This Week in Science: Vampire Squid, a Galactic Tornado, And Much More!
NEWS | 07 December 2025
This week in science: the genetic secrets of the 'vampire squid from hell'; a dinosaur superhighway; the longest known spinning structure in the Universe; and much more! Boosting One Protein Reawakens Aging Brain Cells in Mice, Study Shows Boosting a protein called Sox9 in the brain sends clean-up cells into overdrive, reversing signs of cognitive decline in mice with Alzheimer's. "Most current treatments focus on neurons or try to prevent the formation of amyloid plaques," says neuroscientist Benjamin Deneen. "This study suggests that enhancing astrocytes' natural ability to clean up could be just as important." Read the full story here. Study Reveals The Age You Hit The 'Tipping Point' Into Frailty Canadian scientists have identified a key 'tipping point' at around age 75, when frailty takes over for most people. Broadly, they found that both health setbacks and recovery time increased with age, until the participant reached a tipping point at which the recovery rate could no longer keep up with the rate of health setbacks. The age range for this tipping point was about 73 to 76 years for both men and women. Read the full story here. 'Vampire Squid From Hell' Reveals The Ancient Origins of Octopuses Biologists have sequenced the gigantic genome of the 'vampire squid from hell', finding it sits at the crossroads between squids and octopuses. "The vampire squid retains a genetic heritage that predates both [squid and octopus] lineages," says genomicist Emese Tóth of the University of Vienna. "It gives us a direct look into the earliest stages of cephalopod evolution." Read the full story here. 18,000 Tracks Discovered in World's Largest Dinosaur Tracksite The world's largest known dinosaur tracksite has been crowned in Bolivia. It contains almost 18,000 tracks, including evidence of swimming. "The quality of preservation, the exceptionally high number of tracks, and the diversity of behaviors recorded make the Carreras Pampa tracksite one of the premier dinosaur track sites in the world," the researchers write. Read the full story here. New Tick-Borne Disease Discovered in Dogs May Pose a Risk to Humans Scientists have identified a new tick-borne bacterial disease in the US, which has killed several dogs and may pose risks to humans. When the team sequenced the bacterium's genome, they realized it was a whole new species in the spotted fever group. It's been named Rickettsia finnyi – after Finny, the dog whose blood it was found in. Read the full story here. 'Tornado' of Galaxies Could Be The Longest Spinning Structure Ever Seen Astronomers have discovered the longest known rotating structure in the Universe: a 50-million-light-year-long filament of galaxies. "You can liken it to the teacups ride at a theme park," says physicist Lyla Jung of the University of Oxford in the UK. "Each galaxy is like a spinning teacup, but the whole platform – the cosmic filament – is rotating too. This dual motion gives us rare insight into how galaxies gain their spin from the larger structures they live in." Read the full story here.
Author: Sciencealert Staff.
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