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Today:
Scientists Identified a New Blood Group After a 50-Year Mystery
NEWS | 01 February 2026
More than 50 years later, that strange absence finally led researchers from the UK and Israel to describe a new blood group system in humans. Watch the video below for a summary of their research:frameborder="0″ allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen>While we're most familiar with the ABO blood group system and the Rh factor (the plus or minus), humans actually have many different blood group systems based on the wide variety of proteins and sugars that coat our blood cells. This is also the case for the new blood group. Because this antigen lives on a myelin and lymphocyte protein, the researchers named the newly described system the MAL blood group. Related: Super-Rare 'Hybrid' Blood Type Discovered in Just 3 PeopleAll AnWj-negative patients in the study shared the same mutation.

Top Stories:
Endangered Galapagos Seabird Makes 3,000-Mile-Detour to California
NEWS | 01 February 2026
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scientists on a research vessel off the central California coast spotted a waved albatross, marking just the second recorded sighting of the bird north of Central America. It was spotted 23 miles (37 kilometers) off the coast of Point Piedras Blancas, roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The International Union for Conservation of Nature calls the bird – the largest in the Galapagos – critically endangered. Russell noted that if multiple birds were being seen in California, it could be a sign they were being driven northward by environmental factors. Previously, she has written about five species of Booby that are now common off California because of warming temperatures and marine heatwaves.

World:
Expired Cans of Salmon From Decades Ago Preserved a Huge Surprise
NEWS | 01 February 2026
Canned salmon, well past its prime, has preserved decades of Alaskan marine ecology in brine and tin. Parasites can reveal a lot about an ecosystem, since they tend to get up in the business of multiple species. "Everyone assumes that worms in your salmon is a sign that things have gone awry," said Wood when the research was published in 2024. This is how anisakids end up in the salmon, and eventually, the intestines of marine mammals, where the worms complete their life cycle by reproducing. They found worms had increased over time in chum and pink salmon, but not in sockeye or coho.

Current Events:
Giant Virus Discovered in Japanese Pond May Hint at Multicellular Life's Origins
NEWS | 01 February 2026
Scientists in Japan have discovered a previously unknown giant virus, offering new insight into this enigmatic category of viruses – and possibly also into the origins of multicellular life. Giant viruses were largely overlooked during the first century of modern virology, with initial discoveries often misidentified as bacteria due to their size. Yet while we barely knew they existed until recent decades, we've since learned giant viruses are all around us. Related: Hundreds of Mysterious Giant Viruses Discovered Lurking in The OceanViruses in general are considered the most abundant biological entities on Earth, and some of the most perplexing. These similarities and differences can be vital clues, helping scientists piece together the evolutionary history of giant viruses.

News Flash:
Roots of Many Miscarriages May Trace Back To Before The Mother Is Even Born
NEWS | 01 February 2026
A miscarriage can occur for a variety of reasons, but chromosomal abnormalities are a common factor. About half of all known miscarriages in the first or second trimester result from fetuses possessing too many or too few chromosomes. To remedy that, scientists would need to analyze a huge volume of genetic data from many thousands of embryos before pregnancy loss, along with data from their biological parents. frameborder="0″ allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen>"Here the power comes from these huge sample sizes," McCoy says. "Our results demonstrate that inherited differences in these meiotic processes contribute to natural variation in risk of aneuploidy and pregnancy loss between individuals," McCoy says.

Sponsored:
SmartSync Data Sync App
SPONSORED | 01 February 2026
SmartSync is a mobile application, compatible with any Android smartphone, that syncs your important data to your email. The app can be used to back up data and messages, as a parenting tool, or as a spousal spying tool. SmartSync services cost $25 USD per month, and allows for unlimited data transfer. The app can be found Here

Latest:
Carbon Dioxide 'Pulses' Clears Toxins From Parkinson's Brains in Recent Study
NEWS | 01 February 2026
Manipulating how much carbon dioxide a person breathes can crank up the brain's 'sewage system', researchers have found. In recent experiments with healthy participants and people with Parkinson's disease, researchers found that delivering rhythmic pulses of CO 2 -rich air for short periods improved the flow of their brain's waste-clearance system. In another experiment, involving 10 participants, 5 of whom had Parkinson's, participants underwent three 10-minute sessions of intermittent hypercapnia. After intermittent hypercapnia sessions, their plasma levels for these toxins rose robustly. "Intermittent hypercapnia may be able to clear peptides and proteins implicated in Alzheimer's, highlighting its potential as a disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer's patients," the authors speculate.

Breaking:
This Week in Science: Meat-Eater Longevity, Space Viruses, And More!
NEWS | 01 February 2026
This week in science: how eating meat could be associated with a longer life; a switch for fat cell production; how space travel could supercharge viruses to fight for us; and much more! "The study's findings may reflect the nutritional challenges of advanced age, rather than any inherent problems with plant-based diets. Crucially, this doesn't diminish the well-established health benefits of these diets for younger and healthier adults," researchers write. Microbes in Space Mutated And Developed a Remarkable AbilityBacteria-hunting viruses (phages) grown in space evolved differently, potentially providing new weapons against antibiotic-resistant infections. "This was not something a reader would necessarily notice, nor did it reflect a sudden deterioration in quality.

Trending:
Expert Advice: What to Do (And Not Do) When You Have a Splinter
NEWS | 01 February 2026
Knowing how to remove a splinter may not be a matter of life and death. If the end of the splinter is near the surface, consider using a bevelled needle (available from chemists) to gently lift the top layer of skin to expose the splinter. Don't soak wood splinters, as this may cause the wood to swell and make it harder to pull out. This will avoid bumping the splinter (further pain) and facilitate a good grip with the tweezers. Remove the splinter following the path of entry – pull it gently back from the direction it went in.

This Just In:
Mysterious Structure in Bird Eyes May Explain a Curious Lack of Blood
NEWS | 01 February 2026
Here's some science trivia for you: unlike the inner retina in most animals (including us), birds' inner retinas function without oxygen. Not so with birds: there are no blood vessels in the retina, so oxygen can only arrive by diffusion through the surface, making the inner retina anoxic (without oxygen). Cells can squeeze energy from glucose without oxygen, though the efficiency of the process is poor, and quickly generates a toxic build-up of waste. Related: We May Finally Understand Why Birds Burst Into Song at Dawn"Our study reveals an impressive anoxia tolerance in the inner bird retina," write the researchers in their published paper. This structure, which sits next to the retina, is packed with blood vessels – but before now, it wasn't clear exactly how it worked.

Today:
Sleep Loss Is Physically Damaging Your Brain Cells, Study Suggests
NEWS | 01 February 2026
"This study identifies oligodendrocytes as key mediators by linking sleep deprivation to impaired myelin integrity, slowed nerve conduction, and behavioral deficits," write the researchers in their published paper. Further experiments found that the signaling between specific brain regions slowed by around a third in the rats who had gone without sleep. Sleep deprivation also led to reduced synchronization across brain regions. "The increasing prevalence of sleep deprivation poses a public health challenge in modern society," write the researchers. "Manifestations of reduced alertness, such as slowed reaction times and increased errors, are well-documented behavioral indicators of sleep loss."

Top Stories:
Forever Chemicals Linked to Multiple Sclerosis in Concerning New Study
NEWS | 01 February 2026
People who are exposed to certain forever chemicals may be at greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research. This new study from Sweden suggests that forever chemicals may be an overlooked contributing factor. Some research has considered the potential role of forever chemicals – more formally known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). They also considered seven byproducts from other forever chemicals, called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The 'toxic synergy' of forever chemicals is a complication that scientists have warned about before.

World:
A Common Sleeping Pill May Reduce Buildup of Alzheimer's Proteins, Study Reveals
NEWS | 01 February 2026
A study published in 2023 found that using sleeping pills to get some shut-eye could reduce the buildup of toxic clumps of proteins in fluid that washes the brain clean every night. Researchers think promoting sleep could be one avenue to stave off Alzheimer's disease, by allowing the sleeping brain to flush itself of leftover proteins and the day's other waste products. Sleeping pills may also lull people into shallower bouts of sleep rather than deep sleep phases. Of course, this all rests on our understanding of what causes Alzheimer's disease. That said, there is increasing evidence linking sleep disturbances to Alzheimer's disease, a disease for which no treatments exist.

Current Events:
Cancer May Emit Signals That Protect The Brain Against Alzheimer's
NEWS | 01 February 2026
Cancer and Alzheimer's disease are two of the most feared diagnoses in medicine, but they rarely strike the same person. For years, epidemiologists have noticed that people with cancer seem less likely to develop Alzheimer's, and those with Alzheimer's are less likely to get cancer, but nobody could explain why. In the tumour‑bearing mice, cystatin‑C activated a sensor on microglia known as Trem2, effectively switching them into a more aggressive, plaque‑clearing state. Surprising trade-offsAt first glance, the idea that a cancer could "help" protect the brain from dementia sounds almost perverse. Mouse models of Alzheimer's capture some features of the disease, particularly amyloid plaques, but they do not fully reproduce the complexity of human dementia.

News Flash:
US Life Expectancy Broke Records in 2024, And Could Still Be Climbing
NEWS | 01 February 2026
NEW YORK (AP) – US life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024 – the highest mark in American history. For decades, US life expectancy rose at least a little bit almost every year, thanks to medical advances and public health measures. In 2021, life expectancy fell to just under 76 1/2 years. Death rates declined across all racial and ethnic groups, and in both men and women. Death statistics for 2025 are not finalized, but preliminary data suggest that around 3.05 million deaths have been recorded.