A colony of leafcutter ants is home to more than just one species. Each year, studies reveal new layers of complexity in these ecosystems, where various fungi and bacteria thrive alongside the ants, resulting in countless interactions and the production of unknown compounds. In
In Korea and Japan, humanoid machines aren’t rivals but partners The post What the US Could Learn From Asia’s Robot Revolution appeared first on Nautilus .
AI systems are increasingly shaping public opinion, often in very subtle ways. A new study reveals that current legislation, such as the EU AI Act, is ill-equipped to handle this shift. The findings, authored by researchers from the Weizenbaum Institute, were recently published
Skyrmions, in which electron spins inside a magnet are arranged like vortices, are a key structure in next-generation spintronics technology. KAIST researchers have shown that skyrmions can form using only the fundamental physical interactions within magnets, without requiring
The European Space Agency's (ESA's) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe is on its (very long) way to Jupiter, and will finally arrive at the King of Planets in 2031. Its primary mission is to focus on the "big three" icy moons—Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto. But while
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime produced by violent cosmic events, such as the merging of black holes. So far, direct detections have relied on measuring tiny distance changes over kilometer-scale instruments. In a new theoretical study published in Physical Review
In 1959, the Luna 2 probe from the Soviet Union became the very first human-made object to reach our closest celestial neighbor. In the decades since, we have been leaving footprints—both literally and figuratively—all over the moon. Today, there are over 100 metric tons of
From GPS satellites to mobile networks, modern technology relies on ultra-precise radio signals. Engineers have long tried to generate them on chips using interactions between light and sound, but the effect was too weak. University of Twente researchers now show in a paper
Idaho's Silver Valley has produced about 1.2 billion ounces of silver since the late 1800s, enough to cast a solid cube roughly as tall as a five-story building, along with huge amounts of lead and zinc. Now a new study led by Washington State University researchers helps
Penn-led researchers have shown for the first time that multiple, information-carrying light signals can be safely guided through chip-based, reconfigurable networks using topology, the esoteric branch of mathematics that says donuts and mugs are identical. Because topological
A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes, could severely disrupt global supply chains and destabilize energy markets, potentially leading to far-reaching economic impacts, according to a new study conducted by the Supply
A catalyst developed by a Washington State University research team efficiently converts abundant, renewable ethanol into valuable molecules needed for production of plastics, fuels, and everyday products. The advance could someday make it easier to use renewables rather than
Scientists have discovered mosquitoes can act like tiny "flying wildlife surveyors," helping researchers detect elusive and endangered animals in Australia's national parks. A team from Macquarie University and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
There's more evidence that water once flowed on Mars with the discovery of an ancient river delta deep below the surface. NASA's Perseverance rover found it more than 35 meters beneath Jezero Crater using ground-penetrating radar. Perseverance was launched in 2020 to search for
If we're to find extraterrestrial life in the universe, astronomers have pinpointed the best places to look for it. They have identified just under 50 rocky worlds most likely to be habitable out of the more than 6,000 exoplanets discovered so far.
For 20 years, this computational linguistics competition has inspired new generations of innovators in AI and language preservation
Using the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, an international team of astronomers has observed C-19—an extremely metal-poor stellar stream in the Milky Way's halo. Results of the observational campaign, published March 11 on the arXiv pre-print server,
Tropical Cyclone Narelle is currently a very dangerous Category 5 storm, sitting off the Far North Queensland Coast some 350 kilometers northeast of Cooktown. Formed in the Coral Sea, Narelle is packing a punch, with sustained winds near the center of 205km per hour and wind
According to an article published in Antiquity by Dr. Svitlana Ivanova and her colleagues, the Yamna culture's repurposing of older ritual spaces reflects a deliberate appropriation and continuation of sacred spaces. A case study of the Revova Kurgan 3, located in the northern
Carbon forms the graphite in pencils, the diamonds in jewelry and the molecules that make up every living thing. But under extreme conditions—like the heat and pressure of intense explosions—carbon can transform into exotic nanometer-sized structures called nanocarbons. These
A humble droplet can be an immensely useful tool for a number of fields, from medicine to manufacturing. Controlling the size of the droplet, though, is an important—and very tricky—task. With unprecedented precision, a team of researchers determined how droplets break up into
According to research published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media, if you want to attract more interest on dating apps, don't just list your best qualities in your profile—instead, tell a story about your life. Dating profiles that tell a story create empathy and
Climate change is affecting microbes, and that has implications for all life on Earth.
New research from engineers at Monash University and RMIT has revealed that moisture absorption is the most important factor in how carbon fiber used in aircraft degrades over time. The discovery could help the aerospace industry predict material aging more accurately, improve
New strength training guidelines emphasize that doing any resistance training is what truly matters. Based on decades of research, experts say even simple routines can increase muscle, strength, and physical function. The key is not perfection but consistency. In fact, the best
A new subatomic particle known as the Ξcc⁺ has been discovered at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. This heavy proton-like particle contains two charm quarks and was detected using the upgraded LHCb experiment. Scientists observed it through its decay into lighter particles in
Every time a tree trunk is sawn, it creates sawdust. Millions of tons of sawdust are produced every year worldwide, with most of it being burned to generate energy. This releases the carbon dioxide stored in the wood back into the atmosphere, which is not ideal from an
Baby rattlesnake bites are less dangerous than bites from adult rattlesnakes, according to a new study from Loma Linda University that summarizes the origin, transmission, and prevalence of the longstanding myth that baby rattlesnake bites are more dangerous.
Malaria parasites contain tiny spinning crystals that have puzzled scientists for years. New research reveals they’re powered by a rocket-like reaction that breaks down hydrogen peroxide, releasing energy. This motion may help the parasite detoxify harmful chemicals and manage
Medieval manuscripts, paintings and chess sets reveal that the so-called "game of kings" defied social structures and racial attitudes by celebrating the intellectual prowess of winners irrespective of their skin color.
Gerd Faltings shocked mathematicians around the world for his 1983 proof of the Mordell conjecture, which brought together seemingly disparate mathematical fields
Cute, green, and sporting two sprigs of hair on his head, a mischievous baby dinosaur named Dooly is one of the most beloved cartoon characters in South Korea. So, when researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and the Korean Dinosaur Research Center discovered a new
Jurors grappling with complex legal jargon are more likely to vote guilty while coming away less confident in their own performance and the judicial system, according to a new study published in the Journal of Applied Communication Research.
When can mathematicians reverse engineer basketball tournament results from your friends’ brackets?
The Mordell conjecture—now known as Faltings’s theorem—concerns the number of special points on a curve
A new study suggests that eating less sweet food doesn’t make people crave it any less—or improve their health markers. Participants who increased or decreased sweetness in their diets showed no changes in preferences, weight, or disease risk. Many even returned to their old
The stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud aren’t behaving the way they should. A cataclysmic collision with another nearby galaxy may be the culprit
Used in mice, it induces fasting, but by an unusual mechanism The post Is This Metabolic Molecule from Pythons the Next Big Weight-Loss Drug? appeared first on Nautilus .
When you fold a flexible material such as a pancake or a tortilla, its behaviour depends on a competition between gravity and elasticity
The United States and Mexico have been in a historic megadrought since the turn of the century. For more than 25 years, the American Southwest has faced the severe social and economic consequences of this megadrought—including a $1.1 billion agricultural loss in California in
Villagers on a remote island in Papua New Guinea have been warned not to eat fish until scientists can identify the cause of thousands of deaths of marine creatures and hundreds of cases of illness.
Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published Thursday.
We are constantly told to watch out for the health risks of eating ultra-processed food, but should you be worried every time you sit down for a meal? Sam Wong takes a look at the evidence
For years, people with prediabetes have been told the same thing: lose weight or risk developing diabetes. But new research flips that idea on its head, showing that blood sugar can return to normal even without shedding pounds. The key isn’t just how much fat you carry—it’s
Tropical peatlands, some of the planet’s largest underground carbon stores, are now burning at levels never seen in at least 2,000 years. By analyzing charcoal preserved in peat across multiple continents, scientists discovered that fires had actually been declining for more
Scientists recreated a life-size oviraptor nest to understand how these dinosaurs hatched their eggs. Their experiments showed the parent likely couldn’t heat all the eggs directly, meaning sunlight played a key role. This uneven heating could cause eggs in the same nest to
Changing how people shower, report leaks and flush toilets could help close England's projected five billion liter daily water shortfall—but only if the water sector builds the evidence base to make it work, according to a new report led by the University of Surrey. The report
K-12 teachers and students across the country are increasingly using AI in and out of classrooms, whether it is teachers turning to AI to refine lesson plans or students asking AI to help them research a particular topic.
In a new, survey-based study of three kinds of "designer" crossbreed dogs, cockapoos, cavapoos and labradoodles, all three showed more undesirable behaviors than at least one of their purebred progenitor breeds, with cockapoos displaying the most unwanted habits. Gina Bryson of
Why not get a cocker spaniel or poodle instead? The post The Science Is in: No One Likes Your Cockapoo appeared first on Nautilus .
