The Michigan Prenatal Stress Study examined 224 pregnant women in their second trimester.

Women under recent life stress showed elevated levels of Proteobacteria , while those with depression had higher amounts of Spirochaetes .

The researchers also found increased levels of Firmicutes bacteria and Dialister species in women with anxiety and depression symptoms.

The largest cognitive performance study of professional astronauts to date reveals that while some mental processes slow down during six-month stays on the International Space Station .

Overall cognitive function remains stable with no signs of lasting impairment.

Attention was only affected early in the mission, while processing speed didn’t return to normal until after the astronauts returned to Earth .

Researchers from the University of Bristol found that when humans and robots move together harmoniously through space, it builds mutual trust and improves teamwork.

The findings could help emergency services work more effectively with robot partners in the future.

By monitoring movement patterns, robots could detect early warning signs of trust issues and take steps to repair the relationship before it impacts the mission.

The Nuucichthys rhynchocephalus fossil was found in Utah 's Drumian Marjum Formation .

Harvard paleontologists Rudy Lerosey-Aubril and Javier Ortega-Hernández believe it is the first soft-bodied vertebrate from North America’s dino fossil-rich Great Basin .

The fossil shows the evolution of animal life during the Cambrian Explosion .

A group of scientists have created a fast and small "electronic nose" The device, roughly the size of a credit card, works at unprecedented timescales.

It can identify odors within mere tens of milliseconds and decode rapid odor fluctuations.

The device could be used for robot-assisted monitoring campaigns in industrial and environmental settings.

New research in FEBS Open Bio reveals insights into the venom of two of the most venomous fish species on Earth .

The estuarine stonefish (Synanceia horrida) and reef stonefish are typically found in the warm and shallow regions of the Indo-Pacific region, the Persian Gulf , and the Red Sea .

By exerting 'crowd control' over mouse cells, scientists make progress towards engineering tissues.

The research represents progress towards the big picture goal of engineering synthetic tissues.

Synthetic tissues could have endless medical applications, ranging from testing potential drugs or therapies to providing grafts or transplants for patients.

Cell density is a broadly applicable tool for guiding both engineered and naturally occurring cells to build a vast array of structures, tissues, and organs.

"Nature has relied on cell density in conjunction with genetic circuits to generate the remarkable diversity of multicellular structures and organs," says Leonardo Morsut .

The Society for Research in Child Development ( SRCD ) had the opportunity to discuss this research with Dr. Arya Ansari , Associate Professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University .

Findings from the study highlight the importance of student-teacher relationships for children’s development during the early elementary school years.

Early connections significantly influence academic achievement, social and emotional development and executive functioning skills.

Showing empathy and understanding by validating emotions, encouraging collaboration, and personalizing interactions based on individual student interests can help build stronger connections.

We need more information on what contributes to closer and less conflictual relationships between students and teachers.

NASA expanding contracts with SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop specialized cargo landers.

Both companies are vying for top spots in the future of private space travel.

The Artemis program is looking to return humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years in 2026 .

SpaceX's Starship cargo lander will transport a pressurized rover to the lunar surface no earlier than fiscal year 2032.

Astronomers say they have figured out the true chemical makeup of our solar system.

They say the early solar system contained much more carbon, oxygen and nitrogen than once assumed.

The finding could help explain why Pluto and other large Kuiper Belt Objects are surprisingly rich in rock.

The study was published last week in The Astrophysical Journal .