Humans develop sharp vision during early fetal development thanks to an interplay between a vitamin A derivative and thyroid hormones in the retina, Johns Hopkins University scientists have found. The findings could upend decades of conventional understanding of how the eye
With a few minutes of searching, anyone can find videos online of chatty birds: macaws talk to their keepers, cockatoos sing to the camera, corvids mimic the jarring sounds of construction sites. Research has shown that some birds can understand and use words in context—so,
Some lobster mothers produce offspring that are far more likely to survive—in findings that could help safeguard lobster diversity. University of Exeter researchers, working in partnership with the National Lobster Hatchery (NLH) in Cornwall, studied European lobsters that
Five dietary patterns that involve eating lots of plants have been linked with living up to three years longer, even among people who are genetically predisposed to have a shorter life
Gray wolves adapt their diets as a result of climate change, eating harder foods such as bones to extract nutrition during warmer climates, new research has found. The study, led by the University of Bristol in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, and published in
Their speediness was likely an adaptation to dashing around increasingly patchy habitats The post How the Fastest Land Animal in North America Got Its Need for Speed appeared first on Nautilus .
It’s no surprise that eating fruits and vegetables is good for you, but diets that are rich in these foods could boost longevity, too, according to a new study
Brazilian scientists have made advances in an area recognized by the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: the development and application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These are porous crystalline materials that have the potential to revolutionize environmental and energy
Researchers from the University of Tartu Institute of Physics have developed a novel method for enhancing the quality of three-dimensional images by increasing the depth of focus in holograms fivefold after recording, using computational imaging techniques. The technology
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Kong Lingtao at the Institute of Solid State Physics, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a new metal-organic framework (MOF)-based material capable of efficiently removing fluoride ions
Controlled manipulation of fibers that are as thin as or even thinner than human hair is a real challenge. Despite technological development, the precise and reversible change of the microfibers' orientation is not easy. The interdisciplinary team of researchers from the
Hypothetical dark matter stars known as "boson stars" could leave telltale ripples across the cosmos, offering researchers a new way to probe the invisible forces shaping the universe. In 2019, a strange event was observed in the depths of space. Called GW190521, the event sent
Time crystals could one day provide a reliable foundation for ultra-precise quantum clocks, new mathematical analysis has revealed. Published in Physical Review Letters, the research was led by Ludmila Viotti at the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in
With extreme weather events, fires and floods growing increasingly common, general warnings are no longer adequate. Researchers at Uppsala University, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization and others, now call for change—from mass mailings to personalized
A study led by Francisco Vallés Morán, a researcher at the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de València, has analyzed in detail the flooding caused by the DANA on 29 October 2024 in l'Horta Sud (Valencia) using advanced
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de València highlights the importance of these ecosystems as key tools for improving water quality, protecting soil and mitigating diffuse
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have uncovered a master transcriptional regulator that controls rhizobial symbiosis between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. By identifying an amino acid motif that emerged before the appearance of rhizobial symbiosis, they show that
To lower agricultural emissions, policymakers and communities first need to pinpoint the sources—not just by country but crop by crop, field by field. In a study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers have synthesized data from multiple ground sources and models to map
Since 2010, the IceCube Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been delivering groundbreaking measurements of high-energy cosmic neutrinos. It consists of many detectors embedded in a volume of Antarctic ice measuring approximately one cubic kilometer. IceCube
As semiconductor manufacturing rapidly expands to meet growing global demand for generative AI and advanced electronics, a new review published in Environmental Science & Technology assesses the current state of science, technology, and policy around managing per- and
One of the greatest mysteries of our planet is how a soup of lifeless chemicals transformed into the first living cell. There are several competing theories about where this happened, from frozen polar ice to superheated hydrothermal vents. But one thing that most scientists
Weird things are happening in Yellowstone National Park The post Is the Supervolcano in Yellowstone About to Erupt? appeared first on Nautilus .
Harnessing the power of the sun holds the promise of providing future societies with energy abundance. To make this a reality, fusion researchers need to address many technological challenges. For example, fusion reactions occur within a superheated state of matter, called
Economic and public health conditions influence universities' research priorities. A study led by INGENIO, a joint research center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), reveals how, in times of economic growth,
A research team from the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators from Anhui University, ShanghaiTech University, and the University of New Hampshire, has demonstrated the first
Sources say an Army antidrone laser near Fort Bliss prompted a brief FAA airspace closure—spotlighting the hazards of battlefield technology in civilian skies
African swine fever has been detected outside a containment zone in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region for the first time since its outbreak in November, officials said on Friday.
A new crew rocketed toward the International Space Station on Friday to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in NASA's first medical evacuation.
Back in 2021, Pierre Stallforth and his team at the Leibniz-Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) showed that bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Paenibacillus join forces to protect themselves from their predator, an amoeba. Now, a team
The first solar eclipse of the year will grace Antarctica, and only a lucky few will get to bask—or waddle—in its glow.
Finding rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold, in preserved medical specimens and analysing their RNA genome could let us trace the evolution of human illness
More than 300 years later, the astronomer was finally vindicated The post When Galileo’s Cosmic Convictions Landed Him in Court appeared first on Nautilus .
Simulations suggest that two enormous masses of hot rock have been involved in generating Earth’s magnetic field and giving it an irregular shape
Couples who spend more time savoring the pleasurable moments they share are happier together, argue less, and are more confident their relationship will last, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers say in a new study. "Savoring involves slowing down to become aware
Do you know what it means to be smart? It's a more complicated question than it may seem. There are several ways to think about intelligence—as the well-known "book-vs.-street smart" binary illustrates. By most people's definition, a truly smart person would be someone who not
Every smell tells a unique story The post This Is What an Egyptian Mummy Smells Like appeared first on Nautilus .
New plankton arrived just a few millennia — maybe even decades — after the Chicxulub asteroid, forcing a rethink of evolution's catastrophe response speed.
Columnist Philip Ball thinks the phenomenon of decoherence might finally bridge the quantum-classical divide. The post Are the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics Beginning To Dissolve? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Scientists may have stumbled across a network of vessels in the brain that helps clear out waste fluid – a discovery that could "represent a paradigm shift in our understanding of all neurodegenerative diseases"
Glacier tourism tends to do more harm than good, and when the glaciers are gone, local economies will have to adapt The post The Tourist Draw of Melting Glaciers appeared first on Nautilus .
Off-putting smells can make even the healthiest of foods unpalatable. In a new study, researchers have developed a way to remove unpleasant aromas from plant-based proteins to make them smell more appealing. They did so by designing a two-step fermentation process to counter
Keeping high-power particle accelerators at peak performance requires advanced and precise control systems. For example, the primary research machine at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility features hundreds of fine-tuned components
Fish oil’s cancer-fighting reputation may hinge on a little-known gene. Researchers discovered that omega-3s like EPA and DHA help curb colorectal cancer only when the enzyme ALOX15 is present. Without it, fish oil sometimes increased tumor growth in mice—especially DHA. The
Purrs of contentment. Soulful eyes locked on yours over dinner. Valentine's Day? Not for pet owners. For those of us who share our lives with animals, this is a daily—if not exactly romantic—experience. So are the various barks, meows, whines, and other, sometimes adorable,
From the biathlon to the slopestyle to the giant slalom, raising a ski above your head after crossing the finish line is the triumphant Olympic skier's standard celebration. But why do the skis of the competitors in each event look so different?
In Cape Verde, conservation has boosted the sea turtle population 100-fold — but the male-female balance is way off.
NASA's Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project has completed an important step toward using local resources to support human exploration on the moon. The CaRD team performed integrated prototype testing that used concentrated solar energy to extract oxygen from
Valentine's Day is upon us again. But what does it really take for couples to stay together for a long time?
National science organizations may have more women members today than a decade ago, but representation at the highest level has failed to keep pace, according to analysis published on International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Scientists at Cedars-Sinai have uncovered a surprising repair system in the spinal cord that could open new doors for treating paralysis, stroke, and diseases like multiple sclerosis. They found that special support cells called astrocytes—located far from the actual