Punishment alone won't help gang‑involved teens—a former child soldier explains why
When Americans hear of child soldiers, they may imagine tragic images of children wielding rifles on distant battlefields.
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Climate health harms outpace action, prompting calls for global health emergency
The 2026 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change finds that many of the health risks and harms of climate change grew faster in the decade since the Paris Agreement was introduced (2016–2025) than in the decade before it (2006–2015).
Decoding the loopy physics of hula hooping with high-tech earthquake sensors
Hula hooping may be literal child's play, but as it turns out, the physics behind the gym-class staple is so complicated that scientists have spent decades trying to understand how the hula hoop defies gravity.
We studied 1,584 data centers—and found the buildings full of machines are tied to modest local job growth
Data centers require enormous investments: land, buildings, computer equipment and power infrastructure. Yet, once they're up and running, they tend to employ no more than a few dozen people in occupations such as IT technicians, engineers and security guards. With billions of
Biodiversity hotspots in southwestern Germany are losing their species richness
Climate change and shifts in land use are affecting habitats and, consequently, plant diversity. To better understand the consequences of these developments, long-term and comprehensive data are essential. The "Floristic Mapping of Baden-Württemberg," coordinated by the
The way Earth's 'thermostat' works may have changed during Pangea era
Life arose on Earth at least 3.5 billion years ago, and our planet has remained habitable ever since—not too hot, not too cold. These life-sustaining conditions are possible in part thanks to a built-in, carbon cycle–based climate "thermostat" that controls the amount of carbon
Identical vesicles, different behaviors: Model reveals how spontaneous asymmetry gives rise to lifelike behavior
In nonreciprocal active matter, agents act differently on each other, seemingly in violation of Newton's third law. This principle can result in various active matter traits, such as self-propulsion, molecular regulation and collective motion.
Can your brain make you see ghosts? The science behind the Bloody Mary legend
It's Halloween night. Someone has dared you to turn off the lights and stand in front of the mirror. The rules are simple: Stare into your reflection and say her name three times.
What Can We Learn About Happiness From the People Who Study It?
Happiness pioneers recently gathered to discuss the good life The post What Can We Learn About Happiness From the People Who Study It? appeared first on Nautilus .
A 'simple recipe' takes some of the guesswork out of mass spectrometry imaging
A small sample of human tissue can hold a remarkable amount of information. Researchers can use it to search for molecular clues associated with cancer, investigate the chemical landscape of the brain or determine where a drug travels after it enters the body. Mass spectrometry
Rubin Observatory reveals its first dwarf planet candidate in our solar system
Scientists may add a new dwarf planet to the official roster of our solar system. The distant, icy body, provisionally dubbed 2026 ED138, orbits our system beyond Pluto. It was spotted earlier this month by a scientist combing through data from the Simonyi Survey Telescope at
3 out of 4 responses to UK smoke-free generation consultation were AI bot-generated
Three-quarters of all the responses to the U.K.'s public consultation in 2023 on creating a smoke-free generation and restricting disposable vape sales were generated by AI bots, finds an analysis of publicly available data and freedom of information requests, published online
Open database tracks Earth's water cycle by standardizing decades of satellite data
All water comes from somewhere. Researchers who want to know where it comes from rely on water isotopes, variants of water molecules with slightly different masses, as location identifiers. In particular, the specific ratio of heavy to light water isotopes is unique to the
Can planting trees on riverbanks save salmon rivers from global warming?
Every summer, Québec rivers increasingly reach water temperature levels that threaten Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Just a few extra degrees can make the difference between a favorable and hostile habitat for this iconic species.
Counteranion captures reactants to boost light-driven chemistry in dilute solutions
Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a photocatalytic system that can selectively capture reacting molecules and hold them close to the active sites that absorb energy from light. This innovation addresses a long-standing challenge of having the photocatalyst
Double debris disk orbiting a dead star hints at our solar system's future
Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) have found a rare disk of debris around a dead star that provides a glimpse of what may happen to our solar system. Unlike in similar systems previously found, the debris—the leftovers of
Bottom trawlers do huge damage to life on undersea mountains. Could an end finally be in sight?
Tens of thousands of underwater mountains dot the ocean floor around the world. A few break the surface, such as the Hawaiian island chain. The rest are seamounts, peaks and pinnacles rising from the deep seafloor. Some lie just a few meters below the surface, while others rest
This Prehistoric Creature is the Only Ocean-Dwelling Amphibian Ever Discovered
It lived in the Triassic muck on the seafloor The post This Prehistoric Creature is the Only Ocean-Dwelling Amphibian Ever Discovered appeared first on Nautilus .
New cacao variety could help protect global chocolate supply from disease
Chocolate lovers may not realize it, but the future of one of the world's most popular foods is increasingly under pressure. Diseases, shifting weather patterns and other environmental stressors are threatening cacao production globally, contributing to supply concerns and
Supporting children with dyslexia starts with preparing their teachers
A child pauses at a word, tries it, then looks to the teacher for help. Telling the word to the child can get the sentence moving. Working out what to teach so the child can read similar words independently takes a different kind of expertise.
AI and satellite data could give Florida earlier warnings of toxic red tides
Red tide, a harmful algal bloom that produces toxins, is known for causing respiratory irritation in humans and killing fish in coastal waters. Recent research shows that the conversation is also shifting to include a more subtle neurological threat.
Scientists uncover new way to control magnetism and topology using light in atomically thin materials
Envision a material whose magnetic properties and electronic topology can be toggled by exposure to light, paving the way for future electronic devices that do not rely on traditional electrical switching, which wastes energy by producing heat.
Extreme risk protection orders are designed to prevent gun violence. But how do they impact the people subject to them?
About 125 people die from gun violence through homicide or suicide in the United States every day. Many more are injured by firearms. Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), known in California as gun violence restraining orders, are designed to keep firearms temporarily away
Potential antimalarial compound discovered in institute's microbe collection
Scientists hunting for a new malaria treatment may have found a solution within a historical natural compound collection housed at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.
Light-controlled brake makes random molecular motion 300,000 times slower
Molecules are never still. Driven by thermal energy, they are constantly moving through space, while their individual parts also rotate relative to one another. Scientists at IOCB Prague have now shown that random motion within a molecule can be dramatically suppressed. Using
People are influenced by unreliable information yet remain aware of its influence on their decisions
Every day, people make decisions based on information obtained from social media, news outlets, online reviews and interpersonal communication, all of which vary in reliability. Numerical indicators and labels designed to convey information reliability, such as user ratings and
Museum visits are generally not perceived as boring, study finds
Museums are regarded as places of inspiration and cultural experience—boredom is not the first thing that springs to mind. However, an international team of researchers led by Thomas Götz from the University of Vienna has now, for the first time, systematically investigated how
A brief-ish history of METI. Part I: Early ideas and experiments
Long before modern astronomy, humans looked to the stars and were astounded by what they saw. Even by the most ancient reckoning, the night sky offered enough to inspire awe and wonder, make us feel insignificant, fire our imaginations and foster hope and a sense of connection.
Tiny droplets use pressure to unlock new routes to degradable plastics
Using a new technique, a research group led by Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU) has substantially increased the range of plastics that can be degraded naturally. The study is published in the journal Macromolecules.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory may have just discovered our solar system’s sixth dwarf planet
Located farther away from Earth than Pluto, the object was hidden in the light of the Milky Way’s stars
The beacon effect: Rethinking what it means to make an impression
When people think about making a good impression at work, the focus usually turns inward. How do I present myself? How do I demonstrate my value? How do I make sure others see me as capable, confident and influential?
A new survey of Canadian English shows what has changed in 50 years
Over the past 50 years, Canadian English has become more uniform across regions and has adopted many American terms and pronunciations, while the use of Canadian spellings has gained in popularity. These are the key results of a large-scale study by McGill researchers to update
How we rewrite memories of fallen artists—but not their art
What happens to our memories when we learn disturbing news about a beloved artist? New research from the University of South Florida finds that after a scandal, the brain tricks us: it reconciles a fallen artist with their adored art by rewriting our memories in two completely
Urban infrastructure grows more slowly than population, global analysis finds
As cities grow in population, they grow proportionally in terms of infrastructure—new buildings, paved streets and parking lots. Or so says conventional wisdom. However, a new study by a team of New York University researchers dispels this thinking.
Antarctic rocks reveal a missing chapter of glacier history
Antarctica's glaciers were changing long before satellites, weather stations or cameras captured their transformations, and they left behind clues. Along Marguerite Bay on the western Antarctic Peninsula, ridges of rocks and debris mark former glacier margins. For decades,
Computational model extends the study of nanostructures beyond classic layered systems
Since the production of graphene in 2004, two-dimensional materials have been sparking scientific and technological interest. As they are only a few atomic layers thick, or even just a single atomic layer, they can exhibit special electronic, magnetic or chemical
Rice plants can fight off devastating disease after gene editing with AI-designed tool
University of Missouri researchers have created rice plants that resist bacterial blight, a devastating disease that threatens one of the world's most important food crops. The advance could help farmers in parts of Asia and Africa, where the disease can destroy harvests and
Ancient Ecuadorian genomes reveal 1,500 years of genetic continuity along Pacific coast
Ancient genomes from coastal Ecuador reveal 1,500 years of genetic continuity in an understudied part of the ancient world. John Lindo and colleagues sequenced four genomes from individuals excavated at Salango on Ecuador's central coast, dating to around 2,300 years ago, 1,900
What makes us human? Researchers compare brain development in humans and great apes
How did the human brain become so much larger than that of our closest evolutionary relatives? Part of the answer lies not in new genes, but in how humans and non-human apes use the genes they share. Using brain organoids grown from stem cells, an international team led by
Autonomous rendezvous system overcomes simulated spacecraft failures in lab tests
There is a problem in low Earth orbit, and it's growing. According to the European Space Agency, there are about 19,440 satellites on orbit, 3,540 of which are nonfunctioning and/or not emitting a signal to warn other spacecraft of their location. The need to service these
Cooperation in fish: Study reveals a social complexity seen mainly in birds, mammals
In some group-living animals, individuals other than the parents help care for offspring. This breeding system, known as cooperative breeding, is thought to have evolved from monogamous family groups in which offspring remain in their natal group and engage in various
There’s a New, International Food Pyramid in Town
It’s based on research into dietary guidelines from around the world The post There’s a New, International Food Pyramid in Town appeared first on Nautilus .
Same species, different climate risks: Why plant conservation needs regional strategies
A study analyzing the effects of climate change on vascular plants in the United States finds that the fate of individual plant species tends to be a regional phenomenon.
Reusable palladium catalyst enables more direct chemical synthesis
Making complex molecules often means joining smaller chemical building blocks together, a process facilitated by catalysts, compounds that make such reactions possible or speed them up without being consumed themselves. Many widely used reactions also require chemists to modify
How native stingless bees are helping to combat antimicrobial resistance
New research from the University of Sydney expands the potential medicinal benefits of honey and propolis (the plant resin and beeswax mixture bees use to build their nests) produced by Australia's stingless bees. Building on earlier research, a study led by Ph.D. candidate
New biodiversity framework estimates what landscapes could support, not just what lives there
A flower strip is established along the edge of a field. A wetland is restored. More seminatural habitats are created. The expectation is simple: give nature more space, and biodiversity will increase. But reality is often not so simple.
GenoBridge streamlines plant trait prediction with a simplified genomic analysis pipeline
The rapid increase in the availability of genomic data has transformed plant breeding by enabling the prediction of complex traits directly from DNA markers. Genomic prediction provides a means to accelerate selection decisions, reduce phenotyping costs and shorten breeding
SPINE: A machine-learning program is on the trail of ghost particles
Neutrinos are among the most abundant particles in the universe, but they are also among the most elusive. Nearly massless, they are produced by nuclear reactions in the sun, exploding stars, particle accelerators and even the decay of radioactive elements on Earth. They
Scientists discover hidden weaknesses in microtubules stabilized by a cancer drug
Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University have discovered that tiny structural defects can trigger the breakdown of microtubules, the microscopic structures that help cells maintain their shape, transport materials and divide.
Embrace lazy fall gardening to protect wildlife
As winter approaches, many of us start clearing leaves and tidying up our gardens. But these jobs can remove vital winter habitats for wildlife, particularly with increasingly volatile weather conditions.
