Full Moons 2026: When will all 13 moons (including the Blue Moon and Blood Moon) appear next year?
When is the next full moon? January’s full moon, known as the Wolf Moon, will rise on Saturday, January 3rd, making it the second highest full moon of the year. The moon will be full at exactly 5:03 a.m. ET and will remain bright and full on Friday (January 2) and Sunday (January 4). The […]
From gene therapy breakthroughs to preventable disease outbreaks: Health trends shaping 2026
Medicine stands on the precipice of an exciting new era. We are closer than ever to achieving functional treatments for once intractable diseases, including HIV. Stem cell therapy is repairing invisible damage and stabilizing failing hearts. New cancer treatments are expected to extend patients’ lives and reduce the likelihood that the disease will return. And […]
Centuries-old ‘trophy head’ discovered in Peru reveals it survived to adulthood despite birth defects
Centuries ago, the heads of decapitated people in Peru were turned into “trophies.” Now, a careful look at this trophy head reveals that it survived into early adulthood despite potentially problematic birth defects. Beth Scafidi, assistant professor of anthropology and heritage studies at the University of California, Merced, writes in a new study that based […]
Myanmar’s big earthquake was very smooth and efficient – and it leaves lessons for ‘big earthquakes’
The fault that struck Myanmar in March tore through hundreds of miles of the earth’s surface, highly efficient in transferring energy from deep underground to the surface. In many earthquakes, the underground moves more than the surface. But the earthquake on the Sagaing Fault was different, a new study shows, because it moved the surface […]
Diagnostic dilemma: A rare condition leaves a man with ‘scales’ on his hands every time he washes them.
Patient: Male in his 20s living in China Symptoms: A man visited a hospital dermatology department after experiencing various symptoms for about three years. When the man soaked his hands in water, such as when washing his hands, the skin on the back of his hands became thicker, more wrinkled, and white bumps and tumors […]
Enough fresh water is lost from the continent each year to meet the needs of 280 million people. Here’s how to deal with this.
Earth’s continents are drying out at an alarming rate. Now, a new report paints the most detailed picture yet of where and why fresh water is being lost, and outlines exactly how countries can address the problem. Continental aridity is the long-term decrease in available fresh water across large tracts of land. This is caused […]
Did the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone really set off an ecological cascade?
Over the past 30 years, Yellowstone National Park has experienced an ecological cascade. As the elk population declined, aspen and willow trees flourished. This has increased beaver numbers and created new habitat for fish and birds. This change was largely due to the reintroduction of wolves into the park, which as predators helped keep elk […]
A sci-fi inspired tractor beam is real and could solve the looming space debris problem
Nothing heightens the tension in a science fiction movie more than watching the good guys’ spaceship get caught in an invisible tractor beam that slowly engulfs the villains. But what was once just a sci-fi staple could soon become a reality. Scientists are developing a real-life tractor beam called an electrostatic tractor. However, this tractor […]
This new DNA storage system can fit 10 billion songs in one liter of liquid, but challenges remain with this specialized storage format
US biotech company Atlas Data Storage has launched a synthetic DNA storage system that can hold 1,000 times more data than traditional magnetic tape. The product, called Atlas Eon 100, claims to store humanity’s “irreplaceable archive” for thousands of years. These include master versions of family photographs, scientific data, corporate records, cultural artifacts, digital artworks, […]
A new fentanyl vaccine is entering human trials — here’s how it works
A vaccine to block the effects of fentanyl, including overdose, is expected to enter human trials in the coming months, possibly leading to the first-ever active treatment for opioid use disorder. Initial trials will focus on evaluating the safety of the vaccine, which was originally developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Defense. The […]