The last trio: S.Africa's zoo elephants await their fate
The last three elephants still in a traditional South African zoo entered their enclosure in single file, with fruit and vegetables scattered on the ground to encourage natural foraging.
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Learning to better understand bone-like minerals
A University of California San Diego research team has found a better way to understand and stabilize hydroxyapatite, the calcium phosphate mineral that makes up much of our teeth and bones. By adding tiny amounts of europium, a rare-earth element that mimics calcium, the team
New report highlights health of the UK's plankton communities
Researchers from the University of Plymouth have led the production of a new report highlighting the impact of climate change on marine plankton and pelagic habitats in U.K. waters. Published by the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP), the report discusses the
Probing binary stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud with the JWST
The formation and evolution of individual stars in a galaxy shape the evolution of the galaxy itself. Stars and stellar remnants make up the vast majority of a galaxy's mass, so it's not surprising that the stellar population affects the evolution of galaxies. In the Milky
Waste CO₂ converts into graphite through a newly observed two-step process
Graphite, the carbon core of a humble No. 2 pencil, is also an essential component in technologies such as batteries, smartphones, laptops and industrial power equipment. Today, nearly all of this critical mineral must be mined and processed and, in the United States, imported.
Survey highlights AI's potential to advance accessibility in work and learning
As artificial intelligence becomes part of how people work, learn and solve problems, a new University of Phoenix survey conducted by The Harris Poll finds that recent working learners see meaningful opportunities for AI to support accessibility.
Risks of debris between the Earth and the moon for future exploration
Cislunar space has become the focal point of considerable interest and strategic planning because of the many proposed missions to send crews to the moon in the next decade. These include NASA's Artemis program, China and Russia's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS),
Photonic time crystals unlock ultrafast control of light in the terahertz range
An international team of researchers from École Polytechnique, Collège de France and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has achieved a world first: the experimental realization of an all-optical photonic time crystal (PTC), a material whose optical properties can be
Bacteria build a mineral shield that could help marine infrastructure resist rust
Researchers at Reichman University have developed a biological method for protecting marine infrastructure from corrosion caused by prolonged exposure to seawater. The study, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, presents an environmentally friendly alternative to the
A thermal camera trick could let LIGO see twice as far
There's a nice kind of irony buried in this story: One of the most sensitive instruments ever built, capable of measuring distortions smaller than the width of a proton, has been quietly held back by something as mundane as heat. And the fix, it turns out, is not some exotic
Pacific Ocean pattern helps explain diverging wildfire trends in US and Australia
Two of the world's most fire-prone regions have followed strikingly different wildfire trajectories despite both experiencing a warming climate. Burned forest area has surged across the U.S. Southwest, while eastern Australia has not seen the same increase.
Rural runoff funnels hurricane floodwater toward coastal cities, model finds
Coastal cities are at increasing risk of compound flooding events, such as when heavy rainfall and storm surges occur simultaneously during hurricanes. However, the processes that contribute to urban compound flooding aren't well understood at smaller scales.
Natural emulsion manages to stop fungus that threatens up to 80% of cocoa production
An innovative formulation based on natural compounds could become a sustainable alternative for controlling moniliasis, one of the most devastating diseases affecting cocoa in Latin America. A new study shows that emulsions combining fengycin—a lipopeptide produced by bacteria
Female birds have shorter lifespans than male birds across 35 North American species, researchers find
Birds have a lot to do in their short lives: defend territories, build nests, raise chicks and feed themselves. But the toll of these activities may be greater for female birds than for male birds. A new study by UCLA ornithologists has found that female birds have lower
How an embryo draws the line between body and germline
Every embryo of an organism that reproduces sexually faces an early and consequential decision: which of its cell lineages will make up the mortal body, and which will become the germline, the lineage that eventually makes eggs or sperm and carries genetic information to the
Bacteria may identify a virus without recognizing its DNA
When a virus enters a cell, its top priority is to replicate its genome rapidly, creating new viruses to infect elsewhere. The host has the opposite priority: to destroy the virus, ideally before it can do any harm. Biology has evolved diverse tactics for viral recognition and
Scientists have found a new way molecules can cooperate at room temperature
What if glowing molecules could synchronize, much like fireflies flashing in unison? Researchers have discovered that molecules confined within tiny gold nanostructures can behave collectively, coordinating their interactions even under conditions where this was previously
Turkey confronts growing wildfires on tourist coasts
Hundreds of Turkish firefighters on Thursday battled to contain wildfires spreading near key tourist regions on the country's Mediterranean coast.
Uncovering the structure of the poxvirus 'portal complex'
Poxviruses have a long history in human disease as well as medicine: The first-ever vaccine was developed to protect against smallpox, which has since been eradicated. Despite this, scientists still don't fully understand how poxviruses infect and replicate inside our cells.
Likelihood of wildfires in Southern Europe has doubled since the 80s, study shows
Summer days featuring conditions that promote wildfire ignition, intensity and spread have more than doubled across large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy and Greece since 1981, according to a study in Scientific Reports. The findings suggest that hotter, drier
Scientists solve mystery of how muscle cells grow and stay healthy
In a study published in Nature Communications biophysicists unravel the mystery of how muscles form at the molecular level and maintain their function. The findings may help design treatments for muscle diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy, one of the leading causes of heart
Southern Europe 'becoming more flammable' in hotter climate, experts say
Southern Europe is "becoming more flammable," with the number of summer days primed for extreme fire conditions more than doubling since 1981, a new study found Thursday.
Quantum spin effects may enhance one-way electrical transport in chiral magnets
Quantum fluctuations influence direction-dependent electrical transport in chiral magnets, researchers from Science Tokyo report. In chiral magnetic systems, electric current flows differently depending on its direction, but the role of quantum effects in this behavior has
Study investigates how seven different Central European tree species respond to metal-contaminated soils
For centuries, artisanal and industrial activities have left many soils polluted with excessive levels of heavy metals such as zinc, cadmium, copper and lead, posing a threat to the environment and human health. Cleaning up polluted sites is often difficult and expensive,
Flash droughts can pull 'alarming' amounts of moisture from the landscape and intensify wildfires
When catastrophic wildfires capture global headlines, such as the unprecedented blazes sweeping through southern Europe this summer or the devastating 2019–20 "Black Summer" in Australia, they are almost always preceded by severe drought. Dry vegetation and parched landscapes
Redistributing sunlight boosts algae biomass productivity sixfold
Algae are increasingly being explored as sustainable "living factories" that can convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into renewable fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other valuable products.
ATPγS recycling opens cheaper pathways to increased drug stability
Pharmaceutical drugs often rely on chemical compounds found in the body. Take phosphate, a common compound cells use as a chemical switch. In a process called phosphorylation, cells can add a phosphate to a molecule and turn its function on. When the function is no longer
Italy's Po River valley on drought alert
Italian authorities raised the drought alert level to "high" Thursday in the Po Valley, home to the country's longest river, because of worsening conditions and unfavorable weather forecasts.
Spectroscopy system detects aerosols using light reflected from traffic signs and tree trunks
Researchers have developed and tested an infrared spectroscopy system that can rapidly detect chemical aerosols from a distance by using light reflected from common surfaces such as traffic signs, tree trunks or painted surfaces. The new method could make it possible to detect
Combined rattlesnake proteins prove 10 times more potent than current antivenom in lab tests
University of Maryland researchers discovered a new approach to treating venomous snakebites—using the same toxin-blocking proteins that snakes evolved to protect themselves. The team found that specific combinations of blood proteins from western diamondback rattlesnakes
Firefighters battle to contain deadly Crete blaze in Greece
Greece on Thursday battled to contain a spate of wildfires, including one on the tourist island of Crete that forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to evacuate and left three firefighters dead.
Cesium atoms and quantum dots generate indistinguishable photons for modular quantum networks
Large-scale quantum communication networks require both reliable quantum memories and coherent single-photon sources that can exchange quantum information efficiently. A coherent source of single photons with narrow linewidth, high brightness, spectral uniformity and
France, Spain eye wildfire reprieve as other blazes start up in Europe
France and Spain on Thursday glimpsed a reprieve from some of the worst wildfires in living memory, which have sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing—among them Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, Amal.
Mammoth bones found on parched bed of Danube in Bulgaria
Sinking water levels in the Danube River have unveiled mammoth bones in Bulgaria and could lead to further discoveries, a local museum director told AFP on Thursday.
Electrically controlled magnetic switching shows promise for next-gen cryogenic devices
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have demonstrated a new way of switching a material between two fundamentally different magnetic states using an electric current. The discovery could pave the way for compact, energy-efficient electronic devices that store
Ancient Chinese seeds spanning 5,000 years train AI to ease archaeology's specialist bottleneck
Ancient plant seeds provide important archaeological evidence for studying the evolution of human civilization. Lingnan University and Shandong University have jointly developed the world's first artificial intelligence (AI) archaeological system dedicated to identifying
Meet WOMBATlite, the model helping researchers follow the ocean's carbon
The ocean absorbs roughly a quarter of humanity's carbon dioxide emissions each year. Understanding how that happens, and how it might change, is essential for predicting our climate's future. To do that, scientists need models that simulate not just the ocean's physical
Microfossils Help Crack Mystery More Than 100 Million Years in the Making
Almost all of these tiny organisms vanished way back in the early Cretaceous period The post Microfossils Help Crack Mystery More Than 100 Million Years in the Making appeared first on Nautilus .
Black hole feeding frenzy ends in lingering cosmic indigestion
Black holes are often portrayed as cosmic gluttons that swallow everything that comes too close. But new observations of a dramatic black hole outburst—led by Warwick Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Noel Castro Segura—suggest the reality is much messier.
Connecting surface-level observations to molecular-level data uncovers plant stress coping mechanism
Unlike humans, plants cannot make simple lifestyle adjustments to adapt to changing environments. When exposed to conditions like extreme heat or water scarcity, instead of putting on sweaters or turning on air conditioners, plants need to sense and respond to these
Image: Starburst galaxy Centaurus A
In this July 6, 2026, image, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, exposing the dusty structures and hidden activity that shape this unusual system.
Learning may rely on stronger neural connections, not expanding networks
How does the brain learn? Does it acquire new knowledge by creating new neural pathways or by strengthening existing connections? A new study from Bar-Ilan University offers evidence in favor of the latter, suggesting that learning is driven primarily by changes in the strength
Mammals moving between the Americas stopped over in Mexico
Ancient mammals may have had an easier time moving across the Isthmus of Panama from north to south thanks to Mexico’s climate.
Buried Roman workshop reveals large-scale pottery trade beyond local markets
A few years ago, the first ceramic finds came to light during construction work in the Burg district of the municipality of Hannersdorf. Geomagnetic surveys in subsequent years provided evidence of numerous kilns thought to lie hidden beneath the field. In a recent educational
The surprising chemical footprint of your clothes
When trying to make more sustainable clothing choices, many consumers follow a simple rule: Choose natural fibers over synthetic ones. Cotton instead of polyester. Wool instead of acrylic. Linen instead of nylon.
NASA Just Spotted a Wandering Black Hole Devouring a Star
Black holes sometimes make a break for it The post NASA Just Spotted a Wandering Black Hole Devouring a Star appeared first on Nautilus .
Schools are rethinking whether every student needs a laptop
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person classroom instruction to go virtual, students suddenly needed their own laptops or tablets to interact with teachers and complete assignments.
Ancient stardust grains were seeds for the earliest solids in the solar system
How did the first solids that made up planets, moons and asteroids form from the "hot soup" that characterized our solar system's earliest years? New research from Caltech analyzing pieces of a meteorite has found that, just as snowflakes crystallize around grains of dust,
Tiny sugar chains act as brakes to control calcium and sodium flow in lysosomes
Lysosomes are small compartments inside cells that break down and recycle biological materials. Once regarded mainly as cellular waste-disposal centers, lysosomes are now understood to be important signaling hubs for calcium and sodium ions. Through these signals, they help
Study shows how changes in family ties are associated with mental health among older adults in China
There are roughly 220 million adults in China age 65 or older, more than twice as many as 20 years ago, with 1 in 5 currently reporting depressive symptoms.
