Computer simulations revealed the detailed mechanism of how the protein "dynamin" works to form small vesicles within cells.

While dynamin uses GTP hydrolysis energy to change shape, it was unclear how this leads to membrane constriction. Simulations showed that instead of simply tightening, dynamin "loosens" (expands) at a certain stage to generate the force needed to narrow the surrounding membrane tube.

This study provides a clearer explanation for membrane deformation and vesicle formation processes in cells, offering insights for artificial nano-device design.

Scientists at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan have discovered a way to make a superconducting thin film from iron telluride, which is surprising because it is not normally superconducting. Being superconducting at extremely low temperatures makes it suitable for use in quantum computing. In addition to this particular new thin film, the new method of fabrication should greatly impact thin-film research in general.

New research reveals how the speed of ocean currents and the shape of the seabed influence the amount of heat flowing underneath Antarctic ice shelves, contributing to melting.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) used an autonomous underwater vehicle to survey beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf in the Amundsen Sea, an area of rapid glacial ice loss largely due to increasing ocean heat around and below ice shelves.

Studying ice grains in a cryogenically cooled plasma, Caltech scientists have observed how fluffy particles defy gravity and distribute themselves—insights that could be useful in computer-chip manufacturing.

SAN ANTONIO — December 9, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Trinity University are developing an intranasal (IN) drug-device combination to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers will screen formulations and evaluate delivery methods for oxytocin, a hormone that plays a critical role in human bonding and stress mitigation.

In Chaos, researchers establish a theory for how microplastic particles may accumulate in a circular current. They began by modeling how fluid moves in a rotating cylinder and accounted for the complication of microplastics having inertia and disrupting the fluid around them, which causes them to slowly stray from the fluid’s usual path. Exploiting the mathematics behind this allowed them to develop a theory for how and where particles accumulate, and applying the theory to ocean flows can help determine subsurface areas with high concentrations of microplastics.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, have for the first time succeeded in using existing laser technology to continuously vary the magnetic properties of two-dimensional materials. This simple and fast method should make a large number of applications possible, including techniques for data storage and processing. 

In an interesting turn of botanical events, University of Houston engineers report that while melatonin keeps us asleep, it wakes up plants, helping them grow.

BOULDER, COLO. — December 9, 2025 — A new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) links quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar flares to dynamic oscillations in magnetic reconnection, a phenomenon that can drive space weather and affect technology on Earth. This research could help refine traditional solar flare models and provide new insights into the mechanisms driving them.