Astronomers using NASA's TESS space telescope have discovered two 'super-puff' exoplanets, TOI-791b and TOI-791c, that are as large as Jupiter but have densities lower than cotton candy. TOI-791b has just 3% of Jupiter's mass while being nearly the same size, and TOI-791c is even larger yet holds only 5.9% of Jupiter's mass. The planets orbit a Sun-like star 1,113 light-years away and are among the least dense planets ever discovered.
Scientists have discovered that Streptomyces soil bacteria produce a four-compound antibiotic cocktail that attacks multiple parts of an essential metabolic pathway in dangerous superbugs. Published in Nature, the research found that the combination of compounds makes it extremely difficult for bacteria to develop resistance, offering a potential new strategy for combating antimicrobial resistance that claims over 1 million lives annually worldwide.
New research published in Nature Neuroscience suggests the cerebellum, a brain structure long known primarily for coordinating movement, may help compensate for cognitive decline in aging. Researchers found that older adults with higher cerebellar activity performed better on memory and executive function tests. The finding opens new avenues for understanding brain resilience and could lead to targeted therapies for age-related cognitive conditions.
Scientists have identified nearly 166,000 square kilometers of coral reefs capable of surviving and recovering from the climate crisis — three times more than previously estimated, according to a landmark study presented at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya. The research by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Macquarie University analyzed more than 45,000 coral surveys combined with decades of climate and ocean data. About 60% of the resilient reefs are located in Australia, the Bahamas, Cuba, Indonesia and the Philippines. However, less than a third are currently protected by conservation measures.
A major scientific review concluded that nicotine vapes are likely to cause lung and oral cancers, challenging the notion that vaping is a harmless alternative to smoking. Separately, a study of long-lived families identified rare genetic variants that may help people stay healthier longer. The FDA also approved the first new sunscreen ingredient in over 20 years.
NASA appears to be backing away from the search for life on Mars, raising concerns among planetary scientists that the agency is deprioritizing one of space exploration's most profound questions. In a separate development, an AI system cracked a long-unsolved problem by mathematician Paul Erdős, prompting calls for guardrails on AI mathematical research. New NIH security rules for genomic data sets are slowing research, and astronomers may have found the largest pair of black holes ever recorded, on a collision course.
Researchers have used artificial intelligence to uncover new antibiotic candidates inside prion proteins—misfolded brain proteins best known for causing rare neurodegenerative diseases. Published June 19 in Nature Microbiology, the study from the University of Pennsylvania found that AI analysis of prion protein structures revealed antimicrobial properties never before detected. The discovery opens an unexpected frontier in the search for new antibiotics at a time when drug-resistant bacteria pose a growing global health threat and the pipeline for new treatments remains thin.
An artificial intelligence system has solved a longstanding mathematics problem tied to the legendary Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos, sparking fresh debate about the need for guardrails in AI research. The achievement marks a milestone in AI's ability to tackle abstract mathematical reasoning that has stumped humans for decades. Science experts are now calling for new frameworks to oversee AI-driven discoveries, as concerns grow about the pace of AI advancement outpacing oversight. The breakthrough was reported by Science News.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers led by the University of Texas at Austin have obtained the deepest spectrum ever taken of 'little red dots' — faint, red objects from the early universe. The findings provide the strongest case yet that these objects are 'black hole stars,' a theoretical type of star powered by a central black hole rather than nuclear fusion. The discovery could reshape our understanding of how the first galaxies formed after the Big Bang.
The world's first vaccine designed entirely by artificial intelligence has entered human testing, marking a milestone in medical science. In other science news, the dismantling of a key ocean monitoring network raises fears of a US retreat from marine science. A satellite demonstrated the ability to identify objects autonomously in orbit using onboard AI.