The words on this page mean something because they are assembled in a particular order and follow the complex rules of grammar and syntax. Creating new chemical polymers follows a similar kind of structure, with rules about what elements and groups of atoms go together and how
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence that the spinning of a small comet slowed and then reversed its direction of rotation, offering a dramatic example of how volatile activity can affect the spin and physical evolution of small bodies in the
Picture a cockpit crew of two who met just minutes before takeoff, now descending through a turbulent midnight sky. They aren't looking at each other—their eyes scan the instruments in the cockpit and the horizon outside—and yet they move in perfect sync. This isn't just
Around the world, in nearly every delta, people can adapt to rising sea levels using today's technological capabilities, materials, and space, according to researchers from Utrecht University and Deltares. In their new study—the first global assessment of the physical solution
Venus is increasingly becoming a touch point for our studies of exoplanets, as missions like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) begin to characterize rocky exoplanets around other stars. Understanding the difference between
High-energy particles called galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) bombard unprotected objects in space, often causing damage. Earth, however, is protected by its magnetic field, which creates a protective shell around the planet that can deflect dangerous charged particles, like GCRs.
A team of researchers led by the University of Pittsburgh demonstrated a programmable superconducting diode at the LaAlO3/KTaO3 (LAO/KTO) interface, an advance that holds potential to enhance/help usher in the future of next-generation electronics and quantum circuits. The
In a sperm whale birth recorded in more intimate detail than ever before, local whales huddled around the mother and lifted the calf to the surface.
Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) has published two scientific studies presenting the most comprehensive documentation of a sperm whale birth ever recorded and the first quantitative evidence of cooperative birth assistance among non-primates. Published in Science
For decades, ever since biologists recognized the potential environmental harms from climate change, they have worried that plants will not be able to evolve fast enough to adapt to a rapidly warming planet. But the pace of research to understand how species respond has been
Using X-ray lasers, researchers at Stockholm University have been able to determine the existence of a critical point in supercooled water at around -63 °C and 1,000 atmospheres. Ordinary water at higher temperatures and lower pressures is strongly affected by the presence of
Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes—a major vector of malaria in South America—are evolving in response to insecticides, which may make them harder to kill and malaria more difficult to control, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study
Improving tsunami hazard assessments depends on understanding what happens at the moment an earthquake ruptures beneath the seafloor, especially near deep-ocean trenches where measurements are often scarce. When a powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka
In a study published in Science, an international research team from the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (Egypt) and the University of Southern California (U.S.) describe Masripithecus moghraensis, a newly identified fossil ape that lived about 17–18 million
One of the most puzzling aspects of common chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis is how they become chronic. What allows an ongoing condition to stay dormant for months or even years, then seemingly spring back out of nowhere?
Skin conditions such as psoriasis often flare up in the same spots throughout one’s life. Now scientists think they know why
At cold temperatures, water has two different liquid phases, which become one at the critical point. The discovery could help explain water’s quirks.
Sperm whales are known to socialize, but scientists were stunned when they saw a group of sperm whales gather as one of them gave birth
Fossil jaw remains found in Egypt suggest that the earliest modern apes evolved in North Africa, not in East Africa where most fossils have been found.
The Arctic sea ice maximum this year effectively tied for the lowest ever on record, with major implications for polar ecosystems and global warming
Scientists at Curtin University have solved a long-standing mystery about how some of the world's best-preserved fossils formed in ancient oxygen-free ocean floor settings. The research, published in Communications Earth & Environment, focuses on a 183-million-year-old
Classifying ancient pottery has always depended on the trained judgment of an archaeologist. Identifying the subtle differences between piece types takes years of experience, and two experts will not always agree. Now, a team including researchers at Nagoya University in Japan
And not because they refuse to ask for directions The post Space Screws Up Sperm’s Ability to Navigate Properly appeared first on Nautilus .
Benzene, a compound linked with leukemia and other blood cancers, is leaking from gas stoves in Europe, a new study finds. According to the World Health Organization, there is no safe level of exposure to benzene, a compound that occurs naturally in crude oil and natural gas,
The Mangareva Islands are about 1,600 kilometers southeast of Tahiti in French Polynesia. They get their name (which means "floating mountains") from the way the sea spray breaking on the surrounding coral atolls, or motu, causes the ancient volcanic peaks to appear as if they
The analysis of a sediment core from an oasis lake in Chad provides new insights into the history of precipitation in the Sahara. The study, led by the University of Cologne, shows that a prolonged wet phase, which lasted from 14,800 to 5,500 years ago, was interrupted by
Some of the signs of aging in human cells originate in the cell nucleus, because the packaged form of DNA changes with age. This has now been demonstrated by PSI researchers. It means that older cells can no longer react appropriately to external stimuli, and this can even lead
A Jacuzzi for washing your tomatoes might seem odd, but new research finds that a bubble bath with a constant acoustic sound in the water may be the best chemical-free, gentle method for cleaning agricultural produce and possibly medical instruments and semiconductors. The
A new independent measurement by the CMS experiment at the LHC is consistent with the existence of the most massive composite particle ever observed, the momentary union of a top quark and its antiquark
Many patients with neurological disorders want spiritual care, but most clinicians are reluctant to offer it The post The Doctors Who Say Spirituality Belongs in Medicine appeared first on Nautilus .
Researchers put human sperm inside a uteruslike simulation under microgravity conditions. It did not go well
Having a baby in space may require a bit more direction, with new Adelaide University research revealing the navigational abilities of sperm are negatively impacted by a lack of gravity. Researchers at the University's Robinson Research Institute, School of Biomedicine and
In the game of survival, you can't always go it alone. Tiny algae living in the harsh conditions of the world's polar oceans appear to be better able to withstand the cold, high salinity, and extreme UV radiation, thanks in part to giant virus DNA in their genome, according to
Converting sugarcane waste to biofuel could become more environmentally friendly and cost-effective, thanks to a joint project at The University of Queensland and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Ph.D. candidate Neethu Joshikumar has successfully tested a process to
For the first time, a team of physicists in Austria has carried out an experiment that appears to verify the principle of indefinite causal order: an idea that suggests that timelines of events can exist in multiple orders at the same time. Led by Carla Richter at the Vienna
Instagram and YouTube intentionally designed social media platforms to hook users, a landmark court case found. A pediatrician explains the ruling’s impact.
A biological process long thought to protect biodiversity and help species coexist may actually threaten diversity when species are separated by natural landscapes, infrastructure, or other barriers, according to new research from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer
A start-up has surprised the scientific community with a breakthrough: translating a modern proof into a programming language for verification using AI. But not everyone is celebrating
A computer language designed to robustly verify mathematical theorems and expose logical flaws has been turned towards a physics paper – and spotted an error. The discovery raises questions about how many other papers may harbour similar issues
Debris from moonbound spacecraft has left craters on the lunar surface since the U.S. Apollo missions. But the moon is not used to being surrounded by debris. With an expected resurgence in lunar missions in the coming years, such as the U.S. Artemis II test flight, Purdue
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous structures composed of metal ions (or clusters) and organic linker molecules—much like a molecular scaffold. Thanks to their high porosity and large surface area, MOFs can store large amounts of gases, accelerate chemical reactions, or
How did ancient fish perceive their environment in the deep sea? An international team led by scientists from the Natural History Museum of Geneva (MHNG) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) reveals that some coelacanths—fish living 240 million years ago—used their lungs to
Cuproptosis was discovered in 2022. It was a previously unknown type of cell death caused by an excess of copper. The research group led by Professor Johannes Karges at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, used this mechanism to develop a new, copper-based agent complex that kills
More than 1,500 mathematicians are demanding that their field’s most prestigious meeting be moved from the U.S.
People are buying helmets, face masks, vests and beds that emit long-wavelength light. Beneath the hype, there is some interesting biology.
A team of cosmologists in China has introduced a mathematical framework that investigates two of the deepest mysteries in cosmology at the same time. Publishing their research in The Astrophysical Journal, Yun Chen and colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences suggest their
Each spring, river herring populations migrate from Massachusetts coastal waters to begin their annual journey up rivers and streams to freshwater spawning habitats. River herring have faced severe population declines over the past several decades, and their migration is
Our Milky Way's halo of hot gas is warmer to the "south" than the "north" because of an internal combustion engine-like effect that is compressing the gas like a piston, a new study has found. Computer simulations reveal that the Large Magellanic Cloud—a satellite galaxy below,
Courtship calls among two species of fish commonly found on Australian coral reefs have been described, and researchers say their "accents" can vary significantly between regions. Scientists led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Center for Marine
Antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella poses severe challenges to global food safety and public health. Researchers from China have now identified a novel bacteriophage that offers a highly promising "green" biocontrol solution against foodborne Salmonella, paving the way for novel
