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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

How myth-busting science changed cerebral palsy
Most cerebral palsy cases arise from factors during pregnancy or early infancy rather than birth trauma or oxygen deprivation. Genetic analyses identified an underlying cause in at least one quarter of affected individuals, often present from conception. These findings have informed diagnostic practice and reduced unsupported obstetric litigation.
This also reduced cesarean  births.

Alistair Maclennan, How cerebral palsy litigation based on myth and non-expert opinion adversely affected obstetric practice worldwide, South Australian Journal of Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.66861/ofzz1318

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 3 hours ago

Planting trees in the wrong places is not a climate solution
Tree planting benefits climate mitigation only where it restores naturally forested ecosystems. Afforesting drylands, grasslands and savannas can reduce water availability, biodiversity and surface reflectivity, offsetting carbon gains. Restoration should prioritize ecosystem-specific measures such as natural regeneration, soil conservation and native vegetation protection.

 original article.

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Skipping showers is the latest trend. But is there any science to 'pheromone' maxxing?

Humans have no confirmed pheromones or functional sensory anatomy known to mediate pheromone responses. Fresh sweat is largely odorless; bacterial growth during infrequent washing produces body odor. Evidence that MHC-related body odor influences human attraction is inconsistent, with meta-analysis showing no overall effect.

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 3 hours ago

A pathogen turns flowers into leaves

Scientists have found how a protein produced by bacteria disrupts the mechanism that controls flower development in plants, turning reproductive organs into leaf-like structures. These findings shed light on a plant disease that is expected to spread as climate change expands the range of its insect vectors in northern latitudes.
Phytoplasmas are bacteria that are transmitted to plants by insects. Symptoms of the pathogen can range from triggering dwarfism in the plant to essentially reprogramming plant development: Instead of flowers, all floral organs—sepals, petals, stamens and carpels—are converted to leaves, affecting diverse crops such as sunflowers, sesame and grapevines.

This effect can have economic consequences, as food might not be as readily available from damaged crops.

The phytoplasma protein PHYLOY binds multiple MADS-box transcription factor combinations through structural mimicry, disrupting complexes that specify floral organ identity. This interference converts sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels into leaf-like structures. Mutational analyses identified features enabling or preventing these interactions.

Antonin Galien et al, The phytoplasma effector, phyllogen, structurally mimics host plant MADS transcription factors, Journal of Biological Chemistry (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2026.113449

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 3 hours ago

Chatty chatbots can mislead users, but verification tools help, researchers find

Researchers found in a recent study that the more conversational an AI chatbot is, the more likely users are to trust it—even when it shares misinformation. The team said verification options may help rebuild needed skepticism.

More conversational AI chatbots were judged more credible than less conversational versions, even when providing clearly false health information. In 477 participants, skepticism increased only when users actively used verification buttons; passive warning cues did not reduce trust.

Mengqi Liao et al, Chat but verify: Combating misinformation in conversational Generative AI with verification affordance, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (2026). DOI: 10.1093/jcmc/zmag012

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 3 hours ago

Rust prevention coating uses nanotech to self-repair and conquer corrosion

A single application of a "smart" self-repairing coating is being developed to dramatically extend rust protection for buildings, bridges, cars and other steel components.
Nanomaterials experts have engineered powder-like particles that can turn water-based paint into self-repairing corrosion shields with the potential to slow rusting by more than 600 times compared with existing high-performance coatings.
The particles were effectively tiny containers that released rust-inhibiting molecules to protect damaged areas of the coating.

All rustproof coatings inevitably wear down over time; there is no stopping that.
What the researchers have now created is a barrier that is constantly sensing if something is wrong so it can patch any scrapes and cracks itself, greatly extending the duration of protection.
To create the coating, the researchers encased the common rust inhibitor benzotriazole in an intricate nanostructure that, when added to waterborne polyurethane coatings, creates a composite that is highly responsive to changes in acidity.

Each tiny particle is basically a nanocontainer that releases repair molecules only when the conditions demand it.
Electrochemical testing indicates this self-healing coating can restrict corrosion to 37 nanometers per year, 600 times more effectively than many existing "high-performance" rust-protection products that report an ability to restrict annual corrosion to 0.025 mm.

It is not a coating that will last forever, but coatings that contain this technology will have a greatly expanded lifetime, meaning far less maintenance and a much longer time between applications.

Asep Sugih Nugraha et al, Micelle‐Assisted Encapsulation Strategy in Metal‐Organic Framework Nanocontainers Enables Durable Corrosion Protection, Small Science (2026). DOI: 10.1002/smsc.70367

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 4 hours ago

Scientists pinpoint two brain regions that battle it out when deciding whether to take a risk
Every day, your brain runs the same calculation: Take a risk or play it safe? Your gas tank might be low, but there's just enough to make it to work on time. Do you stop and risk being late? Talk to a stranger at the park or stay quiet?
Scientists have discovered the exact spot in the brain where decisions like these take shape—and they can see each result coming half a second before a person acts.

Their study, published in Nature Neuroscience, recorded brain activity directly from the orbitofrontal cortex, a region just behind the eyes. By working with patients who already had electrodes implanted there for surgical evaluation of epilepsy, the team found two neighbouring patches of the brain that signal in opposite directions: one pushing toward "do it," the other toward "don't."

The discovery could reshape how doctors treat psychiatric conditions characterized by an imbalance between risk-taking and caution, from depression and OCD to addiction and gambling disorders. Patients with OCD, which gives rise to intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors, and those with depression demonstrate excessive avoidance. This pattern may reflect an imbalance in this neural circuitry that is playing out in everyday decision-making.

Researchers found that a region near the middle of the eyebrow, called the medial orbital sulcus, increased its activity just before patients took a risk, such as going down a bomb-lined hallway. A patch about two centimeters (0.8 inches) over, toward the side of the eyebrow, did the opposite. Its activity spiked before patients avoided a risk, like skipping the bomb-lined hallway. The two signals moved in exact opposition to each other, down to the millisecond.

To understand how these two signals might produce a single decision, the researchers built a computer model of their interactions. Their model proposed that the circuit behaved like a tug-of-war: One side's signal would shoot up as the other dropped, and vice versa, with one side eventually winning out.

On easy decisions the "go for it" signal won almost instantly. On harder calls, with a more even mix of risk and reward, the two signals flickered back and forth several times before settling on a final answer. Using the pattern of brain activity alone, the researchers could tell which way a patient was about to decide before they moved.
What the researchers clearly saw was more like a switch flipping back and forth, oscillating between two extremes until one held.

Intracranial recordings in humans reveal differential contributions of medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex to approach–avoidance decision-making, Nature Neuroscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-026-02444-4

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history—from witch bottles to 'hag stones'
Across cultures, homes were protected from perceived natural and supernatural threats using plants, symbols, architectural features, concealed witch bottles, stones, and religious objects. These practices often targeted entrances, chimneys, hearths, and beds, reflecting anxieties about illness, misfortune, witchcraft, fire, and harmful spirits.

 original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Scientists target gum disease with bacteriophage virus

Scientists have shown that a naturally occurring virus can dismantle complex bacterial communities responsible for severe gum disease, offering a potential alternative to traditional antibiotics. In the first study to demonstrate this effect, researchers found that the FNU1 virus selectively attacked Fusobacterium polymorphum, a bacterial species that helps other disease-causing bacteria stick together and thrive.
The virus reduced total bacterial levels by 94%, leaving only about 6% of the original disease-causing plaque intact. Despite targeting just one bacterial species, the treatment dramatically reduced the size and density of the plaque, with levels of three other bacteria linked to gum disease falling by more than 85%.

The findings 're important because gum disease affects more than half the world's population and remains a leading cause of tooth loss.

The research, published in the Journal of Oral Microbiology, focused on bacteriophages, or phages, viruses that infect bacteria but are harmless to humans.

Siti Saleha Binte Mohamed Yakob Adil et al, Fusobacterium bacteriophage FNU1 disrupts complex periodontal pathogenic biofilms comprising Fusobacterium polymorphum , Porphyromonas gingivalis , Tannerella forsythia and Prevotella intermedia, Journal of Oral Microbiology (2026). DOI: 10.1080/20002297.2026.2726627

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Researchers identify rubber-related chemicals in milk
Rubber-related chemicals were detected in raw milk from 7 of 17 Swiss farms; none were found in three remote alpine samples. Dairy equipment contained 14 such compounds, indicating material migration as a potential source. Concentrations were generally low, but exposure pathways and human health risks remain uncertain.

Florian Breider et al, Rubber-related chemical contamination in milk: Implications for dairy production systems, Food Chemistry: X (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104373

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

No cities on the moon—there isn't enough water, scientists say

The discovery of water in dark craters at the moon's poles has sparked a "moon rush" to establish bases there, followed by villages, cities and heavy industry. How sustainable is this rush?

Soon after the moon was formed, asteroids bombarded it, creating its pockmarked topography. Near the moon's poles, there are dozens of crater floors that have not seen direct sunlight in about 4 billion years. Many of these cryogenically cold "pits of eternal darkness" are below a temperature of 110K, forming "cold traps" in which water ice won't sublimate away by more than a millimeter in a billion years, even in the vacuum at the moon's surface. And there is water to freeze: Some of those asteroids brought it along with them.

Since 2013, we have known that water is still there, possibly as much as 1 billion tons (910 million tonnes), thanks to a succession of moon-orbiting missions that have mapped likely locations in increasing detail.

The presence of water at the lunar poles changes everything about human visits to the moon. Suddenly, it is practical to envision a "moon village" where people could survive without importing every last bit from Earth. They could grow their own food and have showers and functional toilets, unlike the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). This possibility has sparked ambitions from people like Jeff Bezos to move heavy industry to the moon and Elon Musk's ambition to have "self-growing cities" there. These are enticing visions, but are they attainable?
Lunar polar water ice could support small settlements for centuries, aided by near-continuous solar power on crater rims. Even with 98% water recycling, a million-person city would exhaust optimistic ice estimates within about a century; lower current estimates reduce this to years or decades. Larger settlements require improved recycling, imports, reduced demand, or deeper water reserves.

This is the conclusion of scientists!

No Cities on the Moon: a Billion Tons of Water is not enough for Sustainability, Frontiers in Space Technologies (2026). DOI: 10.3389/frspt.2026.1894104

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