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Polystyrene production is growing rapidly each year, with market research suggesting it could reach some 62 million tons by 2034. We're yet to find a good way to recycle the stuff, so most polystyrene currently ends up in landfills. Scientists have been looking to nature for solutions. So far, they've found plenty of insects that appear capable of munching away at our plastic problem, though it's unclear exactly what happens to the plastic or how these grubs are breaking it [...]

Sound waves already used in medical scans may have a surprising new target: Viruses. In lab experiments, scientists have demonstrated how ultrasound blasts can break down influenza A (H1N1) and SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Microscopic vibrations caused by ultrasound waves are sufficient to rupture the membranes surrounding their viral particles, experiments showed, rendering the viruses inactive. The research was led by a team from the University of São Paulo in Brazil and could [...]

When a panic attack hits, it can be a scary, overwhelming, debilitating experience – but an effective new treatment could be on the way, in the form of an antibiotic. It's already known that carbon dioxide (CO 2) can induce panic attacks, as the brain senses signs of suffocation, and that brain immune cells known as microglia could be involved in triggering the emergency response. That's where minocycline comes in. It's a common antibiotic with effects that include reducing [...]

A new study has found evidence that a specific brain region could be contributing to some cases of high blood pressure. And importantly, there may also be a way to reverse it. According to the study, carried out by a team from the University of São Paulo in Brazil and the University of Auckland in New Zealand, the lateral parafacial (pFL) brain region can trigger biological changes that raise blood pressure. The pFL is linked to breathing control – specifically those forceful and [...]

High-fat, low-carb ketogenic diets are controversial, but a new study in mice suggests they really may work to improve health in some special cases – especially when combined with exercise. The researchers behind the study, from institutions across the US, found that when mice with high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) were put on a strict and extreme keto diet, their blood sugar levels returned to normal. What's more, when these mice exercised after eight weeks on the diet, their [...]

Hundreds of glass fragments found in Brazil are traces of an ancient impact that scattered them millions of years ago, scientists have found. These blobs of material represent spray from melted rock that was liquefied in the impact, then rapidly cooled and hardened to form pebble-like glass objects, some the size of a pea and others as large as a golf ball, known as tektites. The resulting tektite strewn field is one of only a handful discovered to date. "I was very surprised!" [...]

No one can evade death forever, but some people are mysteriously good at it. While the average human life lasts about seven decades, a few sturdy souls press on to become centenarians – people who live for at least a century. About 1 in 1,000 centenarians will survive an additional decade, earning the elite title of ' supercentenarian ' upon reaching their 110th birthday. Scientists are understandably fascinated by these notable survivors, who may hold valuable secrets about [...]

With data collected months before its main survey is due to begin, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is already upending what we thought we knew about asteroids. In the Main Belt of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, the telescope spotted a large asteroid spinning shockingly fast. Its name is 2025 MN 45, it measures 710 meters (2,330 feet) across – and it has a spin period of just 1.88 minutes. That's far, far past the 2.2-hour spin barrier, beyond which asteroids larger [...]

A new chemical compound has shown promise for treating Alzheimer's disease. Its effects in a rat model of the disease were impressive, and the biochemists who discovered it are eager to progress to in-human trials. A hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. And while it's still unclear whether these plaques cause the disease's symptoms, or are merely a side-effect, they remain a major research focus for treatment. Given that [...]