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May 29 2026SCIENCE

Small proteins hiding in plant genes: a new tool to find them

Scientists have found that some plants hide tiny proteins inside their genetic instructions. These proteins, called miPEPs, help control how plants grow and respond to their environment. But finding these small proteins is tricky because they’re rare and hard to spot. Most known miPEPs come from pla

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May 29 2026HEALTH

Tracking arthritis beyond the usual measures

Knee joints that refuse to behave the same way each day. Fingers stiff at dawn and relieved by noon. Inflammatory arthritis (IA) doesn’t follow a straight line, yet most treatment plans act like it does. Researchers now ask: what if the person behind the disease matters as much as the disease itself

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May 28 2026ENVIRONMENT

How climate change is making droughts worse and faster

Scientists have noticed something worrying about droughts lately. They’re not just lasting longer—they’re also starting suddenly and getting severe very quickly. This change didn’t happen by accident. Research shows the main causes of these fast-developing droughts have shifted. In the past, lack of

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May 28 2026HEALTH

Do knee braces really get worn as much as athletes claim?

After knee surgery, many young adults get braces to help their recovery. But here’s the catch: people often say they wear them more than they actually do. That’s because asking patients how long they use their braces depends on their memory—and memories can be tricky. For example, someone might thin

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May 28 2026SCIENCE

A peek at a tiny blue octopus hidden in the deep sea

Deep in the Galápagos waters lives a small blue octopus most people have never seen. It’s so tiny it fits in the space between a person’s palm and middle finger. Scientists first spotted this creature in 2015 using a robot camera diving about a mile and a half below the surface. The creature captur

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May 28 2026SCIENCE

Young Scientists and Engineers Changing Healthcare and Science in Asia

This year’s standout young researchers and entrepreneurs in Asia are tackling big challenges in science and healthcare. Their work spans from decoding brain signals to designing AI tools that respect privacy. Some, like Hikari Okita, dive deep into genetics, studying xeno-nucleic acids (XNA). Unlike

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May 27 2026SCIENCE

Learning from Struggle: How Math Helps Us Understand Tough Choices

When life gets hard, our brains figure out ways to handle it. For years, scientists have watched how tough situations change the way people think. Most studies just check how fast folks answer questions or if their answers are right or wrong. Those numbers tell part of the story, but they don’t show

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May 27 2026SCIENCE

Why a quick snooze at lunch might make you smarter

Science says our brains aren’t built to sprint from morning to midnight. Around 1 p. m. most people hit a low-energy dip called the circadian slump. Instead of fighting it with coffee or another screen, researchers tested whether a short nap could fix the problem. The experiment put 20 adults in a

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May 27 2026SCIENCE

The Hidden Cost of Cutting Science Funds

Funding shortages are quietly harming medical progress. Clinical trials once offered lifelines to patients with advanced cancer, turning fatal diagnoses into manageable conditions. New treatments like gene-editing saved babies with rare metabolic disorders. Meanwhile, pancreatic cancer patients now

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May 26 2026SCIENCE

Making Babies in Space? A Small Step for Science

Scientists are testing if humans can reproduce safely beyond Earth. China recently sent artificial human embryos to its space station to study how microgravity affects early development. The goal isn't to create space babies yet—but to understand the risks first. The experiment used two types of la

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