Headlines

Slime molds make decisions using internal fluid flows

Despite lacking brains or nervous systems, slime molds are capable of making surprisingly sophisticated decisions: navigating mazes, finding food and even remembering where they found it last time. How they manage to do all this without any neural architecture has long puzzled

These tiny holes could change how the world cleans water

A new nature-inspired membrane uses perfectly uniform one-nanometer pores to filter molecules with remarkable precision. The technology could transform industries such as pharmaceuticals and textiles by reducing energy consumption, improving water reuse, and delivering

Why Robots Still Can’t Do Science

AI can read the literature in an afternoon and design molecules a chemist never would. So why can't a robot hold a pipette? The post Why Robots Still Can’t Do Science appeared first on Nautilus .

Growing energy efficiency divide making renters sweat

Households are motivated to reduce their energy consumption and help mitigate climate change, but unaffordable technologies and rental restrictions are preventing them from doing so, according to a recent Charles Darwin University (CDU) study. "The efficiency divide: Housing

How to sparkle in conversation with strangers

In the face of loneliness, many people are turning to AI chatbots for companionship – but research shows it can’t replace human connection. Columnist David Robson explores how beneficial it can be to talk to strangers, with evidence-based tips on how to get the conversation

A legendary golden fabric lost for 2,000 years has returned

Researchers in South Korea have recreated the legendary “sea silk” once prized by emperors, using fibers from a clam cultivated in Korean coastal waters. They discovered that its famous golden shine comes from tiny protein structures that reflect light rather than from pigments

Extending cryo-electron microscopy beyond water

From paints and inks to catalysts and drug-delivery materials, many advanced technologies rely on substances dispersed in organic solvents. Yet directly observing these materials in their native liquid environments has remained a major challenge, limiting scientists' ability to