Natural hallucinogens, such as psilocybin, mescaline, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and related compounds, have generally received attention for their effects on human perception, emotion and cognition. Recently, interest in these compounds has expanded to include their
The European-Chinese Smile mission reached its designated science orbit on June 20, 2026. The team is now embarking on a two-month campaign to commission the spacecraft, which involves switching on and testing its toolbox of science instruments.
The study of dental microwear allows the analysis of the microscopic marks that foods leave on the surface of tooth enamel during mastication. In paleoanthropology, this methodology helps reconstruct the diet of fossil primates and hominins throughout human evolution. The
A new generation of lion collars in Tanzania's Serengeti shows that human-wildlife encounters are becoming increasingly common. Researchers from Leiden University are working with local wildlife organizations and technology partner Smart Parks for wildlife monitoring to better
A new electrochemical system simultaneously converts plant-derived materials and nitrate pollutants into valuable industrial chemicals. Developed by Tohoku University researchers, the system provides a more sustainable way to manufacture chemicals while helping address
Dare to jump up close to the defender, aim for a long jump distance, and use your time in the air to read the game. These are some of the keys to the perfect wing shot in handball, according to a bachelor's thesis from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, conducted in
Earlier this year, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) completed observations that mapped 47 million galaxies across 11 billion light-years, allowing astronomers to better evaluate the large-scale structure of the visible universe. After studying these data,
Pothole season, summer construction season or maybe bad weather. No matter the time of year, it's no surprise commuters who drive to work may start their day already feeling a bit on edge.
Old oak trees and semi-natural grasslands are very important for a large number of species that risk disappearing as habitats decline. In a new study, researchers at Linköping University in Sweden present their findings on the habitat amount needed. The results can help nature
Blistering temperatures exacerbated by high humidity are not just uncomfortable but dangerous. Across Canada, and in communities throughout southwestern Ontario, rising temperatures are affecting people's health in profound and uneven ways. New research led by the University of
Last fall, the 12 students in the Jackson School of Geosciences' GEO 347G "Climate System Modeling" class set out to understand something that hit close to home: What were the climatological factors that made the July 4, 2025, rainstorm in Central Texas so severe? What they
Plants convert light into energy efficiently through photosynthesis—an ability that scientists and engineers still struggle to match with electronic devices. Recently, researchers have looked beyond traditional semiconductor materials to create devices using a promising class
A major new study has raised concerns about how domestic violence and abuse is understood and responded to within children's services.
Once relics of a bygone way of life, the iconic dry-stone dwellings with conical roofs dotted across Puglia are in increasing demand as cool havens in Italy's sweltering south.
University of Miami researchers and collaborators have expanded an offshore reef restoration and coastal resilience project off Miami Beach with the deployment of three 3D-printed SEAHIVE clustered structures.
Marine sponges may play an important, previously underestimated role in reducing methylmercury contamination in marine food webs. In a new modeling study, researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon showed that sponges can significantly influence the spread of this environmental
At least 101 million Europeans were forecast to swelter in temperatures of more than 35C on Thursday, as scores of people were thought to have been killed by the heat wave.
As part of their marketing strategy, many companies send public relations packages full of curated products to social media influencers, who film themselves opening the gifts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
New research indicates that sea turtles seem to navigate across hundreds of miles of open ocean using Earth's magnetic field. Previous experimental studies suggested that sea turtles use geomagnetism to navigate, but this study, published in Science Advances, was purely
In group decision-making, it is critical for each member to engage in discussions with a broader perspective and without fixating on personal values and knowledge. While self-distancing, or stepping back and viewing oneself from a third-person perspective, has been associated
Great apes may have been laughing with a similar rhythm to modern humans for at least 15 million years, a University of Warwick study reveals. The finding offers unexpected clues to how human speech evolved.
Vitamin B12 is needed in microscopic amounts, but a shortage can have major effects on health and energy. The vitamin was first linked to a lifesaving liver treatment for pernicious anemia nearly 100 years ago. Today, researchers are finding that B12 may also help keep cellular
This August a total solar eclipse is set to be visible across parts of Europe, while a partial eclipse will sweep across about a quarter of the planet – here’s how to catch it
Trions form when three particles, like quarks or electrons, come together. This formation occurs in quantum particles in nuclear physics, semiconductors and magnets, and understanding its behavior can be challenging. Rice University's Kaden Hazzard and his team recently
As climate change intensifies droughts and other environmental stresses, maintaining crop productivity has become a major challenge for global agriculture. Drought can impair chloroplast development, reducing photosynthetic efficiency and ultimately lowering crop yields.
Researchers found that a rare liver cancer evades immunotherapy by luring immune T cells away from the tumor and trapping them in nearby fibrous tissue. An FDA-approved drug called AMD3100 freed those T cells to attack the cancer, significantly improving the effectiveness of
Scorching temperatures across France rose to a record-breaking average 30 degrees on Wednesday
Water is the most studied molecule on Earth, yet a surprisingly basic question has gone unanswered for decades: When water is squeezed into gaps just a few molecules wide—as happens inside nanoscale pores, membranes and biological channels—does it become more or less chemically
Ambitious public education policies have the capacity to cushion the role of the "genetic lottery" in people's life chances. This is one of the main conclusions of a scientific study by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and
When the desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) is thirsty, it cannot just lap up water or scoop it up like a bird because it lives in environments where water is extremely scarce. Typically, it's found in damp soil or, even more rarely, in drops of rain.
Researchers at McMaster University have discovered what they describe as a "megacluster" of genes in Streptomyces bacteria that produces four antibiotics that work together to stop rival bacteria.
Could the precise architectural form of your residence influence how much you participate in politics? A new study by MIT scholars finds this to be exactly the case—at least in Accra, Ghana, where many people live in semi-communal structures known as "compound houses," often
Lauren Williams tells 'The Joy of Why' how studying a fundamental object in algebraic combinatorics led to a career full of surprises. The post What Is the Positive Grassmannian and Why Does It Show Up Everywhere? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
How does a single cell build a brain with billions of precisely organized neurons? Researchers suggest that brain cells use their lineage—their cellular family tree—as a kind of positional map. Cells that come from the same ancestor stay near one another, helping the brain
A new collaborative study reports the discovery and application of a novel therapeutic strategy to selectively target EGFR and other kinases with controlled release in tumor microenvironments to improve therapeutic efficacy, with promising results. The research is published in
The tropical rainforests of Central and South America are among the most biodiverse places on Earth. Costa Rica alone is home to half a million species, five times more than exist in the entire country of Canada, despite the former having 200 times less land area than the latter.
A new study claims that the universe isn’t entirely the same no matter where you look—a radical proposal
The extreme heat currently being felt in Europe isn’t the new normal – much worse is to come, and we are doing far too little to adapt, says Michael Le Page
Aniline can now be transformed into pyridine without adding any catalysts, oxidants or toxic reagents. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers achieved skeletal editing, involving the reorganization of the carbon-nitrogen bonds
A research team at the Ruhr University Bochum Department of Molecular and Cellular Botany, led by Professor Christopher Grefen, has uncovered how plants form the tiny pores on their leaves responsible for gas exchange and water regulation. The scientists identified the two
As young adults, many millennials feared growing up more than past generations. But they've come around to it as they age, research published in the journal Developmental Psychology has found.
A study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) now sheds light, for the first time, on the carbon intensity of household consumption across much of the world—and thus on the distributional impact of climate policy, which, after all, makes carbon more
Archaeologists have unearthed new evidence that indicates hominids used fire up to 1.79 million years ago.
Of the more than 624,000 highway bridges in the U.S., an estimated 220,000 need repairs. Quantum sensors could help engineers better safeguard these vital pieces of infrastructure
A study led by geoscientists at the University of Sydney has revealed why some ancient continental edges became fertile sites for major mineral deposits, while others with apparently similar geology did not.
At present, more than 700 million people live with caloric hunger, and more than 2 billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, known as "hidden hunger." By prioritizing high yield over nutritional quality, global calorie production has increased while exacerbating vitamin
The Black Sea sits at the boundary between Europe and Asia and connects to the Mediterranean Sea via a chain of waterways. Its surface often appears dark, but each spring and summer it transforms into a striking expanse of swirling turquoise. The OCI (Ocean Color Instrument) on
Gravity, the force that attracts objects toward each other, is currently framed by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. This framework describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime, the invisible four-dimensional fabric of the universe.
This striking pair of galaxies located 80 million light-years from Earth lies in the constellation Leo against a backdrop of distant galaxies. The barred spiral galaxy NGC 3504 is seen on the right, and the spiral galaxy NGC 3512 is on the left. Although the two galaxies are
Place-specific strategies for adapting to increasing temperatures are crucial to keeping remote towns and communities across northern Australia habitable, according to a recent study on the future impacts of climate change–intensified heat on people on the geographic edges of
