From morning glories spiraling up fence posts to grape vines corkscrewing through arbors, twisted growth is a problem-solving tool found throughout the plant kingdom. Roots "do the twist" all the time, skewing hard right or left to avoid rocks and other debris.
A small, icy moon of Saturn called Enceladus is one of the prime targets in the search for life elsewhere in the solar system. A new study strengthens the case for Enceladus being a habitable world.
Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in everyday life, from disinfectants and medical sterilization to environmental cleanup and manufacturing. Despite its importance, most hydrogen peroxide is still produced using large-scale industrial processes that require significant energy.
On Dec. 19, at the Target store on Riverside Boulevard, stacks of plastic bags sat prominently at checkout counters—the only visible option available for shoppers at both self-checkout kiosks and traditional lanes.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, our skin tissue—and in fact many types of epithelial tissue that lines and covers the body's organs—can respond to death and destruction with a burst of regeneration. This phenomenon, known as compensatory proliferation, was first described
Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides.
Imaging technology has transformed how we observe the universe—from mapping distant galaxies with radio telescope arrays to unlocking microscopic details inside living cells. Yet despite decades of innovation, a fundamental barrier has persisted: capturing high-resolution,
A new theory of "dark photons" attempted to explain a centuries-old experiment in a new way this year, in an effort to change our understanding of the nature of light
A clever trick borrowed from Jurassic Park The post What a Mosquito’s Lunch Tells Us About the Ecosystem appeared first on Nautilus .
Alzheimer’s has long been considered irreversible, but new research challenges that assumption. Scientists discovered that severe drops in the brain’s energy supply help drive the disease—and restoring that balance can reverse damage, even in advanced cases. In mouse models,
Astronomers have used the Keck Observatory's DEIMOS multi-object spectrograph to observe a nearby galaxy cluster designated RXC J0032.1+1808. As a result, they found that the cluster undergoes a major merging event. The finding was presented in a research paper published
Astronomers have confirmed the first known triple system in which all three galaxies host actively feeding, radio-bright supermassive black holes.
This year, researchers took a bite out of culinary innovation. Check out some of our favorite food-related stories from 2025.
Researchers have developed experimental drugs that encourage the mitochondria in our cells to work a little harder and burn more calories. The findings could open the door to new treatments for obesity and improve metabolic health.
What we put on our plates may matter more for the climate than we realize. Researchers found that most people, especially in wealthy countries, are exceeding a “food emissions budget” needed to keep global warming below 2°C. Beef alone accounts for nearly half of food-related
California milk cartons may lose their coveted recycling symbol, the one with the chasing arrows, potentially threatening the existence of the ubiquitous beverage containers.
The familiar fight between “mind as software” and “mind as biology” may be a false choice. This work proposes biological computationalism: the idea that brains compute, but not in the abstract, symbol-shuffling way we usually imagine. Instead, computation is inseparable from
What's the value of one animal? When a wild animal is found badly injured, the most humane option is often euthanasia to prevent further suffering. That's what usually happens, and often for good reason. Even when the resources to rescue one animal are available, a
During mating season, when male white-tailed deer want to get noticed by the opposite sex and warn off rivals, they rub their antlers against trees and scrape the forest floor. Then they pee on these patches. But there is more to these physical and scent markers than meets the
Christmas means different things to different people. For me, it's an opportunity to eat celebratory foods that aren't available all year round.
Ever wondered why your mango tree drops fruit before it's ripe? Each season, mango growers across Australia watch helplessly as millions of mangoes fall to the ground too early.
AI writing tools are supercharging scientific productivity, with researchers posting up to 50% more papers after adopting them. The biggest beneficiaries are scientists who don’t speak English as a first language, potentially shifting global centers of research power. But
Holiday celebrations involving gift giving can be roller coasters. The excitement of tearing into gifts is often mixed with intense anticipation—and sometimes, disappointment.
The Euclid Space Telescope is decking the halls with boughs of starlight
On TikTok and other short-form video platforms, Scientific American explored the underground labs of Greenland, brand-new colors and the perfect way to make eggs
The search for life on Earth is speeding up, not slowing down. Scientists are now identifying more than 16,000 new species each year, revealing far more biodiversity than expected across animals, plants, fungi, and beyond. Many species remain undiscovered, especially insects
Astronomers discovered a new moon of Uranus and hundreds of moons around Saturn over the past year, and there may be many more yet to be found
As Christmas trees face mounting challenges from climate change, researchers explore solutions to help ensure that a beloved holiday tradition endures in a warming world.
Insights from Nautilus in 2025 The post The Most Beautiful Science of the Year appeared first on Nautilus .
India's space agency launched its heaviest ever payload on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the deployment "a significant stride" for the space sector.
Researchers have created a new kind of 3D computer chip that stacks memory and computing elements vertically, dramatically speeding up how data moves inside the chip. Unlike traditional flat designs, this approach avoids the traffic jams that limit today’s AI hardware. The
A four–amino acid peptide called CAQK has shown powerful brain-protective effects in animal models of traumatic brain injury. Delivered through a standard IV, it zeroes in on injured brain tissue, calming inflammation and reducing cell death while improving recovery. The
Researchers have created tiny metal-based particles that push cancer cells over the edge while leaving healthy cells mostly unharmed. The particles work by increasing internal stress in cancer cells until they trigger their own shutdown process. In lab tests, they killed cancer
Scientists studying thousands of rats discovered that gut bacteria are shaped by both personal genetics and the genetics of social partners. Some genes promote certain microbes that can spread between individuals living together. When researchers accounted for this social
If you think something is off with added smoke flavoring in salmon, you're not alone. Many consumers are skeptical of salmon that hasn't been smoked in the traditional way.
A particularly massive and chaotic baby planetary system captured in exquisite detail The post This Big Space Sandwich Broke a Record appeared first on Nautilus .
Instacart will stop using artificial intelligence to experiment with product pricing after a report showed that customers on the platform were paying different prices for the same items.
We find ourselves in the midst of a crisis of truth. Trust in public institutions of knowledge (schools, legacy media, universities and experts) is at an all-time low, and blatant liars are drawing political support around the world. It seems we collectively have ceased to care
The 20th century was horrible for the Everglades. The broad shallow river, one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet, was labeled wasteland and ruthlessly dammed, carved into parcels, dried out and diverted into near oblivion.
New research points to a wide band of particles, invisible to telescopes The post Saturn’s Rings Are Thicker Than We Thought appeared first on Nautilus .
Thousands of children are being unfairly punished and excluded from education activities because their families cannot afford expensive school uniforms, according to new research conducted by Dr. Matt Barnes, senior lecturer in sociology at City St George's, University of
Happy holidays from all of us at Scientific American