Feature Stories
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Feb-2026 12:11 ET (17-Feb-2026 17:11 GMT/UTC)
17-Feb-2026
Record-breaking Antarctic drill reveals 23 million years of climate history
Binghamton University
An international team featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York has drilled the longest ever sediment core from under an ice sheet, providing a record stretching back millions of years that will help climate scientists forecast the fate of the ice sheet in our warming world.
16-Feb-2026
Q&A: What is Lunar New Year?
Penn StateThe new moon on Feb. 17 marks the start of the Lunar New Year, a celebration originating in China that today is celebrated around the world. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse, symbolizing energy and passion. Xiaoye You, Liberal Arts Professor of English and Asian Studies at Penn State who has celebrated the Lunar New Year since childhood, explained in the following Q&A what the Lunar New Year is, how some people celebrate and why it may be lucky to wear the color red for the rest of February.
16-Feb-2026
Taking the next shot: GLP-1 research and the new era of weight loss
Georgia State University
Eric Krause, a professor of neuroscience at Gergia State University and a Georgia Research Alliance distinguished investigator, studies how GLP-1 therapies affect brain pathways, weight loss and muscle mass.
16-Feb-2026
Bushbabies reclassified as "near threatened." Scientists share how to protect these adorable primates
University of Colorado at Boulder
After more than a decade of research by primatologists at CU Boulder and their colleagues, a major environmental organization has changed the conservation status of an unusual, and petite, species of primate that lives in southern Africa.
16-Feb-2026
Researchers reveal magnetism with quantum potential
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered an extraordinary crystal made from tantalum, tungsten, and selenium that defies expectations with its unique atomic structure. Instead of a random arrangement, the tantalum atoms organize themselves into precise triangular clusters, enhancing the crystal's stability and creating specific magnetic properties when cooled to extremely low temperatures. This unexpected behavior paves the way for advances in spintronics and quantum materials, which could revolutionize computing and data storage by harnessing the dual properties of electron charge and spin.
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
16-Feb-2026
Extremism is a social problem, not just an individual pathology
Murdoch University
Murdoch University Social Philosophist Associate Professor Anne Schwenkenbecher writes about extremist beliefs, political violence and the ways in which deviant echo chambers operate.
13-Feb-2026
VR exam checks eye health and screens for early signs of Alzheimer’s
University of California - Davis Health
UC Davis researchers are using virtual reality to make eye exams easier for seniors and to investigate whether the platform can detect early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
- Journal
- International Ophthalmology
- Funder
- UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement
13-Feb-2026
At the Bedside: Houston teen makes astounding recovery after life-threatening soccer injury
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Camilo Mancera, 15, suffered what’s known as a carotid artery dissection, which occurs when the layers of one of the neck’s carotid arteries tear or break apart. That led to a pooling of blood in Camilo’s brain known as a pseudoaneurysm, which required lifesaving surgeries at UTHealth Houston.
13-Feb-2026
Nourishing fat, nurturing health: The science of functional adipose tissue
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Prof. Zhu Yuyan, Associate Professor of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, studies obesity as a complex metabolic condition shaped by genetics, lifestyle and stress. She emphasises that adipose tissue is a vital endocrine organ for energy regulation and that excessive fat loss can harm metabolic and immune health, underscoring the need to maintain healthy fat tissue.