The brightest take on this week’s science
Take a big breath, because this week we’re diving deep!
First up, we’ll be exploring a massive undersea 'metropolis’ recently discovered in the Pacific Ocean.
Then we’ll join neuroscientists as they try to get to the bottom of why female brains are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease.
Also in this issue:
🤯 A mind-blowing science fact
🔬 A microscope mystery
Let’s see where the science takes us!
LOOK DOWN
Deep-sea discovery dwarfs Atlantic’s ‘Lost City’
(Li/Zhang/Laoshan Laboratory)
Through the shimmering heat of what looks like a mirage, scientists have discovered a massive undersea ‘metropolis’ in the Pacific Ocean.
This extensive hydrothermal field is located on the opposite side of the world to the Atlantic Ocean’s famous ‘Lost City’, which was discovered in 2020.
The new ecosystem, called Kunlun, is over a hundred times larger than the Lost City.
Under the light of a human-operated vehicle (HOV), the deep dolomite walls of the hydrothermal field’s twenty craters appear ghostly blue.
Its rich hydrogen fluids may be a prime example of the ‘hot soup’ in which Earth’s first life evolved.
Around its vents, shrimp, squat lobsters, anemones, and tubeworms bask in the heat.
The videos that scientists have shared are stunning…
HEADLINES
What else we're watching
🏅This week’s most read: Earth's seasons are out of sync, scientists discover from space
LOOK IN
Omega-3 is tied to women’s Alzheimer’s risk
(apomares/Getty Images)
Neuroscientists think they have found a partial explanation for why women develop Alzheimer’s disease at twice the rate of men.
Healthy women typically have higher levels of unsaturated fats, like omega-3, compared to healthy men. But in the current analysis, women with Alzheimer’s showed a surprising lack of lipids.
In women, multiple lipids were associated with Alzheimer's disease.
But the same patterns were not observed in men.
This indicates that fatty acids may impact the disease differently depending on sex.
Clinical trials are now needed to determine if eating more healthy fatty acids, like omega-3, can reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
After decades of extreme sex bias in brain aging research, studies like these are finally exploring the differences between male and female brains.
ZOOM ZONE
Microscope mystery: What do you see?
A) Butterfly wing
B) Vitamin C
C) Amyloid plaque
D) Sugar crystals
Answer at the bottom.
LOOK UP
Cosmic rays may feed life on other planets
Cosmic rays usually mean death from above. But could they feed life on some worlds instead?
A new study suggests that high-energy particles in space might actually power microbes living underground on planets and Moons.
Chris 'Space with Spo' Esposito explains this surprising new theory on ScienceAlert's YouTube channel.
If you want more mind-blowing content, make sure to hit subscribe!
WOW FACTOR
Science fact of the week
(Juan Ruiz Paramo/Getty Images/Barber et al., J. R. Soc. Interface, 2025)
The strongest teeth in the world belong to an unexpected creature.
The lowly limpet is a marine snail with a tongue covered in little teeth, which it uses to lick algae off rocks.
Its denticles are the strongest biological material known to humankind – stronger than spider silk or even steel.
Some scientists call these creatures the “bulldozers of the shore.”
DOPAMINE HIT
Before you go…
There’s light in the dark.
Microscope answer: Vitamin C.
Art doesn’t require a paintbrush. Just dissolve vitamin C, re-crystallize it on a glass slide, and then put it under a polarizing microscope. The colorful conclusion couldn’t be more beautiful if it were human designed. 😍
That’s all for today… see you next week!
Over and out,
- Carly
