Tree tops sparkle with electricity during thunderstorms
Ultraviolet cameras captured faint electrical flashes from leaves and branches as storm charges built up in the atmosphere.
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This 2-pound dinosaur is rewriting what scientists know about evolution
A nearly complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in Patagonia is helping scientists crack the mystery of alvarezsaurs, a bizarre group of bird-like dinosaurs. The fossil of Alnashetri cerropoliciensis reveals that these animals became tiny before developing their later
AI techniques speed up forensic analysis of crucial crime scene larvae
Molecular patterns and machine learning can pin down crime scene maggots
Scientists may have discovered a brand-new mineral on Mars
Scientists studying Mars may have uncovered a brand-new mineral hidden in the planet’s ancient sulfate deposits. By combining laboratory experiments with orbital data, researchers identified an unusual iron sulfate—ferric hydroxysulfate—forming in layered deposits near the
Cosmic voids look empty but they may be tearing the universe apart
Cosmic voids may seem like the emptiest places in the universe, stripped of matter, radiation, and even dark matter. But they’re far from nothing. Even in these vast empty regions, the fundamental quantum fields that fill all of space remain, carrying a small but real amount of
Subway systems are uncomfortably hot—and worsening, study finds
For millions of commuters, the workday doesn't just begin with a train ride. It also begins with a blast of heat. In one of the largest studies ever conducted on thermal comfort in metro systems, Northwestern University scientists found that subway riders consistently report
Stanford scientists say colorblindness may hide a deadly bladder cancer warning
Colorblindness may be doing more than making traffic lights confusing — it could also be hiding a life-threatening warning sign. Researchers analyzing millions of medical records found that people with bladder cancer who are also colorblind have a 52% higher mortality rate over
Scientists finally solve the mystery of yeast’s tiny centromeres
Scientists have uncovered how brewer’s yeast developed its unusually tiny centromeres, the DNA regions that guide chromosome separation during cell division. By studying related yeast species, researchers found centromeres that appear to represent evolutionary halfway points.
Researchers find alarming Alzheimer’s pattern in rural America
A new analysis of more than 422,000 patients reveals a stark Alzheimer’s care gap between Maryland’s urban and rural communities. Rural regions often lack hospitals and dementia specialists, forcing older patients to travel farther for diagnosis and treatment. Researchers found
NASA’s DART asteroid smash shows we could deflect a future threat
When NASA’s DART spacecraft deliberately crashed into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, it did more than change the asteroid’s local orbit — it slightly shifted the path of the entire asteroid pair around the Sun. The impact blasted debris into space, doubling the force of the
How to make farms tree-friendly and boost food production
Farmers could turn more of the UK's farmland into productive agroforestry systems if they had access to trusted advice and real farm examples, according to new research from the University of Reading. Dr. Amelia Hood, from the Department of Sustainable Land Management at the
Scientists detect a sudden acceleration in global warming
Global warming has picked up speed in the past decade, according to a new analysis from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). By removing short term natural influences such as El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles from temperature records, researchers
Hidden metabolism found operating inside the cell nucleus
Researchers have found hundreds of metabolic enzymes attached to human DNA inside the cell nucleus. Different tissues and cancers show unique patterns of these enzymes, forming a “nuclear metabolic fingerprint.” Some of the enzymes gather around damaged DNA to assist with
U.S. Indigenous peoples experience higher rates of fatal police violence in and around reservations
Indigenous people in the United States are at higher risk of fatal police violence in and around American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) reservations, according to the first comprehensive national study on the subject from researchers at Drexel University's Dornsife School of
Study warns Colombia could lose one-fifth of cocoa land by 2050
By 2050, nearly 20% of the areas currently suitable for cocoa cultivation in Colombia could lose the climate conditions needed for production, particularly in the lowlands of the Caribbean region and the country's northeastern departments, according to a new scientific study.
Were You Born to Love Music?
How you respond to art—from poetry, to visual art, to music—may be partly written in your DNA The post Were You Born to Love Music? appeared first on Nautilus .
Evaluating landing sites for China's manned moon mission
Observations of the Rimae Bode region on the moon reveal five distinct types of terrain and identify several potential landing sites for China's first crewed mission, according to research titled "Geology of Rimae Bode region as priority site candidate for China's first crewed
Light-guided evolution creates proteins that can switch, sense, and compute
Researchers have created a method called optovolution that uses light to guide the evolution of proteins with dynamic behaviors. By engineering yeast cells so their survival depended on proteins switching states at the right time, scientists could rapidly select the
Raccoons solve puzzles for the fun of it, new study finds
They raid compost bins, outsmart latches and sometimes look gleeful doing it. A new study in Animal Behaviour suggests raccoons may not just be opportunistic—they may be genuinely curious.
How do we know what asteroids are made out of?
Asteroids are some of the oldest objects in the solar system: leftovers from the chaotic time when planets were assembling from dust and rock. They're time capsules, preserving clues about what the early solar system was like, and, ultimately, what the building blocks of
Gene edit makes probiotic safer for immunocompromised patients
An international team of researchers has modified a probiotic yeast to make it safer for use by immunocompromised people, older adults and infants. Testing in an animal model found that the modified yeast is less likely to cause infection than unmodified strains of the same
Scientists found a surprising way to make exercise work better
Exercise normally boosts the body’s ability to use oxygen, a key marker of health and longevity — but high blood sugar can block that benefit. Researchers found that a ketogenic diet helped mice normalize blood sugar and dramatically improved how their muscles responded to
How AI could unlock deep‑sea secrets of marine life
Somewhere in the North Atlantic, more than a kilometer beneath its surface, a cold-water coral reef stretches across an unnamed seamount. Despite never appearing on a chart, this underwater forest has existed for centuries, growing a centimeter or two each year.
Physical activity is linked to the health of the planet, according to a trio of recent studies
Global levels of physical activity have not improved over the past two decades, despite widespread policy development and adoption, and large disparities persist across gender and socioeconomic groups. The findings from three papers published in Nature Medicine and Nature
In search of a room-temperature superconductor, scientists present a research agenda
The search for materials that can conduct electricity at room temperature without losing energy is one of the greatest and most consequential challenges of modern physics: loss-free power transmission, more efficient motors and generators, more powerful quantum computers,
AI tool streamlines drug synthesis, dramatically reducing lab work and costs
Drug discovery is like molecular Tetris. Chemists snap atoms together, adjusting the pieces until everything fits, and suddenly, a molecule makes a promising new medicine. Normally, creating better molecules consumes huge amounts of time and money. In a new study appearing in
Nanosecond light-by-light switching achieved in liquid crystal droplet
Controlling light with light is a long-sought goal for computing and communication technologies. Achieving this capability would allow optical signals to be processed without converting them into electrical signals, potentially enabling faster and more energy-efficient devices.
Baby Boomers Are a Transition Generation in Our Longevity Crisis
Lifespan in the United States plateaued over a decade ago The post Baby Boomers Are a Transition Generation in Our Longevity Crisis appeared first on Nautilus .
CRISPR-based technique unlocks healing power of mitochondria for heart failure therapy
After a heart attack, the heart struggles to recoup and maintain energy. One-third of patients develop heart failure as a result—a condition that impacts 6.8 million Americans and carries a high lifetime risk, with 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. expected to develop the condition
How farming perennial plants can help us in times of climate change, food insecurity and social division
Climate change is threatening modern life in ways we are still finding, from food security to the economy to everyday living. It has been labeled a "threat multiplier" for its potential to complicate geopolitical relationships. Our efforts to adapt as a global society face
Popular pre-workout supplements linked to dangerous sleep loss
Pre-workout supplements promising extra energy for workouts may come with a hidden cost: severely reduced sleep. A study of people aged 16–30 found users were more than twice as likely to sleep five hours or less per night. Many of these products pack huge doses of caffeine and
Unlocking the hidden pocket on a billion‑dollar drug target
For years, a protein inside our cells has quietly powered billions of dollars' worth of cancer drugs. Now a team of researchers have discovered that this workhorse protein, called cereblon, in addition to its known functions, can also fine-tune which proteins live and which are
Robotic microfluidic platform brings AI to lipid nanoparticle design
AI has designed candidate drugs for antibiotic-resistant infections and genetic diseases. But efforts to incorporate AI into the design of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the revolutionary delivery vehicles behind mRNA therapies like the COVID-19 vaccines, have been much more
Deep ocean microbes may already be prepared to tackle climate change
Deep-sea waters are warming due to heat waves and climate change, and it could spell trouble for the oceans' delicate chemical and biological balance. However, a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates that the microbe Nitrosopumilus
Five-minute test spots PFAS down to parts-per-trillion
When Sandia scientists Ryan Davis and Nathan Bays set out to find a better way to absorb and degrade PFAS in water sources, they kept running into the same issue: Detecting the chemicals in samples took too long. So, they came up with their own solution. They've developed a
Terraforming Mars isn't a climate problem—it's an industrial nightmare
Even when the idea of terraforming Mars was originally put forward, the idea was daunting. Changing the environment of an entire planet is not something to do easily. Over the following decades, plenty of scientists and engineers have looked at the problem, and most have come
Scientists trace crop viruses back to the last Ice Age
Long before humans cultivated crops or sailed between continents, a group of plant viruses was already evolving among wild plants in Eurasia. According to a new international study published in Plant Disease, the ancestors of modern tymoviruses likely emerged before the last
Mapping 3D-super-enhancers with machine learning to pinpoint regulators of cell identity
Scientists usually study the molecular machinery that controls gene expression from the perspective of a linear, two-dimensional genome—even though DNA and its bound proteins function in three dimensions (3D). To better understand how key components of this machinery, such as
Scientists create slippery nanopores that supercharge blue energy
Scientists have found a way to significantly boost “blue energy,” which generates electricity from the mixing of saltwater and freshwater. By coating nanopores with lipid molecules that create a friction-reducing water layer, they enabled ions to pass through much more
Key protein SYFO2 enables 'self-fertilization' of leguminous plants
Most plants allow fungal microorganisms to enter their root cells and provide them with carbohydrates in exchange for a better supply of nutrients and water. Only leguminous plants like peas, beans, and clover enter into an additional, mutually beneficial symbiosis with
Long-lost page of Archimedes’ writings rediscovered in France
The discovery adds to the Archimedes Palimpsest, an important medieval manuscript containing texts from the Greek mathematician Archimedes
Are You Smart Enough to Avoid Falling for “Corporate Bullsh*t”?
New research points to a troubling relationship between buzzwords and decision-making The post Are You Smart Enough to Avoid Falling for “Corporate Bullsh*t”? appeared first on Nautilus .
Ultrafast light pulses make molecules rotate on quantum materials
Researchers from Germany, Japan and India, led by scientists from DESY and the Universities of Kiel and Hamburg, have found a way to collectively make molecules on a flat surface rotate by exposing them to light using ultrafast light pulses from DESY's free-electron laser FLASH
Why is black rain falling on Iran and how dangerous is it?
US-Israeli strikes on oil facilities have caused black rain to fall on Tehran, but the black smoke filling the air is likely to be a bigger health risk
Baltic herring fishing rules may need an update after new genetic mapping
Herring from different parts of the Baltic Sea belong to distinct populations genetically adapted to local differences in salinity and temperature. However, these populations can also mix with each other, according to a new study by researchers from Uppsala University,
Microbes hitchhiking on marine snow could limit how deep carbon sinks
In some parts of the deep ocean, it can look like it's snowing. This "marine snow" is the dust and detritus that organisms slough off as they die and decompose. Marine snow can fall several kilometers to the deepest parts of the ocean, where the particles are buried in the
When the pressure’s off, this superconductor appears to break records
A sudden release of pressure allowed a copper-based compound to superconduct at the highest temperature yet for atmospheric pressure, a study claims.
Lakes are growing in Alaska. That’s not entirely a bad thing
Alaska’s glacial lakes are growing as glaciers retreat out of basins. These lakes will change desolate glacial rivers into thriving salmon habitat.
Ocean carbon removal looks promising, but nutrient cycling could curb long-term gains
There is growing interest in the scientific community and private sector in biological approaches to marine carbon dioxide removal—strategies designed to enhance the ocean's natural ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. However, a study led by Megan Sullivan, a
Nearby red dwarf star hosts at least four planets—with one in the habitable zone
In 2020, a study confirmed that two planets orbited the nearby red dwarf, GJ 887. Now, astronomers have confirmed the existence of two additional planets orbiting GJ 887 in a new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The new study suggests that one of these newly
