Microplastics have been found almost everywhere that scientists have looked for them. Now these bits of plastic — from 1 to 62 micrometers long — have been found in the filtered solutions used for medical intravenous (IV) infusions. The researchers estimate that thousands of plastic particles could be delivered directly to a person’s bloodstream from a single 8.4-ounce (250-milliliter) bag of infusion fluid.

Cloudy areas over oceans are reflecting less sunlight to space than before.

Researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or robotics — and anywhere else where things need to move at the touch of a button.

Researchers have identified genetic changes in blood stem cells from frequent blood donors that support the production of new, non-cancerous cells. Understanding the differences in the mutations that accumulate in our blood stem cells as we age is important to understand how and why blood cancers develop and hopefully how to intervene before the onset of clinical symptoms.

Researchers show that Cartan’s First Structure Equation, which relates to edge and screw dislocations in crystal lattices, can be recast in the same form as a basic mathematical formula that governs the behavior of electric currents and magnetic fields. This work can help make new concepts more understandable by employing more familiar frameworks.

Prostate cancer statistics can look scary: 34,250 U.S. deaths in 2024. 1.4 million new cases worldwide in 2022.

In a study comparing the glioma tumors of firefighters and non-fighters, researchers found a mutational signature tied to exposure to haloalkanes, which are used in flame retardants, fire extinguishers, and pesticides.

Scientists have discovered that whales move nutrients thousands of miles — in their urine — from as far as Alaska to Hawaii. These tons of nitrogen support the health of tropical ecosystems and fish, where nitrogen can be limited. They call this movement of nutrients a ‘conveyor belt’ or ‘the great whale pee funnel.’ In some places, like Hawaii, the input of nutrients from whales is bigger than from local sources. It’s critical to tropical ocean health, therefore, to protect and restore whales.

It is widely believed that Earth’s atmosphere has been rich in oxygen for about 2.5 billion years due to a relatively rapid increase in microorganisms capable of performing photosynthesis. Researchers provide a mechanism to explain precursor oxygenation events, or ‘whiffs,’ which may have opened the door for this to occur. Their findings suggest volcanic activity altered conditions enough to accelerate oxygenation, and the whiffs are an indication of this taking place.

The megalodon has long been imagined as an enormous great white shark, but new research suggests that perception is all wrong. The study finds the prehistoric hunter had a much longer body — closer in shape to a lemon shark or even a large whale.