In a study published in Nature Communications biophysicists unravel the mystery of how muscles form at the molecular level and maintain their function. The findings may help design treatments for muscle diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy, one of the leading causes of heart
Southern Europe is "becoming more flammable," with the number of summer days primed for extreme fire conditions more than doubling since 1981, a new study found Thursday.
Quantum fluctuations influence direction-dependent electrical transport in chiral magnets, researchers from Science Tokyo report. In chiral magnetic systems, electric current flows differently depending on its direction, but the role of quantum effects in this behavior has
For centuries, artisanal and industrial activities have left many soils polluted with excessive levels of heavy metals such as zinc, cadmium, copper and lead, posing a threat to the environment and human health. Cleaning up polluted sites is often difficult and expensive,
When catastrophic wildfires capture global headlines, such as the unprecedented blazes sweeping through southern Europe this summer or the devastating 2019–20 "Black Summer" in Australia, they are almost always preceded by severe drought. Dry vegetation and parched landscapes
Algae are increasingly being explored as sustainable "living factories" that can convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into renewable fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other valuable products.
Pharmaceutical drugs often rely on chemical compounds found in the body. Take phosphate, a common compound cells use as a chemical switch. In a process called phosphorylation, cells can add a phosphate to a molecule and turn its function on. When the function is no longer
Italian authorities raised the drought alert level to "high" Thursday in the Po Valley, home to the country's longest river, because of worsening conditions and unfavorable weather forecasts.
Researchers have developed and tested an infrared spectroscopy system that can rapidly detect chemical aerosols from a distance by using light reflected from common surfaces such as traffic signs, tree trunks or painted surfaces. The new method could make it possible to detect
University of Maryland researchers discovered a new approach to treating venomous snakebites—using the same toxin-blocking proteins that snakes evolved to protect themselves. The team found that specific combinations of blood proteins from western diamondback rattlesnakes
Greece on Thursday battled to contain a spate of wildfires, including one on the tourist island of Crete that forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to evacuate and left three firefighters dead.
Large-scale quantum communication networks require both reliable quantum memories and coherent single-photon sources that can exchange quantum information efficiently. A coherent source of single photons with narrow linewidth, high brightness, spectral uniformity and
France and Spain on Thursday glimpsed a reprieve from some of the worst wildfires in living memory, which have sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing—among them Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, Amal.
Sinking water levels in the Danube River have unveiled mammoth bones in Bulgaria and could lead to further discoveries, a local museum director told AFP on Thursday.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have demonstrated a new way of switching a material between two fundamentally different magnetic states using an electric current. The discovery could pave the way for compact, energy-efficient electronic devices that store
Ancient plant seeds provide important archaeological evidence for studying the evolution of human civilization. Lingnan University and Shandong University have jointly developed the world's first artificial intelligence (AI) archaeological system dedicated to identifying
The ocean absorbs roughly a quarter of humanity's carbon dioxide emissions each year. Understanding how that happens, and how it might change, is essential for predicting our climate's future. To do that, scientists need models that simulate not just the ocean's physical
Almost all of these tiny organisms vanished way back in the early Cretaceous period The post Microfossils Help Crack Mystery More Than 100 Million Years in the Making appeared first on Nautilus .
Black holes are often portrayed as cosmic gluttons that swallow everything that comes too close. But new observations of a dramatic black hole outburst—led by Warwick Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Noel Castro Segura—suggest the reality is much messier.
Unlike humans, plants cannot make simple lifestyle adjustments to adapt to changing environments. When exposed to conditions like extreme heat or water scarcity, instead of putting on sweaters or turning on air conditioners, plants need to sense and respond to these
In this July 6, 2026, image, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, exposing the dusty structures and hidden activity that shape this unusual system.
How does the brain learn? Does it acquire new knowledge by creating new neural pathways or by strengthening existing connections? A new study from Bar-Ilan University offers evidence in favor of the latter, suggesting that learning is driven primarily by changes in the strength
Ancient mammals may have had an easier time moving across the Isthmus of Panama from north to south thanks to Mexico’s climate.
A few years ago, the first ceramic finds came to light during construction work in the Burg district of the municipality of Hannersdorf. Geomagnetic surveys in subsequent years provided evidence of numerous kilns thought to lie hidden beneath the field. In a recent educational
When trying to make more sustainable clothing choices, many consumers follow a simple rule: Choose natural fibers over synthetic ones. Cotton instead of polyester. Wool instead of acrylic. Linen instead of nylon.
Black holes sometimes make a break for it The post NASA Just Spotted a Wandering Black Hole Devouring a Star appeared first on Nautilus .
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person classroom instruction to go virtual, students suddenly needed their own laptops or tablets to interact with teachers and complete assignments.
How did the first solids that made up planets, moons and asteroids form from the "hot soup" that characterized our solar system's earliest years? New research from Caltech analyzing pieces of a meteorite has found that, just as snowflakes crystallize around grains of dust,
Lysosomes are small compartments inside cells that break down and recycle biological materials. Once regarded mainly as cellular waste-disposal centers, lysosomes are now understood to be important signaling hubs for calcium and sodium ions. Through these signals, they help
There are roughly 220 million adults in China age 65 or older, more than twice as many as 20 years ago, with 1 in 5 currently reporting depressive symptoms.
A 113-million-year-old marine murder mystery may finally be solved. Using chemical clues locked inside microscopic fossils, Northwestern University scientists found evidence that ocean acidification drove one of the largest extinction events in the history of planktic
UC Berkeley researchers have identified regions of DNA that humans inherited from two unknown ancestors as a result of long-ago interbreeding among modern humans and at least four other archaic human relatives.
Sea-surface salinity, the concentration of dissolved salts in the upper layer of the ocean, is much more than a measure of how salty the sea is. It responds rapidly to changes in rainfall, evaporation, river discharge and, specifically in polar regions, the melting and
Before rain falls, the moisture that forms it may have traveled anywhere from just a few kilometers to hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. It usually begins as water that evaporated from oceans, lakes, forests or fields. According to a paper published in Geophysical
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have recovered and analyzed the first ancient smallpox virus genomes ever identified in the Americas, providing the strongest direct evidence to date that the disease was introduced through European colonization.
Until the Panamanian isthmus formed about 2.8 million years ago, North and South America were isolated continents with unique groups of animals. A riot of marsupials—mammals with brood pouches—and sloths in the south contrasted with camels, horses, pronghorn antelopes and
It’s not the first time the robot has found interesting patterns on the red planet The post Curiosity Rover Finds “Sea of Polygons” on Martian Surface appeared first on Nautilus .
Digital workplace innovation could help more women entrepreneurs become leaders of family firms by making it easier to balance work and family life, according to new research from the University of East London.
For years, researchers have tried to harness the "twist" of light to transmit data. This property describes how light spirals as it travels forward, and because it can be molded into a virtually infinite number of different twists, it provides a massive, promising alphabet for
For around 12,000 years, the Earth has been in the Holocene epoch, a warmer period following a glacial period. During this epoch, however, there have been around 22 abrupt cold phases, each lasting up to several centuries and leading to the expansion of glaciers.
A joint research team led by Daesik Kim, a professor in the Department of Medicine at Sungkyunkwan University, along with Yong-Sub Kim, a professor at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, and Jae-Hyun Park, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, has
Satellite-derived maps of defoliation caused by European spongy moths—a devastating U.S. forest pest that consumes the leaves of a wide variety of trees—offer a promising solution for tracking where and when to spray and for identifying large-scale trends and conditions that
New UC Berkeley-led research indicates that continued climate change could severely increase wildfire above natural levels in Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Lassen Volcanic national parks.
New research points to a seafaring people who ranged far and wide The post The Odyssey of the Stone Age Maltese appeared first on Nautilus .
Strategic public investment in research and development (R&D) can begin boosting economic activity immediately, according to a study led by the University of Southampton. The research shows it can also mobilize private R&D, supporting economic growth for years.
A team led by researchers at the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), in Manaus, has found evidence that the "zombie-ant" fungus (genus Ophiocordyceps), known worldwide for controlling ant behavior and forcing infected ants to bite plants before dying, also lives
Biosphere reserves help curb deforestation in the Western Amazon and, taken together, have prevented the loss of more than 7,400 square kilometers (2,900 square miles) of forest over the last two decades compared with similar scenarios without this protection status. This is
A new study in Nature Communications has established a link between the Riemann Hypothesis and dynamical phase transitions in engineered quantum systems, demonstrating the effect on a quantum processor.
Space isn't known for rich soil or ideal agricultural conditions anywhere in the solar system. Yet amid extreme temperatures and vast distances, multidisciplinary teams at USF's Aerospace: Science, Technology, Research and Applications Center (ASTRA) are collaborating on
Where do gold, platinum and uranium come from? This question has fascinated astrophysicists and nuclear physicists for decades. A research team from Technische Universität Darmstadt has now taken an important step toward understanding the origin of heavy elements. Their
