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The overlooked nutrition risk of Ozempic and Wegovy

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030551.htm

Popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy can dramatically curb appetite, but experts warn many users are flying blind when it comes to nutrition. New research suggests people taking these medications may not be getting enough guidance on protein, vitamins, and overall diet quality, increasing the risk of muscle loss and nutrient deficiencies.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030551.htm

A 25-year study found an unexpected link between cheese and dementia

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030540.htm

A massive Swedish study tracking nearly 28,000 people for 25 years found an unexpected link between full-fat dairy and brain health. Among adults without a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s, eating more full-fat cheese was associated with a noticeably lower risk of developing the disease, while higher cream intake was tied to reduced dementia risk overall. The findings challenge decades of low-fat dietary advice but come with important caveats.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030540.htm

MIT's new brain tool could finally explain consciousness

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030554.htm

Scientists still don’t know how the brain turns physical activity into thoughts, feelings, and awareness—but a powerful new tool may help crack the mystery. Researchers at MIT are exploring transcranial focused ultrasound, a noninvasive technology that can precisely stimulate deep regions of the brain that were previously off-limits. In a new “roadmap” paper, they explain how this method could finally let scientists test cause-and-effect in consciousness research, not just observe correlations.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030554.htm

Melting Antarctic ice may weaken a major carbon sink

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260204042457.htm

Melting ice from West Antarctica once delivered huge amounts of iron to the Southern Ocean, but algae growth did not increase as expected. Researchers found the iron was in a form that marine life could not easily use. This means more melting ice does not automatically boost carbon absorption. In the future, Antarctic ice loss could actually reduce the ocean’s ability to slow climate change.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260204042457.htm

Why heart disease risk in type 2 diabetes looks different for men and women

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030537.htm

Scientists are digging into why heart disease risk in type 2 diabetes differs between men and women—and sex hormones may be part of the story. In a large Johns Hopkins study, men with higher testosterone had lower heart disease risk, while rising estradiol levels were linked to higher risk. These hormone effects were not seen in women. The results point toward more personalized approaches to heart disease prevention in diabetes.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030537.htm

The genetic turning point that made backbones possible

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030533.htm

Scientists have uncovered a surprising genetic shift that may explain how animals with backbones—from fish and frogs to humans—became so complex. By comparing sea squirts, lampreys, and frogs, researchers found that key genes controlling cell communication began producing many more protein variations right at the moment vertebrates emerged. This genetic flexibility likely helped cells specialize in new ways, shaping the development of diverse tissues and organs.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030533.htm

Sound machines might be making your sleep worse

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030529.htm

Sound machines may not be the sleep saviors many believe. Researchers found that pink noise significantly reduced REM sleep, while simple earplugs did a better job protecting deep, restorative sleep from traffic noise. When pink noise was combined with outside noise, sleep quality dropped even further. The results suggest that popular “sleep sounds” could be doing more harm than good—particularly for kids.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030529.htm

Minor operations; testing new serving path

Hi all!

I'm doing some minor operational work tonight. It should be transparent, but there's always a chance that something goes wrong. The main thing I'm touching is testing a replacement for Apache2 (our web server software) in one area of the site.

Thank you!

This unexpected plant discovery could change how drugs are made

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030546.htm

Plants make chemical weapons to protect themselves, and many of these compounds have become vital to human medicine. Researchers found that one powerful plant chemical is produced using a gene that looks surprisingly bacterial. This suggests plants reuse microbial tools to invent new chemistry. The insight could help scientists discover new drugs and produce them more sustainably.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030546.htm

This strange little dinosaur is forcing a rethink of evolution

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030521.htm

A newly identified tiny dinosaur, Foskeia pelendonum, is shaking up long-held ideas about how plant-eating dinosaurs evolved. Though fully grown adults were remarkably small and lightweight, their anatomy was anything but simple—featuring a bizarre, highly specialized skull and unexpected evolutionary traits. Detailed bone studies show these dinosaurs matured quickly with bird- or mammal-like metabolism, while their teeth and posture hint at fast, agile lives in dense forests.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030521.htm

A hidden cellular process may drive aging and disease

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030526.htm

As we age, our cells don’t just wear down—they reorganize. Researchers found that cells actively remodel a key structure called the endoplasmic reticulum, reducing protein-producing regions while preserving fat-related ones. This process, driven by ER-phagy, is tied to lifespan and healthy aging. Because these changes happen early, they could help trigger later disease—or offer a chance to stop it.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030526.htm

New catalyst turns carbon dioxide into clean fuel source

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030548.htm

Researchers have found that manganese, an abundant and inexpensive metal, can be used to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into formate, a potential hydrogen source for fuel cells. The key was a clever redesign that made the catalyst last far longer than similar low-cost materials. Surprisingly, the improved manganese catalyst even beat many expensive precious-metal options. The discovery could help turn greenhouse gas into clean energy ingredients.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030548.htm

Scientists just mapped the hidden structure holding the Universe together

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203020205.htm

Astronomers have produced the most detailed map yet of dark matter, revealing the invisible framework that shaped the Universe long before stars and galaxies formed. Using powerful new observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the research shows how dark matter gathered ordinary matter into dense regions, setting the stage for galaxies like the Milky Way and eventually planets like Earth.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203020205.htm

This brain discovery is forcing scientists to rethink how memory works

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203020203.htm

A new brain imaging study reveals that remembering facts and recalling life events activate nearly identical brain networks. Researchers expected clear differences but instead found strong overlap across memory types. The finding challenges decades of memory research. It may also help scientists better understand conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203020203.htm

Even remote Pacific fish are full of microplastics

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203020202.htm

Even in some of the most isolated corners of the Pacific, plastic pollution has quietly worked its way into the food web. A large analysis of fish caught around Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu found that roughly one in three contained microplastics, with Fiji standing out for especially high contamination. Reef and bottom-dwelling fish were most affected, linking exposure to where fish live and how they feed.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203020202.htm

A record breaking gravitational wave is helping test Einstein’s theory of general relativity

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231224.htm

A newly detected gravitational wave, GW250114, is giving scientists their clearest look yet at a black hole collision—and a powerful way to test Einstein’s theory of gravity. Its clarity allowed scientists to measure multiple “tones” from the collision, all matching Einstein’s predictions. That confirmation is exciting—but so is the possibility that future signals won’t behave so neatly. Any deviation could point to new physics beyond our current understanding of gravity.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231224.htm

Thank you

https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2026/02/thank-you.html

posted by Neil Gaiman

It’s been a while since I've posted anything anywhere, but I didn't want to let any more time go by without thanking everyone for all your kind messages of support over the last year and a half.

I've learned firsthand how effective a smear campaign can be, so to be clear:

The allegations against me are completely and simply untrue. There are emails, text messages and video evidence that flatly contradict them.

These allegations, especially the really salacious ones, have been spread and amplified by people who seemed a lot more interested in outrage and getting clicks on headlines rather than whether things had actually happened or not. (They didn't.)

One thing that's kept me going through all this madness is the conviction that the truth would, eventually, come out. I expected that when the allegations were first made there would be journalism, and that the journalism would take the (mountains of) evidence into account, and was astonished to see how much of the reporting was simply an echo chamber, and how the actual evidence was dismissed or ignored.

I was a journalist once, and I have enormous respect for journalists, so I've been hugely heartened by the meticulous fact and evidence-based investigative writing of one particular journalist, whom some of you recently brought to my attention, who writes under the name of TechnoPathology.

I've had no contact with TechnoPathology. But I'd like to thank them personally for actually looking at the evidence and reporting what they found, which is not what anyone else had done.

If you are curious about what they've uncovered so far, this clickable link takes you to really good investigative reporting: https://technopathology.substack.com/p/neil-gaiman-is-innocent-introduction

It's been a strange, turbulent and occasionally nightmarish year and a half, but I took my own advice (when things get tough, make good art) and once I was done with making television I went back to doing something else I love even more: writing.

I thought it was going to be a fairly short project when I began it, but it's looking like it's going to be the biggest thing I've done since American Gods. It's already much longer than The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and it's barely finished wiping its boots and hanging up its coat.

And I spend half of every month being a full-time Dad, and that remains the best bit of my life.

It's a rough time for the world. I look at what's happening on the home front and internationally, and I worry; and I am still convinced there are more good people out there than the other kind.

Thank you again to so many of you for your belief in my innocence and your support for my work.

It has meant the world to me.

https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2026/02/thank-you.html

Scientists discover protein that could heal leaky gut and ease depression

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231240.htm

Chronic stress can damage the gut’s protective lining, triggering inflammation that may worsen depression. New research shows that stress lowers levels of a protein called Reelin, which plays a key role in both gut repair and brain health. Remarkably, a single injection restored Reelin levels and produced antidepressant-like effects in preclinical models. The findings hint at a future treatment that targets depression through the gut–brain connection.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231240.htm

Scientists Warn: This “miracle cure” works only by damaging human cells

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231250.htm

MMS has long been promoted as a miracle cure, but new research shows it’s essentially a toxic disinfectant. While it can kill bacteria, it only works at levels that also damage human cells and beneficial gut microbes. Scientists warn that homemade MMS mixtures are especially dangerous due to wildly inconsistent dosing. The study calls MMS a clear case where the risks are high—and the benefits are effectively zero.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231250.htm

Hundreds of new species found in a hidden world beneath the Pacific

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231230.htm

As demand for critical metals grows, scientists have taken a rare, close look at life on the deep Pacific seabed where mining may soon begin. Over five years and 160 days at sea, researchers documented nearly 800 species, many previously unknown. Test mining reduced animal abundance and diversity significantly, though the overall impact was smaller than expected. The study offers vital clues for how future mining could reshape one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260201231230.htm