Science Snapshots: October 11, 2026

Unusual rains of 2024 could be earth’s new normal

The year 2024 experienced a record-breaking number of heavy and extreme rainfall events worldwide, a new study has confirmed. But unlike previous strong El Niño years, 2024 also featured unusual simultaneous warming across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans that, together with a warmer atmosphere, brought extreme rainfall around the world and later into summer. Models also suggest that while 2024’s pattern is currently rare, it could become a typical year by 2050 if current warming trends continue.

Why people with high BP have worse osteoarthritis

Doctors have known for a time now that people with hypertension often suffer from more severe osteoarthritis. Researchers have now found that high blood pressure increases vasopressin hormone levels in the blood. Meanwhile, ageing primes the joint to cause cartilage cells to produce vasopressin receptors. When vasopressin in the blood meets the receptors, cartilage breaks down and damages the joint. The team also found blocking these receptors with specific drugs would stop the hastened damage.

AI model, proof-checker combo can do math unaided

Researchers have developed an AI tool called AlphaProof Nexus they say can autonomously make mathematical discoveries. AI has struggled with advanced maths because it often hallucinates or makes small mistakes. The team paired advanced language models with Lean, a rigorous proof-checking software that verifies every step. Astonishingly, the tool solved nine open problems posed by mathematician Paul Erdős, including two unsolved for 56 years, proved 44 open conjectures, and made an advance in optimisation theory.