In this special live recording from the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, July 2026, the central question discussed was what do mathematicians really value about doing mathematics in the first place? The post Live from ICM 2026: What Is Math For in the
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) featured prominently in the news during 2020 as it took the lives of millions of birds across the globe. While the worst seems to be behind us, population-level effects are just now emerging.
There are many ways to say thank you.
Sarah Demers, chair of the physics department at Yale University, sees the potential for large language models to both help and harm her field. The post In an Age of AI, a Physicist Seeks What Endures first appeared on Quanta Magazine
The hidden world of quantum mechanics exists at scales many orders of magnitude smaller than living organisms, yet scientists have long theorized that quantum effects play an important role in biology. Birds' ability to sense magnetic fields during migration is one of the
More than 56 million U.S. adults feed wild birds.
A newly discovered microbe living inside ancient stromatolite communities may offer a rare look at how complex life first emerged. Researchers captured the first direct images of an Asgard archaeon physically connected to a bacterium, with the two microbes appearing to exchange
More than 80% of North American forests could face greater threats from pests and diseases by midcentury, a University of British Columbia-led study finds. If global emissions continue unchecked, rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns could amplify tree pests and
New research shows overqualified employees who prioritize work over family are more likely to let anxiety and fear about their careers spill into their home lives, creating damaging conflict.
A huge 10-sided atmospheric pattern has appeared around Saturn’s south pole, giving the planet a surprising counterpart to its famous northern hexagon. Hubble data suggest the strange decagon only began emerging in the past few years and is still growing stronger. Researchers
As schools contend with rapid developments in artificial intelligence, new research from the University of Toronto Mississauga suggests an AI tutor could help students with math, but only if it holds back answers and coaches them through problems.
Growing up, many of us were taught to drop, cover and hold on during an earthquake. The guidance is straightforward, but how people actually respond when the ground starts shaking can be far more complicated. Now, UC Berkeley researchers are studying what happens in those
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime created when pairs of black holes spiral into each other and eventually merge. But if this ripple has been warped by another massive object on its way to Earth, a new analysis suggests that these black holes might appear far larger
Every other Wednesday, like clockwork, my salary arrives in my bank account. By Thursday, most of it is gone.
Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered an unexpected form of the Hall effect, overturning the long-held assumption that this electrical response only appears when a magnetic field points perpendicular to a material. Beyond expanding a century-old principle of
For generations, the lobster fishery has been central to the cultural and economic identity of Maine and Atlantic Canada. Predicting what the future holds for the species—and the people who depend on it—has long been a priority for scientists and resource managers.
The maritime disaster of 1912 wasn’t fully understood until the shipwreck was rediscovered The post 40 Years Ago, Oceanographers Found the Wreckage of the RMS Titanic appeared first on Nautilus .
Scientists discovered that more than 500 species of vesper bats possess two separate sets of antibody genes, an immune arrangement never before found in mammals. The surprising system could help explain how bats tolerate so many viruses without becoming seriously ill.
Earth may have been pushed deeper into a global deep freeze by something surprisingly ordinary: salt. Around 700 million years ago, Earth entered periods of extreme glaciation known as Snowball Earth, when ice is thought to have spread across much or potentially all of the
From the rock 'n' roll and punk scenes, soda fountains and graduation-week celebrations, surfers, skaters, ravers and the modern-day Eshay, generations of young Australians have been creating culture, but much of it risks disappearing from the historical record.
A new national survey of informal supporters of people with disabilities who have received NDIS-funded behavior support services has identified wide variation in supporters' confidence in practitioners' knowledge and skills, pointing to a need for greater transparency about
People with different political beliefs do not only disagree about how much poverty exists in Britain but they also differ over whether the same material circumstances should be defined as poverty, according to new research from the University of Bath School of Management.
The endangered animals displayed a first in raccoons and their kin
Aging may be partly fueled by immune cells losing their ability to clear away damaged, inflammation-promoting cells. Blocking a single receptor restored that cleanup process in mice, reducing inflammation and helping their organs, muscles, and memory remain remarkably youthful.
Farmers around the world are struggling with the impact of climate change, financial pressures and depleted soil—and industry experts say bringing consumers closer to the people who produce their food could provide a solution.
Chemical reactions at surfaces play a central role in many processes, including catalysis and materials synthesis. It is well known that the outcome of these reactions is influenced by the translational, vibrational and rotational motions of atoms and molecules. Now, a study
Weather forecasts rely on many different kinds of data, including temperature, humidity and wind. For the first time, researchers, including those at the University of Tokyo, have demonstrated that a long-theorized improvement to weather models—adding data on water isotopes in
Technology companies are stepping up their climate commitments but not fast enough to counter rapidly growing energy needs linked to the artificial intelligence boom, a report said Wednesday.
A rare trio of hurricanes were churning through the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, which scientists attributed to waters warmed by a historically strong El Niño phenomenon.
Researchers in Chile have designed an unlikely new garment for injured penguins—snug red vests threaded with copper and zinc that they hope will help the aquatic birds heal faster.
A study provides the first large-scale empirical evidence that seagrass meadows act as a critical safety net for millions of coastal people living in extreme poverty across the Indo-Pacific.
Star formation across the universe has fallen dramatically over the past 4.5 billion years, but astronomers have uncovered a surprising twist: the supply of neutral hydrogen, a key ingredient for making stars, has barely declined. Using China’s FAST radio telescope and data
September’s sky features brilliant Venus, the Milky Way’s hazy center, and the seasonal turning point of the equinox. The month ends with a glowing Harvest Moon rising near Saturn and faint Neptune.
For children born with cleft lip and palate, repairing gaps in the jawbone often means waiting until they are 10 to 12 years old before undergoing invasive bone graft surgery. University of Sydney researchers have developed a biodegradable "nanobone" material that allows the
A new report from the American Psychological Association warns that student engagement with educational technology is not the same as learning—and that generative AI tools pose particular risks by improving students' immediate performance without building their underlying
Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico’s largest reservoir, plunged to just 1.4 percent capacity in July 2026 after years of extreme drought and record early snowmelt. The dramatic decline exposed long-submerged debris and underscored the growing strain on Rio Grande water
Some of the attention patterns that make ADHD challenging may also help spark creativity by allowing the brain to explore more ideas and unexpected connections. Researchers think creative activities could potentially channel this “defocused attention” while helping strengthen
An updated analysis of U.S. homicide data has found that intimate partner violence (IPV) often precipitates mass homicide and is also frequently associated with multi-victim and single-victim deaths. The study categorizes homicides into single-victim, multi-victim (2–3 victims)
Sitting for long, uninterrupted stretches may carry greater health risks than sitting the same amount of time in shorter bouts. Researchers found that each extra hour of prolonged sedentary behavior was associated with a 9% higher risk of cancer death. Breaking up sitting with
A 50% decline in the Gulf of Carpentaria dugong population estimate is a wake-up call for urgent action to protect dugongs in the Gulf, based on surveys undertaken by researchers from James Cook University, Charles Darwin University and Indigenous Ranger groups.
The Pacific islands will face food shortages, and drinking water will be affected by rising seas, scientists said Wednesday, as a U.N. report found the world would fail to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is usually discussed as something the world needs to get rid of. Activities such as the burning of fossil fuels for daily use, including electricity and transportation, and industrial applications release significant amounts of CO₂, and the gas enters the
As proteins are made in a cell, they are folded into the 3D structure that allows them to work, but sometimes this process can go wrong. When it does, the misfolded proteins lose some or all of their function and usually get tagged by the cell's quality assurance and
In a quiet summer garden, a caterpillar perches on a branch, munching serenely on leaves. A moment later, it freezes. It senses danger—and just in time. From behind, a wasp approaches, sizing up its prey.
A research team from INRAE and the University Clermont Auvergne has shown that trees are capable of correcting a curvature they detect in their stems through a specific biological process. In the study, young trees with bent stems were placed in an experimental set-up that
Using an engineered metasurface that traps light, Cornell researchers have demonstrated a new way to generate strong static magnetic fields without using external magnets or magnetic materials—an approach that could advance spintronics, quantum and photonic computing, and data
Copper roofs lose their reddish color over time because a pale green layer of copper oxide forms on their surface, protecting the roof from further corrosion for many years. But what exactly happens during the first steps of this process? Might it even be possible to stop it?
Nearly half of people living in Europe on an average income can only afford to buy the equivalent of a one-bedroom apartment or studio apartment, while 39% of Europeans cannot afford to rent a property this size.
RNA-based therapeutics use RNA as a blueprint that enables cells to produce specific proteins—including proteins that can precisely modify genes. For this to work, the RNA must reach the inside of the cell intact. Delivery systems currently used for this purpose include
The plot of "Finding Nemo," a film that features an overprotective single father fish taking on dangers at sea to care for his son, may be more reflective of actual fish dad behavior than was previously known. A new study led by a scientist at Penn State found that baby
