#ScienceAlert

Chester Zoo Science

@chesterzoosci.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Behavior Change Projects in Zoological Collections: Application of the Behavior Change Wheel Projects identified from zoo websites and their initial categorization.

#ScienceAlert!

A new study looks at key zoo websites to investigate how they are engaging with visitors through projects intended to promote behavioural change, and analyses those projects to understand their strategies.

1/2 📝

Bryan Johnston 🇵🇸 🇨🇩 🇸🇩

@bryankj.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

Do 'Focus Apps' Increase Your Productivity? Here's The Science It's hardly a revelation that we're living in an era of distraction and smartphone addiction.

Do 'Focus Apps' Increase Your Productivity? Here's The Science champ.ly/sn3YkbFS via #ScienceAlert #Productivity

David Harvey

@topladave.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

NASA Restarts Countdown After Fixing Hydrogen Leaks on Its Moon Rocket CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

NASA has begun another practice launch countdown for its first moonshot with astronauts in decades, after making repairs to fix dangerous fuel leaks.
www.sciencealert.com/nasa-restart...

#NASA #ArtemisII #MoonMission #ScienceNews #sciencealert #space

Science Newsroom - Faculty of Science and Engineering - UG

@sciencenewsroom-ug.bsky.social

1 month ago

Examples of 3D printed metamaterial blocks with different unit cells, as studied in the paper. | Image Shantanu Nath, University of Groningen. Reference: H.C.V.M. Shyam Veluvali et al.: When Scale Matters: Size-Dependent Mechanics of Architected Lattices for Implants and Beyond. Small Structures, 13 January 2026

🧊 What are #metamaterials, and why does their size matter?

Shyam Veluvali & research team @rug.nl & @umcgroningen.bsky.social discovered new insights that lead to better implants, robot hands, and bumpers.

Curious? Read more👇
🔗 www.rug.nl/fse/news/hig...
🧪 #SciComm #sciencealert

Lusogeek

@lusogeek.bsky.social

1 month ago

DNA From Beethoven's Hair Reveals a Surprise 200 Years Later On a stormy Monday in March, 1827, the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven passed away after a protracted illness.

DNA From Beethoven's Hair Reveals a Surprise 200 Years Later
(long article)

www.sciencealert.com/dna-from-bee...

#science #sciencealert #Beethoven #classical #hair #200years #dna

Lusogeek

@lusogeek.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

On a stormy Monday in March, 1827, the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven passed away after a protracted illness. Bedridden since the previous Christmas, he was ravaged by jaundice, his limbs and abdomen swollen, and every breath a struggle. As his associates sorted through personal belongings, they uncovered a document Beethoven had written a quarter of a century earlier – a will beseeching his brothers to make details of his condition known to the public. **Related:Fame Can Cut Years From a Singer's Life, Study Reveals** Today it is no secret that one of the greatest musicians the world has ever known was functionally deaf by his mid-40s. It was a tragic irony Beethoven wished the world understood, not just from a personal perspective, but a medical one. The composer would outlive his doctor by nearly two decades, yet close to two centuries after Beethoven's death, a team of researchers set out to fulfill his testament in ways he would never have dreamed possible, by genetically analyzing the DNA in authenticated samples of his hair. Watch the video below for a summary of the research: frameborder="0″ allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> "Our primary goal was to shed light on Beethoven's health problems, which famously include progressive hearing loss, beginning in his mid- to late-20s and eventually leading to him being functionally deaf by 1818," biochemist Johannes Krause from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany explained in a press statement in 2023, when the results were unveiled. The primary cause of that hearing loss has never been known, not even to his personal physician Dr Johann Adam Schmidt. Johann Adam Schmidt, Beethoven's physician. (Wikimedia Commons/PD) What began as tinnitus in his 20s slowly gave way to a reduced tolerance for loud noise, and eventually a loss of hearing in the higher pitches, effectively ending his career as a performing artist. **Related:Tinnitus Is Somehow Linked to a Crucial Bodily Function** For a musician, nothing could be more ironic. In a letter addressed to his brothers, Beethoven admitted he was "hopelessly afflicted", to the point of contemplating suicide. It wasn't just hearing loss the composer had to deal with in his adult life. From at least the age of 22 he is said to have suffered severe abdominal pains and chronic bouts of diarrhea. Six years before his death the first indications of liver disease appeared, an illness thought to have been, at least in part, responsible for his death at the relatively young age of 56. In 2007 a forensic investigation into a lock of hair believed to belong to Beethoven suggested that lead poisoning could have hastened his death, if not have been ultimately responsible for the symptoms that claimed his life. Given the culture of drinking from lead vessels and medical treatments of the time that involved the use of lead, it's hardly a surprising conclusion. **Related:Beethoven Really Did Have Lead Poisoning, But That Didn't Cause His Death** This latest study, published in March 2023, debunks the theory, however, revealing that the hair never came from Beethoven in the first place, but rather an unknown woman. More importantly, several locks confirmed as far more likely to be from the composer's head indicate his death was probably caused by a hepatitis B infection, exacerbated by his drinking and numerous risk factors for liver disease. "We cannot say definitely what killed Beethoven, but we can now at least confirm the presence of significant heritable risk, and an infection with hepatitis B virus," explained Krause. "We can also eliminate several other less plausible genetic causes." As for his other conditions? "We were unable to find a definitive cause for Beethoven's deafness or gastrointestinal problems," Krause said. An authentic lock of Beethoven's hair, affixed to a letter dated 1827 and photographed in 2018 by American Beethoven Society member Kevin Brown. (Begg et al., _Curr. Biol._ , 2023) In some ways, we're left with more questions on the life and death of the famous classical composer. Where did he contract hepatitis? How did a lock of woman's hair pass as Beethoven's own for centuries? And just what was behind his gut pains and hearing loss? Given the team was inspired by Beethoven's desire for the world to understand his hearing loss, it's an unfortunate outcome. Though there was one more surprise buried among his genes. Further investigation comparing the Y chromosome in the hair samples with those of modern relatives descending from Beethoven's paternal line point to a mismatch. This suggests extramarital sexual activity in the generations leading up to the composer's birth. **Related:Is The Y Chromosome Vanishing? A New Sex Gene May Be The Future of Men** "This finding suggests an extrapair paternity event in his paternal line between the conception of Hendrik van Beethoven in Kampenhout, Belgium in c.1572 and the conception of Ludwig van Beethoven seven generations later in 1770, in Bonn, Germany," said Tristan Begg, a biological anthropologist now at the University of Cambridge in the UK. It could all be a little more than a younger Beethoven bargained for, considering the fateful request he put to paper. Never would he have dreamed of the secrets that were being preserved as his friends and associates clipped the hair from his body in the wake of that somber stormy Monday night in 1827. This research was published in _Current Biology_. _An earlier version of this article was published in March 2023._

DNA From Beethoven's Hair Reveals a Surprise 200 Years Later
(long article)

www.sciencealert.com/dna-from-beethovens-hair...

#science #sciencealert #Beethoven #classical #hair #200years #dna

Greyson Kent

@greysonkentxxx.bsky.social

2 months ago

There's a Surprisingly Easy Way to Remove Microplastics in Drinking Water Tiny fragments of plastic are making their way deep inside our bodies in concerning quantities, particularly through our food and drink.

All the more reason t'drink more tea. ☺️☺️☺️

#Microplastics

#DrinkingWater

#ScienceAlert

#ProofOfWater

#Hydrate

#WaterIsLife

#StayHydrated

share.google/p6ITz4FwxYJa...

Black Snow Weather Bureau

@vulcanizedfiver.bsky.social

3 months ago

#news #science #ScienceAlert #disability #ChronicIllness #Diabetes #Blindness #StemCells

Cast your attention to the first and third entries, more huge news concerning advancements towards a cure for Diabetes, and stem cell treatment's role in restoring are-related blindness.

David Harvey

@topladave.bsky.social

3 months ago

Common Sweetener Could Damage Critical Brain Barrier, Risking Stroke Found in everything from protein bars to energy drinks, erythritol has long been considered a safe alternative to sugar.

Found in everything from protein bars to energy drinks, it has long been considered a safe alternative to sugar.
www.sciencealert.com/erythritol-s...
#health #sciencealert #STEM #artificialsweeteners #sciencenewshighlights

MyPost.to

@mypost.to

3 months ago

Mars Was Habitable Longer Than We Thought, New Study Suggests It is a scientific consensus that water once flowed on Mars, and that it had a denser atmosphere, meaning that it was once habitable.

https://get.mypost.to/sT7q8r

It is a scientific consensus that water once flowed on Mars, and that it had ...

#mars #space #scientificstudy #sciencealert

Banumoorthy

@banumoorthy.bsky.social

3 months ago

అంగారకుడిపై నాసా కనుగొన్న మిస్టీరియస్ ఏలియన్ రాక్ ఎర్ర గ్రహంలో జీవం ఉన్నదన్న అనుమానాలకు భారీ బూస్ట్ ఇచ్చిన సంచలనం! NASA’s discovery of a mysterious alien rock on Mars sparks global excitement, giving a major boost to theories about possible life on the Red Planet.

newlyupdatepost.blogspot.com/2025/11/blog...
NASA’s discovery of a mysterious alien rock on Mars sparks global excitement, giving a major boost to theories about possible life on the Red Planet.
#nasa #mars #alienrock #spaceupdates #mysterydiscovery #sciencealert #spaceblogger #viralnews #marsrover

Greyson Kent

@greysonkentxxx.bsky.social

3 months ago

Tinnitus Is Somehow Linked to a Crucial Bodily Function Those who have never endured the relentless ringing of tinnitus can only dream of the torment.

Gunna be following these developments extremely closely...

*he says while contemplating the realization that the inescapable ringing in his ears is taking far more away from him than he realized*

#Tinnitus Is Somehow Linked to Sleep : #ScienceAlert share.google/NLdPa6NHGRfp...

Geometric Inevitability

@chronofractaltime.bsky.social

3 months ago

The standard model is cracking. DESI 2025 data (w ≈ -0.75) confirms the UCF prediction (w ≈ -0.79), not ΛCDM (w = -1).

The standard model is cracking. DESI 2025 data (w ≈ -0.75) confirms the UCF prediction (w ≈ -0.79), not ΛCDM (w = -1).

#Physics #Cosmology #DESI #UCF #ScienceAlert

Curiosititis

@booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social

4 months ago

We May Finally Understand Why Birds Burst Into Song at Dawn Dawn is beckoned by choruses of birds all around the world, but we still don't understand why our avian neighbours insist on such a morning ruckus.

#birds #sciencealert #zebrafinches #birdsongs

Butterfly LaChoi

@butterflylachoi.bsky.social

4 months ago

This Week In Science (November 2 – 8) 🧪

The biology behind zoning out, the world's largest spider web, game over for simulation theory, and much more!

Links to the full articles 📖 in comments

#ScienceNews #ScienceAlert #STEM #ThisWeekInScience #TWIS

Icon

@shmebulock.bsky.social

4 months ago

Scientists just shattered a record by discovering 6 million-year-old ice trapped deep in Antarctica, with ancient air bubbles inside! 🧊 This is literally a time capsule that will help us understand Earth's past climate like never before. 🤯 #ScienceAlert #Antarctica #ClimateHistory

@thetheatom.bsky.social

4 months ago

🚨 COVID-19 is BACK in the headlines! Limited tracking = vaccination chaos. Are you part of the next wave? #NatureJournal #COVID19 #ScienceAlert #EngageNow

Bryan Johnston 🇵🇸 🇨🇩 🇸🇩

@bryankj.bsky.social

4 months ago

Does The Full Moon Really Affect Our Sleep? Here's The Science Have you ever tossed and turned under a full moon and wondered if its glow was keeping you awake? For generations, people have believed that the Moon has the power to stir up sleepless nights and strange behavior – even madness itself.

Does The Full Moon Really Affect Our Sleep? Here's The Science champ.ly/PbKXtLON via #sciencealert 🌕 🧠 🌕

Dr. Susan Winters ☕️

@docwinter.bsky.social

5 months ago

COVID-19 infection associated with increased risk of new-onset vascular dementia in adults ≥50 years - npj Dementia npj Dementia - COVID-19 infection associated with increased risk of new-onset vascular dementia in adults ≥50 years

🚨 New study: in adults 50+, prior COVID-19 infection was linked to +41% risk of new dementia, especially vascular dementia — even after matching for confounders. This may be just the tip of a neurological iceberg. #LongCovid #BrainHealth #DementiaRisk #ScienceAlert

Jannette R. Pallares

@jannetterp.bsky.social

5 months ago

Losing Your Sense of Smell Could Be an Early Warning Sign of Parkinson's In a magical scene towards the end of 2007 film Ratatouille, notoriously harsh food critic Anton Ego is instantly transported back in time, his childhood memories revived by a spoonful of the film's e...

More than a passing symptom👇🏻👇🏻
#sciencealert #parkinson #alzheimer #smell
www.sciencealert.com/losing-your-...

Icon

@shmebulock.bsky.social

5 months ago

Mind-blowing space news! Astronomers may have found a brand new class of cosmic object: the Black Hole Star. This extreme version of a "little red dot" could change what we know about early universe formation! 💫 #ScienceAlert #BlackHoleStar #JWST

Daily Trend Mirror

@latestnewsofficial.bsky.social

5 months ago

'Invisible' asteroids near Venus could one day crash into Earth; Astronomers issued a stark warning
gtvnewshd.com/trending/202...

#Asteroids #SpaceNews #NASA #Astronomy #PlanetaryDefense #EarthThreat #Venus #InvisibleAsteroids #ScienceAlert #SpaceSafety

Access Press

@accesspress.org

5 months ago

Several Psychiatric Disorders Share The Same Root Cause, Study Finds Researchers recently discovered that eight different psychiatric conditions share a common genetic basis.

#ScienceAlert reports that researchers have identified a set of common genes, associated in different combinations, with autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia.

#AccessPress #MentalHealth #Genetics

Ivi Choc

@ivichoc.bsky.social

6 months ago

We Finally Know Why Ancient Roman Concrete Lasts Thousands of Years The ancient Romans were masters of building and engineering, perhaps most famously represented by the aqueducts.

#ScienceAlert #concrete #RomanConcrete #SelfHealingConcrete #climate #climatechange #CO2emissions

(We could make good use of the Roman self healing concrete lasting 2000 years. But of course, the profits...🙄)

www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-k...

Emberhart

@emberhartco.bsky.social

6 months ago

The Secret to Lasting Drive: Introduction to Self-Determination Theory Explore the secrets of lasting motivation with Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Discover how autonomy, competence, and relatedness fuel authentic action, personal growth, and well-being. Learn how to…

ThrowbackThursday. SDT is a macrotheory of motivation that examines not just how much motivation people have, but also the types of motivation that guide their actions. #Motivation #ScienceAlert #EmberhartPodcast

youtu.be/4DIkLXVsjS0?...

L’important.fr

@limportant.bsky.social

6 months ago

La routine quotidienne du samouraï pourrait réduire le risque de chute chez les personnes âgées https://limportant.fr/infos-sante/5/621631 #ScienceAlert

Oden

@oden-gjallarhornet.bsky.social

6 months ago

ScienceAlert Is Streaming Now on YouTube. Hit Subscribe! To keep you up to date with the latest in science, technology, and innovation, the world's leading science news website is expanding – we're now on YouTube! Subscribe to ScienceAlert's YouTube channel...

#ScienceAlert Is Streaming Now on YouTube. Hit Subscribe!

www.sciencealert.com/sciencealert...

Bryan Johnston 🇵🇸 🇨🇩 🇸🇩

@bryankj.bsky.social

6 months ago

5 Ways Ginger Is Good For Your Health, According to Science From warming winter teas to zesty stir-fries, ginger (Zingiber officinale) has long been a kitchen staple.

5 Ways Ginger Is Good For Your Health, According to Science www.sciencealert.com/5-ways-ginge... via #sciencealert

David Harvey

@topladave.bsky.social

6 months ago

Several Psychiatric Disorders Share The Same Root Cause, Study Finds Researchers recently discovered that eight different psychiatric conditions share a common genetic basis.

A study published this year pinpointed specific variants among those shared genes and uncovered how they behave during brain development.
www.sciencealert.com/several-psyc...

#Health #Neuroscience #ScienceNews #STEM #ScienceAlert #ADHD #Autism #OCD #TourettesSyndrome

David Harvey

@topladave.bsky.social

6 months ago

Lung Cancer Is Rising in Non-Smokers, And This Could Be Why While the number of smokers in the world as a proportion of the population is dropping, lung cancer continues to cause almost 2 million deaths per year – and new research reports on a concerning rise ...

Lung cancer continues to cause almost 2 million deaths per year – and there's concerning rise in cases among people who've never lit up a cigarette.

www.sciencealert.com/lung-cancer-...

#Health #ScienceNews #STEM #ScienceAlert #LungCancer