Science Pulse

Science Pulse Your daily dose of science and tech—simplified. Stay curious, stay updated. Your daily dose of science and tech simplified.

A new experimental cholesterol treatment called VERVE-102 is being studied as a possible one-time therapy for lowering L...
08/05/2026

A new experimental cholesterol treatment called VERVE-102 is being studied as a possible one-time therapy for lowering LDL cholesterol, often called “bad cholesterol.” Instead of relying on daily pills or repeated injections, the treatment is designed to make a precise genetic change in the liver.

VERVE-102 targets a gene called PCSK9, which plays an important role in controlling LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. When PCSK9 activity is reduced, the body can remove LDL cholesterol more effectively.

The treatment uses base editing, a refined form of gene editing that changes a single DNA letter without cutting both strands of DNA. It is delivered through a single IV infusion and is intended to switch off PCSK9 in liver cells.

Early results came from the Heart-2 Phase 1b clinical trial, which initially reported data from 14 participants. These participants had heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, premature coronary artery disease, or both, meaning they were people at high risk who needed strong and lasting LDL reduction.

In the early Heart-2 update, VERVE-102 produced dose-dependent reductions in both PCSK9 and LDL cholesterol. At the higher dose level, the average LDL cholesterol reduction was reported at around 53%, while the largest individual reduction reached 69% after one infusion.

The early safety report stated that there were no treatment-related serious adverse events among the first 14 participants and no clinically significant laboratory abnormalities observed. However, the study is still in an early stage, so larger trials and longer follow-up are needed.

If future studies confirm that the treatment is safe, durable, and effective, VERVE-102 could represent a major shift in cholesterol care. It may be especially important for people with inherited high cholesterol or very high cardiovascular risk who struggle to keep LDL levels controlled over many years.

08/05/2026

🌿 Did you know… tiny squirrels are secretly planting forests? 🐿️

Every day, this little red squirrel picks up a nut, hides it somewhere safe, and quickly moves on. But here's the magical part — he often forgets where he buried it.

And those forgotten nuts? They quietly grow into tiny new plants… and one day, into towering trees. 🌱🌳
So without even knowing, this small creature is helping entire forests come back to life — one forgotten seed at a time.

Nature has its own quiet way of healing itself. ✨

💬 Save this if it made you smile.
❤️ Share it with someone who loves nature.

Japanese researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo have developed a new ...
08/05/2026

Japanese researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo have developed a new type of plastic that could help reduce ocean plastic pollution. The material is designed to stay strong during normal use but break apart quickly when exposed to salty environments like seawater.

The plastic is made using supramolecular chemistry, where the structure is held together by reversible salt-bridge bonds. In normal conditions, these bonds help the material behave like regular plastic. But when the material comes into contact with seawater, the salt in the water disrupts those bonds and causes the plastic to dissolve.

RIKEN reported that the material can destabilize in salt water within hours. Reuters also reported a lab demonstration in which a small sample disappeared in stirred salt water in about one hour. This makes the plastic very different from conventional plastics, which can remain in the environment for decades or centuries and slowly turn into microplastics.

The research is linked to a peer-reviewed Science study by Cheng and colleagues published in 2024, titled “Mechanically Strong Yet Metabolizable Supramolecular Plastics by Desalting upon Phase Separation.” The study DOI is 10.1126/science.ado1782. The paper describes a strong, glass-like supramolecular polymer that dissolves in salt water into components that microbes can metabolize.

Another important finding is how the material behaves in soil. RIKEN reported that sheets of the new plastic degraded completely over 10 days in soil and supplied phosphorus and nitrogen, creating an effect similar to fertilizer. This is why the material is being described not only as ocean-degradable but also potentially soil-beneficial.

The material is also reported to be non-toxic and non-flammable. Researchers say it can be reshaped at temperatures above 120°C, similar to thermoplastics, and its strength and flexibility can be adjusted for different uses. This means it could eventually be useful for packaging, 3D printing, medical materials, or other applications.

08/05/2026

Reindeer have one of the most fascinating winter survival adaptations in nature.

Their eyes can appear golden in the bright Arctic summer and deep blue during the dark winter months, helping them adjust to extreme seasonal changes in light.

Golden in summer. Blue in winter.
Nature’s design is unreal.

08/05/2026

Deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, a mother octopus guards her eggs for years without leaving, hunting, or eating.

For nearly four and a half years, she protects them in the cold darkness until they finally hatch.

One of nature’s most powerful examples of sacrifice, survival, and motherhood.

08/05/2026

A single strand of hair may look ordinary… but hidden inside it is a cosmic story.

Tiny traces of elements like calcium and iron in our bodies were forged long ago inside massive stars. When those stars exploded, they scattered these elements across space, eventually helping form planets, Earth, and life itself.

So in a very real way, we are not just living in the universe… we are made from it. ✨

07/05/2026

Scorpions are among nature’s toughest survivors. They can slow down their body, conserve energy, survive long periods without food, move across rough terrain, and even glow blue-green under ultraviolet light.

Small, silent, ancient, and incredibly resilient, scorpions are true survival machines of the desert.

A new neuroscience study published in Nature shows that the human brain may remain more active under general anesthesia ...
07/05/2026

A new neuroscience study published in Nature shows that the human brain may remain more active under general anesthesia than scientists once believed.

Researchers found that the hippocampus, a deep brain region strongly linked to memory and learning, can still respond to sounds, process spoken language, and even predict the meaning of upcoming words while a person is unconscious.

The study, titled “Plasticity and Language in the Anaesthetized Human Hippocampus,” was published on May 6, 2026, with DOI 10.1038/s41586-026-10448-0. It involved seven patients undergoing epilepsy-related brain surgery, allowing scientists to record activity directly from the human hippocampus.

Using high-density Neuropixels microelectrodes, the team recorded activity from 651 brain units while patients were under anesthesia. Some patients heard repeated tones with occasional unusual sounds, while others heard podcast-style speech.

The brain did not simply react to sound. In the tone experiment, hippocampal neurons detected unusual “oddball” sounds, and this response became stronger over about 10 minutes, suggesting a form of learning or neural plasticity even without conscious awareness.

In the speech experiment, the hippocampus carried information about word meaning and grammar. The recordings showed that the unconscious brain could process semantic and grammatical features of natural speech, and it could even predict semantic information about words that were about to come next.

None of the patients reported remembering the sounds or speech afterward. This makes the finding especially important because it suggests that the brain may process information without forming normal conscious memories.

The results could help scientists better understand consciousness, memory, anesthesia, and future brain-computer interface technologies. The study does not mean patients are consciously aware during anesthesia, but it shows that parts of the brain may continue doing advanced background processing even when awareness is switched off.

A new study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization suggests that sitting beside a window with a cl...
07/05/2026

A new study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization suggests that sitting beside a window with a clear outdoor view may improve student performance during important exams. The research focused on China’s national college entrance examination, one of the most high-pressure academic tests in the country.

Researchers Xuan Li and Xiang Zhou studied administrative data from more than 3,700 students who took the exam in one Chinese county in 2019. Students were randomly assigned to exam rooms and seats, which helped the researchers compare students in different seating positions more fairly.

The study found that students seated next to windows with an unobstructed outdoor view scored 8.9% of a standard deviation higher than students seated away from such windows. Students seated beside windows with blocked views did not show the same improvement.

The benefit appeared across both science and liberal arts exam tracks. The researchers also found that students sitting beside windows with clear outdoor views were 2.8 percentage points more likely to be admitted to prestigious first-tier universities.

The results are linked to Attention Restoration Theory, which suggests that natural views can help restore focus and reduce mental fatigue. In this study, students who had difficulty maintaining attention appeared to benefit the most from sitting near a window.

The findings add to growing research showing that school environments can influence learning and performance. Simple design features such as natural light, outdoor views, and better classroom layouts may have measurable effects on how students think, focus, and perform during high-stakes exams.

A new political psychology study reports that white Americans who regularly watch Fox News show higher levels of belief ...
07/05/2026

A new political psychology study reports that white Americans who regularly watch Fox News show higher levels of belief in the Great Replacement Theory, a conspiracy idea claiming that immigration is being used to replace native-born Americans politically, culturally, and economically.

The study, titled “Follow the Fox? Elite Influence and White Support for the Great Replacement Theory,” was published in PS: Political Science & Politics. It was led by Jesse Rhodes of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with Seth Goldman, Tatishe Mavovosi Nteta, Adam Eichen, Sabrina Lapcheske, Linda Tropp, Efrén Pérez, and Yuen Huo.

Researchers used a nationwide survey of more than 1,000 white American adults. The same people were surveyed in summer 2024 and again in summer 2025, allowing the researchers to track how individual views changed over time.

Participants were asked how strongly they agreed with three statements connected to the Great Replacement Theory. These included ideas that immigrants are “invading” the country, that native-born Americans are losing influence because of immigration, and that hidden actors are trying to replace “real Americans.”

The study found that support for these ideas was already widespread among the white respondents. Roughly half agreed to some extent that native-born Americans are losing influence because of immigrants, while more than one-third agreed that secret actors are trying to replace real Americans.

Among regular Fox News viewers, agreement was much higher. Nearly two-thirds agreed with the idea that immigrants are invading and colonizing the country, and more than three-quarters believed native-born Americans are losing cultural and political power.

The researchers also examined specific viewing habits, including how many Fox News programs participants watched at least once a month. People who increased the number of Fox News programs they watched between the first and second survey waves also showed higher support for Great Replacement beliefs over time.

A new study from Loma Linda University Health reports that older adults who ate eggs regularly had a lower chance of bei...
07/05/2026

A new study from Loma Linda University Health reports that older adults who ate eggs regularly had a lower chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The research focused on people aged 65 and older from the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort. The study included around 40,000 participants and followed them for an average of 15.3 years. Alzheimer’s diagnoses were identified through Medicare physician records.

Researchers found that people who ate at least five eggs per week had up to a 27% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared with people who never ate eggs. Even smaller amounts were linked with lower risk. Eating eggs 1 to 3 times per month was associated with a 17% lower risk, while eating eggs 2 to 4 times per week was linked with a 20% lower risk.

The study, titled “Egg Intake and the Incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Adventist Health Study-2 Cohort Linked With Medicare Data,” was published in The Journal of Nutrition on April 17, 2026. Its DOI is 10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101541.

Eggs contain nutrients that may support brain health, including choline, lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3 fatty acids, and phospholipids. Choline is important for acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory and nerve signaling. Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that can accumulate in brain tissue and are linked with antioxidant protection.

The researchers looked at both visible egg intake, such as boiled, fried, or scrambled eggs, and hidden egg intake from baked goods and packaged foods. This helped capture a broader picture of how much egg people consumed in daily life.

The authors emphasized that moderate egg consumption should be seen as part of an overall balanced diet, not as a single guaranteed protection against Alzheimer’s disease. The study was observational, so it shows an association, not direct proof that eggs prevent Alzheimer’s. Some funding came from the American Egg Board, while the original cohort data was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Address

Udaipur

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Science Pulse posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Science Pulse:

Shortcuts

Share