PASADENA, CA – January 13, 2026 – The GMTO Corporation, the international consortium building the Giant Magellan Telescope, today announced it has appointed Daniel T. Jaffe as president, succeeding Robert N. Shelton, who announced his retirement last year after guiding the observatory through a period of significant growth. “Dan brings decades of leadership in research, astronomy instrumentation, public-private partnerships, and academia,” said Taft Armandroff, board chair of the GMTO Corporation. “His deep understanding ...

As lunar exploration intensifies, the cislunar space is experiencing increasing congestion. Traditional two-body Keplerian elements, which have long been the standard for Earth-orbiting objects, prove insufficient for accurately describing the complex orbits near the Earth–Moon Lagrange points due to the chaotic and non-integrable nature of three-body dynamics. This fundamental deficiency has hindered the development of an effective space situational awareness (SSA) framework for this strategically vital region. A research team from the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) ...

Researchers propose a new citation index that balances productivity and impact in academic publishing. The h-index of citations was introduced in 2005 by a physicist Jorge E. Hirsch. This index is defined simply as the maximum number h of an author’s published papers with at least h citations each. For example, h = 3 means that there are three papers with 3 or more citations, but if a fourth paper exists, it has fewer than four citations. The h-index has quickly gained popularity and is now widely used to measure productivity ...

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/13/2026) — Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Universit´e Paris-Saclay have challenged a decades-old dark matter theory. Their new research shows that the Universe’s most mysterious material could have been “incredibly hot”–moving at nearly the speed of light–when it was first born.  The study was recently published in Physical Review Letters, the premier journal of the American Physical Society. The research gives new clues about the origins of our Universe and opens up a broader range of possibilities for dark matter and how it ...

Playing linear number board games, those where players move pieces along a straight numbered path, can significantly strengthen young children’s math skills, according to a new report  by the HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practice at the UO. Even better, the report found just a few short, 10-minute sessions of game play may have lasting benefits. The findings are from a meta-analysis, or systematic review, of 18 studies looking at number board games and early math skills in children preschool ...

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/12/2026) — A new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities challenges previous classifications paleontologists use to determine how the fossil record is formed. They investigated how dinosaur and mammal bones are transported and buried by floodwaters to understand how the remains of animals might disperse prior to being buried and becoming fossils. The research provides new clues for understanding animal extinction and environmental changes. The paper was recently published in Paleobiology, ...

An automated cell culture system reduces hands-on time and improves seeding consistency in 96-well microplates. Manuel Leonetti, Rafael Gómez-Sjöberg, and colleagues developed the Automated Cell Culture Splitter, an open-source robotic system built around the Opentrons OT-2 liquid handling robot equipped with a custom cell counting imaging instrument. The system automates passaging—the transfer of cells from one culture plate to another when they grow too numerous—of either adherent or suspended cells in 96-well plates, a process conventionally requiring tedious manual work. The authors tested the system with a commonly ...

A study in mice on small RNAs in sperm helps explain how the health of fathers can influence the health of their offspring. Bin He and colleagues explored how paternal immune activation in mice affects a specific class of small RNAs in sperm, known as 28S-rsRNAs. Mice were injected with lipopolysaccharides derived from the bacteria Escherichia coli, to prompt an immune response. A week later, the mice were found to have fewer sperm and an increased number of 28S-rsRNAs in what sperm they did have. Notably, these effects largely subsided six weeks post-injection—spanning ...

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet progress in understanding and treating cardiac disorders is limited by the shortcomings of existing experimental models. Traditional animal models often fail to capture human-specific cardiac biology, while conventional two-dimensional cell cultures lack the functional and structural complexity of heart tissue. These challenges have fueled growing interest in regenerative medicine approaches that more accurately model human heart development, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic responses, with stem ...

Using muon spin rotation spectroscopy, researchers from Japan and Canada successfully captured the rapid conversion of an imidoyl radical into a quinoxalinyl radical occurring within nanoseconds. The technique enabled real time detection of a highly reactive aromatic heterocyclic radical generated during the isocyanide insertion reaction, using muonium as a molecular tracker. The discovery is expected to advance particle-driven radical chemistry—exploring functional properties and offering new strategies for ...

Environmentally friendly buildings are highly attractive for sustainable development and efficient energy consumption. Recently, scientists have made significant strides towards the development of energy-efficient smart windows—with features such as optical modulation, high transparency, low thermal conductivity, and ultraviolet (UV) blocking and heat shielding capabilities—to replace traditional glass windows. The smart windows are a lucrative technology to protect household items as well as human health from the adverse effects of UV radiation. In a recent breakthrough, a team of researchers from the Republic of Korea, led by Professor ...

AMOLF researchers discovered a mysterious interplay of insulin signals in the worm C. elegans. The insulin-driven protein DAF-16 does not only move in and out of the cell nucleus in a complex rhythm, it does so at exactly the same moment in all cells of the body. Because of the many similarities between C. elegans and humans, the research may contribute to a better understanding of diseases such as diabetes, cancer and of ageing. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Communications on December 11. Cells experience many different types of stress, such as starvation or ...

University of Leeds news  Embargoed: 13 January 2026 10:00 GMT  Images available here     Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research published today.  A team of scientists led by the University of Leeds established the world’s largest and longest experiment to see how nutrients affect forest regrowth in areas cleared for activities such as logging and ...

Young tropical forests play a crucial role in slowing climate change. Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, using photosynthesis to build it into their roots, trunks, and branches, where they can store carbon for decades or even centuries. But, according to a new study, this CO2 absorption may be slowed down by the lack of a crucial element that trees need to grow: nitrogen.  Published in Nature Communications and coauthored by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies ecologist Sarah Batterman, the study estimates that ...

“What should I eat?” is perhaps the most common question patients with inflammatory bowel disease ask their doctors. It’s notoriously difficult to answer. There have been few large studies of dietary interventions for IBD, a group of disorders that includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Now, new research by Stanford Medicine investigators and their colleagues provides one potential answer. Their national, randomized controlled clinical trial found that a short-term, calorie-restrictive diet significantly improved both physical symptoms and biological indicators of mild-to-moderate Crohn’s ...

The number of vehicles in Africa is expected to double between now and 2050 – faster than on any other continent. The question is not whether mobility will increase, but how. A new study led by researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, in collaboration with African partners from Makerere University, University of Port Harcourt and Stellenbosch University, shows that electric vehicles, combined with solar-powered off-grid charging systems, could be economically competitive in many African countries well before 2040. “Many models have assumed that combustion engine vehicles will continue to dominate in Africa through ...

A test that rapidly detects signs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in stool samples could improve future diagnosis and monitoring of the condition, a study suggests. Scientists have developed a tool to measure the activity of a molecule linked to gut inflammation within faecal samples. The optical tool, known as a luminescent reporter, lights up when it detects the molecule, with higher readouts indicating increased activity and inflammation. The new technique could boost the accuracy of stool sample tests for IBD, reducing the need ...

Widely-used eye ointments can cause glaucoma implants to swell and potentially rupture, according to new research from Nagoya University in Japan. This study is the first to show, using clinical and experimental evidence, that petrolatum-based eye ointments can compromise the PRESERFLO® MicroShunt, an implant used in over 60 countries to treat glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve and can lead to vision loss. It often results from increased intraocular pressure caused by blocked drainage of eye fluid. A recent study estimated that 76 million ...

Amsterdam, 13 January 2026. Today, the ACCESS-AD consortium is announcing the launch of a transformative European initiative that will accelerate the implementation of scientific innovations for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) management in real-world health systems. The international consortium - bringing together academic institutions, industry partners, SMEs and patient organisations - is co-led by Amsterdam UMC, Siemens Healthineers, King’s College London and Gates Ventures, with funding from the European Commission’s Innovative Health Initiative for a five-year period. The project begins at a pivotal moment for AD care in Europe. In 2025, two new disease-modifying therapies ...

A new study led by researchers at the University of Waterloo found that members of many Indigenous communities who eat certain types of locally harvested waterfowl, especially ducks with mixed or fish-based diets, may have higher levels of both mercury and healthy omega-3 fatty acids in their blood.  The research, conducted in partnership with northern First Nations communities, suggests that waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, may need to be included more regularly in monitoring programs that track both contaminants and nutrients in traditional foods.  “Traditional foods ...

Scientists have discovered that a part of the brain may be behind high blood pressure. The lateral parafacial region sits in the brainstem – the oldest part of the brain – which controls automatic functions such as digestion, breathing, and heart rate. “The lateral parafacial region is recruited into action causing us to exhale during a laugh, exercise or coughing,” says lead researcher Professor Julian Paton, director of Manaaki Manawa, Centre for Heart Research at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. “These ...

A faulty ion channel function is a consistent biological feature of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), providing long-awaited validation for hundreds of thousands of Australians living with the debilitating illness. The new Griffith University research found a crucial cellular structure responsible for calcium transport, the TRPM3 ion channel, was faulty in immune cells from people with ME/CFS. Director and senior author, Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik from Griffith’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED), said the TRPM3 played an essential role in calcium transport into cells, regulating responses properly ...

Scientists have discovered that blocking a key cellular enzyme thought to protect against fatty liver disease may instead increase the risk of chronic liver damage and cancer as we age. In a major new study published in Science Advances, researchers from Adelaide University have shown that loss of the enzyme Caspase-2 drives abnormal growth in liver cells, triggering inflammation, fibrosis, and a significantly higher risk of liver cancer. The findings challenge growing interest in Caspase-2 inhibitors as a potential therapeutic strategy to treat and/or prevent fatty liver disease and highlight the need for caution when targeting this ...

Kyoto, Japan -- What we know of the birth of a black hole has traditionally aligned with our perception of black holes themselves: dark, mysterious, and eerily quiet, despite their mass and influence. Stellar-mass black holes are born from the final gravitational collapse of massive stars several tens of the mass of our Sun which, unlike less massive stars, do not produce bright, supernova explosions. Or at least, this is what astronomers had previously thought, because no one had observed in real time the collapse of a massive star leading to a supernova and forming a black hole. That is, until a team of researchers at Kyoto University reported their observations of SN 2022esa. The ...

The research group of Professor Chuandong Dou at the State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, recently constructed two novel boron-hexane two-dimensional benzobenzenes using a borane-controlled cyclization strategy, elucidating the importance of boron atom doping. Using conjugated boranes as precursors, the researchers synthesized boron-hexane Z-type and bilayer benzobenzenes C32B2 via FeCl3 and Bi(OTf)3-mediated intramolecular cyclization reactions, obtaining narrow-spectrum fluorescence (half-width at half-maximum as narrow as 19 nm) and amplified spontaneous emission properties, demonstrating their ...