Science and Technology

Forgetting someone’s name at an inconvenient moment is something almost everyone experiences. Proper names behave unlike ordinary words: they tend to vanish even when familiar nouns and general knowledge stay within reach. Explaining this phenomenon involves examining how the brain stores and retrieves names, how attention and emotion influence their encoding, and how factors such as age, stress, and linguistic background reshape the way retrieval functions.What makes proper names specialProper names are labels with low semantic redundancy. Unlike the word “dog,” which connects to traits, actions, and contexts, a name like “Sarah” has few intrinsic clues linking it to meaning.…

Value-based care shifts the focus of health systems from the volume of services delivered to the outcomes that matter to patients. The central premise is simple: pay for value, not for volume. That reframing affects clinical decisions, payments, measurement, and patient engagement, and it can reduce unnecessary interventions while improving quality, equity, and affordability.The meaning behind value-driven careValue-based care seeks to optimize health outcomes for every dollar invested by:Measuring outcomes: emphasizing clinical results, functional abilities, patient-reported measures (PROMs), and overall experience instead of tallying visits or procedures.Aligning payment: implementing incentives that promote prevention, coordinated care, and demonstrable results, including shared…

A more secure direction ahead for lithium-ion batteriesGroundbreaking advances in battery chemistry are redefining the balance between safety and performance, and a novel electrolyte formulation devised by researchers in Hong Kong presents a compelling path to reducing fire hazards while keeping existing lithium-ion battery production methods intact.Lithium-ion batteries have quietly evolved into essential components of everyday technology, energizing smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, e-bikes, medical devices and a vast range of tools that define modern living. Although known for strong performance and dependable operation, these batteries also possess an intrinsic hazard that has grown more apparent as their adoption has widened.…

Whole-person health represents a practical approach to care that views individuals as interconnected beings instead of a set of separate symptoms, combining clinical treatment with consideration for mental, social, economic, behavioral and environmental influences on health, and in practice moves systems away from sporadic, disease-centered visits toward ongoing, tailored collaborations that ease suffering, enhance outcomes and reduce unnecessary costs.Core components of whole-person healthPhysical health: science-backed prevention, comprehensive chronic disease management, support for mobility and physical functioning, along with careful focus on sleep, diet and regular physical activity.Mental and behavioral health: consistent screening and readily available treatment for depression, anxiety, substance…

Artificial intelligence shifted from a hopeful breakthrough to an urgent global flashpoint in 2025, rapidly transforming economies, politics and everyday life far faster than most expected, turning a burst of tech acceleration into a worldwide debate over power, productivity and accountability.How AI reshaped the global landscape in 2025 and what lies aheadThe year 2025 will be remembered as the moment artificial intelligence stopped being perceived as a future disruptor and became an unavoidable present force. While previous years introduced powerful tools and eye-catching breakthroughs, this period marked the transition from experimentation to systemic impact. Governments, businesses and citizens alike were…

Robust research indicates that exercise serves as a clinically significant approach to easing depressive symptoms across diverse age groups and environments, although its impact does not manifest uniformly for all individuals or routines; consequently, grasping the appropriate dose encompassing frequency, intensity, duration, and modality, as well as tailoring it to each person, becomes crucial for achieving consistent improvements in mood.What the available evidence revealsMultiple randomized trials and meta-analyses report a small-to-moderate antidepressant effect of exercise. Pooled estimates commonly fall in the standardized mean difference range of about -0.3 to -0.6, indicating clinically relevant symptom reduction for many people.Effects are seen…

New images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS nearing Earth have been captured by astronomersNew insights into comet 3I/ATLAS highlight its distinctive composition and active tails as it approaches its nearest point to Earth this month. The interstellar traveler, hailing from outside our solar system, has captivated scientists' attention since it was first identified in July 2025.Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object ever detected traveling through our solar system, making every observation crucial for understanding its trajectory, composition, and behavior. Both the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission have captured detailed…

A study suggests that a volcanic eruption might have set off the Black DeathRecent studies suggest that a colossal volcanic eruption during the mid-14th century might have triggered a series of events culminating in the Black Death, one of the most lethal pandemics in human history. By integrating climate data from tree rings, ice cores, and historical documents, researchers are illuminating how environmental and societal elements converged to form an ideal scenario for the plague.Researchers have extensively examined the Black Death, which devastated Europe from 1347 to 1351, resulting in the deaths of at least 25 million individuals—approximately half of…

Bolivia’s Carreras Pampas reveals unprecedented dinosaur trackwaysMore than 16,000 fossilized footprints discovered in Bolivia offer a vivid window into the movements of theropod dinosaurs over 100 million years ago. These tracks, preserved along an ancient shoreline, provide rare insights into how these predators navigated their environment during the late Cretaceous period.The Carreras Pampas site, located within Bolivia’s Torotoro National Park, has yielded a remarkable concentration of theropod footprints, with scientists recently identifying 16,600 impressions. This surpasses any previously documented tracksite in terms of sheer volume. The preserved tracks span roughly 80,570 square feet (7,485 square meters) and include both isolated…

The scientific revolution of the seventeenth century marked profound progress in understanding the natural world, and among its most significant contributors was Robert Hooke. An English polymath, Hooke’s acute observational skills and innovative experiments transformed biology, most notably through his discovery regarding cells. His meticulous work laid the foundation for future advances in microbiology and cellular biology—a legacy that persists centuries later.Robert Hooke and the Invention of the Compound MicroscopeRobert Hooke was more than just a scientist; he was also an inventor and architect, renowned for improving scientific tools. In the 1660s, he perfected the compound microscope, an instrument featuring…