Science Daily

1. Millions start work too early. This drug helps them stay awake

   Millions of people start work before sunrise—but their brains aren’t ready for it. A new clinical trial has found that the wake-promoting drug solriamfetol can significantly boost alertness in early-morning shift workers struggling with shift work disorder. Participants who took the drug were able to stay awake and function better throughout full shifts, with improvements in productivity, safety, and daily performance.

2. A 200-year-old light trick just transformed quantum encryption

   Scientists have unveiled a new approach to ultra-secure communication that could make quantum encryption simpler and more efficient than ever before. By harnessing a 19th-century optics phenomenon called the Talbot effect, researchers developed a system that sends information using multiple states of single photons instead of just two, dramatically boosting data capacity. Even more impressive, the setup works with standard components and requires only a single detector, reducing cost and complexity.

3. Scientists found a baby dinosaur hidden in rock and it is surprisingly cute

   Scientists uncovered a rare baby dinosaur in South Korea and named it Doolysaurus after a famous cartoon character. Using cutting-edge CT scans, they discovered hidden bones—including a skull—inside rock much faster than traditional methods. The young dinosaur, possibly fluffy and lamb-like, even had stomach stones that reveal it ate a mix of plants and small animals. The discovery suggests many more dinosaurs may still be hidden in Korea’s rocks.

4. Scientists open 40-year-old salmon and find a surprising sign of ocean recovery

   Old canned salmon turned out to be a time capsule of ocean health. Researchers found that rising levels of tiny parasitic worms in some salmon species suggest stronger, more complete marine food webs. Because these parasites depend on multiple hosts—including marine mammals—their increase may reflect ecosystem recovery over decades. What looks unappetizing may actually be a sign of a healthier ocean.

5. NASA’s asteroid Bennu sample reveals a hidden chemical patchwork

   Scientists studying Bennu samples have discovered that its chemistry is far from uniform. Organic compounds and minerals cluster into three distinct types of regions, each shaped differently by past water activity. This uneven pattern shows that water altered the asteroid in a complex, localized way. The survival of delicate organic molecules adds an important clue to how life’s building blocks may persist in space.