Among the many modern technologies that shape life today, functional oxide materials are found in almost everything, from advanced electronics to energy-efficient systems. Functional oxides with high-valent metal ions are a significant topic of interest because of their unusual
Scientists observed spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) playing in the wild and found that their precise, sophisticated communication is on par with that of many primate species. Hyenas play and romp with one another at all stages of life. Although juveniles play more frequently
This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope showcases Messier 3 (M3), one of the Milky Way's most massive globular clusters, or spherical collections of gravitationally bound stars.
The speed at which a cell produces proteins is a decisive factor in determining whether it divides, specializes or retains its stem cell properties. A team of researchers led by Professor Stefan H. Stricker, professor of epigenetic engineering at LMU's Biomedical Center and
Differing gene expression patterns could be to blame The post Why Do Men Develop Parkinson’s Disease More Often Than Women? appeared first on Nautilus .
Caddisflies are among nature's master underwater builders, capable of spinning sticky silk that they use to form protective cases and webs in freshwater streams. Scientists like the University of Utah's Russell Stewart have long studied this bioadhesive material in the hope of
When millions of people fled Ukraine following Russia's invasion in 2022, governments and humanitarian organizations used mobile phone and online platform data to track movements and identify where support was needed.
With an anticipated "super" El Niño looming, a new study led by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography considers whether society could use a weather-altering technique as a tool to mitigate the floods, extreme heat and other events that El Niño would bring. The
A rare eruption in the Indian Ocean let researchers capture one of the clearest views yet of a seafloor spreading event
Manganese is an essential trace element. However, in excessive concentrations, the metal can cause health problems. Two Eawag researchers have now produced a global risk map for manganese in groundwater. Half of the world's population uses groundwater as drinking water.
Across North America, in places such as Illinois, Iowa and Texas, farmers are busy growing the crops the world depends on for food, fuel and fiber.
Maize (corn) is a major dietary staple in Maya communities past and present because of its reliability, potential for surplus, and suitability as both food and fodder. It became so important to ancient Mesoamerican communities that it even became central to many of their
Feeling hot at home may seem like a simple matter of temperature or whether the air conditioning is switched on. But a new study suggests that less visible factors—from closed windows and blocked airflow to household routines and the different ways family members experience
A modelling study suggests marine cloud brightening could shade the eastern Pacific and reduce a global temperature spike from El Niño, but there could be unexpected consequences
The chemical substance behind these visions isn’t like any other known to science The post Hunting for a New Hallucinogen in the Lilliputian Psychedelic appeared first on Nautilus .
Astronomers spend much of their time mapping the universe, but until now their results have been collected and archived in so many different ways that the data can't talk to each other.
RNA has emerged as one of the most promising molecules in modern medicine, enabling advances from mRNA vaccines and gene therapies to genome editing and synthetic biology. However, designing RNA molecules that reliably fold into a desired secondary structure remains a major
New Michigan State University-led research suggests the difference between a hiring policy that harms recruiting and one that doesn't may come down to just a few words.
Researchers are closer to unraveling a longstanding solar mystery surrounding the extreme thinness of the sun's tachocline layer of strong shearing motion—a region believed to be critical for creating the violent eruptions of high-energy particles and radiation from the sun
Psychedelic drugs are known to make people highly sensitive to their surroundings. In other words, a user's mindset and immediate environment heavily shape the entire trippy experience. In a study published in the journal Psychedelic Medicine, scientists wanted to test a
When engineers think about protective materials, like those used in packaging and support, they usually think about strength, stiffness and durability. But what if those same materials could also sense their external environment?
A new study reveals that exposing dwarf spiders to a brief period of warm temperatures can disrupt a phenomenon in which internal bacteria normally force genetic males to develop as females. Surprisingly, this reproductive disruption skips the directly heated spiders and hits
Raindrops form inside clouds when tiny particles of water collide and stick together, forming larger droplets that eventually fall to Earth. This process is hard to model accurately, with current approaches either imprecise or computationally intensive. Better simulations of
The science behind nature’s different puncture tools The post The Surprising Evolutionary Trade-offs Between Fangs, Stingers, and Claws appeared first on Nautilus .
Two new studies examining gray wolves in California paint a complex picture of life on the state's ranching landscapes: Wolves eat cattle more than anything else, and the presence of the predators causes significant stress among livestock.
Beavers are widespread in estuaries and tidal wetlands in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, demonstrating that they are not restricted to rivers and streams, Gregory Hood at the Skagit River System Cooperative, U.S., reports July 8, 2026, in the journal PLOS One.
Nature has invented countless types of pointy appendages, and scientists have long sought to explain what makes these structures so effective at puncturing other things. A new study models the key physical characteristics of puncturing tools to reflect their diversity in
Cupping therapy is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) technique used to treat chronic pain, expedite muscle recovery and other conditions. It increases blood flow by creating suction on the skin. But what is released from the skin during treatment? Researchers reporting in
An interdisciplinary team from Florida State University's Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science has uncovered new evidence about processes that may have contributed to ancient mass-extinction events, some of the most dramatic ecosystem reorganizations in Earth's
Coral reefs are disappearing at an unprecedented rate as climate change, marine heat waves, pollution and coastal development threaten one of Earth's richest ecosystems. While scientific research has greatly advanced understanding of the crisis and ways to restore damaged
A controversial geoengineering proposal suggests that brightening clouds off South America could weaken a burgeoning El Niño, but major technical and ethical questions remain
Marine cloud brightening could cool part of the Pacific and weaken extreme El Niños, simulations suggest. But the approach could have risks.
Employers typically seek out well-qualified candidates, but a new study by researchers in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management highlights the potential risks associated with workers who feel overqualified for their jobs. When employees saw themselves as
Pineapple leaf fiber has long been valued in parts of Southeast Asia for traditional uses, including basketry in Malaysia and Thailand and textile applications in the Philippines. Its high cellulose content and ready availability as an agricultural residue have also made it
When a powerful EF-4 tornado tore through Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 24, 2023, social media became a critical tool for sharing weather warnings, damage reports and recovery information. But a new study from University of Nebraska–Lincoln media scholar Cory Armstrong
The distribution of income and growing inequality are central themes in public debate. Far less attention has been paid to how resources are distributed in ecological communities, in the so-called state of nature, without any social contract. Species abundance distributions
Scientists thought dead plant material was primarily powering the Everglades. Algae says not so fast.
A drug that softens the ovaries helped mice and rats conceive more easily at an older age, and produce more pups
Some World Cup crowds are more in sync than others, but all have some common features, Northeastern experts say.
When a human cell prepares to split into two daughter cells, it must first construct a tiny internal machine called the mitotic spindle—a structure of protein fibers that physically pulls chromosomes apart and deposits one set into each new cell. Get the spindle the right size
Building material samples from the University of Delaware spent six months mounted outside the International Space Station, where the harsh conditions of low Earth orbit tested their limits.
Much of the genome is made up of repetitive DNA sequences that trace back to ancient mobile elements, many of which have lost their ability to copy themselves into new locations but can still cause problems if they become active again at the wrong time. Now, two studies
More than 90% of the key nutrients degrading the Mar Menor, such as ammonium, phosphorus and silica, do not come from streams or continental groundwater, but rather through a mechanism that has so far been overlooked: Water from the lagoon itself infiltrates the sediments and
High-speed movies of microscopic worms may sound like a dull night at the cinema, but this advanced imaging capability could help scientists better understand how diseases begin and progress, track subtle changes in cells and study how the body responds to treatments.
Microplastic contamination has been a much-discussed topic over the last several years, but contamination from even smaller plastic particles represents another pressing issue. Nanoplastics—defined as being under a micrometer in diameter—may pose an even higher ecological risk
Scientists have long known that heat can be used to help fight cancer. But heating tumors and cancer cells is trickier than it sounds. Apply too much heat and patients could get hurt; apply too little or target the wrong location and the therapy will not be effective.
Designing high-performance catalysts is essential for cleaner energy technologies, but the behavior of multi-element modern catalyst materials is difficult to predict. In a new study, researchers at Tohoku University with international collaborators developed a collaborative
Long before the dawn of modern parenting, animals laid eggs and moved on, leaving their progeny to fend for themselves. Now, a study published in Nature uncovers one of the elegant ways evolution transformed neglect into nurture. Working with clonal raider ants, a surprisingly
Seeking out the simplest, most elegant explanations has served scientists well for centuries, but cognitive scientist Marina Dubova’s experiments are revealing better ways to uncover reality
New research suggests that heat stress increases the occurrence of same-sex sexual interactions between male burying beetles—but also that a surprising number of male–male encounters occur under control conditions. This ongoing project is investigating whether a possible
