Hidden Virus Found in Gut Bacteria Is Linked to Colorectal Cancer

28 Feb. 2026, By D. Nield

https://www.sciencealert.com/hidden-virus-found-in-gut-bacteria-is-linked-to-colorectal-cancer

Bacteriophages (blue) infecting a bacterium. 

(Nemes Laszlo/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

Researchers have made a significant step forward in understanding how gut bacteria, and specifically a newly discovered virus, can contribute to colorectal cancer – one of the most common forms of cancer in the developed world.

The researchers, from institutions in Denmark and Australia, wanted to take a closer look at an association previously identified between colorectal cancer and a bacterium called Bacteroides fragilis.

This bacterium often shows up in healthy people too, so the team wanted to see if there was a crucial difference in the bacterium in individuals who develop cancer – and that's exactly what they found.

The researchers cataloged bacteria, and viruses inside bacteria.

 (Damgaard et al., Commun. Med., 2026)

"It has been a paradox that we repeatedly find the same bacterium in connection with colorectal cancer, while at the same time it is a completely normal part of the gut in healthy people," says microbiologist Flemming Damgaard, from Odense University Hospital in Denmark.

"We have discovered a virus that has not previously been described and which appears to be closely linked to the bacteria we find in patients with colorectal cancer."

Using genetic sequencing, the researchers analyzed the gut bacteria of cancer patients in a large Danish population study. They found that in these patients, B. fragilis often came with a bacteriophage attached. Bacteriophages are viruses that live inside bacteria, hijacking these cells to duplicate and spread.

While the initial signal was discovered in a relatively small group of people, the findings were later verified in a larger cohort of 877 people with and without colorectal cancer – and point to a link that suggests viruses lurking in B. fragilis may tip the scales toward cancer.

People with colorectal cancer were twice as likely to have detectable levels of the bacteriophage in their gut bacteria, the data showed. What's more, it's not a virus that fits the description of anything recorded to date.

However, the researchers can't prove direct cause and effect yet. This is a notable association that will be useful for studying colorectal cancer and potential treatment targets, but there may be much more going on.

"It is not just the bacterium itself that seems interesting," says Damgaard. "It is the bacterium in interaction with the virus it carries."

"We do not yet know whether the virus is a contributing cause, or whether it is simply a sign that something else in the gut has changed."

Around 80 percent of colorectal cancer risk has been assigned to environmental factors, including gut bacteria composition. That means a better understanding of these factors and how they influence each other could impact millions of cancer cases.

Studying the mix of bacteria in the gut is no easy task, though. These incredibly complex microbiomes are both indicators of what else is going on in the body and influencers that can impact everything from sleep quality to weight loss.

Now there's an extra layer that future studies can examine: not just bacteria, but the viruses living inside them. One question the researchers are keen to look at next is exactly how B. fragilis might be affected by its bacteriophage lodgers.

This research is still very much in the early, experimental stage, but anything that helps experts understand how cancer gets started can also help in the development of targeted treatments – though that may take years.

The team behind this study suggests that their findings might also be used for colorectal cancer screening. With further research, stool sample scans could be developed to look for this B. fragilis virus, for example.

"The number and diversity of bacteria in the gut is enormous," says Damgaard. "Previously, it has been like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, we have investigated whether something inside the bacteria – namely viruses – might help explain the difference."

"In the short term, we can investigate whether the virus can be used to identify individuals at increased risk."

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Planets Are About to Line Up in a Rare Event. Here's How to Watch.

28 Feb. 2026, ByA. Ramakrishnan, Associated Press

https://www.sciencealert.com/planets-are-about-to-line-up-in-a-rare-event-heres-how-to-watch

(m-gucci/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

NEW YORK (AP) – Six planets are linking up in the sky at the end of February, and most will be visible to the naked eye.

It's what's known as a planetary parade, which happens when multiple planets appear to line up in the sky at once. The planets aren't in a straight line, but are close together on one side of the sun.

Skygazers can usually spot two or three planets after sunset, according to NASA. Hangouts of four or five that can be glimpsed with the naked eye are less common and occur every few years. Last year featured lineups of six and all seven planets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di21vgREWLg&t=1s

When will they be visible?

On Saturday, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye if clear skies allow. Uranus and Neptune can only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes.

The planets will be visible soon after sunset throughout the month of February, but they'll be lined up best toward the end of the month.

 (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

What time is optimal for viewing?

Go outside about an hour after sunset and venture away from tall buildings and trees that will block the view. Look to the western sky and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn close to the horizon. Jupiter will be higher up, along with Uranus and Neptune.

How to know if you've spied a member of the parade?

"If it's twinkling, it's a star. If it is not twinkling, it's a planet," said planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei with Humber Polytechnic in Canada.

The parade should be visible over the weekend and in the days after. Eventually, Mercury will bow out and dip below the horizon.

At least one bright planet is visible on most nights, according to NASA.

Glimpsing many in the sky at once is a fun way to connect with astronomers of centuries' past, said planetary scientist Emily Elizondo with Michigan State University.

Ancient astronomers used to make sense of the universe "just by looking up at the stars and the planets," Elizondo said, "which is something that we can do today."

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Tiny Fish Stun Scientists With Mammal-Like Intelligence

By Osaka Metropolitan U., Feb. 28, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/tiny-fish-stun-scientists-with-mammal-like-intelligence/

A simple change in experimental design led to a surprising discovery: cleaner wrasse not only responded to their reflections faster than ever recorded, but also began testing the mirror using falling shrimp. 

Credit: Shutterstock

Cleaner wrasse may be far more cognitively sophisticated than previously thought.

Scientists at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have identified a new and unexpected behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When shown a mirror, these small reef fish did more than appear to recognize their reflections. They also began interacting with the mirror using a piece of food, suggesting a level of cognitive sophistication not typically associated with fish. The findings indicate that cleaner wrasse may be capable of “contingency testing,” a complex mental process most often observed in highly intelligent marine mammals such as dolphins.

The research team was led by Specially Appointed Researcher Shumpei Sogawa and Specially Appointed Professor Masanori Kohda at the Graduate School of Science. In earlier work, the group demonstrated that cleaner wrasse can identify themselves in photographs.

In the current study, the scientists observed new behaviors during a series of mirror test experiments, a widely used method for evaluating self-recognition and animal cognition. Previous research had already shown that cleaner wrasse respond to their reflections in ways consistent with self-recognition.

Rapid Responses in Modified Mirror Tests

To begin the experiment, researchers placed marks on the fish that resembled parasites. Even individuals that had never encountered a mirror before quickly used their reflections to locate and attempt to remove the mark.

The speed of this response surprised the researchers. Some fish tried to scrape off the mark within the first hour of seeing the mirror. On average, mark-directed rubbing occurred after about 82 minutes. In earlier experiments, similar behavior took between 4 to 6 days to appear.

Cleaner fish have been found to exhibit mammal-like cognitive abilities in the presence of their own reflection.

 Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University



“In earlier cleaner wrasse mirror studies, the procedure was typically the fish see a mirror for several days, they habituate to it and stop reacting socially, and a mark is added,” Dr. Sogawa explained. “In this study, the order was reversed, the fish were marked first, then the mirror was introduced for the first time. The fish were likely aware of something unusual on their body, but they couldn’t see it. When the mirror appeared, it immediately provided visual information that matched an existing bodily expectation, hence scraping occurred much faster.”

Evidence of ‘Contingency Testing’

An even more intriguing behavior appeared after several days of mirror exposure. Some fish picked up a small piece of shrimp from the tank floor, swam upward, and intentionally released it in front of the mirror. As the shrimp drifted downward, the fish closely tracked its movement along the mirror’s surface. They repeatedly touched the glass with their mouths while watching the shrimp fall in the reflection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b2_LnEz1GU&t=1s

The cleaner wrasse picks up a piece of shrimp and drops it in front of the mirror. As the food falls, the fish repeatedly touches the glass of their tank with their mouths seeming to explore the mirror itself. 

Credit: Shumpei Sogawa, Osaka Metropolitan University

The researchers describe this behavior as “contingency testing.” Rather than using their own bodies to probe the reflection, the fish appeared to examine how an external object behaved within the mirror image. By dropping the shrimp and observing how its real movement matched what they saw in the reflection, the wrasse seemed to be investigating how the mirror worked. Similar actions have been documented in manta rays and dolphins, which release bubbles and watch their reflections as the bubbles rise.

This type of exploration strengthens the argument that the fish’s mirror-related behaviors are not simply the result of confusion or conditioning. Instead, the findings support the idea that cleaner wrasse may engage in flexible, self-referential thinking.

Implications for the Evolution of Self-Awareness

“These findings in cleaner wrasse suggest that self-awareness may not have evolved only in the limited number of species that passed the mirror test but may be more widely prevalent across a broader range of taxonomic groups, including fish,” Dr. Sogawa said. “It is highly likely that mirror self-recognition will be observed in many species where mirror tool use has been reported.”

The researchers believe that expanding the study of self-awareness across a wider range of animals, including invertebrates, will become increasingly important. “The findings from this research will likely influence not only academic issues, such as revising evolutionary theory and constructing concepts of self, but also directly impact matters relevant to our lives, including animal welfare, medical research, and even AI studies,” Professor Kohda added.

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41,000-Year-Old Bones Reveal Chilling Pattern of Neanderthal Cannibalism

By E. Doré, CNRS, Feb. 26, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/41000-year-old-bones-reveal-chilling-pattern-of-neanderthal-cannibalism/

A decade-long investigation using DNA, radiocarbon dating, and isotopic analysis has uncovered evidence of selective cannibalism among Neanderthals in Belgium. 

Credit: Shutterstock

New analysis of Neanderthal bones from Belgium indicates targeted cannibalism of outsiders that may signal territorial conflict before their regional disappearance.

A detailed examination of Neanderthal bones recovered from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium) has uncovered evidence of selective cannibalism dating to between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago. The remains indicate that adult women and children were disproportionately affected.

For the first time, researchers were able to establish the biological profiles of the individuals, revealing that they likely came from outside the local group. Cut marks and other modifications on the bones closely resemble those seen on animal remains processed for food at the same site, suggesting that the bodies were consumed as a nutritional resource rather than as part of a ritual practice.

The findings, published in Scientific Reports, come from an international collaboration involving scientists from the CNRS, l’Université de Bordeaux, and l’Université d’Aix-Marseille.

Cannibalism focused on outsiders

When placed within the broader context of the late Middle Paleolithic, a period in Northern Europe characterized by cultural diversity among Neanderthal groups and the growing presence of Homo sapiens in nearby regions, the evidence points toward possible intergroup conflict.

Neandertal human remains from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium). Highly fragmented bones bear traces characteristic of fresh bone fracturing and percussion, demonstrating intentional treatment of the bodies.

 The individuals (GNx, for “Goyet Neandertal” x), numbering six at minimum, were identified by genetic analyses: XX indicates female gender, and XY male gender. 

Credit: Royal 

Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences /Scientific Reports

The targeted consumption of individuals identified as outsiders may reflect territorial pressures or competition between neighboring groups during a time of social and environmental change preceding the disappearance of Neanderthals in the region.

The conclusions draw on a decade of multidisciplinary research that reexamined the Goyet collection. Scientists combined DNA sequencing, radiocarbon dating, and isotopic analysis to determine the age and geographic origin of the individuals. They also used digital reconstructions to study highly fragmented bones in detail, allowing for a more precise morphological assessment and a clearer understanding of the events that took place at the site thousands of years ago.

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We now know why shoes squeak, and it involves miniature lightning bolts

By K. Hughes-Castleberry published, Feb.25, 2026 https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/we-now-know-why-shoes-squeak-and-it-involves-miniature-lightning-bolts

Why do basketball shoes squeak on a court? A new study provides an interesting answer. 

(Image credit: Image Source via Getty Images)

Harvard engineers think they've found the reason basketball shoes squeak, and it's due to pockets of friction between the rubber and the court.

The ubiquitous squeak of sneakers on a basketball court may be caused by more than just friction, a new study suggests.

Researchers have found that the sharp chirp of rubber on a hard floor happens when tiny areas of slipping between the shoe's sole and the floor move at supersonic speeds — and, in some experiments, the process involved miniature, lightning-like sparks. What's more, the findings could lead to an improved understanding of earthquakes and aid in the design of grippy surfaces.

The new study, published Feb. 25 in the journal Nature, shows that soft rubber does not slide the way many people imagine. Instead of the whole sole sticking and then slipping at once, motion bunches into fast, wrinkle-like fronts called "opening slip pulses" that detach and reattach the rubber across the contact zone. Those repeating pulses generate the vibrations that our ears hear as squeaks.

Scientists have long explained squeaks from shoes, bicycle brakes and tires using stick-slip friction, a stop-and-go cycle in which surfaces repeatedly catch and then break free. That model works well for many hard-on-hard systems, like door hinges.

But soft materials like rubber behave differently when they slide across rigid surfaces.

To understand the physics of this process, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) teamed up with experts from the University of Nottingham in the U.K. and the French National Center for Scientific Research. They used high-speed optical imaging and synchronized audio to watch soft rubber move quickly along smooth glass.

But what they saw was not smooth sliding. Instead, motion bunched up into opening slip pulses, sweeping across the rubber in starts and stops.

"Fundamentally, these findings challenge the long-held assumption that soft-material friction can be fully captured by simplified, one-dimensional ‘stick-slip’ models," first study author Adel Djellouli, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard, told Live Science in an email.

Tiny lightning everywhere

The findings reveal more about the physics of friction. In classic stick-slip friction, the whole contact surface alternates between sticking and slipping. In this study, however, the motion was more localized, as only small regions opened and slipped, and then moved on, while other regions stayed in full contact.

For some experiments, the team also saw tiny flashes caused by the friction, which they described as miniature "lightning" sparks. In some tests, those sparks, or electrical discharges, appeared to trigger the slip pulses. The sparks were not the main source of the squeaking noise, but they showed how electrical energy could build up in the system when the rubber moved.
The researchers also found that the rubber's shape, more than its movement, was the main determinant of the squeak's pitch.

When flat rubber blocks slid across the glass, the slip pulses were irregular, producing a broad "whoosh" rather than a clean squeak. But when the researchers added thin ridges to the rubber, the ridges confined the pulses and made them repeat at regular intervals.

In effect, the ridges acted like guides, channeling the pulses into a repeating cycle. This locked the sound into a specific frequency, or tone. The team found that this squeak frequency depended mainly on the height of the rubber ridges.

In fact, the pattern was so reliable that the team designed blocks of different heights and used them to play the Imperial March theme from "Star Wars" by hand.

"When it came time to actually play the Star Wars theme song, we had to rehearse for three solid days to get the video right," said Djellouli. "None of us are exactly trained in making music with squeaky rubber blocks, so getting the timing and technique down took a lot of practice. I think the funniest part was the relief in the lab when we finally finished the recording after three days of constant, high-pitched squeaking. Our colleagues were very happy to finally have some quiet again!"

What sneakers may have in common with earthquakes

The findings have implications beyond shoe design. The slip pulses in the experiments share key features with rupture fronts in earthquakes, where sections of a fault suddenly break and slide at very high speeds.

"Soft friction is usually considered slow, yet we show that the squeak of a sneaker can propagate as fast as, or even faster than, the rupture of a geological fault, and that their physics is strikingly similar," study co-author Shmuel Rubinstein, a professor of physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a visiting professor at SEAS, said in a statement.

Beyond shedding light on the physics of earthquakes, the work could help engineers design surfaces that switch between slippery and grippy states on demand.

"Tuning frictional behavior on the fly has been a long-standing engineering dream," Katia Bertoldi, a professor of applied mechanics at Harvard, said in the statement. "This new insight into how surface geometry governs slip pulses paves the way for tunable frictional metamaterials that can transition from low-friction to high-grip states on demand."

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Kazakhstan plants tens of thousands of trees in giant effort to reintroduce tigers

By P. Pester published Feb 25, 2026

https://www.livescience.com/animals/cats/kazakhstan-plants-tens-of-thousands-of-trees-in-giant-effort-to-reintroduce-tigers

Kazakhstan's tiger reintroduction program welcomed its first Amur tigers in 2024, but these are captive individuals that the program hopes to breed.

 (Image credit: WWF Central Asia)

Kazakhstan planted 37,000 seedlings and cuttings in South Balkhash last year to prepare for the return of its tigers, which disappeared more than 70 years ago.

Tigers will soon roam Kazakhstan for the first time in over 70 years as conservationists undertake a gargantuan effort to restore part of their lost habitat.

The last of Kazakhstan's Caspian tigers disappeared in the late 1940s, after years of hunting, habitat loss and declines in prey numbers. Now, the Central Asian country has an ambitious plan to reintroduce the world's largest cats to their historic lands.

So far, two captive tigers (a male and a female) are already in Kazakhstan as part of a breeding-and-release project, while the country is expecting its first wild tigers to be transported from Russia in the first half of 2026. However, for the program to be a success, the tigers need plenty of places to live. That's where an enormous tree-planting project comes in. Last year, the Kazakhstan tiger reintroduction program — led by the government of Kazakhstan with support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the United Nations Development Programme — planted 37,000 seedlings and cuttings near a giant lake in southeast Kazakhstan's South Balkhash region, where tigers used to live, according to WWF Central Asia. This adds to the 50,000 seedlings planted between 2021 to 2024.

Tree planting is a key part of Kazakhstan's massive ongoing greening initiative. The country has planted around 1.4 billion trees since 2021, and officials say they are on track to reach 2 billion trees by 2027.

In South Balkhash, newly planted trees serve as a foundation for recovering ecosystems that sit alongside already-forested lands. The trees provide shelter and water access, as well as food for the tiger's prey: hooved mammals (ungulates) like boar and Bukhara deer (Cervus elaphus bactrianus, also called Bactrian deer).

"Already, wild ungulates have been seen foraging on the restored sites, indicating that the ecosystem is beginning to function," a spokesperson for WWF Central Asia told Live Science in an email. "Each planted seedling is therefore a direct contribution to the future of the tiger in Kazakhstan."

The planting zone encompasses around 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of shoreline along Lake Balkhash, which covers roughly 6,500 square miles (17,000 square km) and is the largest lake in Central Asia and the 15th-largest lake in the world. The new vegetation — which includes 30,000 narrow-leaf oleaster seedlings, 5,000 willow cuttings and 2,000 turanga poplar seedlings — creates growing "islands" of forest that regulate the flow of water to stabilize floods and overflows.

Animals have begun returning to Kazakhstan's recovering Ile-Balkhash ecosystem. 

(Image credit: WWF Central Asia)

WWF Central Asia attributes the increase in planting in 2025 to the accumulated experience of the staff, as well as to factors like improved planting techniques and expanded partnerships. However, the pace of the ecosystem's recovery and its suitability for tigers will depend on a variety of factors, including the climate, stability of water resources, and growth of vegetation.

Bringing back tigers

The tigers that used to live in Kazakhstan were part of a now-extinct Central Asian population known as Caspian tigers. However, the living Amur tigers found in the Russian Far East and China (and potentially North Korea) can serve as suitable replacements. A 2009 study published in the journal PLOS One found that Caspian and Amur tigers were likely part of the same population until human activity forced them apart in the 19th century, meaning they're essentially the same animal.

The reintroduction program welcomed two captive Amur tigers in 2024, and they appear to have adapted well to life in Kazakhstan. These tigers, a female named Bodhana and a male named Kuma, came from an animal sanctuary in the Netherlands in 2024 and are currently living in an enclosure within the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve. Bodhana and Kuma are used to life in captivity, so they'll never be released, but the hope is that their offspring will form part of a new founder population of Kazakhstan tigers.

However, as there's no guarantee that Bodhana and Kuma will breed or produce suitable offspring, so the bulk of the new population will be made up of wild tigers imported from Russia.

Kazakhstan officials are expecting to receive the first tigers from Russia in the coming months. WWF Central Asia told Live Science that it hasn't been confirmed where the Russian tigers are coming from, but "based on publicly available information and recent media reports, it is understood that the Amur tigers expected in the first half of 2026 are from the wild."

Reintroducing large predators is a delicate and risky process, particularly when those predators are capable of harming humans and livestock. But it can be done; a 2024 study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management found that a tiger reintroduction attempt in Russia was largely a success. Researchers cared for six orphaned wild cubs and prepared them for re-release into their natural habitat. The tigers caught their own prey and survived.

However, the study noted that one rehabilitated tiger killed multiple domestic animals, including more than 13 goats in a single event, and failed to demonstrate adequate fear of humans. That tiger was subsequently recaptured and placed in a zoo.

WWF Central Asia said Kazakhstan's program is prepared to resolve any incidents that involve human conflict with its released tigers. Measures include creating a special team that will continuously track released individuals and respond to any potential human-wildlife conflicts.

"The group's main tasks include regular patrols, monitoring tiger movements via satellite collars, early detection of potential approaches to settlements, and rapid response measures," the WWF Central Asia spokesperson said.

The program is also working with local communities to raise awareness about tigers and how to behave in their presence, as well as promoting sustainable development in those communities by offering grants for agriculture and ecotourism, according to WWF Central Asia.

"All of this forms part of a long-term strategy for peaceful coexistence between people and predators," the spokesperson said. "A compensation scheme for local residents is also planned in cases where tigers cause livestock losses."

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Ancient 'Asgard' microbe may have used oxygen long before it was plentiful on Earth, offering new clue to origins of complex life

By K. Hughes-Castleberry published Feb. 20, 2026

https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/ancient-asgard-microbe-may-have-used-oxygen-long-before-it-was-plentiful-on-earth-offering-new-clue-to-origins-of-complex-life

An image of an Asgard archaeon, an evolutionarily ancient microbe that may have been key to the emergence of complex life on Earth. 

(Image credit: © Thiago Rodrigues-Oliveira, Univ. Wien)

A new study suggests that ancient microbes once cast as oxygen haters may have actually learned to use the gas, offering a clue to how the first complex cells — and, eventually, all plants and animals — evolved.

More than 2 billion years ago, long before Earth's atmosphere contained oxygen, one hardy group of microbes may have already evolved to live with the gas, setting the stage for the rise of complex life.

In a new genetic survey of ocean mud and seawater, researchers found evidence that the closest known microbial cousins of plants and animals — a group known as Asgard archaea — carry the molecular gear to handle oxygen, and possibly even convert it into energy. Previously, many Asgards studied were associated with oxygen-poor areas.

That twist could help explain one of biology's most important origin stories, as experts think a simple microbe fused with a bacterium and, over time, developed into more complex cells that created everything from redwoods to people. But this ancient meet-cute, while compelling, has an awkward problem: How did these two find each other and work together in the first place?

Mitochondria, the energy hubs inside complex cells, came from a bacterium which needs oxygen to survive. But archaea — one of the three large domains of life— are thought to be the hosts in the important microbe-meets-bacterium story — and many of them seemed to be built for surviving without oxygen. The new study, published Feb. 18 in the journal Nature, suggests that the microbe host, known as Asgard archaea, may have tolerated oxygen better than previously thought.

"Most Asgards alive today have been found in environments without oxygen," study co-author Brett Baker, an associate professor of marine science at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a statement. "But it turns out that the ones most closely related to eukaryotes live in places with oxygen, such as shallow coastal sediments and floating in the water column, and they have a lot of metabolic pathways that use oxygen. That suggests that our eukaryotic ancestor likely had these processes, too."

Asgard archaea, named after the dwelling place of the gods in Norse mythology, were discovered in 2015 when researchers assembled genomes from deep-sea sediments near the Loki’s Castle hydrothermal vent. From this research, the team created an Asgard superphylum which included archaeal groups like Lokiarchaeota, Thorarchaeota and Odinarchaeota. Follow up studies revealed that Asgards appeared to carry multiple “eukaryotic signature” genes, suggesting a close ancestral tie to eukaryotes, organisms whose cells have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

A deep-sea journey

To understand how Asgards may have tolerated oxygen, the team hunted in the Bohai Sea at 100 feet (30.5 meters) below sea level and in the Guaymas Basin at 6,561 feet (2,000 meters) below sea level, areas where microbes thrive. They sifted through and analyzed roughly 15 terabytes of environmental DNA from marine sediments, rebuilt more than 13,000 microbial genomes, and pulled out hundreds of genetic sequences that belong to the Asgards.

"These Asgard archaea are often missed by low-coverage sequencing," study co-author Kathryn Appler, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, said in the statement. "The massive sequencing effort and layering of sequence and structural methods enabled us to see patterns that were not visible prior to this genomic expansion."

Those patterns included genes linked to aerobic respiration, the oxygen-powered process many organisms use to squeeze extra energy from food. The team also used an AI tool called AlphaFold2 to predict protein shapes and strengthen their case for genetic machinery that was oxygen-tolerant inside the microbe.

In particular, one branch of the Asgards, known as Heimdallarchaeia (named for the watchman of the Norse gods), stood out. The researchers reported that many Heimdallarchaeia genomes contain parts of the molecular machinery used to move electrons and generate energy with oxygen, along with enzymes that help manage toxic oxygen byproducts.

If these oxygen-handling abilities were present in the archaeal ancestor of complex cells, it makes the famous merger easier to picture.

"Oxygen appeared in the environment, and Asgards adapted to that," Baker said. "They found an energetic advantage to using oxygen, and then they evolved into eukaryotes."

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Mysterious Stone in US Backyard Turned Out to Be an Archaeological Treasure

26 Feb. 2026, By M. Starr

https://www.sciencealert.com/mysterious-stone-in-us-backyard-turned-out-to-be-an-archaeological-treasure

Not from Home Depot.

 (D. Ryan Gray/PRCNO)

If you've ever tried to overhaul a garden, you know you're bound to find broken bits of pottery and long-forgotten statuary swallowed by vines – but for one couple, that imitation of archaeological discovery turned into the real thing.

At first glance, the marble slab etched in Latin – including the phrase "spirits of the dead" – might have looked like a mass-produced facsimile designed to lend a garden a little decorative gravitas.

But for anthropologist Daniella Santoro, who lives with her husband Aaron Lopez in a historic home in New Orleans' Carrollton neighborhood, the object – found half-buried in the undergrowth – set off some spidey senses. For a moment, she feared they might have uncovered an old grave.

"The fact that it was in Latin that really just gave us pause, right?" Santoro told the Associated Press. "I mean, you see something like that and you say, 'Okay, this is not an ordinary thing.'"

Instead of ignoring the instinct, Santoro reached out to experts. Among those who examined the inscription were archaeologist Susann Lusnia of Tulane University and anthropologist D. Ryan Gray of the University of New Orleans, who shared the find with other colleagues.

It didn't take long for the researchers to recognize what the couple had found.

The Latin text begins Dis Manibus – "to the spirits of the dead" – a common dedication on Roman funerary tablets. In Roman funerary practice, Dis Manibus was a standard dedication to the spirits of the departed, often carved at the top of tombstones. Thousands of such inscriptions survive across the former Roman Empire.

Further translation revealed that the stone commemorated a Roman soldier, a Thracian named Sextus Congenius Verus. Commissioned by his heirs, Atilius Carus and Vettius Longinus, the grave marker records that he died at 42, after 22 years of military service – some 1,900 years before Santoro and Lopez found his grave marker in an overgrown garden, half a world away.

Intriguingly, this was not the first record of the stone. Early in the 20th century, it had been documented as part of the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, Italy, a port town where the grave marker once stood in a small cemetery.

The museum was heavily damaged during Allied bombing in 1943 and 1944, and numerous artifacts were lost or displaced. Across Europe, wartime bombing and looting displaced countless cultural artifacts, many of which remain unaccounted for decades later.

The grave marker was among those later listed as missing. Its exact measurements, as recorded by the museum, matched those of the tablet found in Santoro and Lopez's garden.

Exactly how the stone traveled from wartime Italy to suburban Louisiana remained an equally fascinating saga. According to Erin Scott O'Brien, the Carrollton house's former owner, the tablet had been on display in a cabinet containing other heirlooms in the Gentilly house of her grandfather, Charles Paddock Jr., a soldier stationed in Italy during WWII.

Paddock Jr. and his wife died in the 1980s; when O'Brien moved into the home in the early 2000s, her mother gifted her the stone.

"We planted a tree and said this is the start of our new house. Let's put it outside in our garden," O'Brien told Preservation in Print. "I just thought it was a piece of art. I had no idea it was a 2,000-year-old relic."

More than 80 years have passed since the museum that once held the relic was devastated by war, and the principal players in the drama are dead. It's likely we'll never know the true story of how Paddock came into possession of the stone, but perhaps what really matters is that it's finally returning home – to the land of the empire Sextus Congenius Verus so faithfully served.

The FBI's Art Crime Team is coordinating its repatriation to the National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia.

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Alaska’s Killer Whales Have a Surprisingly Diverse Menu

By U. of Alaska Fairbanks, Feb. 25, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/alaskas-killer-whales-have-a-surprisingly-diverse-menu/

Fish-eating killer whales in southern Alaska may have a more varied and flexible diet than previously understood. 

Credit: Shutterstock

A long-term study using DNA from whale scat has revealed surprising complexity in the diets of southern Alaska’s fish-eating killer whales.

Fish-eating killer whales in southern Alaska consume a wide range of prey that changes with the seasons, according to a new study published in Ecosphere. Their food choices include several salmon species as well as groundfish, and the mix varies noticeably among different feeding areas across the region.

Researchers have tracked killer whales in Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords since 1984 through a long-term monitoring effort led by the North Gulf Oceanic Society. Each year from May through September, scientists collect fish remains and fecal samples left behind after feeding. Over time, they have gathered about 400 samples to better understand what these whales are eating.

The analysis shows that the whales shift their primary prey among Chinook, chum, and coho salmon depending on the season and location. They also consume Pacific halibut, arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish, though in smaller amounts. For certain pods, or family groups, these groundfish species make up a meaningful portion of their diet.

New Tools Reveal a Broader Menu

In the past, studies of killer whale diets relied mainly on collecting fish fragments from the water’s surface, most often scales. That approach made it easier to identify salmon but provided a limited view of the whales’ overall feeding habits.

Newer methods examine DNA found in fecal samples, allowing scientists to detect a much wider range of prey species.

Hannah Myers, an assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, said it was striking to see how the whales’ main prey changed among feeding hotspots, even in areas located close to one another.

A southern Alaska resident killer whale catches a salmon at the surface.

 Credit: Eva Saulitis/North Gulf Oceanic Society

“Switching between these salmon species — with important contributions from groundfish — is a different narrative from the one we usually hear about the diet of fish-eating killer whales in the North Pacific, which emphasizes Chinook salmon as their primary prey,” said Myers, the lead author of the paper.

The findings also underscore the need to consider sampling bias. Myers explained that Chinook salmon appeared most frequently in collected samples, but they were also the easiest remains to spot and retrieve. When the team examined diet patterns by season and specific location, the role of other fish species became more apparent.

How Researchers Track a Hunt

To gather prey remains, scientists follow whales during feeding bouts and watch for sharp turns and splashing at the surface that signal a fish chase. After the whales move away, researchers carefully approach the area and use pool nets to collect floating scales or bits of tissue.

Collecting fecal samples requires patience and distance. Researchers trail behind the whales and look for scat rising to the surface in the swirling water created by the animals’ flukes as they dive.

In the North Pacific, killer whales that feed exclusively on fish, often referred to as “residents,” are considered a separate subspecies from two other groups: one that preys on marine mammals and another that focuses largely on sharks. Fish-eating killer whales are the most widespread type in the region. Roughly 1,000 of them range from Southeast Alaska to Kodiak Island. They live in stable family groups led by females, with offspring remaining alongside their mothers for life.

Implications for Ecosystems and Fisheries

A flexible diet could help southern Alaska’s resident killer whales cope with shifts in fish abundance. If one prey species declines, they may be able to rely more heavily on others.

The research may also matter for fisheries management. Managers estimate how many fish are lost to natural predators when setting catch limits. A clearer understanding of which species are targeted by killer whales, and when, could eventually inform those decisions.

“DNA studies from fecal samples are exciting because they have so much more information than previous techniques,” said Dan Olsen, a biologist with the North Gulf Oceanic Society and a co-author of the paper. “This prey diversity is important to understanding the ecosystem, and perhaps future winter samples will show even more variability when times are lean.”

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Aloe Vera Compound May Help Fight Alzheimer's Disease, Simulations Suggest

25 Feb. 2026, By D. Nield

https://www.sciencealert.com/aloe-vera-compound-may-help-fight-alzheimers-disease-simulations-suggest

(Ekaterina Goncharova/Moment/Getty Images Plus)

Could the natural world point us towards improved treatments for Alzheimer's disease? A new study of the Aloe vera plant has identified one compound that, based on its predicted binding activity, could help slow the progression of this most common form of dementia.

Aloe vera is a succulent evergreen plant, regarded for its medicinal properties. For hundreds of years, its ingredients have been used to treat skin inflammation, improve digestion, boost the immune system, and more besides, though scientific evidence for these benefits is mixed.

Here, researchers from Hassan II University of Casablanca in Morocco found that a compound called beta sitosterol, produced in aloe vera leaves, may be helpful in tackling Alzheimer's, too.

This research was done entirely 'in silico', meaning the team used computer models to simulate how aloe vera compounds may interact with enzymes thought to play a role in Alzheimer's. Even though the study didn't involve any lab experiments or human trials, it's a good starting point that identifies potential treatment pathways worth investigating.

"Our findings suggest that beta sitosterol, one of the aloe vera compounds, exhibits significant binding affinities and stability, making it a promising candidate for further drug development," says chemist Meriem Khedraoui.

Both the binding qualities and the stability of beta sitosterol are important, but the story starts with acetylcholine. This chemical messenger helps us learn and remember, and it's often found at lower-than-normal levels in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Previously, this has led scientists to look at the enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), both of which help break apart acetylcholine. It follows that targeting AChE and BChE might improve Alzheimer's symptoms.

That was where this new study began, and the team looked at 11 aloe vera compounds in total. With the plant's purported medicinal properties, the researchers were keen to take a closer look.

Using structural models of the molecules, the researchers simulated how well aloe vera compounds fit the binding sites of 

AChE (top) and BChE (bottom).

 (Khedraoui et al., Curr. Pharm. Anal., 2025)

Binding affinities were simulated first to see how well these compounds might connect with AChE and BChE, as an indication of how effective they may be at stopping the enzymes from breaking down acetylcholine. Beta sitosterol got the highest scores for binding to both AChE and BChE.

Then the researchers looked at how well beta sitosterol might work in drug form. This is done through an analysis called ADMET: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, Toxicity. These models look at how the medication may interact with and move through the body.

Again, beta sitosterol performed well, as did another compound called succinic acid, and the study concludes that it's worth investigating both of these options for their potential as the basis of Alzheimer's treatments.

"The comprehensive analysis supports the potential of these compounds as safe and effective therapeutic agents," says chemist Samir Chtita.

Any subsequent development of treatments isn't going to happen quickly, especially as these findings are based only on computer simulations. But scientists continue to make progress in identifying key players in Alzheimer's – such as AChE and BChE – and drugs that might have an impact on them.

As the study researchers point out, Alzheimer's affects more than 55 million people today, and there are expected to be 138 million cases by 2050, as the global population gets older. It's currently the leading cause of dementia.

While scientists are learning more and more about the effects Alzheimer's can have on the brain, and the risk factors that can make the disease more or less likely to develop, we're still working towards a full understanding of what causes it – and how it might be cured.

Alzheimer's is such a multifaceted disease that numerous causes and drivers are probably involved, which will require numerous therapeutic treatments. Recent studies have suggested that high blood pressure supplements and cancer drugs could be effective in some ways, and the aloe vera plant gives experts another way forward.

"Our in silico approach offers a promising direction for the development of novel treatments for Alzheimer's disease," says Khedraoui.

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New Research Reveals Why Some Brains Can’t Switch Off at Night

By C. Gibson, U. of South Australia, Feb. 24, 2026
https://scitechdaily.com/new-research-reveals-why-some-brains-cant-switch-off-at-night/

A new study reveals that insomnia may stem from a misalignment in the brain’s internal clock, altering the natural rhythm of mental activity across the day and night. 

Credit: Shutterstock

Insomnia may be driven by delayed circadian rhythms that prevent the brain from powering down at night.

Australian scientists have uncovered strong evidence that chronic insomnia may stem from disruptions in the brain’s internal 24-hour cycle of mental activity. The findings help explain why some people find it so difficult to “switch off” at night, even when they are physically tired.

In a study published in Sleep Medicine, researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) tracked how thinking patterns rise and fall across the day in people with long-term insomnia compared with healthy sleepers. This is the first study to chart daily cognitive rhythms in this way.

Insomnia affects roughly 10% of the population and up to one-third of older adults. Many people with the condition describe their minds as overactive or constantly racing at night.

Although this nighttime mental alertness has often been described as cognitive hyperarousal, its underlying cause has remained uncertain. The researchers set out to test whether difficulty calming the mind at night, a defining feature of insomnia, might be linked to abnormalities in circadian rhythms, the body’s internal timekeeping system.

Removing the world to reveal the clock

To investigate this, the team conducted a carefully controlled laboratory experiment involving 32 older adults, including 16 with insomnia and 16 without sleep problems. Participants were monitored for 24 hours while remaining awake in bed. By removing external time cues and daily routines, the researchers were able to focus specifically on the brain’s natural internal rhythm.

Volunteers stayed in a dimly lit environment with tightly regulated food intake and activity levels. Every hour, they completed detailed checklists describing the tone, quality, and controllability of their thoughts, allowing researchers to map how mental activity changed throughout the day and night.

Participants remained awake in a dimly-lit room, in bed, with food and activity carefully controlled. They completed hourly checklists, assessing the tone, quality, and controllability of their thoughts.

Both healthy sleepers and insomniacs showed clear circadian patterns in mental activity, with peaks in the afternoon and troughs in the early morning.

However, several key differences emerged in the insomnia group.

“Unlike good sleepers, whose cognitive state shifted predictably from daytime problem-solving to nighttime disengagement, those with insomnia failed to downshift as strongly,” says lead researcher UniSA Professor Kurt Lushington.

“Their thought patterns stayed more daytime-like in the nighttime hours when the brain should be quietening.”

Their cognitive peaks were also delayed by around six and a half hours, suggesting that their internal clocks may encourage alert thinking well into the night.

When disengagement is delayed

“Sleep is not just about closing your eyes,” Prof Lushington says. “It’s about the brain disengaging from goal-directed thought and emotional involvement.”

“Our study shows that in insomnia, this disengagement is blunted and delayed, likely due to circadian rhythm abnormalities. This means that the brain doesn’t receive strong signals to ‘power down’ at night.”

Co-author, UniSA Professor Jill Dorrian, says the findings highlight new treatment possibilities for insomniacs, such as interventions that strengthen circadian rhythms.

“These include timed light exposure and structured daily routines that may restore the natural day-night variation in thought patterns,” Prof Dorrian says.

“Practicing mindfulness may also help quiet the mind at night.”

The researchers say that current treatments often focus on behavioral strategies, but these findings suggest that tailored approaches addressing circadian and cognitive factors could offer a solution.

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Scientists Create “Chocolate Honey” Packed With Antioxidants

By São Paulo Research Foundation, Feb. 24, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-create-chocolate-honey-packed-with-antioxidants/

Researchers in Brazil have developed an unusual combination of native bee honey and cocoa bean shells that transforms an agricultural byproduct into a potentially valuable food and cosmetic ingredient. By pairing biodiversity with ultrasound technology, the team not only enhanced the honey’s flavor and bioactive content but also evaluated the sustainability of the process using green chemistry principles (Artist’s concept). 

Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Researchers used a product made by native stingless bees to recover bioactive compounds, including caffeine, from chocolate manufacturing waste. The method increases the nutritional and commercial value of a material that is typically discarded.

Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil have created a new product that blends honey from native stingless bees with cocoa bean shells, a byproduct of chocolate manufacturing.

The resulting mixture can be eaten on its own or incorporated into foods and cosmetic formulations. Their findings were published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, which highlighted the study on its cover.
Turning cocoa waste into value

Instead of using conventional chemical solvents, the team relied on native bee honey as an edible extraction medium. Using an ultrasound-assisted process, they were able to draw out stimulant compounds such as theobromine and caffeine from cocoa bean shells.

These compounds are often associated with cardiovascular benefits. Cocoa shells are typically discarded during chocolate production, but in this case, they became a source of valuable ingredients. The extraction method also increased the honey’s content of phenolic compounds, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Cocoa bean shells contain theobromine and caffeine, which can be transferred to honey from stingless bees using ultrasound-assisted extraction.

 Credit: Felipe Bragagnolo/FCA-UNICAMP

Early tastings suggest that the final product can develop a pronounced chocolate flavor depending on the proportion of honey to shells, although formal evaluations of taste, aroma, and texture are still planned. “Of course, the biggest appeal to the public is the flavor, but our analyses have shown that it has a number of bioactive compounds that make it quite interesting from a nutritional and cosmetic point of view,” says Felipe Sanchez Bragagnolo, the study’s first author. He carried out the research during his postdoctoral work at the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA) at UNICAMP in Limeira with a scholarship from FAPESP.

The team has patented the extraction process and is working with INOVA UNICAMP, the university’s innovation agency, to identify industry partners interested in licensing the technology and bringing the product to market.

Native honey drives sustainable extraction

Beyond product development, the project also highlights the sustainable use of regional biodiversity. The researchers selected honey from native stingless bees because it typically contains more water and is less viscous than honey produced by European bees (Apis mellifera), making it more effective as a natural solvent.

They tested honey from five Brazilian species: borá (Tetragona clavipes), jataí (Tetragonisca angustula), mandaçaia (Melipona quadrifasciata), mandaguari (Scaptotrigona postica), and moça-branca (Frieseomelitta varia). The cocoa shells used in the experiments were supplied by the Comprehensive Technical Assistance Coordination Office (CATI) unit of the São Paulo State Department of Agriculture and Supply in São José do Rio Preto.

Mandaguari honey was initially chosen for process optimization due to its intermediate water and viscosity values. However, the optimized process was later used for the other honeys analyzed.

Bragagnolo points out that honey is highly susceptible to external influences, such as climate, storage conditions, and temperature. “Therefore, it’s possible to adapt the process to locally available honey, not necessarily mandaguari honey,” he says.

Ultrasound boosts green chemistry

Ultrasound-assisted extraction involves placing a probe, visually similar to a metal pen, inside a pot containing honey and shells. The probe uses sound waves to enhance the extraction of compounds from the shells, which then migrate to the solvent – in this case, honey.

This method is efficient because it creates microbubbles that implode and temporarily increase the temperature to break down the plant material. This technique is considered environmentally friendly in the food industry because it is faster and more efficient than other methods.

This was one of the positive points in another assessment included in the study, which measured the product’s sustainability. The Path2Green software was used. It was developed by a group led by Professor Mauricio Ariel Rostagno from FCA-UNICAMP, who is also Bragagnolo’s postdoctoral supervisor and coordinator of the study.

The tool verified compliance with 12 principles of green chemistry, such as transportation, post-treatment, purification, and application. Using an edible, local, ready-to-use solvent was one of the most important factors. On a scale of -1 to +1, the product scored +0.118.

“We believe that with a device like this, in a cooperative or small business that already works with both cocoa and native bee honey, it’d be possible to increase the portfolio with a value-added product, including for haute cuisine,” Rostagno suggests.

Toward safer, longer-lasting honey products

The researchers are preparing new studies to evaluate the effect of ultrasound on honey microbiology. As with plant material, the method breaks down the cell walls of microorganisms, such as bacteria, that can degrade the product.

“Honey from native bees usually needs to be refrigerated, matured, dehumidified, or pasteurized, unlike honey from European bees, which can be stored at room temperature. We suspect that, simply by being exposed to ultrasound, the microorganisms contained in the honey are eliminated, increasing the stability and shelf life of the product,” he explains.

In the future, they will test other applications using honey from native bees as a solvent for ultrasound-assisted extraction, such as processing other plant residues.

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Batteries are catching fire all over Toronto and Fire Chief warns to take risk seriously

Natalia Buia, Feb. 23, 2026

https://www.blogto.com/city/2026/02/lithium-ion-batteries-catching-fire-toronto/

Jim Jessop

Toronto Fire Services (TFS) is warning residents about the growing safety risks of lithium-ion batteries after several fires occurred in the city just this past day.

In a statement posted to X on Monday morning, Fire Chief & General Manager Jim Jessop said that crews had responded to three separate battery-related fires within 24 hours.

These batteries can be found in numerous household items, including smartphones, laptops, e-readers, and even some cordless vacuums, portable fans and rechargeable flashlights. They can overheat if charged for too long or not stored properly.

Halfway through 2025, TFS reported responding to 43 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, including one in a Toronto high-rise, where a "large quantity" of lithium-ion batteries were discovered within the unit.

These batteries can also be found in e-bikes and e-scooters, which pose significant risks. In response to a 2023 fire on a Toronto subway train, the TTC has implemented a seasonal ban on e-bikes during the winter months.

Power-assisted bicycles are not permitted on TTC vehicles and property from November 15 to April 15 each year. Instead, they can be parked at or near subway station entrances, or stored in bike lockers at most subway stations.

Electric wheelchairs and other devices used by people with mobility issues, however, will continue to be allowed on the TTC as they do not pose a safety or fire risk.

The City is advising residents to use lithium-ion batteries safely by only using certified, manufacturer-approved batteries, avoiding charging them unattended, and discontinuing use if they emit a strange odour, become deformed, overheat, or leak.

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Alcohol Profoundly Changes The Way Your Brain Communicates, Study Finds

24 Feb. 2026, By D. NIELD

https://www.sciencealert.com/alcohol-profoundly-changes-the-way-your-brain-communicates-study-finds

(Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision/Getty Images)

A few glasses of alcohol are enough to start fragmenting the way the brain works, leading to more localized information processing and reduced brain-wide communication, a new study has discovered.

While plenty of previous research has looked at the ways booze changes the brain, little of it has considered the network-wide effects. The brain is, of course, a delicately balanced and incredibly intricate organ, and any shifts in chatter between brain regions are going to have impacts on emotions and behavior.

The researchers behind the study, led by a team from the University of Minnesota, believe that their findings could go some way to explaining why different people can feel different levels of drunkenness at the same breath-alcohol level.

"At the network level, alcohol significantly increased local efficiency and clustering coefficient, consistent with a less random and more grid-like topology," write the researchers in their published paper.

"Notably, these increases, as well as corresponding decreases in global efficiency, significantly predicted greater subjective intoxication."

The researchers recruited the help of 107 healthy participants, aged between 21 and 45. Across two sessions, they were either given a drink designed to raise their blood-alcohol level to the US limit for driving (0.08 grams per deciliter), or a placebo drink.

Local connectivity in brain regions was boosted by alcohol intake. 

(Biessenberger et al., Drug Alcohol Depend., 2026)

Half an hour after imbibing, the participants went into an MRI scanner, where their brain activity was mapped. Using a variety of mathematical approaches, the researchers calculated communications between 106 different brain regions.

Overall, brain areas became more insular and less well connected to the rest of the brain, though the effect wasn't consistent over every region. It's a similar idea to traffic circling around one particular neighborhood rather than traveling city-wide.

Although the volunteers were all about as drunk as each other, some felt more intoxicated than others. The researchers found that this feeling of drunkenness was related to how disconnected their brain regions had become.

What's more, the network changes seen here – the breakdown between different brain regions – go some way to explaining how too much booze can start to cause blurred vision, difficulty walking in a straight line, and other well-known effects.

One of the regions most affected by the decreased global connectivity, for example, was the occipital lobe. It's here that the brain processes visual data fed in by our eyes, and these changes likely mean this data is less readily available to the rest of the brain.

"Our results that information transfer becomes more isolated and less integrated are consistent with alcohol's known influence on reward/aversion, inhibitory control, and stimulus valence," write the researchers.

However, this wasn't something the team tested directly; rather, the study infers it based on the computational models applied to the brain scans.

It's also worth noting that these findings only apply to brains at rest, not involved in any kind of activity, and it would also be interesting to see these impacts over longer periods.

The researchers also suggest, based on previous studies, that people with acute and chronic alcohol problems might see different changes in their brain maps when they get drunk: less of a fixed grid-like layout, less local clustering, and a more randomized and disorganized network overall.

There's lots more here for future studies to dig into as well. The researchers say future work should include broader groups of participants and look more directly at the effects of brain network disruption on people who are less physically and mentally healthy than the participants in this study.

"Given rapid changes in population demographics and increasing rates of drinking among older adults, studies of the functional neural correlates of acute alcohol use across the lifespan, in populations with heavier drinking patterns, and a broader range of negative affective symptomatology are needed," write the researchers.

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