These worms move faster when you give them less space
California blackworms can squeeze through narrow channels faster than they can wriggle across wide ones, a finding that may help with robot design.
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Solar orbiter detects ion sorting at the solar wind's magnetic boundary
A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) study of data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter gives the most detailed view of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) to date. The HCS is a sprawling, undulating surface emanating from the sun to beyond the solar system
Why it's so hard to apologize sincerely in a foreign language
When people apologize, they do more than acknowledge a mistake. They also reveal how they understand responsibility, ethics, social and moral norms, and their relationship with others. These things all differ widely between cultural contexts.
Nepal‑Tibet disaster linked to climate change—a glaciologist explains
The cause of the huge floods and debris flow on the border between Nepal and Tibet, which have caused hundreds of deaths, appears to have been an ice avalanche—the result of a huge piece of a glacier collapsing and cascading down the mountain more than 1,000 meters (3,281 feet)
Tiny mirror that controls light in 3D could make microscopes smaller and faster
Researchers use tightly focused laser beams to image biological samples, shape materials with microscopic precision and generate displays. But using those beams in three dimensions requires more than sweeping light from side to side, as the light must also rapidly refocus at
Critics claim trans people 'defy biology.' New research suggests otherwise
Public debate surrounding transgender and gender-diverse (trans) people often centers on one fundamental question: What makes someone trans?
Low-power lasers create durable nano-patterns into sulfur-derived polymers
A new way to imprint complex surfaces on low-cost, sustainable polymers could be used in a wide range of industries, including water-repellent coatings, optical devices and data storage disks. The complex nano- and microscale patterns on sulfur-derived polymers, unveiled this
This Viking Dress Survived for 1,300 Years, Protected by Its Metal Ornaments
Such delicate textiles typically decompose within a few years The post This Viking Dress Survived for 1,300 Years, Protected by Its Metal Ornaments appeared first on Nautilus .
Interstellar travel V: Warp drives, wormholes, and halo drives
Welcome back to our series on Interstellar Travel, where we look at the many proposals made for sending missions to the stars since the dawn of the Space Age. In our first installment, we examined how Cold War-era developments in nuclear weapons and rockets paralleled advances
Extraordinary immune gene diversity in Atlantic herring exceeds that of other vertebrates, including humans
Atlantic herring travel in massive schools that can contain hundreds of millions—and sometimes even billions—of fish. While this abundance is characteristic of one of the most successful vertebrates on Earth, it also creates ideal conditions for viruses, bacteria and parasites
Tool helps U.S. Space Force predict dangerous wind events
Zachary Kopel '26 has developed a forecasting tool now in use by the U.S. Space Force to help predict dangerous convective wind events, including microbursts that can threaten rockets during launch operations.
A snake-headed vessel hints at a mysterious Roman cult
The ancient Romans were a deeply religious and superstitious people, worshiping dozens of cults—some official and others secretive. One of these was dedicated to Sabazios, a deity from Thrace and Phrygia (regions spanning parts of the modern-day Balkans and Turkey).
Caught right-handed: Mystery of coiling snake embryos explained
An international team led by Canadian researchers has found evidence explaining why snake embryos form a curious spiral. This ability to coil as embryos enables snakes to hatch with the longest bodies of all vertebrates.
How the Tasmanian tiger outfoxed its prey
The Tasmanian tiger hunted more like a fox than its fearsome namesake, according to a new UniSC biomechanics study of predatory animals across the globe. The University of the Sunshine Coast-led research, published in BMC Ecology and Evolution, featured the thylacine in a
Rocky Mountain find reveals new funnel-web spider far from its Northwest relatives
Researchers at the University of Idaho have identified a new species of spider in the mountains of northern Idaho and given it a name that pays tribute to the university itself: Hexura vandal. The spider belongs to a small group of funnel-web spiders related to tarantulas.
To nap or not to nap? Science is still waking up to the question
Many people struggle to sleep enough at night. Surprisingly, science cannot say if adding in a nap to sleep in two blocks is healthy.
JWST reveals likely Type II supernova from when universe was only 2 billion years old
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified one of the most distant exploding stars ever confirmed. The supernova, SN 2023aeaf, was found at a redshift of 3.195—so far away that its light has been traveling for roughly 11.7 billion years. The study,
Chemists develop method for the synthesis of natural compounds with potential in medicine
A team of scientists from the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, has reported a new method that simplifies the preparation of complex molecules. The work was published in the journal Organic Letters. Such molecules are related
Human-driven fires have shaped the Amazonian forest for over 10,000 years
New research is dismantling the longstanding myth of the "pristine" Amazon. A reconstruction of 10,000 years of Amazonian pyrogeography, based on 1,361 radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates across 303 sites—including soil charcoal and burned archaeological material—shows that fire in the
Metamaterials may enable invisibility cloaks, thinner lenses and smarter wireless networks
Who has not dreamed of an invisibility cloak like the one used by Harry Potter? It sounds like magic, but it could become reality with the help of so-called metamaterials. In the summer of 2026, some of the world's leading researchers in the field gathered in Umeå for a Nobel
New gene activation tool may do what CRISPR cannot: Work inside the body
The ability to precisely adjust the expression of genes inside the human body—ramping up protective ones and tamping down harmful ones—holds enormous potential for treating and preventing disease. But the standard molecular tools used to tune genes, such as the CRISPR system,
Popular sweeteners may leave effects that last for generations
Two widely used zero-calorie sweeteners, sucralose and stevia, may have effects that linger far longer than the sweet taste itself. In mice, researchers found that both sweeteners altered the gut microbiome, reduced beneficial compounds produced by gut bacteria, and changed the
Why innovative 'bio‑materials' are still more sci‑fi than fashion revolution
Walk around any major fashion exhibition and you might get the impression that biofabricated materials are about to transform fashion. Grown using living organisms, they're often showcased as the next generation of sustainable materials—promising alternatives to leather,
UK and Ireland face greatest risk from rare tropical cyclones reaching Europe
Europe is no stranger to powerful windstorms, but some storms capable of causing serious damage have an unusual origin. Tropical cyclones can occasionally travel north from lower latitudes and reach Europe, where they can bring damaging winds and heavy rain even after losing
How a “Psychic” Horse Named Clever Hans Changed the Way We Do Science
His tutor Wilhelm von Osten was convinced that animals possessed an intelligence equal to humans The post How a “Psychic” Horse Named Clever Hans Changed the Way We Do Science appeared first on Nautilus .
One injection could keep osteoarthritis drugs working for weeks
Scientists have created an injectable gel that can remain inside arthritic joints for weeks, slowly releasing medication while also improving lubrication. The approach could make it easier to deliver disease-modifying drugs directly where they are needed while limiting exposure
Your waist size may reveal health risks BMI misses
A simple waist measurement may be nearly as effective as more complicated methods for detecting unhealthy levels of body fat. Researchers also found that BMI alone missed many people with obesity, suggesting waist size could provide an important warning sign.
Flexible nanopores shed new light on Parkinson's and ALS
In a promising milestone for nanotechnology, Constructor University has contributed to a study demonstrating self-assembling nanopores capable of detecting disease proteins associated with illnesses like Parkinson's and ALS.
Why the image of 'clean and green' is no longer enough for Australian agriculture exports
Australia's agricultural exports have long traded on a simple label: clean and green.
Scientists discover two superconducting states hiding as one
Scientists have uncovered hidden complexity inside two ultrathin superconductors that seemed much simpler than they really are. Niobium diselenide and tantalum disulfide appeared to have a single superconducting state, but highly sensitive measurements revealed that each
Physicists take Hall effect in a new direction
Carnegie Mellon University scientists have uncovered a new phenomenon that challenges a longstanding assumption about how electronic materials respond to magnetic fields. The discovery broadens the fundamental understanding of the Hall effect, a principle widely used to measure
Coral recovery time cut short by warming oceans
Given enough time, coral reefs can recover from cyclones, bleaching and other destructive events. But a new report released today suggests they are losing that time. The "Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025" is the most comprehensive global assessment of coral reefs yet.
A “quantum bath” puts quantum entanglement on autopilot
Physicists have demonstrated a new way to entangle distant quantum bits without the constant measurements and active control normally required. The team created a “quantum bath,” a shared environment filled with correlated microwave photons that automatically pushes separated
AI streamlines search for new ceramics that generate electricity
A tedious process of trial and error is normally required to discover ceramic materials that generate electricity under mechanical stress. Known as piezoelectric ceramics, these valuable next-generation materials can replace batteries that power small electronic devices, like
Americans are more likely to support religious exemption requests that align with their political beliefs
The United States Constitution protects the free exercise of religion, meaning that religious exemptions can sometimes be granted if a law infringes on someone's sincerely held religious beliefs. But how do people decide whether someone else's religious exemption requests are
Scientists challenge a 70-year-old “lizard brain” myth
A long-standing picture of brain evolution as newer, rational layers stacked on top of an ancient “lizard brain” may be deeply misleading. Researchers found that evolution instead appears to balance two competing styles of brain wiring, expanding one while shrinking the other
The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug
On an August morning last year, an American couple soon to embark on a European river cruise awoke in a luxury hotel in Lisbon.
Fossil feet may be misleading scientists about human evolution
Wild monkeys in West Africa can climb vertical tree trunks using foot flexibility scientists did not realize they possessed. The discovery challenges a key assumption about what the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees looked like and how it moved.
The paper that predicted the office apocalypse
When an early draft of "Work from Home and the Office Real Estate Apocalypse," co-authored by Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, the Earle W. Kazis and Benjamin Schore Professor of Real Estate at Columbia Business School, began circulating in 2022, it quickly became one of the most
Physicists finally put Feynman's path integral to the test
For nearly 80 years, physicists have relied on a thought experiment created by Richard Feynman to predict how quantum particles behave. For the first time, researchers in China have tested this trick directly in the lab.
An Expert Pieced Together This Roman Document Like a Jigsaw Puzzle. You’ll Never Guess What It’s About
Classics researchers think it was part of a reference booklet traveling officials carried with them The post An Expert Pieced Together This Roman Document Like a Jigsaw Puzzle. You’ll Never Guess What It’s About appeared first on Nautilus .
Black fungus thriving in the midst of Ireland's whiskey boom
Irish whiskey is one of Ireland's great export success stories. Exports were worth more than €930 million in 2025, with the country's much-loved spirit sold all over the world.
JWST may solve a 20-year mystery behind a rule-breaking gamma-ray burst
Astronomers may have finally solved the mystery behind a nearly two-decade-old cosmic explosion that seemed to break the rules of physics. The energy output of a powerful gamma-ray burst, GRB 061201, discovered in 2006, did not match well-established patterns seen in other
What happens next with bird flu? An expert explains why monitoring matters
The lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza is rapidly spreading along the coast of southern Australia, where it has killed thousands of wild birds and infected at least two long-nosed fur seals.
Is history a school subject in crisis?
History educators around the world have expressed concerns about declining history enrollments in schools and universities over the past few decades.
Scientists find why the liver may not heal even after you stop drinking
Alcohol-related liver disease may trap damaged liver cells in a regenerative limbo, preventing the organ from rebuilding itself even after drinking stops. Researchers linked the problem to inflammation-driven RNA errors and identified a pathway that could potentially be
NASA launches Roman Space Telescope to explore dark energy and distant worlds
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is on a mission to probe dark energy, hunt for distant worlds and transform our view of the universe
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launches to reveal the Universe’s darkest secrets
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope has launched on a million mile journey to L2, where it will scan huge portions of the cosmos for clues about dark matter, dark energy, and distant worlds. With survey speeds roughly 1,000 times faster than Hubble and a torrent of 1.4 terabytes of
Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
A new study led by Flinders University has flipped the historical narrative about Australia's thylacine, finding the native apex predator known as the "Tasmanian tiger" was significantly different from the wolves and wild dogs it was likened to before being hunted to extinction.
Dark matter experiment catches quietest neutrino ever measured
The XENONnT experiment, in its hunt for dark matter, has detected the rare, feeble glow of neutrinos smacking into electrons