Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the HI-STEM Stem Cell Institute have discovered a group of particularly long-lived blood stem cells in mice. These cells remain in a dormant state for an exceptionally long time while retaining their ability to generate new blood cells. This newly discovered cell population may be responsible for sustaining blood regeneration and immune defense throughout a mouse’s entire life.

Our bodies produce billions of new blood cells every day. These cells transport oxygen, fight pathogens and help stop bleeding. Blood stem cells in the bone marrow are responsible for this vital replenishment. They can renew themselves and produce all types of blood cells—for a lifetime.

To prevent this ability from being exhausted prematurely,...

Scientists examining data collected by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found that dozens of small galaxies contain far less oxygen than their stars are estimated to have produced. The researchers, including a Rutgers astrophysicist, studied 37 dwarf galaxies, which are much smaller than the Milky Way and considered to be nearby, within 22 million light-years of Earth. The results were published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Members of the team compared estimates of how much oxygen the galaxies’ stars had made over their lifetimes with the amount remaining ...

A study of nearly 13,000 adults found that people consuming the most artificial sweeteners experienced a 62% faster decline in memory and thinking skills, equivalent to approximately 1.6 additional years of brain aging. Six popular sweeteners were linked to faster cognitive decline, raising concerns about the long-term brain health effects of common sugar substitutes, although causation was not established.

Sugar substitutes are often promoted as a healthier way to enjoy sweet foods and drinks without consuming as much sugar...

Scientists have created a miniature universe in the laboratory that could help answer one of the biggest mysteries in physics: What is time, and where does it come from? Using 24,000 ultracold atoms, a University of Birmingham researcher built an isolated quantum system that repeatedly expands and contracts, mimicking the Big Bang and a possible Big Crunch. Remarkably, the experiment showed that time could emerge from changes happening inside the system, without relying on an external clock.

What if time is not a fundamental part of the universe, but something that emerges from the changes taking place ins...