The sun has become increasingly active since 2008, a new NASA study shows. Solar activity is known to fluctuate in cycles of 11 years, but there are longer-term variations that can last decades. Case in point: Since the 1980s, the amount of solar activity had been steadily
Once again, an endangered orca in Washington state has been seen carrying her dead newborn calf in an apparent effort to revive it.
Researchers at the University of Maine are theorizing that human beings may be in the midst of a major evolutionary shift—driven not by genes, but by culture.
This is what fun looks like for a particular set of theoretical chemists driven to solve extremely difficult problems: Deciding whether the electromagnetic fields in molecular polaritons should be treated classically or quantum mechanically.
A team led by Prof. Yan Lu, HZB, and Prof. Arne Thomas, Technical University of Berlin, has developed a material that enhances the capacity and stability of lithium-sulfur batteries. The material is based on polymers that form a framework with open pores (known as
A multi-year study has revealed that between 2018 and 2021, wheat diseases caused the loss of approximately 560 million bushels—valued at US $2.9 billion, or $18.10 per acre, in farmer revenue—across 29 U.S. states and Ontario, Canada.
Brazil's Amazon rainforest has shrunk by an area as big as Spain over four decades and is nearing a dangerous tipping point, according to monitoring data released Monday.
Around 4,000 plant species from different parts of the world secrete nectar outside their flowers, such as on their stems or leaves, through secretory glands known as extrafloral nectaries. Unlike floral nectar, extrafloral nectar does not attract pollinators; rather, it
A research team led by Professor Simona Giunta at the University of Rome La Sapienza has produced the first reference-quality genome assembly of an experimentally relevant human cell line, the widely used retinal pigment epithelial line RPE-1. The work, published in Nature
A study published in Management Science challenges conventional wisdom about name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies in college football, demonstrating they actively enhance competitive balance and broaden opportunities for athletes.
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has revolutionized modern biology, allowing scientists to study the expression of genes from thousands of individual cells at the same time. This technique helps researchers identify different cell populations, study cellular
It is often seen as the scourge of modern society, littering our highways, byways and beaches. But now a new study argues that modern plastics are also a valuable archive documenting activities and behaviors at a crucial time in our human history.
Chess is a strategic game characterized by temporal complexity—wherein the goodness of a move is unclear due to a separation between action and outcome. Likewise, many organizational decisions do not yield instant consequences, leading to temporally complex problems.
Scientists have discovered what's thought to be the oldest known mummies in the world in southeastern Asia dating back up to 12,000 years.
Scientists have identified the origins of the blue color in one of Jackson Pollock's paintings with a little help from chemistry, confirming for the first time that the abstract expressionist used a vibrant, synthetic pigment known as manganese blue.
A new study led by Professor Diego Garzia of the University of Lausanne, published in Public Opinion Quarterly, reveals a major shift in electoral motivation. In many Western democracies, voters are now more driven by opposition to their political adversaries than by support
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have long been hailed as the future of clean mobility: cars that emit nothing but water while delivering high efficiency and power density. Yet a stubborn obstacle remains. The heart of the fuel cell, the platinum-based catalyst, is both expensive
Early scientific theories—such as those explaining basic phenomena like gravity, burning, and the movement of molecules in water—centered on presumed inherent properties rather than external factors, thereby misleading famous philosophers and scientists, from Aristotle to
It's not easy eating green. Most plants are heavily defended with chemicals to deter plant eaters. For these herbivores, getting enough to eat, while minimizing exposure to toxins, is a persistent challenge that shapes their foraging choices.
Southeast Asian groups mummified bodies over smoky fires before burying them as early as 12,000 years ago, long before Egyptians began making mummies.
A new study suggests that permanent standard time may reduce obesity and stroke
Neutrinos are one of the most enigmatic particles in the standard model. The main reason is that they're so hard to detect. Despite the fact that 400 trillion of them created in the sun are passing through a person's body every second, they rarely interact with normal matter,
It took decades, stacks of legal paperwork and countless phone calls, but, in the spring of 2025, a California Chuckchansi Native American woman and her daughter walked onto a 5-acre parcel of land, shaded by oaks and pines, for the first time.
The kelp forest is ephemeral, yet foundational. Fronds of this fast-growing giant seaweed come and go with the seasons, storms and waves, supporting communities of fish, invertebrates and even mammals wherever they emerge. As dynamic as they are in the ocean, kelp forests are
As the saying goes, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." But in social media commentary, vinegar seems to be the tone of choice.
Plant stem cells are crucial for the world's food supply, animal feed, and fuel production. They lay the foundation for how plants grow. Yet, much about these mysterious building blocks remains unknown. Previous analyses have failed to locate many of the important genes that
In Missouri, soybeans aren't just a crop; they're the state's top commodity. At the University of Missouri, researchers are developing innovative ways to improve the flavor of soy-based foods, deliver more health benefits and appeal to a wider audience.
While Mars today only has a wispy remnant of an atmosphere, it may once have had one hundreds of times thicker with a pressure three times that on Earth
Scientists from the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) have discovered how nanoplastics—even smaller than microplastics—disrupt energy metabolism in brain cells. Their findings may have implications for better understanding neurodegenerative diseases characterized by
Cornell Engineering researchers have demonstrated that, by zapping a synthetic thin film with ultrafast pulses of low-frequency infrared light, they can cause its lattice to atomically expand and contract billions of times per second—strain-driven "breathing" that could
The issue of citizens' defense willingness has gained renewed urgency in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For small and medium-sized states, which rely on whole-of-society defense efforts, such willingness is a prerequisite for a functioning total
Typically, plants rely on the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to usable organic matter for growth. Although this cycle is the main pathway for carbon fixation in all plants on Earth, it is surprisingly inefficient—losing one third
Alexander Fleming's accidental discovery of penicillin in 1928 changed the world: Once-common bacterial infections, sometimes deadly, were treatable, and a slew of antibiotics followed. But bacteria have proven a wily adversary, adapting to resist antibiotic treatment.
Microbes include bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae and archaea (single-celled microorganisms with a bacteria-like structure). They are invisible to the human eye, but they play a huge role, shaping ecosystems, producing food and regulating disease.
When the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Observatory goes online later this decade, it will create one of science's biggest data challenges. The SKA Observatory is a global radio telescope project built in the Southern Hemisphere. There, views of our Milky Way are clearest and the
A joint research team from POSTECH and Inha University researchers has successfully developed a novel biomaterial that overcomes the limitations of natural elastin.
The impact of retirement on mental health depends on income level, the nature of the job left behind, and the age at which people leave the workforce, a study suggests.
Hollywood and commercial cinema often portray microbes as villains—causing deadly epidemics, fueling apocalyptic scenarios, or being weaponized for destruction. This stereotype reinforces a cultural bias known as germophobia. But a new review argues that films can also serve as
Mice often communicate in ultrasound, which is so high-pitched that it's beyond human hearing. Because these sounds don't travel very far, it was thought that they were only used for private, close-up conversations. New research on wild African striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio)
Over the next decade, Elon Musk could become the world's first trillionaire. The Tesla board recently proposed a US$1 trillion (A$1.5 trillion) compensation plan, if Musk can meet a series of ambitious growth targets.
An international team of authors led by Ilka Agricola, professor of mathematics at the University of Marburg, Germany, has investigated fraudulent practices in the publication of research results in mathematics on behalf of the German Mathematical Society (DMV) and the
Kangaroo Island in South Australia is home to a large, mostly disease-free koala population which, at first glance, looks like a conservation success story.
When the next pandemic threat looms, help may come from an unexpected source: wild animals. In a new study led by Prof. Ran Nathan from the Movement Ecology Lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, researchers propose a bold new approach to detecting and managing disease
Frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians are disappearing as fast as—or faster than—any other class of animals around the world, succumbing to a variety of threats, like emerging infectious diseases. According to new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, one
Rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are known to raise temperatures in Earth's atmosphere. But slow feedback processes, including heat storage in the ocean and changes in the carbon cycle, mean that sometimes, such temperature changes don't manifest right away; it can take
Republican-leaning economists tend to predict stronger economic growth when a Republican is president than Democrats do—and because of this partisan optimism, their forecasts end up being less accurate.
Microplastics seem to be everywhere—in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. They have turned up in human organs, blood, testicles, placentas and even brains.
By combining AI with molecular dynamics simulations, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new tool to more accurately predict how plants and helpful microbes communicate and form partnerships at the most fundamental level.
A new study has found that demand for jobs could be just as important as skill level in how people feel about immigration.
Chamkaur Ghag is on a mission to find the 85 per cent of the universe’s matter that we haven’t yet identified. He details his hopes for the major scientific experiment – and what the future could hold
