Asteroids that orbit close to the Earth inevitably cause us some anxiety due to the even remote possibility of a collision. But their proximity also offers ample opportunities to learn more about the universe. Ryugu, a 900-meter diameter asteroid in the Apollo belt, has recently proven useful in our search for signs of life’s precursors elsewhere in our solar system.

A team of researchers at Kyoto University have found evidence of salt minerals in samples recovered from Ryugu during the initial phase of Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission...

Who hasn’t been there? The big meal is over, you’re full, but the craving for sweets remains. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research have now discovered that what we call the “dessert stomach” is rooted in the brain. The same nerve cells that make us feel full after a meal are also responsible for our craving for sweets afterwards.

To find the cause of the “dessert stomach,” the researchers investigated the reaction of mice to sugar and found that completely satiated mice still ate desserts. The paper is published in the journal Science.

Investigations of the brain showed that a group of nerve cells, the so-called POMC neurons, are responsible for this...

The core of a massive cluster of galaxies appears to be pumping out far more stars than it should. Now researchers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered a key ingredient within the cluster that explains the core’s prolific starburst.

In a new study publis...

Every year, more than 5 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with heart valve disease, but this condition has no effective long-term treatment. When a person’s heart valve is severely damaged by a birth defect, lifestyle, or aging, blood flow is disrupted. If left untreated, there can be fatal complications.

Valve replacement and repair are the only methods of managing severe valvular heart disease, but both often require repeated surgeries that are expensive, disruptive, and life-threatening. Most replacement valves are made of animal tissue and last up to 10 or 15 years before they must be replaced...