Solar cells and photocatalysts can be surprisingly inefficient. Despite light consisting of many wavelengths, the range that even highly efficient devices use is limited. Other wavelengths, especially long wavelengths, simply pass through the material without being used as
Well-being is increasingly regarded as an important indicator of societal progress, extending beyond economic growth to capture how people experience and evaluate their lives. It is also closely connected to health, longevity, productivity and quality of life. It has also been
The reproductive organs might have hidden role The post Ovaries Might Take on an Immune Function After Menopause appeared first on Nautilus .
The next time you post a nature photo online, you might be contributing to a major scientific breakthrough—just as several citizen scientists did when they helped discover the wasp Eupelmus curvator in Japan.
England chalked up its warmest June since records began in 1884, the United Kingdom's weather agency said Wednesday, after a month that saw temperatures soar to new highs.
In the northern hemisphere, the summer season is rolling in, and the heat is on the rise. For horses, these high temperatures also mean an increased risk of respiratory issues, such as recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN).
Parts of Portugal, including the Lisbon region, will be placed on red alert after being relatively spared from Europe's worst heat wave, which set records in several countries.
A study by ESMT Berlin shows that startups often learn the wrong lessons when entering a market if they do not coordinate pricing, advertising and inventory decisions. The researchers show that targeted experiments with price and advertising help firms better understand
Human evolution is generally explained through changes in brain size, locomotion or tool use, but new research from Wits University suggests that gum disease and changes in facial structure may have been important factors in shaping the evolutionary path that ultimately led to
Blistering temperatures and humidity gripped swaths of the United States on Wednesday, with the worst yet to come for the densely populated East Coast as the nation co-hosts the World Cup and prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday.
Millions of women worldwide suffer from vaginal yeast infections. These infections are most commonly caused by the fungus Candida albicans and can lead to symptoms ranging from itching and burning to recurrent inflammation. An international research team has now shown that an
A new study of wild bats reveals that an animal's immune system is shaped by more than its need to fight infections. Researchers from the University of Maryland have found that sex, age and competition for mates influence how bats balance different types of immune
For the first time, NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission has identified a planet orbiting a distant star thanks to its warping of space-time. Unlike the star-hugging transiting planets TESS regularly reveals, the newfound microlensing world is a
A new evolutionary theory suggests that some asexual parasites may temporarily be able to infect a wider range of hosts as harmful genetic mutations build up. In a paper published in Trends in Parasitology, Cock van Oosterhout, a professor from the University of East Anglia
A new big-data analysis of the U.S. pinpoints how urban design aids the health of city residents—especially when cities provide walking opportunities, greenery and mixed-use streets with a blend of commercial and residential activity.
A surprising discovery is overturning a long-held assumption about how the brain’s movement center works. Researchers found that two key cerebellar cell types—thought to be tightly linked—often don’t behave in predictable ways, even though one directly influences the other. The
As humans, our eyes take in two-dimensional images that our brains convert to three-dimensional experiences. This ability enables us to be aware of our position in space, judge distances, possess depth perception, and visually examine and enjoy all manner of objects and
The growing use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, requires energy storage systems that can charge quickly, deliver power efficiently and remain stable over long-term use. Batteries can store large amounts of energy, but they often take longer to charge.
Citizen scientists strike again The post How a Twitter Post Discovered a New Wasp Species to Japan appeared first on Nautilus .
Some creative calculations using bug traps, epidemiology and trees suggest there are some 20 million unique insect species on Earth
Imagine a piece of space debris the size of a hockey puck slams into a Starlink satellite at about 10 kilometers per second. The kinetic energy is equivalent to 2 kilograms of TNT, or a fully loaded semitruck traveling at 100 kilometers an hour.
Scientists have engineered a nanoscale switch using DNA "origami." Inspired by macroscale mechanical switches, the device achieves long-term functionality without the continuous forcing mechanism that past versions required while remaining capable of fast switching. The paper
Before a leaf dies, plants recover nutrients that the rest of the plant can reuse for growth and survival. Researchers at Umeå Plant Science Center have now identified a metabolic "point of no return" linked to the amino acid arginine. The study suggests that plants use
The challenges and consequences surrounding children's screen use are a leading concern for UK families.
A Korean research team has developed a new viral vector technology that significantly improves the production efficiency of next-generation cell and gene therapies known as CAR immune cell therapies, which are designed to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
AI-generated impersonations of political figures are judged by members of the public to be more authentic, relevant and coherent than the speakers' actual debate responses, according to a study appearing in PLOS One, written by Steffen Herbold of the University of Passau in
In cancer research, one person's junk is increasingly becoming another person's treasure. Scientists have uncovered new evidence showing how recently evolved "junk DNA" genetic elements can become integrated into ancient cellular pathways that regulate cancer. These findings
Beneath the surface of soybean fields, an invisible threat is costing farmers billions. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are uncovering how nature itself may hold the key to fighting back. The soybean cyst nematode—a microscopic worm that attacks plant roots and
A new analysis supports the previously overlooked "brain lag" hypothesis—the idea that, in some primate lineages, the evolution of larger body size preceded the evolution of larger brain size—while also building on that hypothesis by suggesting that some lineages' brain sizes
A research group led by Satoshi Ide from the University of Tokyo has demonstrated that classic earthquake generation theory does not hold in areas where the angle at which a tectonic plate dips under another is sufficiently low. The discovery explains why giant earthquakes can
The thermometer reads 95°F (35°C) in Brooklyn, and vulnerable individuals need information to take appropriate action. New York City officials must gather facts quickly to provide updates on cooling centers, power outages and other details that could save lives. Are these
Do the world's religions and contemplative traditions send people to the same place—compassion, bliss, awe, a sense of God, awareness or the universe?
Researchers at The University of Manchester and Hebei University of Technology have identified how a new class of catalyst can break down lignin into useful chemical building blocks, offering a more sustainable route to replace fossil-based materials.
Scientists want to use LLMs to model human emotions and study human mental health The post Does Your Chatbot Need a Therapist? appeared first on Nautilus .
Organic molecular crystals can respond to external stimuli such as heat, light, and mechanical force, making them attractive candidates for next-generation functional materials. However, predicting how multiple intermolecular interactions cooperate or compete to govern crystal
Earthquakes still arrive without warning. That is the hard truth scientists have been forced to accept, despite a decade of advances in artificial intelligence, satellite monitoring and dense seismic networks.
While many of life's mysteries remain unsolved, every biologist can describe the basic processes performed by a living organism, including energy use, reproduction, growth and development. While these characteristics can be replicated in isolation in a lab, the idea of a
The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) have developed a new generation of wireless piezoelectric microdevices capable of electrically stimulating living cells at an individual level. The study, recently
Modern cosmology rests on a simple assumption: If we look on large enough scales, matter should be distributed evenly, with no preferred direction within the cosmos. This is known as the cosmological principle.
Fake, painted decoys suggest immature coloring acts as a social signal, reducing aggression from territorial nesting gulls.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has started a 10-year survey of the changing night sky
A bibliometric analysis of mobile learning research published between 2017 and 2026 shows a sharp expansion in output. There was a big surge between 2020 and 2022 associated with pandemic-driven shifts in higher education. Mobile learning (m-learning), defined as the use of
European brown bears are masters of survival: These animals have weathered Pleistocene climate fluctuations and survived the cycles of ice ages and interglacial periods to the present day. Zoologists have now investigated the origins of this evolutionary flexibility: 3D
Seventy years ago, Earth had only one satellite: the moon. Now it has more than 15,000—about 10,000 of which are owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The world's first trillionaire plans to launch 1 million more satellites, each roughly 70 meters (230 feet) long and 20 meters (66 feet)
Australia is home to some of the world's most beautiful reefs. This includes the lush Great Southern Reef, which wraps around Australia's southern coastline, and the world-renowned Great Barrier Reef.
The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescopes have spotted the aftermath of three bright explosions echoing through the outer spiral arms of our galaxy, the Milky Way. By measuring the distance to these echoes, they found the outer arms to be
An analysis of fossil teeth from mammals that lived in China following the most recent major mass extinction suggests size came before both shape and function as diets diversified.
"I hate you. You're the worst mum in the world!" It's a sentence that can feel heartbreaking to parents. You try to set a boundary with your little one, and they lash out with "I hate you."
A new study by a doctoral researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, suggests global dust storms on Mars may organize the Martian atmosphere into regions favorable for electrical activity, increasing the potential for
Saturn's moon Enceladus has become a prime solar system target for astrobiologists. This is because the small moon, which is just over 10% the diameter of Earth's moon, harbors a vast subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust. This subsurface ocean, combined with the geysers at
