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This week's science news saw us looking deep into the cosmos and the depths of our oceans.
To understand the universe today, we need to look back at its earliest epoch, a period about 13 billion years ago known as the cosmic dawn. Until now, space-based telescopes have been our only way to peer back this far, but this week astronomers detected traces of light left by the first stars using a ground-based telescope — a feat scientists previously thought was impossible.
From deep space to the deep ocean, researchers uncovered more secrets about the "world's richest shipwreck" off the Colombian coast, while other scientists captured a haunting blood-red squid on camera for the first time.
Meanwhile, while researchers have spotted some remarkable things underwater, something that should normally live there recently turned up in a very unexpected place.
(Image credit: JUAN GAERTNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)
From clearing cellular debris to regulating blood flow, star-shaped brain cells known as astrocytes are crucial to keeping your brain healthy, but a new study shows that they could also play a key role in how the brain stores memories.
While neurons were once thought to be the brain's sole architects of thought and memory, scientists have used machine learning to understand how astrocytes behave when neurons interact with each other to form connections.
They found that astrocytes help store memories through changes in calcium-based signals they send within and between cells, and in turn, these calcium signaling patterns get sent to neurons and tune their activity.
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From hunting prey to finding mates and avoiding predators, the ability to detect odors is crucial for survival in the animal kingdom. But which species reigns supreme when it comes to smelling?
Earthquakes are notoriously difficult to predict, but a recent study suggests that California's faults are overdue for some quakes. By studying the interval between earthquakes on faults in five quake-prone regions with a long geological record, geoscientists worked out which ones were "overdue" for a quake.
While faults in most of these regions were less than 20% overdue, that rocketed to about 45% in the case of the Golden State.
Bariatric surgery is an extremely effective weight-loss treatment, but in addition to reducing people's body weights, the procedure is often tied to improvements in mental health. A new study suggests that these improvements may hinge not on the amount of weight lost, but rather on patients experiencing less weight stigma after the surgery.
"Weight stigma" refers to negative attitudes, biases and beliefs people hold about those with overweight or obesity; some of those biases stem from the misconception that controlling one's weight is merely a matter of willpower. Among the patients included in the new study, most reported experiencing less stigmatization after bariatric surgery, along with better physical and mental health. A smaller subset of patients continued to experience stigma after their procedures and were then at higher risk of poor mental health and disordered eating.
The study fills a "gap" in our understanding of factors that can affect patients' outcomes after these surgeries, which are growing more common.
Something for the weekend
If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best long reads, book excerpts and interviews published this week.
(Image credit: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team, D. Berghmans (ROB))
This week we were treated to a part of the sun that no one has ever set eyes on before — the solar south pole. Dipping to an angle 17 degrees below the solar equator, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter captured images of the star's south pole using a large band of visible and ultraviolet wavelengths, bringing to life the tangled web of the sun's magnetic field and chemical elements as they travel on enormous plumes of plasma.
These new images will enable scientists to better understand solar wind, space weather and the cycle of the sun's shifting magnetic field.
"Today we reveal humankind's first-ever views of the Sun's pole," Carole Mundell, ESA's director of science, said in a statement. "These new unique views from our Solar Orbiter mission are the beginning of a new era of solar science."
Alexander McNamara is the Editor-in-Chief at Live Science, and has more than 15 years’ experience in publishing at digital titles. In 2024 he was shortlisted for Editor of the Year at the Association of British Science Writers awards for his work at Live Science. He has previously worked at New Scientist and BBC Science Focus.
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