Researchers have uncovered new insights into the optical properties of human milk that could improve the assessment of milk production in breastfeeding mothers. Low milk supply affects an estimated 10–15 percent of mothers, yet its underlying causes remain poorly understood. By analyzing how human milk scatters light, the researchers identified refractive index values specific to human milk fat particles—significantly different from those in cow’s milk—and demonstrated that both fat concentration and fat‑particle size distribution strongly influence light scattering behavior. Their two studies, published in Biophotonics Discovery, lay the groundwork for compact, noninvasive optical tools capable of monitoring changes in milk composition during breastfeeding. Such technology could enable real‑time evaluation of lactation physiology and support efforts to better understand and address lactation insufficiency.

The Amazon rainforest is famous for storing massive amounts of carbon in its trees and soils, helping regulate the global climate. Yet a paper published today in New Phytologist shows that one of South America’s largest carbon-storing ecosystems exists in an often-overlooked grassy savanna: the Cerrado in Brazil. 

University of Tennessee, Knoxville physics professors Tova Holmes and Larry Lee will spend 2026 as senior Distinguished Researchers at Fermilab’s LHC Physics Center, supporting the CMS experiment at CERN. They’ll help upgrade the CMS outer tracker, develop new trigger strategies for high‑luminosity LHC data, advance muon-collider planning, and mentor students and postdocs while strengthening UT–Fermilab ties.

Parasites may do more than weaken animals – they can reshape the signals used to choose mates. Studying male green treefrogs in the wild, researchers found that tongueworm infections subtly alter mating calls, changing their frequency and duration. Females avoided the most heavily infected males but sometimes favored moderately infected ones, suggesting they weigh multiple cues at once. The findings reveal how parasites can influence sexual selection by reshaping the acoustic signals females use to evaluate potential mates.

In a recent study published in Analytical Chemistry, researchers from the University of Amsterdam’s Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) reveal a sobering reality regarding "nontargeted" chemical analysis. Although widely used for screening the environment for chemicals, this concept isn't nearly as broad as its name suggests, leaving massive "blind spots" in the data. To quantify these gaps, the team developed a novel computational framework: Measurable Feature Prediction. It helps predict which regions of the vast chemical space are actually measurable — before running real samples.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new way to alter complex drug molecules using light rather than toxic chemicals – a discovery that could accelerate and improve how medicines are designed and made. 

Published today (Thursday 12 March) in Nature Synthesis, the study introduces what the team calls an “anti-Friedel–Crafts” reaction. A classic Friedel–Crafts reaction uses strong chemicals or metal catalysts under harsh experimental conditions. This means the reaction can only happen in the early stages of drug manufacturing, and is followed by many additional chemical steps to produce the final drug. 

The new Cambridge approach reverses that pattern, allowing scientists to modify drug molecules at the final stages of production. 

Rather than relying on heavy metal catalysts, the chemistry is powered by an LED lamp at ambient temperature. When activated, it triggers a self-sustaining chain process that forges new carbon–carbon bonds under mild conditions and without toxic or expensive chemicals.

In practical terms, this means chemists can make targeted changes late in the development of a new or existing drug rather than dismantling and rebuilding complex molecules from scratch – a process that can otherwise take months. 

“We’ve found a new way to make precise changes to complex drug molecules, particularly ones that have been exceptionally difficult to modify in the past,” said David Vahey, first author and a PhD researcher at St John’s College, Cambridge.

“Scientists can spend months rebuilding large parts of a molecule just to test one small change. Now, instead of doing a multistep process for hundreds of molecules, scientists can start with their hit and make small modifications later on.”

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers have uncovered evidence for our Sun joining a mass migration of similar “twins” leaving the core regions of our galaxy, 4 to 6 billion years ago. The team created and studied an unprecedentedly accurate catalogue of stars and their properties using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite. Their discovery sheds light on the evolution of our galaxy, particularly the development of the rotating bar-like structure at its center.