Bluesky Facebook Reddit Email

Science News Archive January 2026


Page 20 of 47

World’s oldest rock art holds clues to early human migration to Australia

The discovery of hand stencil rock art in Sulawesi, Indonesia, dates back at least 67,800 years, pushing back the known history of human settlement in Australia. The findings support the idea that modern humans arrived in Sahul via the northern migration route, with implications for our understanding of Australian Aboriginal culture.

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter logs beta, gamma, and X-ray levels for environmental monitoring, training labs, and safety demonstrations.

A new method to unlock vast lithium stores

Researchers at Columbia University have developed a faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly way to extract lithium. The new method uses temperature-sensitive solvent to extract lithium directly from brines found in deposits across the world.

Pregnancy- and abortion-related mortality in the US, 2018-2021

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that abortion bans are associated with a significant increase in pregnancy-related mortality in the United States. The study suggests that restricting access to safe abortion care forces pregnant individuals to take on increased health risks, leading to higher mortality rates.

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock simplifies serious desks with 18 ports for high-speed storage, monitors, and instruments across Mac and PC setups.

Identifying corrosion initiation sites in aluminum alloys

Researchers at Tohoku University developed a new technique to identify pitting corrosion initiation sites in aluminum alloys. The method combines real-time optical microscopy with a boric-borate buffer solution, allowing clear visualization of pit formation locations.

Metal clumps in quantum state: Vienna research team breaks records

A research team at the University of Vienna demonstrates that massive metallic nanoparticles follow quantum mechanics rules, creating a 'Schrödinger's cat state' and breaking existing records for macroscopic scale tests. The experiment shows that even large objects can exhibit wave-like behavior.

Childhood ADHD linked to midlife physical health problems

A large longitudinal study of people with childhood ADHD traits found a strong link between the condition and physical health problems in midlife. People with high ADHD traits at age 10 were more likely to have two or more physical health problems by age 46.

Velocity gradients key to explaining large-scale magnetic field structure

A team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has identified a new mechanism to describe the generation of large-scale magnetic fields. They found that steady velocity gradients are key to creating ordered, large-scale field structures, resolving a long-standing issue in understanding how these fields are generated.

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Critical Atlantic Ocean currents kept going during last ice age

New research reveals that North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) was only about 1.8°C colder than today during the Last Glacial Maximum, contradicting previous assumptions of near-freezing conditions. The study supports climate model projections and suggests that weakening AMOC could have dramatic consequences for future climate.

Study reveals genetic factors influencing pregnancy loss

A Johns Hopkins University-led team analyzed genetic data from nearly 140,000 IVF embryos and found robust connections between specific variations in a mother's DNA and her risk of miscarriage. The study identified key genes that govern chromosome pairing and cohesion, shedding new light on human reproduction.

Takeaways are used to reward and console – study

A study found that ordering takeaway meals is a popular self-gifting option for both rewarding good days and consoling bad days. The research suggests that this may be due to the convenience of taking away daily cooking duties, while also providing a indulgent treat.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Generative AI use and depressive symptoms among US adults

A recent survey study found a significant association between generative AI use and increased depressive symptoms in US adults. The magnitude of the effect varied by age group, suggesting that further research is needed to understand the causal relationship and underlying factors.

Community water fluoridation: No evidence of negative effects on newborns

A new study analyzing over 11.5 million births found no significant negative effects of community water fluoridation on birth weight or risk of premature birth. The research supports the recommendations for promoting caries prevention and suggests that fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, repairs early damage, and prevents tooth decay.

Meta Quest 3 512GB

Meta Quest 3 512GB enables immersive mission planning, terrain rehearsal, and interactive STEM demos with high-resolution mixed-reality experiences.

Research finds exercise type to target body fat in seniors

A new study published in Maturitas found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most effective exercise type for reducing body fat and maintaining muscle mass in seniors. HIIT involved short bursts of intense exercise followed by easier recovery periods, which helped retain lean muscle mass.

Patients struggle to measure blood pressure at home

A study found that one-third of patients in an at-home hypertension management program could not complete weekly readings, highlighting the need for more convenient and less burdensome monitoring tools. The researchers suggest innovative wearable devices that can passively collect blood pressure readings to reduce patient burden.

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter is a trusted meter for precise measurements during instrument integration, repairs, and field diagnostics.

Massive black hole mystery unlocked by Irish researchers

Researchers at Maynooth University found that chaotic conditions in the early Universe triggered the rapid growth of smaller black holes into super-massive behemoths. This breakthrough resolves a long-standing puzzle, suggesting that 'garden variety' stellar mass black holes can grow at extreme rates.

Quantum error correction with logical qubits

A new project aims to develop robust logical quantum bits for scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computing. The snaQCs2025 project combines innovative simulation and integration methods to compensate for error susceptibility of physical qubits, bringing quantum computing closer to practical use.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro)

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro) powers local ML workloads, large datasets, and multi-display analysis for field and lab teams.

Turning industrial exhaust into useful materials with a new electrode

Researchers have designed an electrode that captures airborne CO2 and directly converts it into formic acid, outperforming existing electrodes. The system demonstrated utility in ambient air conditions, making it a promising strategy for integrating CO2 capture into practical industrial applications.

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor tracks ventilation quality in labs, classrooms, and conference rooms with long battery life and clear e-ink readouts.

Creative talent: has AI knocked humans out?

A large-scale study reveals that generative AI models have reached the threshold of average human creativity, but the most creative individuals still outperform even the best AI systems. The study also highlights the importance of human guidance and parameterization in modulating AI creativity.

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars deliver bright, sharp views for wildlife surveys, eclipse chases, and quick star-field scans at dark sites.

Data-driven analysis reveals three archetypes of armed conflicts

Researchers used machine learning to identify conflict labels from data, discovering three archetypes with distinct geographic, demographic, and economic properties. The study emphasizes the limitations of existing conflict classifications and suggests new approaches for predicting conflict severity.

Sculpting complex, 3D nanostructures with a focused ion beam

Researchers have developed a new method to fabricate three-dimensional nanoscale devices from single-crystal materials using a focused ion beam instrument. They created helical-shaped devices that behave like switchable diodes, allowing electricity to flow more easily in one direction than the other.

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station offers research-grade local weather data for networked stations, campuses, and community observatories.

Human activities drive global dryland greening

This study reveals that 29.2% of global drylands have significantly greened from 2001-2024, while only 4.9% experienced significant browning. Human activities, including cropland expansion and irrigation, have a more significant impact on greening than climate or CO₂ fertilization alone.

Magnetic avalanches power solar flares

A team of scientists used Solar Orbiter's instruments to capture a large solar flare in unprecedented detail. The observations revealed that the flare was triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly became more violent, creating a 'sky' of raining plasma blobs.

Light switches made of ultra-thin semiconductor layers

A nanostructure composed of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device, displaying properties of both light and matter. This discovery could lead to dramatically increased information transmission rates in optical data processing.

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

DNA tests reveal mysterious beluga family trees

A team of scientists analyzed DNA samples from 623 beluga whales in Bristol Bay, Alaska, revealing a polygynous mating system where males secure few matings per year, but females switch partners frequently across breeding seasons. This unique strategy may help maintain genetic diversity and resilience in the small population.

Immunotherapy success could be predicted with new biomarkers

Researchers discovered that CHD1 and MAP3K7 gene deletion improves tumor vulnerability to immunotherapy. This finding suggests new biomarkers for predicting patient response and opening up personalized cancer care. The study sheds light on why some patients are more or less likely to respond to certain types of cancer treatments.

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply powers sensors, microcontrollers, and test circuits with programmable rails and stable outputs.

Agents team up to strengthen AI safety checks

A new approach uses multiple LLM agents collaborating through iterative interactions to improve AI safety checks, outperforming existing methods in F1-score and achieving better trade-offs between catching harmful and harmless prompts. The system divides work into two teams: generator and analyzer, with logs capturing past mistakes and...

Meta-device for precision lateral displacement sensing

Developed by a collaborative team of researchers, the novel metasurface-based platform harnesses quantum interference to enable precise sensing of subwavelength lateral displacement. The system achieves high accuracy while reducing the required number of detected photons, making it suitable for next-generation semiconductor lithography.