Your brain’s power supply may hold the key to mental illness

Your brain’s power supply may hold the key to mental illness

Groundbreaking Harvard research is exposing hidden energy failures inside brain cells that may drive major psychiatric conditions. By studying reprogrammed neurons, scientists are revealing how cellular metabolism shapes mood, thought, and cognition. The work calls for abandoning rigid diagnostic categories in favor of biology-based systems that reflect true complexity. It marks a decisive shift toward preventive and precision mental healthcare.

The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 14: Look south for Pluto and M75

The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 14: Look south for Pluto and M75

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 13: The Moon reaches Last Quarter The Moon rises together with Jupiter around midnight on October 13 and are visible into the early-morning hours of October 14.  The Moon lies just to the lower left of bright Jupiter; the planet is Continue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 14: Look south for Pluto and M75" The post The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 14: Look south for Pluto and M75 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .

I propose a Toast

I propose a Toast

: Ogetay Kayali from Houghton, Michigan Three objects fill this frame in the constellation Cepheus. At far right is the Shark Nebula (LDN 1235), at center left is the Wolf’s Cave Nebula (LDN 1217), and in the upper left corner is … well, what looks like a piece of toast to this imager, who proposed Continue reading "I propose a Toast" The post I propose a Toast appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .

The Sun’s hidden poles could finally reveal its greatest secrets

The Sun’s hidden poles could finally reveal its greatest secrets

High above the Sun’s blazing equator lie its mysterious poles, the birthplace of fast solar winds and the heart of its magnetic heartbeat. For decades, scientists have struggled to see these regions, hidden from Earth’s orbit. With the upcoming Solar Polar-orbit Observatory (SPO) mission, humanity will finally gain a direct view of the poles, unlocking secrets about the Sun’s magnetic cycles, space weather, and the forces that shape the heliosphere.

JWST may have found the Universe’s first stars powered by dark matter

JWST may have found the Universe’s first stars powered by dark matter

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope hint that the universe’s first stars might not have been ordinary fusion-powered suns, but enormous “supermassive dark stars” powered by dark matter annihilation. These colossal, luminous hydrogen-and-helium spheres may explain both the existence of unexpectedly bright early galaxies and the origin of the first supermassive black holes.

Scientists build artificial neurons that work like real ones

Scientists build artificial neurons that work like real ones

UMass Amherst engineers have built an artificial neuron powered by bacterial protein nanowires that functions like a real one, but at extremely low voltage. This allows for seamless communication with biological cells and drastically improved energy efficiency. The discovery could lead to bio-inspired computers and wearable electronics that no longer need power-hungry amplifiers. Future applications may include sensors powered by sweat or devices that harvest electricity from thin air.

Oct. 13, 1773: The discovery of the Whirlpool Galaxy

Oct. 13, 1773: The discovery of the Whirlpool Galaxy

On Oct. 13, 1773, Charles Messier spotted the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) for the first time. Writing of it a few months later, he described the object as a “very faint nebula without any stars”; it would become the 51st entry in his famous catalog of non-comets. In 1781, Messier’s friend and fellow astronomer Pierre Mechain Continue reading "Oct. 13, 1773: The discovery of the Whirlpool Galaxy" The post Oct. 13, 1773: The discovery of the Whirlpool Galaxy appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .

This new blood test can catch cancer 10 years early

This new blood test can catch cancer 10 years early

Scientists at Mass General Brigham have created HPV-DeepSeek, a blood test that can detect HPV-linked head and neck cancers nearly a decade before diagnosis. By finding viral DNA in the bloodstream, the test achieved 99% sensitivity and specificity. This breakthrough could lead to earlier, less invasive treatments and significantly improve survival. A large NIH trial is underway to confirm the results.

A single protein could stop sudden death after heart attacks

A single protein could stop sudden death after heart attacks

A team at Massachusetts General Hospital uncovered that an immune defense protein, Resistin-like molecule gamma, attacks heart cells after a heart attack—literally punching holes in them. This discovery explains why dangerous, fast heart rhythms can strike after an infarction. By removing this molecule in mice, the researchers reduced deadly arrhythmias twelvefold, suggesting that targeting immune-driven damage could open a new path to preventing sudden cardiac death.