Scientists stretched a liquid and it snapped like a solid

The taste and texture profile of protein shakes could be improved by tweaking the way whey protein is made, new research has found. An ongoing collaboration among the University of Reading, Aberystwyth University and Arla Foods Ingredients has resulted in the production of whey protein (a dairy-derived ingredient found in gym shakes and sports supplements) with improved texture characteristics. The findings, published in the International Dairy Journal, suggest that manufacturing changes have th

Deep sleep does far more than rest the body — it activates a powerful brain-driven system that controls growth hormone, fueling muscle and bone strength, metabolism, and even mental performance. Scientists have now mapped the neural circuits behind this process, uncovering a delicate feedback loop in which sleep boosts growth hormone, and that same hormone helps regulate wakefulness.

The sun, our nearest star, never stops breathing. Every second of every day, it exhales a vast stream of charged particles that sweeps outward through the solar system at hundreds of kilometers per second. We call it the solar wind, and while that name conjures something gentle and constant, the reality is considerably more turbulent.

Scientific expeditions require months of planning before scientists can acquire the first data. A bark cuts through the Arctic silence, waking Anna up. She slept only three hours after collecting the last sample. Anna reaches for her rifle, exits the tent, and steps onto the midnight ice. She pets the guard dog she rented a few days earlier. It might be a false alarm, but she scans the darkness for polar bears, hoping her training pays off. She cannot afford to lose the samples. Nor her life.