Honeycomb-shaped structures are familiar from beehives. Researchers have now designed molecules that self-assemble into a similar pattern on a scale far too small to see with the naked eye. These molecules are peptides: short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of
Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles (4.6 million square kilometers), tying 2008, 2010 and
A monumental complex of ritual baths, most likely used by Jewish pilgrims visiting the Temple in Jerusalem, has been uncovered at the foot of the Temple Mount. Dating to the late Second Temple period (first century BCE–70 CE), the exceptionally well-preserved complex includes
Selecting profitable investments from an increasingly large and constrained pool of assets could become more effective with a hybrid quantum-classical method, according to research in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology. The work could help
Dog brains segment speech into words in a way previously seen only in humans, a new study from Hungary finds. This suggests that efficient speech processing is not necessarily a consequence of humans' unique language abilities: Regular exposure to speech alone can reshape how
With an estimated 36% of people in the United States having some degree of lactose intolerance, there may be an expanded market for lactose-free or reduced-lactose ice cream—especially if those with lactose intolerance are willing to pay more for such products, according to a
Orangutan infants spend their first eight years with their mothers, and throughout this time, they can draw on their knowledge. After that, however, orangutans are entirely on their own. To fare well as independent orangutans, infants need to learn many survival skills,
Twistronics has become a new alchemy of materials. By choosing atomically thin layers, stacking them and changing their relative angle, researchers can create electronic behavior absent from the original ingredients. Twisted graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides have
Orangutans learn by watching, then trying The post How Social Learning Keeps Orangutans Fed appeared first on Nautilus .
Great Britain has long been thought to be home to a single venomous snake species, the adder. Although its bites are rarely life-threatening, they require a trip to the emergency department and will more than likely ruin your week. The other two native British snakes, the grass
AI-predicted protein complex structures for more than 2,800 viruses are now openly available in the AlphaFold Database. To better understand and protect against emerging pathogens, the dataset prioritizes proteomes from viral families known to infect humans.
Sound travels through the ocean carrying clues about potential prey, predators and other animals, giving sharks an important way to detect what they cannot yet see. But exactly how far a free-swimming shark can hear a sound—and whether it can determine where that sound is
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the universe's oldest light, leftover thermal radiation from about 380,000 years after the big bang. Maps of the CMB offer a picture of the "baby universe" as it was 13.8 billion years ago.
In August 2026, an iceberg the size of Manhattan broke away from the Petermann Ice Shelf in northern Greenland. It was the glacier's largest calving event since 2020. Long before the breakup, CIRES scientists were developing a new method to understand the planet's first known
In Alaska's boreal forests, a negative feedback loop between wildfires and vegetation plays an important role in governing the size and likelihood of fires. Wildfires clear out mature forests, allowing them to be replaced by less flammable young forests that temporarily
By comparing variations in the coat colors of eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Montreal city parks, researchers found that hyperlocal conditions appear to play a bigger role in shaping wildlife traits than previously thought.
Scientists from the Biosciences Department at Durham University have outlined possible new approaches to protecting crops from devastating diseases by finding common weaknesses in the proteins pathogens use to attack plants. The researchers presented their ideas in a recent
They were hiding in plain sight among their close relatives The post Two Big Stick Insect Species Emerge from Australia appeared first on Nautilus .
Hurricane Polo swirled menacingly along Mexico's southern coast Thursday, triggering towering waves in a Pacific port city.
As climate change brings more extreme weather events, strengthening families before disasters strike can help protect children's health and well-being, says Mary McKay, a professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on child mental health.
Mistletoe is best known from winter traditions as a symbol of luck and affection. For trees, however, the hemiparasitic plant can be a burden: It draws water and nutrients from its hosts. Now the plant could provide a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based industrial
As a star nears the end of its life, it faces two very different fates: It can explode as a supernova, leaving behind a neutron star, or collapse and become a black hole. What determines the outcome remains one of astrophysics' great unanswered questions.
A new survey from the University of Exeter and the University of Surrey reveals broad public support for policies to protect and restore nature in the U.K. Researchers surveyed almost 3,000 people across the country, exploring their feelings, concerns, opinions and experiences
In 2022, the eruption and collapse of an underwater volcano in Tonga caused a devastating tsunami that killed four people, disrupted seafloor ecosystems and damaged critical seafloor telecommunications cables. It was one of the most powerful volcanic events this century.
But the famed sci-fi author’s 80-year-old rules of robotics may need some updating The post Isaac Asimov Showed Us How to Avoid the AI Apocalypse appeared first on Nautilus .
You might think the length of a day never varies—exactly 24 hours. You'd be wrong, at least if you count days in milliseconds, as physicists do.
As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly embedded in work, government and everyday life, new research from UAlbany's Center for Technology in Government (CTG) suggests public libraries can play an important role in helping communities develop the skills to
About 66 million years ago, the asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaurs paved the way for a spectacular expansion of new animal species. During this period, ants rose to ecological dominance. Today, they form the largest family of social insects, with more than 15,000
An analysis of almost 40,000 research funding review reports found that female researchers wrote longer, more positive assessments than their male counterparts and addressed the formal evaluation criteria more comprehensively.
In recent decades, astronomers have reconstructed a fairly complete scenario for planet formation, from minute dust motes clumping together to the emergence of rocky spheres thousands of kilometers across, like Earth, or larger gas giants like Jupiter.
At a time of rampant medical misinformation online, artificial intelligence can do a good job of correcting falsehoods, but the tone of the correction is key, according to new research led by Washington State University.
In many parts of the world, the birth of a boy is celebrated as a blessing, while the birth of a girl is still viewed as a burden. The disturbing prevalence of female feticide bears witness to this inequality. In countries like China and India, deeply rooted cultural beliefs
The bright orange plumes of water scientists first noticed billowing across a river in Alaska's Brooks Range in 2018 were even more acidic and metallic than water leached from metal mines, despite their pristine surroundings. That's according to a new University of California,
As countries across Africa face growing pressure over shared water resources, USC water scientists argue that one of the most powerful tools for preventing conflict may be found not at the negotiating table, but in the mathematical models used to understand water itself.
Young adults, not families, drove migration in Bronze Age communities. Using skeletal samples from archaeological sites in Greece, researchers mapped mobility during the region's Middle and Late Bronze Age. The study suggests that young people sought out new communities.
Genetic testing of two tiny tiger cats from Bolivia revealed a new species, adding a new branch to the feline family tree.
A widely held belief that women have more emotional intelligence than men does not hold up under scrutiny, according to a large study of research spanning three decades.
In what appears to be a first, an OpenAI agent secretly accessed Australian government health care records during an internal test
Diesel prices have almost doubled over the past year, spelling trouble for farmers, truckers and the entire U.S. economy
Solar farms built around China's Gobi Desert could have the unexpected benefit of reducing the dust pollution reaching cities across northern China.
McGill researchers have created and validated a virtual coaching program that helps parents of preschoolers with developmental delays navigate assessments, appointments and decisions.
The eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano in early September 2026 had effects far beyond the rumbling ground and ash that blanketed nearby areas.
When water drains from a bathtub, a whirlpool often forms above the drain, and its narrow core can start to wobble and twist. For almost 150 years, physicists have predicted that these wobbles can become turbulent, passing energy from large ripples down to ever smaller ones.
A new UEL research project is exploring practical ways to reduce antisocial and harmful behavior in online gaming while helping platforms create more positive and inclusive experiences for young players.
Around 309 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs, the area around Chicago was a swampy river delta swarming with early land-dwelling animals, giant insects and strange swimming animals. What was once a hotbed for new forms of life to flourish and evolve has become one of
A large Danish study found that children diagnosed with ADHD or autism today more closely resemble their peers in the general population than those diagnosed 10 years ago. The shift suggests that rising diagnosis rates may partly reflect broader identification and changing
Researchers in UC's College of Arts and Sciences spoke to 41 children ages 5 to 10 after inviting them to play three interactive games with Miko, a commercially available robot that uses generative AI.
In the first detailed chromosome map of the aardwolf, Texas A&M University researchers have discovered that, despite millions of years of separate evolution, the chromosomes of aardwolves, other hyenas and even domestic cats have remained remarkably similar.
The brain may have a built-in way to quickly settle disagreements between regions processing the same scene. Researchers found that matching signals between two visual areas lasted longer, while conflicting signals rapidly faded away. This “consensus building” mechanism could
The University of Liverpool's Cat Prospective Aging and Welfare Study (CatPAWS), which follows a group of pet cats from middle age into later life, is celebrating more than nine years of work to improve the health and welfare of cats more than 7 years old.
