'Very Unexpected': NASA Rover Zapped a Rock on Mars And Found a Gemstone Surprise | The mineral was corundum, the crystalline material that forms rubies and sapphires.
https://www.sciencealert.com/very-unexpected-nasa-rover-zapped-a-rock-on-mars-and-found-a-gemstone-surprise

https://redd.it/1vn874w
@rnerds

Men are less likely than women to seek help after experiencing intimate partner violence, and new research found that the main barriers include viewing it as a private matter, fear of retaliation, shame, and concerns about not being believed.
https://publichealth.gmu.edu/news/2026-08/shame-stigma-and-culture-prevent-male-intimate-partner-violence-survivors-seeking-help

https://redd.it/1vnbrto
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Neuroscientists have vastly underestimated brain cells’ computing power. A new study shows that each neuron can do multiple computations at once thanks to hundreds of sprawling branches
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/neuroscientists-have-vastly-underestimated-brain-cells-computing-power/

https://redd.it/1vnbvw7
@rnerds

A few minutes of sprinting could make a bigger impact than 90 minutes of moderate running. Sprinting triggers changes in more than 200 metabolites and causes an immediate surge of proteins involved in blood-vessel growth, tissue remodeling, and hormonal signaling.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1139915

https://redd.it/1vnfsvo
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Taking the stairs could cut risk of early death. Research found people who regularly climb stairs were 39 per cent less likely to die from heart-related problems and 24 per cent less likely to die from any cause - compared with people who don't climb stairs as often.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1139621

https://redd.it/1vn6v4q
@rnerds

Forests in Wyoming lost 60% of their canopy during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the last comparable period of global warming, and it took them well over 100,000 years to recover, according to fossilized leaf fragments
https://theconversation.com/ancient-forests-took-100-000-years-to-recover-from-the-last-global-warming-period-similar-to-today-wyoming-fossils-reveal-what-happened-289462

https://redd.it/1vnj13i
@rnerds

Astronomers discover a brand-new type of astrophysical object: A black hole star, « The mashup of a black hole and an enormous star has never been seen before and could explain the mysterious little red dots often found in deep-space images. »
https://news.mit.edu/2026/astronomers-discover-brand-new-type-astrophysical-object-black-hole-star-0812

https://redd.it/1vnm3ca
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Semaglutide linked to 26% lower 5-year predicted dementia risk
https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dad2.70432

https://redd.it/1vnthqz
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Rising number of Americans who identify as political independents is driven by genuine dissatisfaction with their own preferred party, rather than a desire to hide their political leanings to avoid social judgment. Trend of political independence reflects real frustration with American politics.
https://www.psypost.org/frustration-not-fear-of-judgment-drives-the-rise-of-independent-voters/

https://redd.it/1vnvasa
@rnerds

More leucovorin prescribed to kids after federal officials touted its unproven benefits for autism. The weekly number of children with filled leucovorin prescriptions rose from 734 to 5,858 children between the beginning and end of 2025 – a 700% jump.
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-lab/more-leucovorin-prescribed-kids-after-federal-officials-touted-its-unproven-benefits-autism

https://redd.it/1vnck2f
@rnerds

An analysis of nearly 3,500 wildfires across western North America found that faster-spreading fires caused more severe tree mortality and left burned areas farther from surviving seed trees, reducing the ability of conifer forests to naturally recover.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg5802

https://redd.it/1vnt23t
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Liver Injuries Are Up 400%—and Alcohol Isn’t the Main Reason Why. Findings show that externally caused liver injuries have increased substantially over the past 25 years, with Tylenol emerging as a growing and persistent contributor.
https://gizmodo.com/liver-injuries-are-up-400-and-alcohol-isnt-the-main-reason-why-2000798328

https://redd.it/1vo3kfz
@rnerds

Higher body fat in pregnancy may influence child ADHD risk through inflammation. Higher levels of body fat during pregnancy are associated with an increase in systemic inflammation, which in turn predicts more attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in toddlers.
https://www.psypost.org/higher-body-fat-in-pregnancy-may-influence-child-adhd-risk-through-inflammation/

https://redd.it/1vo38dk
@rnerds

Replacing 15 minutes of sleep or sedentary behavior with movement was linked to a 2% lower cancer risk, while replacing 30 minutes of movement with sedentary time was linked to an 8% higher risk, according to a 8 year study on 59,218 people and their smartwatches
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/aug/being-more-active-reduces-cancer-risk

https://redd.it/1vo4fcv
@rnerds

Physicists are closing in on the origin of matter: An elusive quantity called baryon number may be responsible for the cosmic mismatch between matter and antimatter
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/physicists-find-major-clue-to-matters-biggest-mystery/

https://redd.it/1vo84r5
@rnerds

Coffee consumption linked to healthier body composition and metabolic markers. People with higher coffee consumption had lower total and visceral fat and greater skeletal muscle mass. In men, it is linked to a more favourable glucose–insulin profile, and higher bioavailable testosterone.
https://www.oulu.fi/en/news/study-links-coffee-consumption-metabolic-health-and-sex-hormones

https://redd.it/1voa0n2
@rnerds

Many restaurant workers report drinking on the job, despite formal zero-tolerance policies
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00952990.2026.2707638

https://redd.it/1vo7y61
@rnerds

RETRACTED: Excess mortality across countries in the Western World since the COVID-19 pandemic: ‘Our World in Data’ estimates of January 2020 to December 2022

We wish to inform the r/science community of an article submitted to the subreddit that has since been retracted by the journal. The submission garnered broad exposure on r/science and significant media coverage elsewhere, including being featured in a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing. Per [our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/wiki/rules/#wiki_retractions), the flair on this submission has been updated with "RETRACTED". The submission has also been added to our [wiki of retracted submissions](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/wiki/retractions/#wiki_retractions).

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Reddit Submission: [Excess death rates have remained high in the West for three years running since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a data analysis of 47 countries published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health.](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1feicau/excess_death_rates_have_remained_high_in_the_west/)

The article ["Excess mortality across countries in the Western World since the COVID-19 pandemic: ‘Our World in Data’ estimates of January 2020 to December 2022"](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000282) has been [retracted](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000282ret) from *BMJ Public Health* as of August 11, 2026. Concerns [were raised](https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/commentary-misleading-bmj-public-health-paper-covid-19-excess-mortality-needs-be-retracted) following publication about the originality of the work and the messaging of its results with regards to COVID-19 vaccination and mortality. Widespread media coverage misrepresenting the work prompted the journal to publish an [expression of concern](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000282eoc) explaining that the research does not investigate or establish a causal link between COVID-19 vaccination and mortality. The notice also announced an internal investigation by the Princess Máxima Center in the Netherlands, where three of the four authors worked.

The lead author, Saskia Mostert, resigned following the investigation announcement and was "not able to cooperate with the investigation" by her former institution. *BMJ* also had difficulty contacting her, as the corresponding author, for their own investigation. She went on to appear before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee subcommittee on investigations on "Plausible Mechanisms of COVID-19 Injections Causing Cancer and Attacks on Scientific Publications and Research" where she testified on the results of the study.

The article was ultimately retracted by the journal "for misinformation in the discussion regarding the possible causes of excess mortality, and because the limited nature of the original work by the authors was not sufficiently described." Two of the four authors, along with the Princess Máxima Center, requested the retraction but disputed the journal's determination the paper contained misinformation. Mostert and the journal's fourth author, disagreed with the retraction.

* Retraction Watch: [BMJ Group retracts paper on COVID-19 vaccines and mortality featured in Senate hearing](https://retractionwatch.com/2026/08/11/bmj-public-health-retraction-covid-19-vaccines-death-senate-hearing/)

\--

Should you encounter a submission on r/science that has been retracted, please notify the moderators [via Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fscience&subject=Retraction).

https://redd.it/1voci60
@rnerds

Breathing exercises blunt the body’s physical reaction to acute stress
https://www.psypost.org/brief-breathing-exercises-blunt-the-body-s-physical-reaction-to-acute-stress/

https://redd.it/1vo949n
@rnerds

Liver injuries linked to drugs and other substances have risen more than 400% in the U.S. since 2000, with acetaminophen (Tylenol) emerging as a leading contributor—surpassing alcohol in reported cases.
https://gizmodo.com/liver-injuries-are-up-400-and-alcohol-isnt-the-main-reason-why-2000798328

https://redd.it/1voaxi9
@rnerds