NewsNews

Science news

  1. 1

    Webb traces most distant known fast radio burst to a dwarf galaxy

    Webb has located the host of FRB 20240304B, a fast radio burst detected by the MeerTRAP project with South Africa's MeerKAT telescope on March 4, 2024. Optical surveys and Keck and MMT observations found no host, so Webb's Near-Infrared Camera imaged a faint galaxy about 0.23 arcseconds from the burst position, which a statistical analysis gave a 97.5% chance of being the host. Webb's spectrograph then detected hydrogen and oxygen emission lines from it, establishing its distance. Manisha Caleb of the University of Sydney led the research, published in Science. The young, star-forming dwarf host favors a rapidly formed source such as a magnetar over long-delay merger models, and Caleb said a merger origin is very unlikely.

    Key facts

    • The host's spectroscopic redshift is 2.148, above the previous FRB host maximum of 1.016.
    • The burst occurred about 3 billion years after the Big Bang.
    • The reconstructed star-formation history suggests about 90% of stellar mass formed in the past 30 million years.
    • The host's estimated stellar metallicity is about one-tenth that of the Sun.
    • The burst's dispersion measure of 2458.20 ± 0.012 parsecs per cubic centimeter includes Milky Way, intervening and host contributions.

    Commentary

    The distance record is the predictable part; the more telling point is that one host can make an origin less likely without identifying the engine. Because even a precise radio position can demand substantial infrared observing time, the pace of confirmed distant hosts will decide whether this dwarf is typical.

    Sources: The Brighter Side of News, IFLScience

  2. 2

    Vance accuses Microsoft of abusing H-1B visa system; Trump later awards science medals to tech leaders

    On Thursday, October 8, Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft and other technology and IT outsourcing firms of gaming the U.S. immigration system, handing American jobs to what he called “foreign indentured servants.” He said the H-1B visa program was “rife with fraud” and that no company had abused it more than Microsoft. Citing an “ongoing investigation,” Vance said the government had decided to suspend the PERM program for Microsoft. Microsoft pushed back, saying it files H-1B petitions only for workers who meet rigorous standards. India called Vance’s comments “deeply offensive.” Later that day, NBC News reported Trump awarded top science medals to six tech billionaires, five of them immigrants, including India-born Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.

    Key facts

    • The PERM suspension also covers Adobe and six IT outsourcing firms: Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini.
    • 70% of beneficiaries of H-1B petitions approved in FY 2025 were born in India, per USCIS data.
    • PERM is the first step in a green card application, while H-1B is a temporary non-immigrant visa.

    Commentary

    The consequential move is not the accusation but its reach into the green card pipeline, where individual workers bear the delay alongside the firms Vance named. Vance’s accusation and Microsoft’s defense remain unreconciled, so the outcome will turn on evidence rather than on the rhetoric of either side.

    Sources: Yahoo Finance

  3. 3

    Geomagnetic storm watch issued for October 11 as solar material heads towards Earth

    Clouds of charged solar material are moving towards Earth and could disturb its magnetic environment, possibly triggering a geomagnetic storm. These clouds, known as coronal mass ejections, are expelled into space carrying charged particles and magnetic fields. Scientists are monitoring the material, but the extent of any disruption remains uncertain. Possible effects include brighter auroras visible farther from the polar regions, with Alaska and northern Canada among the likeliest places to see them. Radio, satellite and navigation systems could also be affected. NewsX reported that widespread disruption is not necessarily expected, while Livemint reported there is no reason for widespread public alarm.

    Key facts

    • NOAA issued a geomagnetic storm watch for 11 October, with a moderate G2-level storm considered likely.
    • The Sun released two coronal mass ejections on 7 and 8 October.
    • The 8 October eruption was associated with an M6.7-class solar flare from sunspot region 4549.
    • NASA's Community Coordinated Modeling Center estimates the 8 October ejection could arrive late on 11 October, with timing uncertainty.
    • NOAA classifies geomagnetic storms from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme).

    Commentary

    The watch is the predictable part; the open question is how strongly the incoming material will interact with Earth's magnetic field, and that decides whether effects go beyond brighter skies. Satellite, radio and grid operators carry most of the exposure if conditions outrun the forecast, making the watch far more consequential for them than for aurora watchers.

    Sources: Livemint, NewsX

  4. 4

    Americans trust science more than most countries surveyed, but divisions are growing

    Americans trust science more than most people in other countries, according to the Wellcome Global Monitor. STAT's analysis finds the United States is more divided than peer nations. Urban and rural Americans differ by 19 points on whether science benefits most people, and only 47% of Americans without four-year degrees agree, versus 71% of college graduates. The growing gap reflects rising enthusiasm among college graduates and secular Americans, not falling trust among others. Experts said anti-science sentiment from top political officials is likely playing a role. Wellcome links trust to confidence in health systems; only 40% of Americans have a lot of confidence in U.S. hospitals and clinics. Experts urged scientists to explain benefits, not demand blind trust.

    Key facts

    • 52% of Americans report a lot of trust in science, versus 26% globally across 140 countries.
    • The share of Americans saying science benefits most people rose from 48% in 2018 to 57% in 2025.
    • Globally, the share saying science benefits most people fell from 42% in 2018 to 37% in 2025.
    • 45% of Americans would get vaccines recommended by a nurse or doctor right away, versus 28% of Germans.
    • The religious gap on science's benefits is 24 points in the US, versus a 5-point average in high-income nations.

    Commentary

    The real problem is less who believes in science than who can see its benefits, which makes this a question of delivery rather than persuasion. Because the systemic changes needed may take decades, the nearer test is whether scientists can make those benefits visible to rural and non-degree Americans.

    Sources: STAT

  5. 5

    Bowel cancer patients in immunotherapy trial show no recurrence after 33 months

    Researchers at UCL and UCLH reported that patients with a particular form of bowel cancer remained free of recurrence for 33 months after a short course of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab before surgery. In those with small amounts of disease left after treatment, the remaining cancer did not grow or spread. Earlier results had shown major tumor shrinkage, with 59% showing no detectable disease after treatment and planned surgery. The researchers said the findings suggest more durable control than the usual surgery followed by chemotherapy, and personalized blood tests were designed to show early whether treatment had worked. Dr. Kai-Keen Shiu, the trial's chief investigator, said pembrolizumab was safe and highly effective for high-risk bowel cancers.

    Key facts

    • Around 25% of patients on standard surgery plus chemotherapy are expected to relapse within three years.
    • Participants had up to nine weeks of pembrolizumab before surgery, instead of three to six months of chemotherapy afterwards.
    • The trial enrolled 32 patients with stage two or three MMR deficient/MSI-high bowel cancer at five UK hospitals.
    • Disappearance of tumor DNA from the bloodstream was strongly associated with having no cancer remaining.
    • Around 10-15% of stage two or three bowel cancers carry this genetic profile, roughly 2,000-3,000 UK cases each year.

    Commentary

    The zero-recurrence result rests on a small group, so the more consequential shift is that treatment response may become predictable before surgery. If blood and tissue tests can sort patients early, some could be spared therapy while others get more, making prediction, not the recurrence result, the thing that must be proven.

    Sources: Science Daily

  6. 6

    Ancient DNA links some of Attila's Huns to the elite of the Xiongnu empire in Mongolia

    Whether the Huns descended from the Xiongnu has long puzzled historians, but genetic evidence now suggests some Huns in Europe could trace their lineage to the Xiongnu elite, the nomadic empire that dominated the Mongolian steppe until it dissolved around 100 CE. Researchers described a patchwork of ancestries rather than a single migration, and said the mechanism that brought these lineages into Europe remains unknown. Separately, linguists Svenja Bonmann of the University of Cologne and Simon Fries of the University of Oxford have proposed that the two peoples may have spoken an early form of Arin, an extinct Yeniseian language, though the idea remains debated.

    Key facts

    • A striking genetic connection links a Hun-period individual to someone buried in the largest Xiongnu terrace tomb ever discovered.
    • Most of these DNA links are mediated by a few individuals from the highest Xiongnu elite.
    • Researchers analyzed DNA from 370 individuals across Eurasia, dated from the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE.
    • Most people in the Carpathian Basin after the Huns' arrival showed little East Asian ancestry.
    • The Avars, who arrived in the 6th century, maintained a strong East Asian genetic signature.

    Commentary

    The predictable part is the Xiongnu connection; what changes is the route, which may run through elite kinship rather than a people on the move. If ancestry traveled through marriage, then the label 'Hun' covered mixed lineages, making it a weak guide to ancestry for the wider population.

    Sources: ZME Science

  7. 7

    Deep-sea rocks spontaneously combusted in lab tests, USGS researchers warn

    US Geological Survey researchers warn that some deep-sea sulfide minerals may spontaneously combust when brought to the surface, a hazard that could merit special consideration if seabed mining proceeds. The warning follows lab tests on rock samples collected in 2022 from the Escanaba Trough off the Oregon–California border. Mining has not yet taken place, but the USGS says bringing seafloor rocks to the surface would expose them to different oxygen, temperature, pressure and moisture conditions, which could change how they react. The Scientific Reports paper says heat from exothermic reactions has not been studied in seafloor sulfide deposits but could cause rapid-onset fires on ships.

    Key facts

    • In 2022, two of 57 deep-sea rock samples combusted after being freeze-dried and crushed in a lab.
    • The combustion pushed lab temperatures above 100 °C and completely oxidized the original samples.
    • The self-combusting rocks were made mostly of nanocrystalline marcasite, an iron sulfide that appears especially unstable in oxygen.
    • The International Seabed Authority has granted sulfide exploration contracts on the Northern Mid-Atlantic and Southwest Indian ridges.
    • Tar and petroleum did not appear to be the cause of the combustion.

    Commentary

    The notable point is that the hazard lies in what happens after extraction, not in the seabed itself, since crushing and oxygen exposure start the reaction. Mining is still ahead, so the open question is whether surface-handling rules will be settled before it starts, and who carries the risk if they are not.

    Sources: Yahoo

  8. 8

    Research on plastic-degrading bacteria and larvae criticised for common errors

    Research on bacteria, fungi and insects that might break down plastic often has weaknesses, according to new guidelines published in the journal Nature. The guidelines were written by experts assembled by Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad, a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), who said his group had hoped to find new plastic-degrading enzymes but ended up publishing mostly corrections to study practices. The mistakes span how test materials are chosen, how controls are run and how results are read. Gaston Courtade, an associate professor at NTNU who was not involved, said he completely agreed with the criticism. The recommendations cover analytical methods, control experiments and what researchers should look for.

    Key facts

    • Polypropylene, polyethylene and PVC, the most-produced plastics, cannot be broken down by any known enzymes.
    • A 2022 Nature Communications study on wax moth larvae mistook sample contamination for plastic degradation.
    • Polyethylene contains paraffin wax that bacteria grow on, leading researchers to assume they are growing on the plastic.
    • In PVC experiments, bacteria grew on plasticiser additives rather than on the PVC itself.
    • Only one 2025 study, on polystyrene, is convincing for non-hydrolysable plastics, according to Vaaje-Kolstad.

    Commentary

    What has moved is the bar for believing a plastic-eating result, not the biology: the field's bottleneck is method rather than discovery, so any new claim should be treated as unproven until a simpler explanation is ruled out. Credibility will now depend on polymer chemists joining the work, as the authors urge, more than on headline-grabbing organisms.

    Sources: ScienceNordic

  9. 9

    Five infections linked to nearly one in eight cancer cases worldwide

    An IARC analysis published in The Lancet Oncology links five infections to nearly one in eight cancer cases worldwide: Helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B, Epstein-Barr virus and hepatitis C. Each differs in how it spreads, but persistent infection can trigger biological changes that raise cancer risk, through long-term inflammation or by disrupting normal cell growth. Infection does not automatically cause cancer; the risk depends on the agent, whether it persists, and the immune response. The analysis highlights that vaccination, screening, early diagnosis and treatment can prevent or reduce several of these cancers, yet access to them remains uneven across countries.

    Key facts

    • Helicobacter pylori linked to about 760,000 cancer cases worldwide in 2024, the largest infectious contributor.
    • Human papillomavirus linked to about 750,000 cancer cases worldwide in 2024.
    • 77% of infection-attributable cancer cases in 2024 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
    • Eastern Asia recorded about 990,000 cases, around 42% of the global total.
    • Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest share of infection-linked cancers, around one in four new cases.

    Commentary

    Prevention is the weak point: three of these agents have no vaccine, leaving early detection and treatment to carry the load for H. pylori and hepatitis C. Cited research suggests H. pylori treatment lowers stomach cancer incidence by 36%, and hepatitis C medicines cure over 95%, so timely testing becomes the deciding factor.

    Sources: Business Today

  10. 10

    Loneliness and social isolation linked to nearly six fewer years free of mental disorders

    Researchers at Tulane University's Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public and Tropical Medicine estimated that loneliness and social isolation are associated with the loss of nearly six years of life free from mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Their observational study, published in Nature Communications, analyzed data from 277,489 adults aged 40 to 69 and also found effects on physical health. The problem is common: a 2023 report found that about half of U.S. adults experience loneliness and nearly as many are socially isolated. Lead author Lu Qi said the findings were not surprising, since earlier studies had linked both conditions to premature mortality and this one adds further evidence.

    Key facts

    • Men experiencing both loneliness and social isolation had about 5.8 fewer years free of mental disorders than men experiencing neither.
    • Women experiencing both loneliness and social isolation had about 3.7 fewer years free of mental disorders than women experiencing neither.
    • Versus people experiencing neither, men with both lost 1.7 physically disease-free years and women with both 2.4.
    • Healthier habits such as diet, exercise, sleep and not smoking reduced isolation-linked losses but not loneliness-linked ones.
    • The researchers plan clinical trials to test whether loneliness and isolation directly cause the health effects.

    Commentary

    Where the damage lands matters more than its size: the losses are steepest for mental health, not the body. That makes emotional wellbeing the stronger argument for tackling loneliness, and it shifts the emphasis from years of life to years of good health.

    Sources: Science Daily