The scenes are biblical. Tens of thousands of rodents scattering across canola fields, behind sheds, into machinery. River fish with bellies full of mice. Carcasses littering the street, the sidewalk, outside your home. In supermarkets, the inescapable stench of dead and dying
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth and Forschungszentrum Jülich have demonstrated that specific light-sensitive enzymes—so-called sensor histidine kinases (SHKs)—transmit their signal through a light-controlled change in asymmetry. With their new study, the researchers
The discovery was made by a citizen scientist The post Cosmic Shockwave Reshaped a Newly Discovered “Bow and Arrow” Galaxy appeared first on Nautilus .
One seismometer is often not enough to reliably detect earthquakes or human activity such as underground nuclear tests. Rather, researchers combine readings from seismometers distributed across a small geographic area to gain confidence in their analysis. Artificial
Many fungi lead triple lives—acting as deadly insect pathogens, decomposers in the soil, and helpful partners living inside and transferring insect-derived nitrogen to plant roots. Scientists have long wondered what allows a single species to pull off these very different roles.
Quantum materials, materials exhibiting physical behavior governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, have proved promising for the development of numerous advanced technologies, including quantum technologies, memory devices and solar panels. In some of these materials,
Two-dimensional (2D) perovskites are increasingly recognized as promising candidate materials for the next generation of optoelectronic devices. These materials combine key characteristics of both 2D semiconductors and three-dimensional (3D) perovskites.
Is it possible to study the history of viruses that emerged several hundred million years ago? An international team of INRAE and CIRAD researchers answered this question by exploring plant genomes to find the molecular fossils of viruses. The work is published in the journal
An Ehime University research team directed by H. Shimomoto and E. Ihara has developed a new molecular design strategy that imparts degradability to carbon–carbon (C–C) backbone polymers. The study, published in Macromolecules, demonstrates that incorporating
Vision shapes how many animals find food, avoid danger and navigate their world. In animals with two eyes, eye placement is often linked to lifestyle: predators such as lions tend to have forward-facing eyes that help them judge distance, while prey animals such as deer
The space agency has put out a call for its Moon & Mars Exploration Analog, which recreates the challenges of a long-duration space mission
Math is great when it's simple, but then our brain gets involved and complicates everything. Imagine you are on the leadership team for a Big 4 and choosing between two employees for a director-level promotion. One is ranked third out of 12 on her team. The other is ranked
Female fertility depends on the successful growth and maturation of eggs (oocytes) within ovarian follicles. Within these follicles, the oocyte is surrounded by granulosa cells that supply nutrients, signaling molecules and structural support essential for egg development.
Cross-coupling reactions have revolutionized the synthesis of complex pharmaceuticals and polymers from simpler, commercially available products. An important first step in these reactions is oxidative addition, which is often facilitated using transition metals such as
Quantum properties of light are extremely delicate. When researchers attempt to measure them, even small losses on the way to a detector can make them invisible, limiting their use outside carefully controlled environments. A collaborative team of researchers involving
Metallic effects on plastic surfaces have become standard in many industries, from automotive interiors and exteriors to toys and household appliances. However, injection-molded parts with metallic effects suffer from a well-known drawback: visible flow lines that appear as
Embedded in the boundary between the inside and outside of each cell are membrane proteins. They act as first responders by sensing signals, regulating which molecules enter and leave the cell, and enabling cells to quickly adapt to changes in their environment.
The giant trees of tropical forests are important allies in the fight against climate change because of their ability to store carbon, yet they are still poorly understood by science. However, a study published in the journal Science reveals a crucial survival mechanism: These
Scientists have uncovered why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic. The international research, published in Science, helps solve one of climate science's longest-standing puzzles: how a vast ice sheet could form when Earth was around 5°C warmer
A new study goes deep on the interaction between activities and hostile wildlife The post How to Not Get Mauled on Your Hike This Summer appeared first on Nautilus .
Samples collected at daring heights provide evidence for an untested theory of tree drought adaptation, while countering another.
As temperatures rise around the world, air conditioning is saving lives. But a growing reliance on it is also placing unprecedented pressure on electricity grids, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and making cities even hotter.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) are mostly harmless bacteria that live in the intestines of animals and humans. They are the most well-studied bacteria and, often, when scientists discover something about E. coli, they extrapolate that discovery across all bacteria. So when
Of the known things in the universe, black holes are among the most extreme. They pack huge amounts of mass densely into a small area, producing gravity that is so strong that even light cannot escape. To describe their properties, physicists have relied on complex equations
Due to their high porosity, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as promising materials for innovative applications, which is why the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2025 for their discovery. They are used, for example, to store gases, to capture CO2 and for the
Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace said Thursday it would hold the maiden test flight of the country's first privately developed orbital-class rocket in the coming weeks.
With El Niño officially declared for summer 2026, Dr. Laura Fernandez and researchers at Macquarie University are testing the use of recycled water to irrigate trees, helping cool Western Sydney.
Nearly 660 kilometers (410 miles) beneath Earth's surface lies one of the planet's most important internal boundaries. Known as the 660-km seismic discontinuity, it separates the mantle transition zone from the lower mantle and plays a central role in controlling how heat and
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is known for targeting immigrants with inflammatory comments about their place in their new country. He made headlines last year when he urged immigrants who "come here with their ideas, foreign to our country" to "show some gratitude."
A star called TOI-2155 lies around 1,350 light-years (839 trillion miles) from Earth. It is a little bigger, heavier and hotter than the sun, and it is not particularly interesting or unusual in itself.
Australia has a mental health crisis. The Productivity Commission has found mental health issues cost Australia up to A$200 billion to A$220 billion per year—one-tenth of annual economic output.
Everything around us, from atoms and molecules to planets and galaxies, is governed by two extraordinarily successful theories of physics: quantum mechanics and gravity. Quantum mechanics explains the behavior of the microscopic world, while Einstein's theory of gravity
If you have ever hiked in the high peaks of Colorado, the Wasatch Range in Utah or the Tetons in Wyoming, you've almost certainly seen a rock glacier, perhaps without even knowing it.
The question of how gravity interacts with the quantum world has long perplexed physicists, but a non-quantum theory of space-time could present an answer
For more than a decade, residents of Austin's Colony, a neighborhood in an unincorporated area of southeast Austin outside the city service area, have voiced concern about their tap water's intermittent discoloration and extreme hardness.
Astronomers have revealed new details about the makeup and age of a visiting comet that was born around a distant star. They conclude that the composition of 3I/Atlas is strikingly different from any object found in our solar system.
Its life in the darkness could shine a light on other neural rewiring The post This Blind Cave-Dwelling Fish May Be the Key to Understanding Brain Evolution appeared first on Nautilus .
The way women use energy while running is fundamentally different from men
Millions of Americans sweltered in stifling heat and humidity Thursday, with dangerous temperatures expected to hit major cities through the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
I recently volunteered to teach some lessons in finance to pupils at a primary school. Over six sessions, I spoke to a group of 10- and 11-year-olds about things like value, savings, cost and risk.
Atlantic and European sturgeon once called Britain's rivers home and could do so again, following research using Natural History Museum specimens. These fish are among the biggest found in Europe and undertake epic migrations from the rivers where they hatch to the ocean. The
A rush rescue mission to save a NASA space telescope remains grounded, this time because of a last-minute launch problem.
What makes something alive? We simply don't know, but synthetic biologists are a step closer to providing an answer thanks to SpudCell, the most sophisticated attempt at creating an artificial life form yet
This image shows the sea surface temperature anomaly detected in the Mediterranean Sea on June 29, 2026, compared with the average for the period 1991–2020, with dark red indicating temperatures that exceed the average by up to 8°C (46.4°F).
During adolescence, young people become especially sensitive to peer influence—more so than at any other time in life. So how does this affect their mental health?
In the humid jungle of Vietnam, Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela and Monte Neate-Clegg spent hours patiently waiting to spot the rare "Halloween bird." Officially known as the collared laughingthrush, this songbird has striking orange, silver and black coloring and a distinct, singsong
Between 1950 and 1990, more than 200,000 barrels filled with radioactive waste were dumped in the depths of the North-East Atlantic. Following an initial mission carried out between June 15 and July 11, 2025, to map the area where the barrels were dumped, the Nodssum project,
A proposed technique to counter global warming by spraying sun-reflecting particles near the poles would cause commercial flights to pass through clouds of sulphuric acid, posing a danger to passengers and crew
From friendship in a world of chatbots to what it means to be alive, this month’s new popular science books are asking some big questions. Liz Else rounds up the ones she’s most looking forward to
Worker bees are the first line of defense when it comes to removing contamination in honeybee colonies, but a queen has her ways, too. A honeybee queen facing chronic exposure to pesticides will take up that contamination and pass it along to her eggs, a process researchers
