Physics

Eyelashes’ special features help fling water from the eyes

Eyelashes “micro-ratchet” structure and curved shape help wick water away from the eyes.

Health & Medicine

Telehealth helps people get health care, but access may soon be in limbo

COVID-era telehealth laws made health care more accessible for rural patients, but telehealth might not be as easy to access next year.

Health & Medicine

Stage 0 breast cancer patients may not need to rush to surgery

Women with Stage 0 breast cancer who got biannual mammograms and delayed surgery for two years fared as well as those who got immediate surgery.

Health & Medicine

Deaths related to the cold have grown since 1999 in the U.S.

From 1999 to 2022, the rate of cold-related deaths rose from about 4 per 1 million people to 9 per 1 million in the United States.

Artificial Intelligence

AI sniffs out whiskey flavor notes as well as the pros

A machine learning algorithm identified the top five flavor notes in 16 types of whiskey. Each matched the aggregate of what a panel of human pros said.

Chemistry

A new microbead proves effective as a plastic-free skin scrubber

The nonplastic polymer cleaned up eyeliner and permanent marker and broke down into molecules related to sugar and amino acids.

Space

What will space exploration look like under Trumpov?

A lot is unknown, but the roles of billionaires like Elon Musk and Jared Isaacman suggests a focus on human and private spaceflight.

Materials Science

Scotch tape is key to creating thin films of diamond 

The sticky stuff helped peel sheets of diamond less than a micrometer thick off silicon wafers, creating membranes useful for electronic devices.

Life

Sheep earwax can record a dangerous diet

Sheep that eat death camas plants record the toxic meal in their earwax, a goopy health data repository that researchers are increasingly exploring.

Neuroscience

The message-sending part of neurons may be blobby, not smooth

Axons can be shaped like strings of pearls, research in mice and people show. How that shape may influence brain signaling is not yet clear.

Anthropology

Britain’s largest ancient massacre may have included cannibalism

Bones recovered from a natural shaft unveil a 4,000-year-old massacre of men, women and children, possibly part of a cycle of revenge killings.

Health & Medicine

Cancer screening and quitting smoking have saved nearly 6 million lives

Prevention, screening and treatment advances combined stopped 5.94 million deaths from cancer in the United States from 1975 through 2020.