Decades ago, Paul Erdős used randomness to illuminate the vast and weird world of networks. Now mathematicians are making his technique even more powerful. The post After 80 Years, Mathematicians Give Famed ‘Erdős Method’ an Upgrade first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Aotearoa New Zealand whitebait can rapidly switch their life cycles in response to sudden environmental changes, new University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research shows. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.
NOAA and its research partners are forecasting a moderate harmful algal bloom (HAB) in western Lake Erie this summer. This year's bloom is expected to measure 3.5 on the HAB severity index, with a potential range of 3 to 4.5. Experts from NOAA and their government and academic
Europe's heat wave has smashed several temperature records, the U.N.'s weather and climate agency said Friday, adding that it would determine the full impact once the phenomenon has ended.
Researchers have directly visualized a rare type of chemical bond between some of the heaviest elements in the periodic table, providing experimental evidence of how these atoms share electrons in systems where this has been difficult to prove.
Researchers have conducted a conservation genomics study on two critically endangered island oaks—Quercus bawanglingensis and Quercus pseudosetulosa. They assembled high-quality chromosome-level genomes and revealed how natural selection and demographic history have shaped
The enormous deep-sea cousins of your garden’s pill bugs can go five years without food. A gene they pilfered from bacteria may be part of the secret.
A marine heat wave has undermined the success of seagrass restoration efforts at a site in north Wales, new research has found. More than 1.1 million seagrass seeds were planted at sites in two bays in north Wales between 2023 and 2024 as part of Seagrass Ocean Rescue: North
The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean is known for its large low-oxygen zones that are increasing in size, putting marine life at risk. New research shows that 15 million years ago, the opposite was true.
From June 29 onward, Switzerland's glaciers will have exhausted their snow reserves. Every liter of meltwater now causes them to lose mass—this is Glacier Loss Day. Between the extreme years of 2003 and 2022 alone, 200 square kilometers of ice—an area almost as large as the
When biologists study cooperation in animals, they usually offer just a single task at a time. But what happens when animals can choose among several opportunities to work together? Biologists at Utrecht University discovered that this can make a remarkable difference.
The first empirical evidence of how A-level grading in the pandemic affected university applications corroborates concerns about disproportionate benefits for private schools. Disadvantaged students also benefited, however, and the long-term effects for these groups could
A global team has cracked a decades-old mystery, revealing the atomic structures of the molecules in our eyes that allow us to see colors. "To understand how we detect light and perceive colors, we need to know the exact structure of light-sensitive molecules in our eyes," said
If you're part of Gen Z, chances are you rely on social media for news and current events. And if you're under 30, you're more likely to trust what you see on social media than any other age cohort, according to Pew Research Center data.
A new study, published in the Journal of Raptor Research, reveals that Africa's smallest diurnal bird of prey, the pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus), operates within one of the smallest breeding home ranges ever recorded for a raptor.
When the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned green with algae just days after a US$15 million renovation, the U.S. government scrambled for chemicals and expensive technical solutions to fix the iconic landmark.
Lurking at the heart of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is a supermassive black hole four million times the mass of the sun, surrounded by a puzzling collection of young, massive stars whose orbits have long defied explanation. Astronomers have proposed various competing
Research has revealed how bacteria rely on circadian clocks to control the spread of their multicellular colonies. The findings provide important clues as to how we might improve soil health and plant growth. They may also help explain how some bacteria spread hospital-acquired
Sertraline is one of the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world. Global sertraline sales are expected to keep growing, projected to expand from an estimated US$1.94 billion in 2025 to approximately US$3.13 billion by 2032.
Newborn mice neurons can snap both DNA strands to migrate, then repair the breaks within a day. The process may be a normal part of brain development.
The NASA Artemis program, now supported by 67 countries under the Artemis Accords, plans to return humans to the moon by 2028. A recent White House Executive Order has gone further, directing NASA to establish a permanent lunar outpost by 2030.
When we think of bees, we often think of flowers. The more flowers, the better, right? Well, not exactly. Like us, bees need to consume specific nutrients in suitable amounts and combinations.
For decades, the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin have been heavily regulated by dams and irrigation networks. As a result, the volume of water entering the ocean is about 60% smaller than 100 years ago. But nature broke through during massive floods over the summer of
A groundbreaking report has revealed that supporting First Nations women in fire and land management is a critical, yet untapped, strategy for protecting Australian communities from escalating climate disasters.
Controlling and trapping molecules, units of a substance consisting of two or more chemically bound atoms, with laser light is significantly more challenging than trapping individual atoms. This is because molecules exhibit more complex vibrational and rotational dynamics that
University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies scholars Pamayla E. Darbyshire, DHA, MSN/CNS, and Carl Beitsayadeh, MS, have published the article, "Enhancing Student Success through GAI and Predictive Analytics," in International Journal for Educational Media and Technology,
Contrary to popular belief, simply playing organized youth sports does not reduce the likelihood of committing violence in one's lifetime and, in some cases, may increase it, according to a new study.
Sports psychology plays a major role on and off the pitch, helping players manage chaos and stay strategic
The New Scientist Book Club’s read for July is Claire North’s space opera Slow Gods. In this extract from its second chapter, we learn about the upbringing of its protagonist on the planet Tu-mdo
Claire North, whose space opera Slow Gods is the July read for the New Scientist Book Club, discusses how a population might deal with knowledge that their planet will be destroyed in 100 years
A new study has uncovered a previously unknown antiviral defense mechanism in sea anemones, revealing that animals may have evolved more than one way to fight viral infections. Researchers discovered that a protein resembling a key component of the human immune system actually
Scientists have discovered that two common human pathogens can work together by managing copper in their shared environment—a finding that could open new ways to break down stubborn mixed biofilms.
Researchers from the University of Oxford have uncovered evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep beneath its surface—despite the planet lacking the plate tectonics long thought necessary for this kind of geological complexity.
Freshwater ecosystems worldwide have been suffering from declining oxygen levels—a trend known as deoxygenation—that threatens biodiversity, fisheries and ecosystem stability. However, a new study published in Nature Geoscience offers hope: targeted nutrient management via
The world of quantum video games is vast – there are hundreds that are either inspired by quantum mechanics or use quantum computers in their development. Columnist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan explores how these could change our understanding of quantum physics, or even help us
As earthquakes struck from California to Venezuela to Japan, millions of people received warnings on their mobile phones, providing critical seconds to seek protection.
The record-breaking heat that's scorching Europe day and night this month would not have been possible without climate change, according to a new study.
A deadly European heat wave that has saturated hospitals as temperatures soared to record highs was shifting east Friday, with authorities warning of more misery on a continent not used to stretches of punishing heat.
Climate warming is intensifying terrestrial water scarcity and drought risks worldwide. Meanwhile, rising atmospheric CO2 reduces plant stomatal conductance—the openness of leaf pores that governs both CO2 intake and water loss—and improves water-use efficiency, which has been
The current temperatures in western and central Europe would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, and unprecedented humidity levels make this heatwave especially dangerous
In remote Australia, First Nations communities battle extreme heat each summer. In January 2026 alone, the town of Alice Springs (Mparntwe) endured 20 days of temperatures above 40°C (104°F). This prolonged heat wave—defined as a period of unusually hot weather—can have
Regenerative agriculture can deliver both economic and environmental benefits for European farmers, Wageningen University & Research (WUR) concludes in the research project Regenomics. Whether these benefits are actually present depends strongly on regional conditions, such as
The two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela's northern coast, killing more than 180 people, were an event known as a "doublet."
A research team has developed a new strategy to simultaneously control the electronic and magnetic properties of oxide thin films through a process known as exsolution. The team was led by Professor Hyeon Han and Professor Donghwa Lee from the Department of Materials Science
Public debt is higher today and growing at a faster rate than before the pandemic in 80% of the world's economies. According to the latest fiscal report from the International Monetary Fund, global public debt could rise to 100% of GDP by the end of this decade if it continues
A research team led by Prof. Zhang Jinglei from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that the trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10-δ exhibits a nearly isotropic upper critical field under high pressure. This finding provides important experimental
Training in computational thinking can improve a student's ability to tackle complex problems, according to research in the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, which examined both students' perceptions of their own skills and their demonstrated performance.
The Gaia mission has allowed researchers to understand the motions of stars like never before, even revealing possible interactions between our solar system and nearby stars. Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Nathan Kaib and collaborator Sean Raymond (Universite de
It's no secret that U.S. housing has gotten less affordable. From 2019 to 2025, average home prices rose 60%, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Researchers have developed light-transmitting hydrogel fibers that are just hundreds of micrometers in diameter. With further development, these soft fibers could one day make it possible to use imaging techniques to detect early breast cancer hidden inside very small breast
