Science

Scientists studying the tropical forests of Malaysian Borneo have discovered an unexpected shift in one of the region's long-running ecological partnerships. An international team from Queen Mary University of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and other institutions found that predatory wasps are increasingly occupying the hollow stems of the tropical plant Macaranga pearsonii. The findings, published in PeerJ, reveal that the wasps are moving into structures that evolved specifically to shelter protective ant colonies.

UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights’ scientists will share their latest information on chemical and exposure safety at the 2026 International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Chemical Insights is hosting a symposium, five presentations, one workshop and six poster sessions on the impacts of chemical emissions on human health. The ISES Annual Meeting, which runs from Oct. 4 – 8, brings together researchers, practitioners, and leaders from across sectors to share new findings, spark collaboration, and translate science into real-world impact.

Imaginary space life science - Grok via Astrobiology.com The abstract in PubMed or at the publisher’s site is linked when available and will open in a new window.

The latest episode of Secrets of the Human Body identifies what might be the body’s most profound secret: that there is a “disconnect” between a physical organ of the body — the brain — and the “immortal mind,” the human spirit, that transcends it. Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, co-author with Denyse O’Leary of The Immortal Mind, considers near-death experiences among other startling phenomena in his field that point to this immaterial reality. Dr. Egnor concludes dramatically by noting that the recognition of that reality extends increasingly across scientific disciplines. In biology, Dr. Richard Sternberg speaks of the “immaterial genome,” described in my book about his thinking, Plato’s Revenge. Egnor draws a parallel conclusion:

Thanks to the generosity of our community, the Marfan Foundation is able to power world-class research and convene scientists to move us toward new breakthroughs, better treatments and hope for a brighter future. On October 4 – 5, the Marfan Foundation’s 12th International Symposium on Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, Vascular Ehlers-Danlos and Related Syndromes brought together scientists from around the world at a meeting in Barcelona, Spain to share what they are learning about VEDS, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, Marfan syndrome and related conditions.

Kicking off the 2026 Nobel prizes in is the award for physiology or medicine. This year the prize went to three scientists for their work investigating the mysteries of the brain. Karl Deisseroth of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of the Humboldt University of Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg have been awarded the prize “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics”. Science correspondent Nicola Davis tells Madeleine Finlay how this technique is already transforming neuroscience and how it could one day help restore sight, remove pain and tackle diseases like addiction and Alzheimer's

The Department of Computer Science welcomes Gene Gutnik, Chief Technology Officer at WakeCap and member of the Purdue President’s Parents Council, for a special discussion on technical interviews and career preparation in the technology industry. Drawing on his extensive experience as a technology executive and engineering leader, Gutnik will share practical strategies for navigating technical interviews, standing out as a candidate, and preparing for careers in software development and technology. Attendees will gain valuable insight into what employers look for during the hiring process, common interview challenges, and best practices for showcasing technical and problem-solving skills with confidence.

Congratulations to Zoya Abbasi and Jaden Saïd, winners of the 2026 Applied Mathematics, Modeling and Computational Science (AMMCS) prizes at this year’s AMMCS International conference. AMMCS aims to promote interdisciplinary research and collaboration involving mathematical and computational sciences within a larger international community, and highlight recent advances in applied mathematics, modeling and computational science. The interdisciplinary international conference started in 2011 and was hosted in Waterloo this year.

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has selected the next portfolio of Science Activation project teams through the ROSES‑25 (F.6 Science Activation) solicitation. Science Activation is a nationwide network of competitively-selected, collaborative projects that extend the impact of NASA science by connecting people and communities – many of whom would not otherwise meaningfully engage – with NASA science data and experts, local partnerships, and authentic science experiences. These sustained, community-embedded, and relevant opportunities and resources enable widespread involvement and participation - doing NASA science - inspiring the future STEM workforce and changing lives.

Michael Murphy, director of the Centre for International and Defence Policy and former Buchanan Postdoctoral Fellow in Canadian Democracy, and Jonathan Rose, a professor of Political Science and former department head have created Better Debates Kingston: A Guide to Help Meet Voters' Needs. The guide, which was designed around the unique challenges of municipal elections, focuses on redesigning the structure of all candidate meetings to provide voters with critical information and help them distinguish between candidates. It connects the goals of a debate to a ready-to-use framework. "Despite municipal elections representing the most local form of democracy, this level of government unfortunately sees a low level of engagement compared to federal or provincial elections," Dr. Murphy says when asked about why they created the guide. "Especially in small- to medium-size cities, part of the challenge is in terms of information accessibility. We just don't have the same level of local news coverage that communities used to enjoy, and independent campaigns don't have access to the communication resources that political parties do at other levels.

The discovery hints that planetary systems can have second beginnings An evaporating gas giant planet (illustrated) may have formed around a white dwarf after the original star died.

Few among us question actions done “in the name of science” when said actions are carried out by credible groups or individuals. It goes without saying that the acquisition and expansion of knowledge is highly valued. As long as the pursuit is not directly harmful to people, it generally gets a pass. But one level deeper, what is science itself done in the name of? Not surprisingly, much of science is in the service of modernity: producing remarkable short-term advantages for humans—generally at the expense of the rest of the Community of Life on both short- and long-term scales. A great deal of the scientific enterprise concentrates on technology. Market systems assure funding for efforts that will facilitate continued growth: accessing more energy, more materials (and novel ones, to boot), more indispensable gadgets, and longer lives for affluent humans whose ecological footprints are already monstrous (let’s keep those ones going the longest, yeah?).

An artist's impression of the second-generation planet orbiting HS 0209+0832, the first such planet to be found orbiting a white dwarf. A star’s explosive death is often apocalyptic for its closest planets. In our solar system, the sun’s expansion into a red giant about five billion years from now will spell doom for Mercury, Venus, and possibly even Earth. But a dead star isn’t only capable of destruction. Astronomers suspect that gravity from highly magnetized, fast-spinning neutron stars known as pulsars can sometimes assemble enough material to form second-generation planets. But for the first time, scientists have detected a potential planet birthed from a white dwarf—and it may only be the first of more to come

A group of chimpanzees feeding together in a natural forest environment on Ngamba Island, Uganda. How likely is a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) to steal food from another chimp? It depends on whether they’re a friend or a foe. A team of biologists discovered that chimps pilfer less from their friends, and that the relationship between the victim and the thief influenced the emotional display of both parties. The findings are described in a study recently published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

The winners of the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, peace and ‌economics will be announced in the week. American scientist Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering discoveries on light and optogenetics that have helped understand ⁠how the brain works. The Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute medical university said on Monday that Deisseroth, 54, Hegemann, 71, and Nagel, 73, were honoured “for their discovery of a molecular switch for nerve cells”. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘I want to cry’: Afghan medical students in Pakistan face expulsion fearlist 2 of 4The story of a book in Gaza: A treasured possession given new lease of lifelist 3 of 4HIV prevention drug hailed as breakthrough, but who gets access?list 4 of 4UN experts say Belarus justice system used to target Lukashenko opponentsend of listOptogenetics involves controlling nerve signals with light, and helps researchers understand how specific cell types contribute to behaviours like learning, fear, addiction and movement.