Science & academia

This archive covers milestones and breakthroughs from the scientific and academic world — researchers, universities, and institutions whose work advances human knowledge. Stories here highlight discoveries, studies, and scholarly efforts that point toward a better future.

Baby sleeping, for article on SIDS biomarker

Landmark study finds first biomarker to detect babies at risk of SIDS

By / / Good News For Humankind

SIDS has resisted explanation for generations, but researchers have now found the first biological signal present at birth that distinguishes vulnerable infants from others. Australian scientists discovered that babies who died of SIDS had measurably lower levels of an enzyme called butyrylcholinesterase — which helps regulate the brain’s arousal response — in routine newborn blood samples. That same heel-prick screening already happens in hospitals worldwide, meaning a future test could fit into existing programs with little disruption. This finding gives researchers a concrete target for the first time, and brings the dream of preventing these devastating losses meaningfully closer.

Depiction of microchip storing solar energy in liquid, for article on solar energy storage

‘Radical’ solar technology breakthrough allows energy to be stored for up to 18 years

By / / Good News For Humankind

Solar energy that lasts 18 years in a bottle? Researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University have built a molecule that absorbs sunlight, holds it as a liquid, and releases it as electricity only when a catalyst says go. To prove it works, they charged the liquid with Swedish sun, shipped it to a partner lab in China, and three months later powered a tiny chip — just 800 nanometers thin — that turned the stored sunlight into electricity. Output is still small, but the concept is validated. If it scales, it points toward a future where clean energy isn’t tethered to grids or mining-heavy batteries, but travels quietly in a jar to wherever people need it.

InspectIR breathalyzer COVID test, for article on COVID-19 breath test

First COVID-19 breath test authorized for use in U.S.

By / / Good News For Humankind

A COVID-19 breath test just cleared a major hurdle: the FDA has authorized the first device that can detect the virus from a single exhale, returning results in about three minutes. Made by InspectIR, the device picks up a signature pattern of five compounds the body releases during infection, and in a study of nearly 2,500 people it correctly flagged 91 percent of positive cases. No swabs, no lab. Beyond this moment, the authorization is a real proof of concept for breath-based diagnostics — a field researchers have long hoped could one day help detect cancers, kidney disease, and other conditions, especially in communities where traditional testing is hardest to reach.