Some of 2025’s scientific discoveries broke records
Longest lightning, the first AI-generated genomes and biggest black hole smashup were among this year’s top science superlatives.
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Sunlight-driven nanoparticles enable cleaner ammonia synthesis at room temperature
Ammonia (NH3) is a colorless chemical compound comprised of nitrogen and hydrogen that is widely used in agriculture and in industrial settings. Among other things, it is used to produce fertilizers, as well as cleaning products and explosives.
Physicists repair flaw of established quantum resource theorem
Quantum information theory is a field of study that examines how quantum technologies store and process information. Over the past decades, researchers have introduced several new quantum information frameworks and theories that are informing the development of quantum
Real-life experiment shows Niels Bohr was right in a theoretical debate with Einstein
Scientists in China have performed an experiment first proposed by Albert Einstein almost a century ago when he sought to disprove the quantum mechanical principle of complementarity put forth by Niels Bohr and his school of physicists. Bohr claimed there are properties of
Einstein Probe detects an X-ray flare from nearby star
Using the Einstein Probe (EP), astronomers have detected a new X-ray transient event, which turned out to be an X-ray flare from the star PM J23221-0301 located about 150 light years away. The finding was reported in a research paper published December 18 on the arXiv preprint
In a first, orcas and dolphins seen possibly hunting together
New footage shows orcas and dolphins coordinating hunts, hinting at interspecies teamwork to track and catch salmon off British Columbia.
Wind-battered Lick Observatory rushes to shield historic telescope after dome damage
Winds exceeding 110 mph that tore across the top of Mount Hamilton early Christmas morning blasted a massive steel protective door off the iconic white dome at Lick Observatory.
Three supermassive black holes have been spotted merging into one
Astronomers have found a system of three supermassive black holes, all actively feeding, that appear to be combining into a single system – a rare event that will help elucidate the physics of complex mergers
NASA Telescopes Capture Colliding Spiral Galaxies in Sparkling Detail
Astronomers combined data from NASA’s JWST and Chandra X-ray Observatory to create a stunning new image of two merging spiral galaxies
One of the rarest animal adaptations in the world happens in the winter in Colorado
Winter is hard, and for wildlife in Colorado, it's even harder. To survive, many species have developed adaptations over hundreds of thousands of years that allow them to weather the storms, including hibernation, thicker coats, food storage and migration.
Can beavers help heal burn scars after wildfires? Researchers build their own dams to find out
High in the mountains west of Fort Collins, teams of scientists and engineers are pretending to be beavers.
Regional temperature records broken across the world in 2025
Central Asia, the Sahel region and northern Europe experienced their hottest year on record in 2025, according to AFP analysis based on data from the European Copernicus program.
The duo kite-skiing 4000 kilometres across Antarctica for science
An explorer and a glaciologist are kite-skiing across Antarctica with a ground-penetrating radar to gather data that will help understand the past and future of the ice sheet
Can Australian sport ever be environmentally sustainable?
Sport is one of the most climate-sensitive aspects of Australian life, yet still sits largely outside the national conversation on climate exposure.
Even one drink a day may raise mouth cancer risk
New research suggests that even light alcohol use may carry serious risks. A large study in India found that drinking just one standard drink a day is linked to a roughly 50% higher risk of mouth cancer, with the greatest danger tied to locally brewed alcohol. When alcohol use
What cannabis really does for chronic pain
Cannabis products with higher THC levels may slightly reduce chronic pain, particularly nerve pain, according to a review of multiple clinical trials. The improvement was small and short-lived, while side effects were more common. Products with little or no THC, including
Satellite data and weather models improve short-term solar irradiance forecasts in China
The intermittent nature of solar energy poses challenges to grid stability, making accurate ultra-short-term solar irradiance forecasting crucial for balancing supply and demand. However, traditional numerical weather prediction models often struggle with cloud initialization,
Eco-friendly palladium recovery technology to safeguard resource security
Palladium is widely used in various industries and everyday products, including smartphones, semiconductor manufacturing processes, and hydrogen fuel cells. It is an essential metal that acts as an excellent catalyst even in minute quantities, reducing pollutants and enhancing
The Photos That Shaped Our Understanding of Earth’s Shape
Visual evidence of our planet’s curvature is relatively recent The post The Photos That Shaped Our Understanding of Earth’s Shape appeared first on Nautilus .
Architecture isn't neutral. It's been shaping political power for millennia
Among his other ongoing projects, US President Donald Trump has spent much of his second term on a renovation. The Oval Office has been converted into a miniature palace festooned with gold bling, the rose garden has been paved over, a triumphal arch is planned and the new
The Emotional Cost of Parental Burnout
A burned-out parent is a less emotionally real parent The post The Emotional Cost of Parental Burnout appeared first on Nautilus .
Where you live may be fueling aggressive breast cancer
New research shows that women living near Superfund sites are more likely to develop aggressive and metastatic breast cancers. The studies found higher risks for hard-to-treat subtypes like triple-negative breast cancer, especially in areas with greater air pollution.
I volunteer in a repair cafe: We can help you learn to fix your broken Christmas gift
It's a Wednesday evening in a town hall in Penryn in Cornwall, and my friend Pete and I are volunteering at our local repair cafe. We set up tables, get our tools ready, put up a sign outside and wait for people to arrive.
When Canaries Actually Worked in Coal Mines
These feathery gas detectors became beloved pets in the dark depths The post When Canaries Actually Worked in Coal Mines appeared first on Nautilus .
Scientists replayed evolution and found a surprise
Environmental change doesn’t affect evolution in a single, predictable way. In large-scale computer simulations, scientists discovered that some fluctuating conditions help populations evolve higher fitness, while others slow or even derail progress. Two populations facing
Whooping Cough Deaths Rise in U.S. as Surge in Infections Continues
The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025
Star that seemed to vanish more than 130 years ago is found again
In 1892, astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard thought he saw a bright star near Venus, but then it vanished. We may now know why
Here’s What’s Happening in the Brain When You’re Improvising
It has a surprising cerebral signature The post Here’s What’s Happening in the Brain When You’re Improvising appeared first on Nautilus .
Image: Ball bearings as tools for studying physics in microgravity
In this Oct. 20, 2025, photo, tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.
Mathematicians crack cellular noise puzzle, paving path for better cancer treatment
Why does cancer sometimes recur even after successful treatment, or why do some bacteria survive despite the use of powerful antibiotics? One of the key culprits identified is "biological noise"—random fluctuations occurring inside cells.
NASA's Chandra rings in the new year with the Champagne Cluster
Celebrate the New Year with the "Champagne Cluster," a galaxy cluster seen in this new image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical telescopes.
Nanozigzags, a new biomaterial, can enhance cancer immunotherapy efficacy by nearly 70%
Immunotherapy has emerged in recent years as a new cancer treatment that is gentler than traditional chemotherapy and causes milder side effects in patients. However, conventional dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy shows inconsistent clinical outcomes, and the cell culture
NIH Agrees to Evaluate Stalled Scientific Grants
Health officials have agreed to assess pending medical research grants after a Trump administration antidiversity purge put them on ice
Earth’s worst extinction was followed by a shockingly fast ocean comeback
A spectacular fossil trove on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen shows that marine life made a stunning comeback after Earth’s greatest extinction. Tens of thousands of fossils reveal fully aquatic reptiles and complex food chains thriving just three million years later. Some
Physicists stirred up controversy with scientific cooking tips in 2025
Cacio e pepe pasta and boiled eggs were the subjects of meticulous studies aiming to help cooks achieve perfection, but the reimagined recipes weren't always well-received
This Robot is Tinier than a Grain of Salt
Engineers had been trying to solve this problem for 40 years The post This Robot is Tinier than a Grain of Salt appeared first on Nautilus .
Time runs faster on Mars and scientists just proved it
Thanks to Einstein’s relativity, time flows differently on Mars than on Earth. NIST scientists have now nailed down the difference, showing that Mars clocks tick slightly faster—and fluctuate over the Martian year. These microsecond shifts could play a big role in future Mars
Scientists stunned by a massive hydrothermal field off Greece
Scientists have uncovered an extensive underwater vent system near Milos, Greece, hidden along active fault lines beneath the seafloor. These geological fractures act as pathways for hot, gas-rich fluids to escape, forming clusters of vents with striking visual diversity. The
AI model uses social media posts to predict unemployment rates ahead of official data
Social media posts about unemployment can predict official jobless claims up to two weeks before government data is released, according to a study. Unemployment can be tough, and people often post about it online.
Most sensitive radio observations to date find no evidence of technosignature from 3I/ATLAS
Since the interstellar object (ISO) 3I/ATLAS was first discovered on July 1, 2025, it has garnered much attention, including speculation, hopes and fears that it may somehow contain evidence of technologically advanced civilizations outside of our solar system.
NASA’s New Chief Hints Iconic Space Shuttle Might Not Be Moving to Texas After All
NASA’s new boss Jared Isaacman hinted that he could break with Texas lawmakers’ push to move iconic space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to Houston
Early tests rule out lab as cause of Spain swine fever outbreak
Preliminary analysis rules out a lab leak as the cause of an African swine fever outbreak that has rocked Spain's lucrative pork industry, but further tests are needed, authorities said Tuesday.
Simple wipe test reveals hidden PFAS contamination on firefighter protective gear
The flames die down. The sirens fade. Firefighters peel off their gear, thinking the danger has passed. But in the quiet aftermath, another enemy lingers, an invisible film of "forever chemicals" clinging to jackets, pants and masks.
French ban on 'forever chemicals' in cosmetics, clothing to enter force
A French ban on the production and sale of cosmetics and most clothing containing polluting and health-threatening "forever chemicals" goes into force on Thursday.
The year's first meteor shower and supermoon clash in January skies
The year's first supermoon and meteor shower will sync up in January skies, but the light from one may dim the other.
The century-long hunt for the gigantic meteorite that vanished
A soldier returned from the Sahara desert in 1916 with a wild story about a meteorite that dwarfed all others. Over 100 years of hunting yielded nothing – but now twin brothers think they have solved the puzzle
LA fires showed how much neighborliness matters for wildfire safety—schools can do much more to teach it
On Jan. 7, 2025, people across the Los Angeles area watched in horror as powerful winds began spreading wildfires through neighborhood after neighborhood. Over three weeks, the fires destroyed more than 16,000 homes and businesses. At least 31 people died, and studies suggest
Image: JWST captures colliding spiral galaxies
Mid-infrared observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, shown in white, gray, and red, are combined here with X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, highlighted in blue. Together, these different wavelengths reveal a detailed and layered view of a pair of
West Coast levee failures show growing risks from America's aging flood defenses
In recent weeks, powerful atmospheric river storms have swept across Washington, Oregon and California, unloading enormous amounts of rain. As rivers surged, they overtopped or breached multiple levees—those long, often unnoticed barriers holding floodwaters back from homes and
'Weights of gold in bullion': How the ancients invested in precious metals
"All I want is an income of 20,000 sesterces from secure investments," proclaims a character in a poem by Juvenal (1st–2nd century CE), the Roman poet.
