How war has connected the world for 500 years
With wars raging in Ukraine and across the Middle East, commentators increasingly ask whether we're sliding toward a third world war. But what makes a war "global"?
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Indonesia fires burned through nearly 2.9 million hectares: Monitor
Fires in Indonesia driven partly by a strong El Niño have burned through 2.88 million hectares (7.1 million acres) so far in 2026, a monitor analyzing satellite imagery told AFP on Wednesday.
Only half of England's young workers outside higher education secure permanent contracts, down from 81%
The study of young people in England found that among those who did not progress to higher education, only 16% secured apprenticeships and just 23% had secured stable work by ages 19–20. Of those in work, only half had a permanent contract, down from 81% in a similar study six
Retired ocean liner to become largest artificial reef in the world
Bigger than the RMS Titanic and faster than the RMS Queen Mary, the SS United States was a nautical wonder during the mid-20th century—the nation's premier luxury ocean liner that once ferried presidents and Hollywood elite across the Atlantic in opulence.
Microplastics found in wild mammals' blood more than 40 miles from human infrastructure
Animals, like humans, are taking up increasing amounts of tiny plastic particles. Such microplastics are demonstrably hazardous to many species under experimental conditions, and it is suspected that they may also pose a threat to animals in the wild. While data about
New study maps the genetic landscape of bovine TB across Wales
Bovine tuberculosis is evolving in different ways across different regions in Wales, according to the most detailed analysis of the bacterium conducted to date. One of the most significant animal health challenges facing Wales, bovine TB affects cattle health and farm
Even parasites have parasites: Fungus infects powdery mildew
In the fungal kingdom, no one is safe from parasites—not even other parasites. A new study from North Carolina State University finds that Ampelomyces, an intracellular fungus that infects the plant disease powdery mildew, is far more common than previously known. By screening
Independent technique validates landmark M87* image
The 2019 Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) image was the work of hundreds of scientists and captured the first direct view of a black hole's shadow—becoming one of the most recognized scientific images of the modern era. A team of four from CSIRO, Australia's national science
Clean water, hidden risks: New technology reveals neurotoxicity missed by conventional water quality monitoring
A photograph of an orchestra can tell you whether the musicians are on stage and their instruments are intact. But it cannot tell you whether they are playing in harmony. Even when every musician is present, a subtle loss of coordination can change the entire performance.
Fluorescent probes reveal fluid-like barriers inside nuclear pores of living human cells
Our genetic material is hidden inside the nucleus of our cells, well protected by a double membrane. All molecules wishing to pass through must thread their way through one of several thousand nuclear pores. The scaffold structure of these pores is well known. However, exactly
Superconducting vortices provide experimental evidence that clogging is a phase transition
Clogging is a phenomenon in which moving particles get stuck, slowing or blocking the flow, but how this transition occurs has remained experimentally unproven. Researchers from Science Tokyo studied superconducting vortices to demonstrate that clogging is a nonequilibrium
What lurks 'Below' Newfoundland waters? A marine biologist explains the science behind the show
When I learned that Netflix planned to film the miniseries Below, about a sea monster terrorizing a Newfoundland outport, I thought to myself: "THIS I've gotta see!"
Looping DNA may help flowers grow nectar-producing organs
Nectaries are specialized floral tissues that secrete nectar to attract pollinators. Although the protein CRABS CLAW (CRC) is established as essential for nectary formation, the exact molecular mechanisms governing how it drives organ growth and secretion have remained unknown.
What is science? Even scientists can't agree
Scientists spend their careers trying to understand the world, but a new study suggests they have surprisingly different ideas about what science itself is. The study, published in Royal Society Open Science, found that scientists disagree about the meaning and purpose of
Asteroid mining will crash the platinum market, but that's good news for Earth
Science fiction authors have been dreaming of robotic spacecraft harvesting fortunes from asteroids for decades. Humanity is slowly getting closer to that reality. But if you ask asteroid mining skeptics, they will usually ask one specific question—what happens to the prices of
A lingering blue glow and unexpected energy levels hint at new ways to control light in advanced materials
Scientists from the Physics Department and Organic Electroactive Materials research group at Durham University have made significant advances in understanding how materials absorb and release light in two recently published research papers in Nature Communications.
Scientists find some of the 'very last wild and healthy ecosystems' in the world's oceans untouched by humans
Humans have left their mark on virtually every place on the planet, from the deep sea to the peaks of the highest mountains. But a few very remote atolls in the Pacific Ocean may be exceptions. A new Frontiers in Marine Science study has found two coral atolls, Bikar and Bokak,
What’s All That Coffee Doing to Your Gut?
Don’t worry, it’s good The post What’s All That Coffee Doing to Your Gut? appeared first on Nautilus .
Record-breaking 2025 Iberian fire season was three times larger due to climate change
The latest global State of Wildfires report, co-led by the University of East Anglia, shows that the extreme fire-prone weather experienced across Spain and Portugal in 2025 was three times more likely due to human-caused climate change, and the area burned was three times
Living with humility took on social weight in the late Middle Ages, historian argues
We're deep in the Middle Ages. In the mind's eye, monks stagger past, flagellating themselves to cleanse their sins and demonstrate their humility before God and creation. This was a time when humility—humilitas—was considered one of the fundamental virtues of Christian life.
More important than tropical cyclones: Scientists finally track the hidden weather systems behind most tropical rainfall
For the first time, researchers in Australia have identified and tracked the weather systems that are collectively more important to rainfall across the tropics than tropical cyclones. The work, published in the journal Weather and Climate Dynamics, has advanced a new way to
How pipes became status symbols in 18th-century Sweden
In the 18th century, a clay tobacco pipe could reveal more than you might think. Its length, quality and condition, as well as the way it was used, could signal social status. In a new doctoral thesis, Lund University archaeologist Robert Bergman Carter shows how smokeways at
Why holding on to loyal donors is not the right advice for every nonprofit
As humanitarian funding shrinks, conventional fundraising wisdom says to hold on to loyal donors. But new research shows that the value of a donor depends on how a nonprofit is set up. For many organizations, winning new donors matters more than keeping loyal ones.
Why similar changes in cloud cover can have different climate effects
Marine low clouds over the world's eastern subtropical oceans strongly influence Earth's temperature by reflecting sunlight back to space. How these clouds change as the planet warms is one of the biggest uncertainties in predicting the severity of future warming.
Deep-sea mollusk houses bacteria in tiny 'dragon balls,' revealing a new symbiotic structure
Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have discovered a previously unknown specialized organelle structure in a deep-sea mollusk living at cold seeps in the South China Sea. Dedicated to maintaining bacterial symbiosis, this newly identified
The Four Forces That Shape Collective Memory
Why we all remember Napoleon’s name The post The Four Forces That Shape Collective Memory appeared first on Nautilus .
New method maps DNA folding and epigenetic marks in single cells
A new experimental procedure developed by researchers at Yale School of Medicine could help scientists better understand how DNA structure influences disease and development.
Metal-rich deep-sea ‘nodules’ also harbor diverse ocean life
The finding, researchers say, should factor into plans to mine the seafloor for the metal-rich nodules
When rain finally does come to drylands, only some microbes in the soil 'awaken'
In arid regions, the microbes that power threatened dryland soil ecosystems called biological soil crusts stay dormant over long periods, only "awakening" when they sense moisture from infrequent rainfall. Now, a team led by researchers at Penn State—driven by projections that
Biologists reveal chlorophyll-building enzyme's structure for first time and clarify its mechanism
Plants are green because of a pigment that is key to photosynthesis: chlorophyll. In its production, the enzyme chlorophyll synthase plays an important role. As part of an international collaboration, researchers from Osnabrück University, the Center Algatech in Třeboň and the
Biodegradable bubble moves away from lactic acid without a motor—a step toward artificial cells
A tiny biodegradable bubble can move away from a chemical on its own, without a motor. Living cells need complex molecular machinery to do this. This discovery by researchers led by chemist Daniela Wilson at Radboud University, together with colleagues at Durham University, is
Scientists challenge the dream of bringing extinct species back to life
Could extinction itself become a thing of the past? Advances in biotechnology, including ancient DNA sequencing, genome analysis and gene editing, have led some to believe that it may be possible to bring extinct species back to life.
Chip identifies cells by their electrical signature, then separates them with a precisely aimed sound wave
In biomedicine, sorting cells accurately without damaging them remains a persistent problem. Current methods, like fluorescence-activated cell sorting, rely on labeling the cells extrinsically, which can stress the cells, alter their behavior and even interfere with the assay.
From remedy to prevention: Researchers call for proactive approach to protect the human right to water
More than 2 billion people, or approximately one-quarter of the world's population, lack access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, according to the United Nations Children's Fund. Today, 16 years after the U.N. General Assembly recognized this access as a fundamental human
Symbolic clay figurines change our understanding of the prehistoric Middle East
Newly discovered artifacts are evidence of the earliest known example of a tradition of making clay figurines in the Middle East—and challenge long-held beliefs about when and how clay began to be used for symbolic purposes in the region, according to a study published in PLOS
Monkey foot and palm prints differ between individuals, as they do in humans
In three species of monkey, the complex pattern of ridges on the feet and palms varies between individuals, similar to human fingerprints, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Juliana Vieira Flores Sales at Universidade de Brasília and colleagues.
Misunderstandings about statistics common even among experienced researchers
Even researchers and people with extensive training in statistics often find it difficult to interpret statistical results correctly. This is shown by a new systematic review carried out by Uppsala University and others, in which researchers have analyzed 55 studies involving
Spain's massive stone tombs reveal collective burials continued well into Bronze Age
Iberian people continued using, and possibly building, massive necropolises well into the Bronze Age, according to a study published in PLOS One by Eduardo Vijande-Vila of the University of Cádiz, Spain, and colleagues.
The What and When of Longevity Dieting
It’s time to toss calorie restriction The post The What and When of Longevity Dieting appeared first on Nautilus .
Stone Age children left fingerprints on ancient art projects
Natufian hunter-gatherers may have shown their kids how to sculpt clay, sets of preserved fingerprints suggest.
Newfound invisible object in space could be a rare supermassive neutron star
Astronomers saw something strange in a distant star system—or rather what’s strange is what they didn’t see. Solving the mystery could reveal new astrophysics
Frozen sperm enables embryo development in endangered Japanese bird for first time—but chick fails to hatch
The Okinawa rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae) is an endangered flightless bird endemic to the Yanbaru forest region of Okinawa Island in Japan. The bird has only recently begun recovering its numbers after introduced predators, such as the mongoose, and traffic accidents reduced its
Overheating cattle: More and more dangerous heat is coming for northern Australia's herds
The Sunday roast and the backyard barbecue have long been Australian rituals. The country is one of the world's biggest consumers of red meat. The average Australian ate about 22 kilograms (49 pounds) of beef in 2024.
Excess reliance on AI could harm independent thinking in humanities education
The increasing use of content generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in university humanities classrooms is challenging what we think of as traditional academic integrity, intellectual responsibility and the authority of teachers, according to research in the
Ancient DNA reveals rare genetic condition behind a 1,600-year-old infant's single eye socket
Cyclopia is the most severe form of a rare birth condition in which the developing brain fails to divide into two separate halves. This can also affect facial development, sometimes leaving the baby with a single eye socket in the center of the forehead and severe facial
A double defense protects photosynthesis from extreme heat
Photosynthesis is fundamental to life on Earth, allowing plants and microalgae to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into organic compounds. However, this essential process is highly vulnerable to heat. As global temperatures rise and heat waves become more frequent, declining
3D protein complex model sheds light on barley grain dormancy
Researchers from Adelaide University and Plant Synthetic Biology Australia have uncovered new insights into the molecular machinery controlling the dormancy-to-germination transition in barley, potentially paving the way for improved crop varieties and better outcomes for
Taking into account the role of neglected farmer groups in recharging groundwater
A new study by researchers at the Indo-French Cell for Water Sciences (IFCWS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), introduces a new framework for water budgeting in agricultural regions that includes farmers' social categories that are usually neglected. The work is published
Centaurus A in the spotlight: Plasma simulations reproduce black hole jets' mysterious bright edges
Around 12 million light-years away, the supermassive black hole of the galaxy Centaurus A is hurling two enormous plasma jets into space at nearly the speed of light. These so-called jets are brighter at their edges than at their center. The reason for this was previously
Argon on Uranus and Neptune may reveal more about their origins than their interiors
Measurements of an argon isotope could help scientists understand whether the interiors of Uranus and Neptune, our solar system's so-called ice giants, are dominated by ice or rock. New research led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and published in The Planetary Science
