Of 17 preservatives studied, higher consumption of 12 of them linked with increased risk of type 2 diabetes Higher consumption of some food preservatives is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer, two studies suggest. The findings, published in the medical journals Nature Communications and the BMJ, may have important public health implications given the ubiquitous use of these additives globally, researchers said. Continue reading...

The near-Earth asteroid Bennu contains stardust that is older than the solar system and clues about its violent history, three new studies of the asteroid's sample materials show.

Mexican tetras in pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs.

Amid collapse of global pollution treaty, scientists highlight environmental factors causing fertility crisis Action must be taken to curb the use of plastic additives linked to plummeting sperm counts, a leading reproductive scientist has warned, as splits over chemical regulation contributed to the collapse of a crucial treaty on plastic pollution. Across the world, sperm counts have been declining at a rate of about 1% a year for the past 50 years, and human fertility has been diminishing at a similar rate, studies have shown. Continue reading...

Sun-powered fliers could use photophoretic forces to hover in the mesosphere, gathering data from a region off limits to planes and balloons.

This year’s Perseid peak lines up with the full moon, which will make it harder than usual to view some of the show.

Nuclear reactors in space may sound like something out of science fiction, but they are likely to prove important for powering long-term space missions.

Swapping foods like premade lasagna for hand-made spaghetti Bolognese made a difference.

Strong new evidence suggests that primordial material from the planet’s center is somehow making its way out. Continent-size entities anchored to the core-mantle boundary might be involved.

When people viewed virtual avatars with coughs or rashes, their brains triggered an immune response.