Highlights include a marine heatwave forecasting system, a solar panel recycling solution, research into a common women's health condition and a melanoma breakthrough. [ + ]

First proposed nearly a century ago, dark matter accounts for around 85% of the mass in the universe but has never before been directly detected. [ + ]

A new machine-learning method identifies differentially methylated DNA regions without sample labels — a prerequisite for many existing algorithms. [ + ]

Hormone replacement therapy may reduce the risk of dementia — particularly for certain groups of women — according to a large UK study. [ + ]

Merck and Moderna have announced positive topline results from their Phase 3 trial of a personalised mRNA skin cancer therapy. [ + ]

High doses of clomiphene citrate, accumulated over multiple fertility treatment cycles, could increase the risk of pregnancy loss. [ + ]

The Australian Government has announced the imminent rollout of a vaccine to protect some of Australia's most vulnerable native birds from the H5 bird flu. [ + ]

An eight-year study tracking brain health of 12,772 Brazilian adults has associated six sugar substitutes with faster declines in memory and thinking skills over time. [ + ]

Postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 74 with intact ovaries, and no prior history of ovarian cancer, are being encouraged to enrol in a UQ study. [ + ]

While studying how certain processes work inside the human brain, an Australian scientist observed a disruption in a pathway viruses rely on to spread cell to cell. [ + ]

Spanning 82 countries, there was an increase in every region between 2004 and 2022, with the researchers also offering region- and pathogen-specific forecasts to 2035. [ + ]

At abandoned Flinders Ranges mines, stable radioactive and toxic metals are being turned into mobile nanoparticles that can easily travel through the environment. [ + ]

Using a combination of microbubbles and nanobubbles, Australian scientists have developed a method of capturing microplastics from wastewater. [ + ]

The nankeen kestrel is among the most stable fliers in the avian world. Using motion capture technology, researchers have created a robotic replica. [ + ]

The National NeuroProteomics Facility recently commenced operations at Macquarie University. Stephen Downes speaks with its academic director. [ + ]