboard sparked a breakthrough. His team at Northwestern developed a new open-source smartwatch algorithm that …

Fitness trackers are failing millions — this fix could change everything Read More »

Cold sore-causing HSV-1 doesn’t just hijack cells it reconfigures the entire architecture of our DNA to aid its invasion. Researchers discovered that it actively reshapes the 3D structure of the human genome within hours of infection, using host enzymes like topoisomerase I to gain access to crucial genetic machinery. Stunningly, blocking this single enzyme shuts …

Cold sore virus hijacks human genome in 3D–and scientists found its weak spot Read More »

Even after 20 million years of evolutionary separation, two tiny worm species show astonishingly similar patterns in how they turn genes on and off. Scientists mapped every cell s activity during development and found that genes essential to basic functions like muscles and digestion remained largely unchanged. Meanwhile, genes linked to sensing the environment or …

Frozen in time: Transparent worms keep genes in sync for 20 million years Read More »

In a twist on conventional wisdom, researchers have discovered that in ocean-like fluids with changing density, tiny porous particles can sink faster than larger ones, thanks to how they absorb salt. Using clever lab experiments with 3D-printed agar shapes in a stratified water column, scientists demonstrated that porosity and particle shape are major factors in …

Gravity, flipped: How tiny, porous particles sink faster in ocean snowstorms Read More »

A flexible fabric called X-Wear could replace some parts of medical scanners, which would make taking X-rays and CT scans far more comfortable and convenient ​A flexible fabric called X-Wear could replace some parts of medical scanners, which would make taking X-rays and CT scans far more comfortable and convenient A flexible fabric called X-Wear could …

X-ray boosting fabric could make mammograms less painful Read More »

Large sea anchors could be used to drag water under a bold plan to keep the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation moving – but some experts are sceptical ​Large sea anchors could be used to drag water under a bold plan to keep the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation moving – but some experts are sceptical Large sea …

The bold plan to save a vital ocean current with giant parachutes Read More »

With the help of powerful computers, researchers discovered a four-sided shape that naturally rests on one side, and built a real-life version from carbon fibre and tungsten ​With the help of powerful computers, researchers discovered a four-sided shape that naturally rests on one side, and built a real-life version from carbon fibre and tungsten With the …

Mathematicians create a tetrahedron that always lands on the same side Read More »

Misbehaving T cells light up long before Parkinson’s symptoms show, zeroing in on vulnerable brain proteins. Their early surge could double as an alarm bell and a target for stop-it-early treatments. ​Misbehaving T cells light up long before Parkinson’s symptoms show, zeroing in on vulnerable brain proteins. Their early surge could double as an alarm …

Parkinson’s may begin decades earlier — and your immune system might know first Read More »