EverythingScience

The 'Little red dots' observed by Webb were direct-collapse black holes The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was designed to look back in time and study galaxies that existed shortly after the Big Bang. In so doing, scientists hoped to gain a better understanding of how the universe has evolved from the earliest cosmological epoch to the present. When Webb first trained its advanced optics and instruments on the early universe, it discovered a new class of astrophysical objects: bright red sources that were dubbed "Little Red Dots" (LRDs). Initially, astronomers hypothesized that they could be massive star-forming regions, but this was inconsistent with established cosmological models. In essence, those models predicted that massive galaxies could not have formed less than a billion years after the Big Bang. This led to the theory that they might be quasars, the bright central regions of galaxies powered by supermassive black holes (SMBHs). This also challenged established models, as it was theorized that SMBHs wouldn't have had enough time to form either. In a recent paper posted to the arXiv preprint server, a team of astronomers led by Harvard University demonstrated that the mystery of LRDs could be explained by identifying them with accreting Direct Collapse Black Holes (DCBHs). Their research is based on radiation-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations developed to model the emission properties of DCBHs, a class of black holes that form directly from clouds of cold gas. This differs from conventional models that predict how black holes form from the collapse of massive stars. These massive stars, a theoretical class known as Population III, were the first stars in the universe, forming from hydrogen and helium with little to no traces of heavier elements (like metals). Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

Boosting a Natural Molecule Reverses Alzheimer’s Brain Damage in New Study Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and affects close to 40 million people worldwide. As the condition progresses, individuals gradually lose memory, cognitive abilities, and independence. Despite decades of intensive research, there are still no treatments capable of stopping or reversing the underlying disease process. One of the key drivers of brain dysfunction in AD is the protein tau. Under normal conditions, tau helps maintain the internal structure of neurons, supporting the transport systems that allow nerve cells to function properly. In Alzheimer’s disease, however, tau becomes abnormally modified and begins to clump together. These aggregates interfere with normal cellular transport, damage neurons, and ultimately contribute to memory impairment. Now, an international team of scientists has identified a previously unrecognized way to protect the brain from this degeneration. Their research shows that increasing levels of the naturally occurring molecule NAD⁺ can counteract neurological damage linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The study was published in the journal Science Advances. The collaboration was led by Associate Professor Evandro Fei Fang at the University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital in Norway, together with Professor Oscar Junhong Luo from Jinan University in China and Associate Professor Joana M. Silva from the University of Minho in Portugal. How NAD⁺ supports brain health NAD⁺ (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, oxidized form) is an essential molecule involved in cellular energy production and the ability of neurons to cope with stress. Levels of NAD⁺ naturally decline with age and drop even further in many neurodegenerative disorders. “Previous research has suggested that boosting NAD⁺ using precursor compounds such as nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) can produce beneficial effects in animal models of AD and in early-stage clinical studies. However, the biological processes responsible for these effects have remained poorly understood,” explains first author Alice Ruixue Ai. The new study reveals that NAD⁺ works through a previously unidentified RNA-splicing pathway. This pathway is regulated by a protein called EVA1C, which plays an essential role in the process of RNA splicing. RNA splicing allows a single gene to produce multiple isoforms of a protein, and one isoform may show distinctive effects on the other isoforms. Its dysregulation is one of the most recently acknowledged risk factors for AD. Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

A juvenile sea urchin moving across its habitat, filmed at 10x magnification by zoologist Dr. Alvaro Migotto. See the rest of the winners of Nikon’s Small World in Motion competition in 2025: on.natgeo.com/4qzYUul Source: @NatGeo @EverythingScience

Life Learned To Breathe Oxygen Hundreds of Millions of Years Earlier Than Scientists Thought Oxygen is everywhere on Earth today. But that hasn’t always been the case. Scientists think oxygen only became a lasting part of the atmosphere about 2.3 billion years ago during the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), a turning point that ultimately shaped the rise of oxygen-using life. Now, new research from MIT points to an even earlier chapter in this story. The team suggests that some ancient organisms may have learned to use oxygen hundreds of millions of years before the GOE. If correct, the evidence could rank among the earliest signs of aerobic respiration ever identified. Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

Final Readiness Review: ✅ A crew of four, including esa's Soph astro, is getting ready for launch from NASA Kennedy in Florida, NET 11 February. Get the latest on quarantine and what to expect on launch day! 🔗esa.int/Science_Explor… Source: @esaspaceflight For more coverage of this launch follow @SpaceXFeed @EverythingScience

A New Brain Map Is Changing What We Know About Parkinson’s Disease Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School, together with international collaborators, have produced one of the most detailed single-cell maps of the developing human brain to date. This atlas catalogues almost every type of brain cell, documents their genetic signatures, and shows how they grow and communicate with one another. It also evaluates leading laboratory techniques used to generate high-quality neurons, representing a key advance toward new treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. Why Parkinson’s disease is a central focus Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in Singapore and affects roughly three in every 1,000 people aged 50 and above. The disease destroys midbrain dopaminergic neurons—the cells responsible for releasing dopamine, a chemical essential for movement control and learning. Replacing or restoring these damaged cells could eventually help reduce symptoms such as tremors and loss of mobility. Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

Psychedelics may rewire the brain to treat PTSD. Scientists are finally beginning to understand how. Averill is one of a group of researchers who are exploring a new potential avenue for treating PTSD: psychedelics. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, using MDMA or psilocybin, may act on the brain systems disrupted in PTSD, rather than simply treating the symptoms. The early findings have been positive: A recent clinical trial showed that 67% of patients who received MDMA-assisted therapy no longer met PTSD criteria after treatment, compared with 32% in the placebo group, and clinical trials investigating psilocybin's potential to treat the condition are showing promise. Averill is currently leading a pioneering Texas state-funded clinical trial investigating psilocybin for veterans with PTSD and has seen how quickly the drugs can act. View archived version if blocked Source:Live Science @EverythingScience

Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely New research suggests that dark matter, the universe's most puzzling and mysterious substance, may not exist. But removing dark matter from our cosmological models could hinge on the possibility that gravity behaves differently on very large scales, one scientist says. Dark matter has been a thorn in the side of physicists because, despite outweighing ordinary matter by a ratio of 5 to 1, it remains effectively invisible. That's because it doesn't interact with light, or more technically, electromagnetic radiation. Because the particles that comprise the atoms that make up stars, planets, moons, living things, and everything we see around us, do interact with light, scientists have been searching for particles that could make up dark matter. However, this addition to particle physics, which has thus far eluded all attempts to uncover it, isn't needed if we are wrong about how gravity behaves on galactic scales. At least, that is what Naman Kumar of the Indian Institute of Technology suggests. Source:Space.com @EverythingScience

CRISPR Meets Caffeine: Scientists Develop New Approach to Cancer Treatment Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

Martian meteorite that fell to Earth is full of ancient water, new scans reveal Many tiny specks of ancient water are locked within one of the oldest and most famous Martian meteorites ever to fall to Earth, a new study finds. The surprising discovery, achieved using a new form of "neutron scanning," reveals more clues about the Red Planet's watery past, which may have set the stage for extraterrestrial life to flourish. Meteorite NWA 7034, more commonly known as Black Beauty, is a roughly 11-ounce (320 grams) chunk of Mars that was ejected when another space rock slammed into the Red Planet. It was discovered in 2011 by nomads in the Moroccan region of the Sahara Desert, although it is unclear when it fell to Earth. The meteorite has since become famous for its dark hue, which has been further accentuated by heavy polishing on one of its faces. Black Beauty likely originates from the 6-mile-wide (10 kilometers) Karratha crater near Mars' equator, and was ejected into space between 5 million and 10 million years ago, according to Live Science's sister site Space.com. However, it is much older than that, and scientists have since dated the coal-like rock to at least 4.44 billion years ago, making it the oldest Martian meteorite found to date. Source:Live Science @EverythingScience

This Deadly Brain Cancer Currently Has No Cure. Scientists Just Found A Way To Kill It Anew breakthrough in the pathology of glioblastoma – the most common type of brain cancer, currently incurable – has been found, opening up the potential for a future treatment that could be as simple as taking a pill. Each year, more than 14,000 people in the US alone will be diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive, unpredictable, and unpreventable brain cancer. Each one of those new patients will live an average of 12 to 18 more months – without any treatment, it can be much less – and only one in 20 will still be alive after five years. “Glioblastoma is a devastating disease. Essentially no effective therapy exists,” said Hui Li, a researcher in the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology, in a statement this week. But back in 2020, Hui and his colleagues made a first step towards finding one: they discovered the so-called “oncogene” that triggers the development of glioblastoma. “The novel oncogene we discovered promises to be an Achilles’ heel of glioblastoma,” he said at the time, “with its specific targeting potentially an effective approach for the treatment of the disease.” Now, his team have announced the next stage in the development of a treatment or cure for glioblastoma: the identification of a specific molecule which can block the activity of this oncogene, and which, in mouse studies, was able to destroy glioblastoma cells without affecting healthy tissue. “What’s novel here is that we’re targeting a protein that [glioblastoma] cells uniquely depend on, and we can do it with a small molecule that has clear in vivo activity,” Li explained. “To our knowledge, this pathway hasn’t been therapeutically exploited before.” Source:IFLScience @EverythingScience

The names of nearly 11 million Earthlings are riding along with Perseverance as it explores the Martian landscape. (This view was taken on Tuesday.) There's still time to send your name to travel with NASAArtemis astronauts on their journey to the Moon! go.nasa.gov/artemisnames Source: @NASAMars @EverythingScience