Shallow seas serve as critical transition zones connecting land and the deep ocean, supplying essential resources for navigation, fisheries, energy exploration, and island reef development. Accurate bathymetric data form the foundation for marine engineering, channel safety,
A new biocultural perspective points the way The post How Did Language Evolve? appeared first on Nautilus .
If you've seen any of the "Ice Age" animated Disney movies, we have some bad news: You don't know the real ice age.
Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured never-before-seen details of the Red Spider Nebula, a planetary nebula, in this image released on Oct. 26, 2025. NIRCam is Webb's primary near-infrared imager, providing high-resolution imaging
Daily steroid pills are often necessary for severe cases of asthma, but they raise the risk of several serious conditions. Now, scientists have shown that a monthly antibody injection can eliminate the need for the pills
A new explanation for oddly calm lava flows is a little like stirring honey in a jar The post Why Some Volcanoes Don’t Explode appeared first on Nautilus .
A comprehensive study by the CritMET research group, led by Prof. Michael Bau, a geochemist at Constructor University in Bremen, provides evidence of widespread contamination of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea with MRI contrast agents. As modern wastewater treatment plants
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) begin to accumulate in the tissues of mammals already during the fetal stage, according to new research from the University of Oulu, Finland. The animal-model study found that environmental toxins had built up in the tissues of sheep raised
More than 300 people across academia and industry spilled into an auditorium to attend a BoltzGen seminar on Thursday, Oct. 30, hosted by the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health (MIT Jameel Clinic). Headlining the event was MIT Ph.D. student and BoltzGen's
A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of a grand and graceful cosmic butterfly.
The same brain cells linked to disorientation in Alzheimer's disease have been preserved—and even slightly increased—across millions of years of evolution.
With a new study in the journal Cell, researchers at Stanford University and Stockholm University have contributed to increased knowledge about gene regulation in human cells.
Australian rat kangaroos can crack nuts that would break the jaws of most animals The post These Rabbit-Size Marsupials Have Chomping Superpowers appeared first on Nautilus .
Hybrid materials made of magnets and superconductors give rise to fascinating quantum phenomena, which are so sensitive that it is crucial to measure them with minimal interference. Researchers at the University of Hamburg and the University of Illinois Chicago have now
Inclusive representation is fundamental to equitable and effective environmental governance, particularly in addressing the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation, the three focus areas of the well-known Rio Conventions.
An insistent buzzing at sunset followed by itchy, spotted legs. Here in Denmark, mosquitoes are mostly an annoying—but generally harmless—nuisance. That is far from the case in many parts of the world.
The presence of robots in schools is no longer surprising. How do elementary school children treat humanoid robots? Are they polite to them, and willing to attribute human-like qualities to them? Researchers from SWPS University have shown that in most cases, children treat
Exceptional points (EPs) are non-Hermitian singularities where two or more eigenstates coalesce, resulting in the eigenspace collapsing in dimensionality. Over the past decade, researchers have uncovered a wealth of exotic phenomena near EPs.
The research group FQM-215—Affordable and Sustainable Sample Preparation at the University of Córdoba has developed a method that is not only faster and easier to perform but also more environmentally sustainable. It can detect illicit drugs on surfaces and determine their
The United Nations' climate change body may unintentionally be eroding public trust in science because of the way it communicates risk, new University of Essex research shows.
The co-founder of Schmidt Sciences on curiosity, discovery, and wonder The post The Last Word with Wendy Schmidt appeared first on Nautilus .
Hidden beneath the hills of southern China, the JUNO observatory shows promise in solving neutrino mysteries
Food quality and safety are crucial. However, conventional food-monitoring methods, including ribotyping and polymerase chain reaction, tend to be destructive and lengthy. These shortcomings limit their potential for broad applications. In this regard, surface-enhanced Raman
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles pervasive in agricultural environments, interact with and disrupt the microbial ecosystem in the rumen—the first stomach chamber of cattle, reveals an international study.
New research reveals moai creation was a decentralized process The post Easter Island Statue Construction Wasn’t a Top-Down Affair appeared first on Nautilus .
Mapping of the main quarry on Easter Island where giant statues were carved has uncovered evidence that the monuments may not have been created under the direction of a single chief
Nature is brimming with color in almost every season. While the majority of colors are matte, some are shiny. Evolutionary biologist Casper van der Kooi wondered why shiny colors are so rare. He researched how bees perceive glossy colors by using artificial flowers. The
Located in the middle of the South Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest continent, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. To visit it and marvel at the quarries where its iconic moai statues were created is a luxury few get to
One of the most comprehensive surveys to date of shark and other large predator fish in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) ocean finds that remote marine protected areas (MPAs)—including the Galapagos, Malpelo, Clipperton, and Revillagigedo islands—support some of the largest
A spatial analysis of crime in Chicago suggests that certain environmental and socioeconomic factors, such as building density, are linked with crime rates, but these relationships differ between neighborhoods. The study also reveals discrepancies between media coverage and
NASA has confirmed that it will contribute to Europe's Martian rover Rosalind Franklin, which is scheduled to launch in 2028 after repeated delays, the European Space Agency said on Wednesday.
South Korea launched its largest satellite yet on its nationally developed space rocket early Thursday, the fourth of six planned launches through 2027.
There is a growing body of research on the physical benefits of going for a dip in chilly water, but now researchers are starting to find that cold-water swimming may also be reshaping our brains for the better in lasting ways
New research from the University of St Andrews has discovered how Incas used Andean balance scales and ancient string knot writing known as "khipus," in association with sacred, animate landscapes.
Imagine biting into a crisp, garden-fresh salad and savoring juicy strawberries for dessert. But instead of your backyard, you're gazing out at a stark lunar landscape, Earth hanging like a precious blue marble in the inky sky.
Scientists have discovered living microbes producing methane in the fractured rocks deep inside Sweden's Siljan impact crater, offering insights into Earth's earliest life and the search for life beyond our planet.
Modern Chileans are significantly taller and have larger heads than their ancestors. That's the central finding of new research looking at how intracranial volume (ICV) has changed across thousands of years in northern Chile. ICV is the space inside the skull that houses the
We are producing more textiles than ever before: worldwide, well over one hundred million tons of textiles are manufactured every year—more than twice as much as in the year 2000. This makes it increasingly important not to simply throw away old textiles, but to recover them in
On Mars, winds constantly stir up whirlwinds of fine dust. It was at the center of two of these dust devils that the SuperCam instrument's microphone, the first ever to operate on Mars, accidentally recorded particularly strong signals.
Inside the cell reside many tiny assembly factories and warehouses that gather together all of the proteins and RNAs—which carry out instructions from our DNA—that a living being needs.
The latest United Nations climate summit (COP30) was held between 10 and 21 November in Belém, Brazil. Although the event did not end with any significant progress toward the goals of mitigating global warming or advancing climate finance, it did leave us with one positive
Rheumatoid arthritis begins years before pain ever appears, and scientists have now mapped the hidden immune battle that unfolds long before symptoms. By studying people with RA-linked antibodies over seven years, researchers discovered sweeping inflammation, malfunctioning
An international research team has shown that avalanches are crucial to the survival of many glaciers worldwide. The study aims to contribute to better predictions of water resources and natural hazards in the context of global warming.
Feedback dives into a new piece of research on the merits of swimming briefs or looser swimming shorts – and raises an eyebrow at its conclusion
Modern electric vehicles are transforming the roads with low noise, rapid acceleration and zero exhaust emissions. However, drivers of electric vehicles in the UK will now face a new 3p per mile charge and drivers of hybrid vehicles a 1.5p per mile charge.
Around the world, political institutions are under threat and democracy hangs in the balance. Deepening political divisions, political apathy and the rise of opportunistic populist leaders have all contributed to widespread democratic backsliding and a rise in authoritarianism.
Wetlands are vital ecological resources that provide several benefits in urban and peri-urban areas. They slow down flood waters, and act as a source of fishing and farming livelihoods. They also provide socio-cultural benefits for local communities. But some of these valuable
During the annual salmon run last fall, University of Washington researchers pulled salmon DNA out of thin air and used it to estimate the number of fish that passed through the adjacent river. Aden Yincheong Ip, a UW research scientist of marine and environmental affairs,
Human-driven changes to landscapes worldwide are 'thinning out' the ecological services supplied by wild birds, eroding the functions that support stable and resilient ecosystems.
As more devices get piled onto computer chips to increase processing power capacity, heat generation becomes increasingly concentrated. This heat must be removed to keep chip performance high, but is currently achieved by circulating water through millimeter-scale channels to
