Zack Fishman
Reporter, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences
@ZBFishmanZack Fishman, based in Chicago, covers Life Sciences and Physical Sciences for The Academic Times. Previously, Zack received his M.S. in journalism at Northwestern University, specializing in health, environment and science reporting, and his B.S. in engineering physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Some astrophysicists theorize that, by fusing their contents in a certain way and ending their lives in "faint supernovas," the earliest stars created a large abundance of calcium seen in today's stars — and likely in our bones. But a new study found that the foundation of this explanation is shakier than previously believed.
Renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer, manifests and reacts to treatment differently based on the subtype of kidney cell that is cancerous. According to an unprecedented analysis published Monday, these subtypes, their behavior and their differences could facilitate a more informed and precise development of treatments.
Agricultural activity and rising temperatures fueled a rise in atmospheric ammonia in the U.S. between 2002 and 2016, a pollution trend driven by the Midwest, South and West regions, according to a new analysis of satellite data.
German and Danish physicists used an electric field to control the single atomic bond between a specialized microscope and a one-atom-thick layer of graphene. The newly realized approach, accomplished by changing the voltage across the bond, allowed the researchers to pick up and drop the graphene with the microscope like a crane.
In 2019, astronomers detected one of the most energetically extreme cosmological events ever observed: a faraway exploding star that produced jets of radiation in a gamma-ray burst. A new analysis of the event has raised questions about prevailing theories on gamma-ray bursts and other violent occurrences in the universe.
A DNA analysis of several patients with four particular variants of a metabolic gene found that the patients have a newly identified form of early-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a rare neurodegenerative disease usually diagnosed in older adults.
More than one-third of summer deaths caused by heat can be attributed to human-caused climate change, according to a new study of 43 countries over nearly three decades. Its authors said their findings highlight the "urgent need" for climate action that limits harm to the health of the public.
The most comprehensive analysis of biodegradable plastics yet found that they fully break down in a wide range of marine environments at anywhere between roughly six months and 20 years, confirming that the plastics perform as intended but also demonstrating a wide difference in decomposition speeds.
So-called "turquoise hydrogen" fuel is produced by breaking down methane, the main component of natural gas, but the low-carbon process faces barriers to wide usage. Now, an updated method is more portable and flexible, providing the potential to assist the transition toward a clean energy system.
A yearlong study of South Korea's first net-zero energy housing complex found that its mechanical ventilation system led to lower levels of air pollutants than in conventional apartments, which in turn was associated with a decreased risk of symptoms of minor health conditions for inhabitants.
When exposed to the sun, versatile particles called carbon dots can degrade water contaminants and appear to be nontoxic to sea creatures, according to a new study, which presents a budding "green chemistry" solution that significantly outperforms previous attempts.
Using a newly applied observational technique, astronomers found the first collection of several low-mass clumps of dust and gas that will likely birth stars in an emerging star cluster, which may provide new information to astronomers about how stars form.