Fertilizers are not just an agricultural input: they are a strategic resource hidden at the center of geopolitical conflict. The US and Israel's war on Iran and the related disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are sending shockwaves through the global farming
Blessed are the tiny cheesemakers: scientists have mapped out the bacteria responsible for giving three British cheeses their distinct flavor, which may also be beneficial to human health. Scientists in the Food Microbial Sciences Unit at the University of Reading, identified
SpaceX's blockbuster IPO filing included some out-of-this-world details, including a provision that founder Elon Musk's massive bonus only kicks in if one million humans settle on Mars.
US forecasters on Thursday predicted the Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be "below normal" in 2026, but cautioned that "it only takes one."
A new large-scale study led by a research team from the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change has found that wildlife responds not only to how humans reshape their habitats, but also to the simple presence of humans—and sometimes in surprising ways.
Using a conventional computer and cutting-edge mathematical tools and code, physicists at the Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) at the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute and collaborators at Boston University have cracked a daunting quantum physics problem
Sand clouds form every morning but clear up by nightfall on WASP-94A b, a well-studied gas giant in a constellation located nearly 700 light years away from Earth. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), research published in the journal Science is among the
Misleading information online is often treated as a technical glitch, something that better algorithms or stricter moderation can fix. But research points to a more complex reality. That is, the rise of "misfluencers," individuals who shape how information is interpreted,
An ocean floor feast that’s bottomless The post When One Dead Whale Becomes a Decades-Long Buffet appeared first on Nautilus .
From special pens to earwax evaluations, a plethora of emerging diagnostics could one day be a major boon for people with the debilitating disease.
Hair, nails, and horns, all made up of keratin, are some of the hardest and most resilient structures in animals. Inside zebrafish cells, keratin plays a distinct role, giving them the strength they need to move together as a coherent tissue while modulating the driving forces
Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content—like text, images, or ideas—by learning patterns from existing data. GenAI, particularly through large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek, is rapidly becoming part of everyday
Black holes are regions in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, even light, can escape. Einstein's theory of general relativity breaks down inside black holes, either by the presence of a so-called "curvature singularity" or "Cauchy horizon."
This year’s expected El Niño could hamper hurricanes in the Atlantic but boost them in the central and eastern Pacific
Digital culture is reshaping people's experiences of fear, curiosity and belonging, according to new findings from Lancaster University. Researchers have explored why online environments like the "Backrooms"—mysterious empty spaces resembling uncharted office blocks, basements
A new study shows that apparently erratic or "sloppy" behavior in strategic situations is not necessarily a mistake. Under certain conditions, being less sensitive to one's own gains can become a long-term advantage.
Strong relationships between overseas staff and local colleagues are central to the success of global assignments, according to a new study by the University of Portsmouth and Reutlingen University which aims to advise multinational companies on how they can avoid costly
Certain epigenetic modifications can directly control how genetic material is packed in the nucleus, RIKEN researchers have shown. This has important implications for our understanding of how genes are expressed in different cell types.
An unusual thermoelectric effect has been observed in the semiconductor tellurium by RIKEN physicists for the first time. This demonstration points to the potential of similar materials to be used in applications such as energy harvesting and advanced heat management.
An AI-powered camera platform could soon help monitor the health and behavior of zoo animals overnight, thanks to a new partnership between the University of Surrey and Marwell Wildlife. Researchers from Surrey's Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP) are
A research team in China has reported a significant piezoelectric effect in ultrathin and ultra-flexible polycrystalline diamond membranes. This pioneering discovery challenges a century-long scientific dogma that diamonds are strictly non-piezoelectric.
In his 1964 paper, "Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations," famed astrophysicist and radio astronomer Nikolai Kardashev addressed the types of transmissions (and at what energies) astronomers should search for in their Search for Extraterrestrial
A new study has found that simple digital finance tools such as mobile money can help small businesses build long-term competitive strength, not just improve access to banking. The study, led by the University of East London, examined 113 micro, small and medium-sized
A team from Vienna and Frankfurt has found a formula describing a strange phenomenon: Space and time can form a kind of "crystal" that may turn into a black hole. The results are described in Physical Review Letters.
Preliminary results of a study presented at the recent European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna indicate that hellish Venus-type planets may be about twice as common as habitable planets that form with oceans.
Right now, an unusual April and May heat wave is scorching large parts of India.
Analysis of more than 3,000 lithic artifacts from the Cova Gran de Santa Linya site (Les Avellanes-Santa Linya, Lleida) shows that anatomically modern human communities occupying the southern Pyrenees during the Upper Paleolithic used flint (chert) exclusively for tool
While drugs such as Wegovy target a single gut hormone, retatrutide is among a new class of GLP-1 drugs that aims at three hormone receptors
From butterflies to blue whales, corals and worms, Earth is home to an incredible diversity of animals. How all of these animals evolved from earlier, simpler ancestors is one of the most exciting stories in the history book of life on our 4.5 billion-year-old planet.
A planet that is about the size of Saturn, but with a temperature more like Earth's, has an atmosphere rich in methane, according to a new study using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Suppose there are signs of extraterrestrial life and we have not yet been able to detect them. What does that mean? In Nature Astronomy, researchers discuss the consequences of these so-called false-negative results. "We are currently investing a great deal of money in missions
G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, sit in the plasma membrane, the boundary that defines the inside and outside of a living cell. They communicate with nearly every physiological process in our bodies—from the ability to see and smell, to sensing of adrenaline, insulin,
A joint research team led by Professor Hyung Mo Jeong from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) and Professor Ji Hoon Lee from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Kyungpook National University has developed a highly efficient,
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have created a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that helps reveal how genes function together inside human cells, offering a powerful new way to understand biology and disease.
Identifying children with early signs of type 1 diabetes makes a difference to their health. A new study suggests wider screening is effective.
Differences in how the pyramid and surrounding soil vibrate, along with design choices, have protected the structure from earthquakes.
Evolutionary biologists are uncovering genomic mechanisms that allow populations to adapt quickly to different, hyperlocal habitats without splitting into new species. The post How Ecotypes Harbor the Genetic Memory of a Species’ Past first appeared on Quanta Magazine
A chatbot’s result for the 80-year-old “unit distance” conjecture is the first AI proof that would likely be published in math’s top journal if humans had done it alone
I'm not surprised that Talk Like Yoda Day exists. Over 40 years since his Star Wars debut (puppeteered and voiced by Frank Oz), Yoda remains a recognizable figure in pop culture. This is in part due to his distinctive and frequently imitated version of English.
Gold has been prized for thousands of years for its enduring shine, but Tulane University researchers have discovered that gold's resistance to tarnishing depends on more than its chemistry.
This eerily simple math says our days are numbered—and nobody can agree why it’s wrong
A study led by researchers from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Malaga has revealed how organic farming—using natural substances and processes and avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals—can, in the long term, help crops become more resistant to drought in a
Who needs love songs when you can snap your wrists together loudly? The post These Odd Birds Flirt by Clapping in the Middle of the Night appeared first on Nautilus .
Within a crystal's atomic structure, tiny atomic-scale flaws will naturally occur where electrons can become trapped. These defects have emerged as one of the leading platforms for quantum information processing. Through a new study, posted to the preprint server arXiv, Ilai
Roads and markets have emptied during afternoons and some farmers have switched to nighttime work to avoid scorching temperatures as a heat wave grips large parts of India.
Thursday's flight could be the most pivotal test of the Starship megarocket
On the same day the world descended into war, physicists saw reality itself unraveling The post The Most Precarious Day in the Universe appeared first on Nautilus .
New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has shed light on why so many students listen to background music while studying, and whether it helps or hinders their focus.
Eating too much junk food early in life may rewire the brain in ways that last into adulthood, even after switching to a healthier diet. Scientists found that high-fat, high-sugar diets changed feeding behavior and disrupted appetite-control regions in the brain. Excitingly,
Marine scientists have discovered that what was once thought to be a single sea slug species is actually at least 75 distinct species that were shaped over millions of years by repeated Antarctic glacial cycles.
