According to quantum electrodynamics, the theory describing interactions between light and electrically charged particles, a sufficiently strong electric field can, in principle, convert some of its energy into particles and their antimatter partners. A particle's antimatter
As quantum computers grow more ambitious, many researchers believe the best way forward is to build them in multiple interconnected parts. In these modular designs, separate quantum processors are linked so they can work together as one larger machine. For this to happen,
Around 2,400 years ago, at Łysa Góra in Poland, a group of people took a bronze helmet, crushed it, broke it into pieces and threw it into a pit with iron adzes and a scythe. Such helmets are sometimes found in lavish graves of the Celtic warrior elite, from Champagne, France,
A kerosene-based gel developed by Concordia researchers could make rocket and satellite fuels easier to store and control.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have uncovered a crucial missing link between a common gut bacterium and colorectal cancer, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two decades. The bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, produces a toxin that damages the colon’s
A remarkable 4,000-year-old defensive structure discovered in Morocco is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about ancient North African civilizations. The massive fortifications reveal unexpectedly sophisticated prehistoric societies and suggest that the region played
Among the ravenous carnivores and lumbering herbivores that roamed the Cretaceous landscape, another kind of dinosaur was evolving that started to eat something else: the plants that began to flower and produce fruit. The discovery by paleontologists from Stony Brook
Scientists have discovered a surprising mechanism that allows certain metals to resist cracking at temperatures as low as -253°C (-424°F), when similar materials typically become dangerously brittle. Instead of breaking, two experimental alloys reorganize their internal
A research team has designed and synthesized a molecular cage with an internal cavity by connecting two curved π-conjugated molecules face-to-face at three points.
A Neanderthal who died 75,000 years ago may have been killed by a wooden spear deliberately aimed at the heart, revealing rare evidence of prehistoric violence. A circular hole in the shoulder blade suggests the weapon pierced the chest and caused a rapidly fatal injury.
At a landmark Canadian trial focused on the government's obligations to fight climate change, the young plaintiffs suing Ottawa over alleged policy failures have sought to focus attention on their mental health.
Staring at yourself in the mirror can create an illusionary effect, distorting your features to the point of appearing fantastical
Scientists have discovered a bizarre bacterial defense system that works almost completely backward from anything seen before. Unlike typical bacterial immune systems that keep a deadly toxin under control until a virus attacks, this unusual mechanism waits until an infection
Nearly 200 nations struck hard-fought agreements Friday at a U.N. biodiversity summit, but the outcome was accompanied by disappointment over missed opportunities to address humanity's destructive toll on nature.
Time changes are more disruptive to our health than you might think. Here are some tips for a smooth transition
From ghosts to skeletons and even spiders, the cosmos is full of scary surprises
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have uncovered a surprising process that helps humans develop sharp vision before birth, challenging decades of assumptions about how the eye forms. Using miniature human retinas grown in the lab, researchers discovered that a vitamin A
A new study has mapped human urogenital development in its native spatial context, revealing how neighboring organs coordinate their development through cellular communication and molecular signaling during embryogenesis.
Scientists have recreated a primordial state of matter from the dawn of the universe by colliding oxygen nuclei at nearly the speed of light. The surprising results show that this exotic substance can form in smaller, lower-energy collisions than previously demonstrated,
A new gene-editing system could make it easier for researchers to introduce precise genetic changes into crops such as tomatoes, soybeans and rapeseed. Developed by researchers in China, SmartPE improves prime editing efficiency in several dicot plants, addressing a major
A major international study found that a simple blood test could help predict Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline years before symptoms appear, with the highest-risk individuals facing a 38% chance of impairment within five years and an estimated 78% chance within 10 years.
Neutrinos are funny little particles that weigh almost nothing, making them one of the universe's most elusive building blocks. They can come from objects as mundane as bananas and as exotic as supernovas—the exploding death throes of massive stars. Most neutrinos stream
In the Texas Panhandle, two livestock guardian dogs patrol a herd of cattle grazing the Rita Blanca National Grasslands. Although their singular focus is protecting the herd from would-be predators, their presence may make them wildlife conservation allies.
Deep in a forest in Indonesian Borneo, conservationists open a cage. A female orangutan and her baby waste little time, clambering up the towering trees and disappearing into the canopy, safe at last.
But they’ll be there to help The post “Zombie Bacteria” Might One Day Lurk in the Sewers appeared first on Nautilus .
Striped bass fishing has been Bill Jakob's passion for more than 60 years, and he remembers an era when he'd spend all night casting his line into the crashing waves off Montauk and get eight or nine fish ranging up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms), a big catch by anyone's standards.
How handy would it be if you could make your tattoos invisible for a job interview in the morning, and reveal them again for a party in the evening? This sounds like science fiction, but it may soon be reality.
Social media doesn't necessarily reflect who you are, but it may intensify particular personality traits and confirm or even persuade you that your worst behavior is justified.
A University of Massachusetts Amherst-led research team has discovered that weaker rock in mountain landscapes erodes three times faster than harder rock—even on gentler slopes—and is one of the main attributes governing mountain erosion. The finding also challenges our current
A tiny glass chip developed by researchers at Heriot-Watt University has linked two telescopes together to enable them to act as a single powerful instrument, marking an important step toward a new generation of astronomical technology.
There is approximately 60 years of research on campus sexual assault and shelves full of books on young people's sexual experiences and behaviors, including their experiences with assault.
Disappearing versions of pharmaceutical molecules mean scientists can lose the ability to create some drugs, but why? The post The Mystery of Why Some Drugs Vanish appeared first on Nautilus .
You finally started an online conversation with a stranger you find attractive, yet you don't really know what to say. They seem happy to talk, but you struggle to find the correct responses. You worry that their patience is growing thin. You pray for some guidance. Luckily,
Science can't study a species—or unlock its potential to change the world—until people actually know it exists. Four new species of frogs have now been given names, thanks to the efforts of FIU biologist Alessandro Catenazzi.
The spooky is a hugely popular phenomenon in British culture, demonstrated in what now seems like a month-long Halloween celebration, a rich tradition of horror cinema and a growing interest in the uncanny. But there are other manifestations of haunting.
Particle accelerators are expensive. Not just to build or to run, but also to predict the outcome of measurements obtained from them.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a thriving research program with exotic atoms that won’t solve the energy crisis but stretches the boundaries of physics. The post Is There More to Cold Fusion Than Failure and Fraud? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Finding new drugs requires screening vast numbers of compounds to identify those that interact with a biological target. DNA-encoded libraries (DELs) help researchers explore these large collections by attaching a short DNA sequence to each molecule, acting as a molecular
College students say they use AI mostly for learning and don't use it to cut corners but think that their peers do, according to the inaugural Dartmouth AI Survey, a new multiyear survey on how AI is shaping students' learning and career readiness.
Quantum researchers are searching for a topological superconductor—a material that, if discovered, would allow major advances in quantum computing by combining two distinct "flavors" of superconductivity.
Varying crop rotations and keeping the soil constantly covered with vegetation help protect crops against droughts and floods, in addition to increasing productivity. This technique was tested in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, by researchers from the Center for Carbon
A quantum information scientist on the hunt for the elemental mediator of gravity and why AI can’t solve physics problems creatively The post “We Will Find a Graviton Before We Find Dark Matter” appeared first on Nautilus .
Global cities are subsiding by up to several inches a year, an exhaustive new survey shows
Every day, two NASA space instruments known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 and -3 (OCO-2 and OCO-3) capture more than a million observations of sunlight reflecting off Earth's surface. Using the physics of how light travels through the air, an algorithm converts these raw
Replacing commonly used diversity, equity and inclusion-related terminology such as "belonging" with carefully matched alternative language may improve Republicans' favorability toward diversity training, according to new research from the ILR School.
The earliest spoken-word recordings of Louisiana Creole, a uniquely American language at risk of extinction, have been uncovered and analyzed for the first time, shedding light on a tongue that defined the docks and saloons of New Orleans for well over a century.
In beef cattle production, determining the ideal time to sell makes all the difference in a producer's costs. This is because, once an animal reaches its natural growth limit, it stops gaining weight significantly. From that point on, every additional day in a feedlot means
A doctoral dissertation by Andrea Porcheddu, MSc in the field of Technical Physics will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Kuopio campus.
More than 107,000 species are used and traded worldwide, more than double previous estimates, according to new research that suggests the true scale may be far greater due to major gaps in trade and wildlife collection data.
