Toxic secrets are hiding in Arctic ice
Toxic metals can harm human health. Arctic ice cores trace arsenic, lead and other heavy metals to historic mining and smelting in Montana.
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Light-pulse pairs reveal the femtosecond decay of an inner-shell hole in xenon atoms
Researchers at the UVSOR Synchrotron Facility (Institute for Molecular Science, Japan) and partner institutions have observed the decay of a xenon 4d core hole, an inner-shell vacancy, directly in the time domain. They used pairs of phase-coherent extreme ultraviolet pulses
AI-assisted atomic models reveal how protective shells regulate aluminum nanoparticle oxidation
Building an accurate model of how atoms interact is a complicated process. Researchers must choose new calculations, test successive models and track the mechanisms behind each interaction. But a newly developed AI agent called MLP Copilot has made this process much easier by
Alzheimer’s may have early warning signs outside the brain
A surprising discovery suggests that some early signs of Alzheimer’s disease may begin outside the brain. Using miniature laboratory systems made from human cells, scientists found that genetic mutations associated with inherited Alzheimer’s can disrupt nerve-to-muscle
Barium titanate's optical properties emerge more clearly after decades of widely varying measurements
A KAIST-led research team has characterized how light propagates through and is absorbed by barium titanate (BTO), a promising material for next-generation optical communication devices. By clarifying optical properties that had been difficult to determine because of the
Electrical technique concentrates milk without using heat, challenging traditional preservation methods
Dehydrating milk to turn it into powder is, today, an energy-intensive process that subjects the product to high temperatures. Powdered milk is widely used by the food industry and allows the product to be stored and transported in a stable condition for long periods of time
Fossil CO₂ emissions projected to decrease in 2026 amid clean energy growth and Iran conflict
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are projected to decrease by 0.4% in 2026—driven by expansion of solar and wind power and the Iran conflict—according to new research by the Global Carbon Project. The 2026 edition (the 21st annual report) is published in the journal
Fossil fuel emissions are down in 2026. Green energy isn’t the reason
It's not quite a victory for humanity's transition to renewables. The dip is probably driven by high gas prices from the Iran war.
The surprising power of connecting with strangers
You're walking through the farmers market with a screaming toddler tucked under your arm football style. You're tired, you're leaving without the produce you came for and you're embarrassed.
After 40 years, CERN finds evidence of a one-in-10-billion particle decay
CERN scientists have finally found evidence of a particle decay so rare that it happens only once in roughly 10 billion decays, ending a search spanning more than 40 years. The breakthrough could help physicists uncover hidden particles and forces that lie beyond the reach of
Gatineau Park foliage reveals local Cold War nuclear testing legacy
For more than six decades, local scientists have collected sugar maple leaves from Gatineau Park to measure their radiocarbon levels, creating the longest continuous record of its kind. Now, a study of those leaves led by the André E. Lalonde National Facility for Accelerator
Accidental discovery enables room-temperature recrystallization of molybdenum
Researchers at the University of Rochester and Technion–Israel Institute of Technology accidentally discovered a new way to rearrange the internal structure of molybdenum—an extremely heat-resistant metal—at room temperature. Molybdenum is typically used to reinforce nuclear
Study identifies single amino acid change that alters Andes virus protein behavior in human cells
Mount Sinai researchers have identified a single amino acid difference between rodent- and human-derived Andes virus isolates that changes how a key viral protein behaves inside human cells. The findings help explain biological differences between closely related virus isolates.
Starling numbers are declining—we're investigating whether their spectacular murmuration displays are changing too
Every autumn, from city centers to wetlands, starling murmurations attract crowds of spectators. Thousands of birds fill the sky, twisting and turning in extraordinary waves as the sun sets. An entire flock moves as one, creating shapes that shift and dissolve as quickly as
Methane-eating microbes grown on electrodes build electrically conductive nanowires
Certain microorganisms (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, or ANME) consume methane and convert it into electricity, as research conducted four years ago by microbiologist Cornelia Welte of Radboud University revealed. New research by Welte and her colleagues published in Nature
Cracking the case of the Roman frog graveyard
Ten years after 8,000 ancient frog bones were discovered in a single ditch, scientists at Bournemouth University and the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) have finally identified the culprits
Anglo-Saxon kingdom chose copper coins despite abundant silver
Analysis of silver and gold from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria finds that, contrary to popular belief, it did not suffer from a shortage of precious metals, questioning why the kingdom used copper-alloy coins rather than silver like its contemporaries.
El Niño 2026–27 as a polycrisis: What happens when health and energy systems fail simultaneously?
Open any news feed from the past few months, and the disasters arrive in a stream: smoke reaching dangerous levels throughout Canada and flash floods in Ottawa, Montréal and Toronto; heat and drought arriving together on every continent.
A Look Back at the Most Breathtaking Photos of Saturn From Voyager 1
It visited the ringed planet 46 years ago this month The post A Look Back at the Most Breathtaking Photos of Saturn From Voyager 1 appeared first on Nautilus .
Water may play critical role in how our tissues stretch and spring back
Every time your heart beats, your lungs expand, or your skin stretches, a remarkable protein called elastin helps your body return to its original shape. But what exactly gives this protein its elasticity? For more than 50 years, scientists have debated whether elastin's
Archaeological finds at an Irish fort reveal insights into the finer side of medieval life
Popular media, from computer games to movies, often portray medieval life as being dominated by fighters and farmers. In these depictions, there's little evidence of a world beyond political struggle and simple subsistence.
Endangered leatherbacks find new nesting beaches in Ecuador as Pacific Ocean warms
A hopeful story for the world's largest, critically endangered sea turtle may be playing out along the sandy beaches of Ecuador.
Machine learning reveals how often fish schooling evolved—and repeatedly disappeared
Scientists have used new machine learning techniques to investigate a topic no one has ever found a way to study: the evolution of fish moving together in schools across thousands of species. The new paper, published Nov. 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Tin deposits are formed from source rocks, not cooling
New research from the University of St Andrews has uncovered the primary drivers of tin mineralization, which will have significant implications for the discovery of tin deposits critical to the energy transition.
A parasite linked to cats may also threaten dogs' eyesight, researchers find
A parasitic infection commonly associated with cats may be associated with severe, potentially sight-threatening ocular disease in dogs, according to a new study by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Scientists finally discover why we learn to love bitter coffee
Scientists have uncovered a hidden gut-to-brain dopamine pathway that helps explain why bitter coffee and other initially unpleasant flavors can become favorites over time. The discovery reveals how the brain learns to crave certain foods and could eventually lead to new ways
Tree-rich landscapes help birds and bats nearly double cacao yields in Peru
Tropical farmers are often expected to choose between high crop yields and protecting wildlife. However, an international team of researchers led by the University of Vienna, in collaboration with the universities of Göttingen and Würzburg in Germany and Bioversity
The ELT can probe ultra-diffuse galaxies and their dark matter mysteries
We've been waiting a long time for the Extremely Large Telescope's first light, scheduled for March 2029. Telescopes this large, powerful and costly always have multiple science goals, and that's true for the ELT. One of its science goals is to study fundamental aspects of the
Did early humans collect keepsakes 500,000 years ago?
Most of us are familiar with the urge to pick up a seashell from the beach or keep a stone from a hiking trip. The object itself may be ordinary, but to the person who keeps it, it serves as a reminder of a particular moment, place or person. Where did this behavior come from?
How A Bedroom Air Filter Could Keep Your Blood Sugar in Check
New research links clean air to tighter glucose control The post How A Bedroom Air Filter Could Keep Your Blood Sugar in Check appeared first on Nautilus .
Some regions may already be living in a 1.5°C warmer world
Regions worldwide may have already experienced around 90%–94% of the warming expected when the global average reaches 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, and 65%–76% of that expected at 2°C of warming. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that regional
Male lizard 'perfumes' may be more about rivalry than seduction
Animals communicate in ways that are sometimes obvious to us and sometimes almost completely hidden. Bright colors, songs and courtship displays are easy to notice. Chemical signals are different: an animal can leave a message behind long after it has moved away.
A stellar odd couple at an unusual stage of evolution
Most of the stars in the Milky Way are what we might call normal stars. They're main sequence stars like our sun, meaning they're doing what most people probably think stars do: shining as they fuse hydrogen atoms into helium atoms on a vast scale.
Upgraded microscope can now watch individual quantum particles in motion
Energy can be carried in a number of ways: by electrons, the particles that underpin all modern electronics, as well as by quasiparticles, the results of different particles interacting with one another at the quantum level. Columbia chemist Milan Delor has been watching these
New perovskite system extends room-temperature spin polarization via successive quantum wells
A research team led by Lu Haipeng, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has achieved a breakthrough in preserving spin information for optoelectronic technologies. The team has developed a perovskite chiral
Computer science researcher reroutes truckloads of excess food from landfills to food pantries
The planet already grows enough food to feed everyone. The problem is one of logistics. A third of all the food grown and raised goes to waste, meaning that one in 12 people does not have enough to eat.
Subaru Telescope reveals the shape and temperature of Comet Encke's nucleus
Mid-infrared observations with the Subaru Telescope have revealed the shape and surface temperature of the nucleus of Comet 2P/Encke. By analyzing how the nucleus's thermal emission changed as it rotated, the researchers found that the nucleus is elongated, with a long axis of
Light reflecting within thin films can masquerade as molecular signals in perovskite solar materials
An infrared signal thought to reveal how molecules in perovskite solar materials respond to light-generated charges can arise largely from the way light travels through the thin film itself, a new theoretical study shows. Jun Nishida, assistant professor at the Institute for
New synthesis strategy controls handedness in large, light-emitting molecular spirals
Helicenes are a class of organic molecules consisting of benzene rings arranged in a spiral-like shape. These molecules exhibit significant circularly polarized luminescence—emission of light with left or right handedness—and are expected to be utilized in 3D displays and
Alternative approach could reduce reliance on potentially toxic surfactants in pharmaceutical and food applications
An international research team led by the University of Sydney has found a way to formulate microemulsions without traditional surfactants, which are often toxic and hard to separate from end products. The findings have important implications for pharmaceutical applications and
The supernova impostor: Chandra finds likely source of giant star's repeated outbursts
Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have discovered what is triggering repeated outbursts from a giant, unstable star.
Sewers could hold the key to detecting deadly fungal infections
Every year, fungal infections kill around 2.5 million people worldwide, more than tuberculosis and malaria combined. Yet most people may have never heard of the fungi responsible, and few health systems track them in any organized way.
Do We Think in Pictures, Words, or… Code?
A conversation with cognitive scientist Evelina Fedorenko about where thought and language overlap The post Do We Think in Pictures, Words, or… Code? appeared first on Nautilus .
First known 'disappearing planet' has a neighbor that makes it wobble like a top
UCLA-led astronomers have discovered the first known "disappearing planet" about 1,000 light-years away. The planet, TOI-2535 b, is a "hot Jupiter," a gas giant that orbits extremely close to its host star. TOI-2535 b whips around its star in only 8.25 days—10 times faster than
Researchers develop AI tool to improve crisis communication
During a disaster, emergency managers need quick, reliable data to make decisions, but the vast and changing stream of information that emerges during a crisis can make it difficult to distinguish facts from noise.
CheMeleon model adapts to predict molecular properties from scant data
Discovering new molecules for specific uses is a major driver of progress in a wide variety of industries, whether it's pharmaceutical companies looking for new drugs or electronics or energy companies seeking new materials with particular properties. But it's also largely a
New review maps a 'structure-to-physiology' roadmap for functional fruit packaging
Freshly harvested fruit remains metabolically active, respires vigorously and is highly sensitive to ethylene. It is therefore highly susceptible to softening, browning, water loss and decay. Currently, about 25% of fruit is lost in the postharvest supply chain because of
3-million-year-old Taung Child once again shakes up our human family tree
A century after the Taung Child permanently altered our view of human origins, a new study published in npj Palaeoecosystems dates the famous fossil to between 2.96 and 3.03 million years old. Led by professor Gabriele Macho of the Archaeology, Environmental Changes and
Canines could help anthropological studies, answering questions about human evolution
Anthropologists seeking to understand human evolution often include primates such as chimps or apes in their studies. But a new review paper by Kyle Smith, a postdoctoral research scholar in NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine, argues that an equally informative animal is
Not a 'night owl' yet: Extraordinary bird fossil from Messel Pit suggests species still hunted by day
An exceptionally well-preserved, approximately 47-million-year-old owl fossil from the UNESCO World Heritage Site Messel provides new clues as to when owls became nocturnal. The newly described species Masillastrix blattophaga was likely still diurnal—as indicated by an
