Exploring the moon will require rovers that can think for themselves
NASA is planning to send three small rovers to the moon with a single instruction: Work out among yourselves how to explore a patch of ground.
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Topical clove oil for canine sarcoptic mange promises faster, plant-based treatment
Canine sarcoptic mange (scabies) is a skin condition in which microscopic mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) infest dogs' skin. The condition is contagious and zoonotic and can be difficult to detect. If left untreated, it can cause bleeding sores, malnutrition, emaciation and secondary
Early-universe plasma may have stopped dark photons from heating cosmos
A new paper published in Physical Review Letters reveals that a leading dark matter candidate—the hypothetical "dark photon"—would not have heated the early universe as previously thought. The finding opens a vast region for experimental searches and could change the hunt for
Neptune's tiny moons tell the story of Triton's destructive capture
Neptune's moon and ring system stand out among the giant planets because of the strange imbalance between its one very large moon and its many tiny moons. Its largest moon, Triton, makes up more than 99% of the mass of all satellites orbiting the planet while orbiting
Scientists detect a surprising shift in human blood as CO2 rises
Rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be leaving a measurable imprint inside the human body. Researchers analyzing more than two decades of U.S. health data found that blood bicarbonate levels have climbed about 7% since 1999, while calcium and phosphorus have
When gut microbes run low on fiber, they may start eating you
Gut microbes need something to eat, and when fiber is limited, they may begin consuming proteins from the mucus lining that protects the gut. Researchers found that fiber can suppress this process, while indigestible plant proteins help microbes produce more beneficial compounds.
A 30-year-old fossil was hiding bones from a mysterious ancient sea monster
Fossils collected in Osaka more than 30 years ago have revealed a surprise hiding in plain sight: four previously unrecognized bones from a giant Cretaceous mosasaur. Among them is the first confirmed premaxilla—the frontmost bone of the upper jaw—ever identified in a Japanese
Common food preservative linked to rising suicide deaths among young people
A widely available food-preservation chemical is emerging as a disturbing factor in rising UK suicide deaths, particularly among younger people and men. Researchers say the scale may be underestimated and are calling for urgent restrictions on access and harmful online
One-off campus programs fall short on preventing sexual violence, review finds
A recent National Student Safety Survey found that one in six students attending Australian universities had been sexually harassed and one in 20 had been sexually assaulted since starting university.
Is This the World’s Oldest Image of a Mind‑altering Plant?
A painted panel deep in a Spanish cave may push the human relationship with mind-altering plants back thousands of years, earlier than anything previously known The post Is This the World’s Oldest Image of a Mind‑altering Plant? appeared first on Nautilus .
A 60-year-old theory about ants, bees and wasps may be wrong
Scientists have long thought an unusual genetic system helped ants, bees, and wasps evolve their extraordinary social colonies. A massive new analysis suggests that genetics alone can’t explain it—and the real secret may lie in other traits unique to these insects.
Tungsten may suffer more radiation damage in fusion reactors than expected
Fusion reactors, devices that generate energy by fusing light atomic nuclei at extremely high temperatures, could contribute to ongoing efforts aimed at producing electricity more sustainably. The extreme environment inside these devices, however, can damage materials that
Nonrepeating photonic crystal may enable more tunable, reliable semiconductor lasers
Over the past two decades, photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) have shown promise as a type of advanced semiconductor laser useful in defense- and aerospace-related applications. Typically, these devices are made with photonic crystal patterns that repeat across
Minnesota iron ore could be key to sustainable and lower cost semiconductor
For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have demonstrated that the low-purity iron ore prevalent in Minnesota can be used to create semiconductor-quality iron sulfide, also known as "fool's gold" or pyrite. This discovery could have
Four more belugas arrive at Chicago aquarium from shuttered Canadian theme park
Four more belugas have arrived at a Chicago aquarium as part of a plan to move Canada's last remaining captive whales from a shuttered theme park to aquariums in the United States and Spain.
Shackled men in 2,600-year-old Greek mass graves were likely locals, archaeologists find
In 2016, archaeologists working at the Phaleron Burial Ground, part of the ancient Attica region, uncovered an astonishing sight: three mass graves dating to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE containing the skeletons of 79 adult men. Many were bound together with metal shackles.
Scientists simulating ant swarms find a 'first mover' can set the colony in motion
In ant colonies, a single ant can be the catalyst for a wave of mob activity, launching brief bursts of coordinated movement involving hundreds or even thousands of swarming workers, according to new simulations from New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Black-box technologies could undermine confidence in scientific findings
Scientists are increasingly relying on powerful data sources and tools that they often cannot fully understand, inspect or verify, according to a new study.
Scientists solve the mystery of a brain “switch” that can trigger weight loss in opposite ways
Scientists have uncovered why two seemingly opposite ways of targeting the same brain receptor can both promote weight loss. In mice, activating the GIP receptor in the brainstem reduced appetite, while blocking it in the hypothalamus removed a kind of “brake” on fullness
Hurricane poised to hit Hawaii as El Niño stirs Pacific
A strengthening tropical storm named Lala is set to hit Hawaii's Big Island with hurricane-force gales on Saturday, bringing dangerous winds, rainfall and heavy surf.
Extreme weather is making work difficult for many people. This is what needs to change
The UK has experienced several heat waves this summer—heat stress among workers is one of the biggest causes of weather-related sick leave. Very high temperatures can cause symptoms like heat rash and cramps, or even exhaustion and heatstroke.
388 years ago, Galileo worked out why human giants can't exist—and explained a law of nature
Giants have featured in stories for millennia, but the reason why they don't exist helps explain the natural world
Faced with historic drought, the Dutch rethink water management
On the banks of the Waal, the Dutch branch of the Rhine, swimmers are sunning themselves on a Nijmegen beach that didn't exist before the river level dropped a few months ago.
Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off coast of Indonesia and tsunami warning issued
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, damaging buildings and homes, and triggering a tsunami warning. Authorities urged people on affected coastlines to move to higher ground.
After commercial whaling nearly erased them, blue and fin whales are slowly reclaiming the southeast Atlantic
More than 40 years after the end of commercial whaling, new research reveals a recent increase in sightings of the world's two largest whale species in the southeastern Atlantic. The findings, published in the African Journal of Marine Science, compiled more than 60 years of
'Starwashing': How space companies use the greenwashing playbook while causing environmental damage
From launchpads to low Earth orbit and beyond, space companies and their affiliates are deploying a familiar marketing tactic—with a new twist. In a space economy projected to reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, they sell space exploration narratives by appealing to a desire to
The false and the furious: We aren't just bothered by different beliefs—we're bothered when we think others are wrong
Why do disagreements about vaccines, climate change or elections often feel so personal? Our research suggests it is not simply because other people have different beliefs. It is because we think those beliefs are mistaken.
Green roofs can help cool cities in the summer heat, but building them is only the first step. Many don't survive
As summer temperatures soar across the United States and Europe, cities are being forced to confront the difficult reality that they're getting dangerously hot.
Airborne observatory improves views of solar corona during cloud-covered eclipse
Using unique equipment installed on NASA's WB-57 aircraft flying above heavy clouds off the coast of Iceland, a Southwest Research Institute-led team successfully observed a total solar eclipse on Wednesday. The high-altitude jet followed the moon's shadow at 50,000 feet
Wheat gene behind Hessian fly resistance cloned after 50-year search
Researchers at the University of Maryland and their collaborators have cloned a gene that makes wheat resistant to feeding by Hessian fly larvae and demonstrated its direct interaction with a protein produced by the insect. The research breaks through a longstanding barrier to
Unlocking the past: New method helps gain insights into old tissues
A book sits atop a table. Although it's closed, its title, "Encyclopedia of Human Tissue," promises untold secrets. Perhaps with this book, you can learn about different cell types and what they look like under normal conditions or conditions of disease. Maybe you can learn how
Europe's mountain summits are warming—vegetation is responding in surprisingly different ways
Decades of climate change have not left Europe's mountain vegetation unscathed. However, the changes observed do not always match expectations. As a new international study by a research team led by researchers from the University of Vienna, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and
Engineered microbe speeds CO₂ capture and recovers critical metals
A genetically engineered bacterium can rapidly break down one of Earth's most abundant minerals, opening a promising new pathway for simultaneously removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and recovering critical elements used in electric vehicle batteries, according to new
Bones of medieval kings saved from Spanish wildfire
Firefighters raced to save a 1,000-year-old monastery in northeastern Spain on Friday as a growing wildfire prompted the hasty removal of the bones of medieval monarchs buried there.
Cell biochemistry beyond membranes: Condensate physics reveals general rules for chemical responses
Basic biology courses teach that cells contain organelles—such as the nucleus, mitochondria and Golgi apparatus—set apart by lipid membranes to get things done. Recent cell biology research has revealed another organizational principle at work in cells across all orders of
Bound gravitational waves inspired by photonic systems
When one mentions "waves," we immediately think of a perturbation that propagates. This applies to waves on the shore, sound waves in the air or electromagnetic waves that we use to transmit information via optical fibers. The same idea of propagating perturbations applies to
Cells pulse together as they grow—and malignant cells pulse the longest
Epithelial cells are the tiny shields that line and protect our bodies. In a developing embryo, epithelial cells grow, divide and move into positions to form the outer layers of our skin and the surfaces of our organs and blood vessels. When we scrape our skin, suffer an
Guangzhou crucibles provide earliest direct evidence of brass-making in East Asia
For centuries, scholars have read ancient documents describing the production of brass in 10th-century A.D. China. The problem was that the earliest physical evidence of brass production would be found nearly 600 years later, in the 16th century A.D.
Wildfires have destroyed an area of protected tropical forest twice the size of Wales since 2001, study reveals
Over 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) of protected tropical forest—an area double the size of Wales—have been lost to wildfires since 2001.
The Real “Mummy’s Curse” Lurks Online
A booming market for mummified remains poses health risks The post The Real “Mummy’s Curse” Lurks Online appeared first on Nautilus .
Tropical Storm Lala nears Hawaii as forecasters expect it to strengthen into a hurricane
Hawaii rarely sees direct hurricane hits—if Lala strengthens, it will be just the third recorded hurricane to make landfall there
Early settlement dynamics in the Pacific revealed through ancient DNA
New genetic analyses of ancient human skeletons from western Remote Oceania are shedding light on the complex history of settlement in this vast Pacific region over the past 3,000 years. With island nations such as Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga, the region is home to societies with a
