A couple of miles south of the main quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a remarkable agricultural experiment is taking shape. The so-called Alma Mater Plots are unique in their setup—with 64 plots of 1 acre (0.4 hectares) each, individually tile-drained, it is
An advanced technology that could benefit farmers' bottom line and help meet the rising demand for domestic energy production borrows a key ingredient from a centuries-old practice of burning dried manure to warm homes where trees were sparse or expensive: animal waste.
As the flames advanced toward the village of Bédar in Spain's Almería province, the mayor gave a desperate order to ring the church bells to warn residents. It was not enough. The July 9 Los Gallardos fire, which claimed 13 lives and burned 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres), was
A lot of high school students load up on Advanced Placement courses to strengthen their college applications. But for many California students classified as English learners, access to even the basic college-preparatory courses required for admission to the state's public
When a local community gets involved in environmental monitoring, its efforts can build awareness of local environmental issues and provide more abundant data than scientists can collect on their own. But how does the quality of the data compare with readings taken by
How do microorganisms orient themselves to find the optimal habitat? Scientists have thoroughly investigated so-called magnetotactic bacteria, which use the Earth's magnetic field as a biological compass. Some eukaryotic single-celled organisms—that is, more complex organisms
A new study led by astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin proposes a theory that could solve two astronomical riddles at once: the nature of Little Red Dots and the origin of globular clusters. Rather than representing distinct objects, the study suggests that one may
From ocean waves and flowing rivers to the systems used to transport and treat water, vibrations are everywhere. But can vibrations do more than just shake water? Can they split water or drive the production of useful chemicals from water? A research team led by Professor Sai
Protein aggregates are associated with the development of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. These are found more often in certain areas of cells known as membraneless organelles. Do these organelles promote this protein clumping, or do they protect the cell by
Have you ever wondered why your boss wants you back in the office full-time, rather than allowing hybrid work, where you can combine work from home and in an office? A fascinating study just shed fresh light on this topic.
Millions of Southeast Asian songbirds are trapped and trafficked every year The post The Bird-Singing Contests That Are Fueling a Conservation Crisis appeared first on Nautilus .
Bigamy has been a rare crime during the past 400 years—and offenders have been harshly punished. It seems likely that no more than 30,000 individuals have ever been tried for bigamy in England and Wales during this period. Most have been convicted, and possible punishment has
QUT researchers have overcome a challenge that has limited next-generation energy-harvesting materials for more than two decades, opening the door to more powerful wearable electronics and new ways of turning wasted heat into electricity. The breakthrough centers on carbon
Researchers from Skoltech, in collaboration with the Harbin Institute of Technology and Jiangsu University (China), have published a study presenting the first empirical model to explain and predict the sensing behavior of hierarchical tri-phase carbon nanotube systems across a
Early-career funding has a bigger impact on women than men when it comes to their careers in science, according to a new study from City St George's, University of London. While the study found that successful applicants in both groups secure more future research funding than
Research co-authored by an Oklahoma Museum of Natural History curator, her graduate student and an international team of scientists has shed new light on the evolutionary "toolkit" animals use to survive environmental change.
The planet is getting hotter, and life will need to adapt to rising temperatures to survive. One way cells adapt to changing conditions is by synthesizing new proteins. That works well when the environment changes slowly, but if a crisis hits, like a sudden temperature
Every spring, millions of people around the world head outdoors to admire wildflowers. But flowering is much more than a beautiful seasonal display. It is one of the most important stages in a plant's life cycle, determining not only its ability to reproduce but also the
Chemists use single-electron transfers to synthesize complex, ring-shaped molecular structures found in many drug candidates and advanced materials, but current techniques still have limitations. A new study, accepted for publication in Nature, describes a technique that could
Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have developed a swallowable nanoscale delivery platform designed to transport therapeutic enzymes through the stomach's acidic environment and activate a cancer-killing
On a pristine Rhode Island beach teeming with noisy seabirds, a group of biologists armed with nets sneak up on a pair of American oystercatcher chicks.
Calculating a fossil's position throughout geological history is a complex process. In paleontology and other disciplines, determining a location in the past is a challenge that requires refined computational tools to process large volumes of data. Now, the BIOST3 Research
The brain is the machine that perceives, analyzes, sorts, stores and prioritizes our memories. However, not all experiences and perceptions are stored in the same way, and not everything is remembered equally, especially when under pressure or emotional stress. A new research
Being able to both fly and swim isn’t easy—but the FAAV does it The post This Robot Can Flap Its Wings and Swim appeared first on Nautilus .
With nearly 1,000 active fires and an area as large as Belgium already burned, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country is facing one of the "most intense" wildfire seasons in its history.
A summer beach day in Oregon often involves a cool, gray blanket of fog that not only shapes the experience of beachgoers but also affects the coastal and inland environment. Now, commercially available surfing webcams are helping scientists measure Oregon's coastal fog,
Scientists at Murdoch University have read the full genetic code of bacteria from the salt lakes of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island), giving them their clearest picture yet of how these tiny organisms could be used to make biodegradable plastic. Their research is published in the
The 2026 World Cup has been a real moneymaker for FIFA. Revenue from TV broadcasting rights, ticket sales and other commercial sources is projected to amount to nearly $11 billion, which would make it the most financially successful event in the international soccer governing
The continuum of geometric intuition from people to other primates The post Monkeys Interpret Shapes Similarly to Humans appeared first on Nautilus .
With their ability to use tools, remember faces and even learn how to communicate with humans through sign language, nonhuman primates are considered to be among the smartest creatures on Earth. However, some concepts—geometry, for instance—have traditionally been thought of as
Gender pay gaps in academia are well documented. The harder question is why they persist. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences tested several leading answers to that question.
In a world where trust in institutions is generally declining, trust in science remains relatively high. Yet belief in scientific conspiracy theories, such as hushed-up effects of vaccines or airplane "chemtrails," is also widespread.
New analysis shows that a "pause" in Arctic winter sea ice decline seen in the early 2020s has ended following record lows in 2025 and early 2026. The study, led by the University of Southampton in collaboration with the National Oceanography Center (NOC), adds the most recent
Postdoctoral researcher Renato Borras-Chavez's area of study—pinnipeds in the Southern Ocean—often takes him far from the University of Rhode Island campus. Now, the researcher in Sarah Kienle's CEAL Lab is sharing more about declining populations of certain seals and will
A research team from Okayama University of Science, Tokyo City University, the Natural History Museum, Kishiwada City (Osaka Prefecture), and other institutions has identified four previously unrecognized fossil bones from a rock containing mosasaur remains collected about 30
People pronounce the word "Appalachia" differently, and much of that contrast depends on where they live. But no matter how you say it, a Virginia Tech project shows that no one way trumps all. The differences are rooted in historical and community influences.
Why do some brains survive long after death when most other soft tissue decays? That's the question a research team led by Alexandra Morton-Hayward at the University of Oxford set out to answer.
Microbial communities are considered particularly diverse—in soil, water and the human body. A common assumption in ecology is that the greater the diversity of available nutrients, the more species can coexist. A research team at the University of Tübingen has now shown that
From game highlights to cold cases to political pontificating, podcasts provide the stage for public conversations in 2026. But are we learning anything from all that chatter? When it comes to investing and playing the markets, the answer seems to be yes. New research from the
Scientists have successfully edited the genome of biting midges, opening the door to new research on how these insects transmit disease. Culicoides biting midges are small blood-feeding insects responsible for spreading important vector-borne viruses such as bluetongue virus
People are naturally attracted to excitement. According to new Virginia Tech research, the same is true on social media, where feeds are overrun with international travel, skydiving and other experiences that may seem out of the ordinary.
McGill researchers have found that dangerous crowd conditions leading to surges and stampedes may not emerge suddenly but instead develop gradually, as repeated physical contact and pushing accumulate and become synchronized among nearby individuals. Recognizing how these
Marine biologists have observed the Arctic bobtail squid in its natural habitat in the North Atlantic Ocean for the first time, including the rare discovery of a mature female with eggs. Dr Paige Maroni, from The University of Western Australia's School of Biological Sciences,
Tire particles and potentially toxic tire chemical additives have been found in dust collected from Brisbane residential balconies. University of Queensland researchers examined the balcony dust from homes across inner-city, suburban and near-road settings to see how
New research has uncovered the complex biological history preserved within DNA traces found on the Shroud of Turin, offering fresh insights into one of the world's most studied and debated historical artifacts.
St. Louis is a plant science powerhouse, but outside the neatly tended rows of crops and gleaming greenhouses sits another treasure trove of biological data: The wild plants tucked into yards, sidewalk cracks, ditches and fields have much to reveal. WashU's plant scientists are
Hosted by actor Tom Hiddleston, Pompeii: Out of Time mixes facts and fiction to bring three real ancient Romans to life.
As generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in translation, questions have been raised about whether it could eventually replace professional interpreters. A joint study led by Lingnan University found that while AI can improve translation efficiency, it is
Classrooms often fall silent when the teacher poses a question. The pause is not always due to a lack of knowledge. Students may be hesitant, unsure, shy or simply unwilling to participate, and these feelings are often shown through subtle cues such as gaze aversion, delayed
Researchers from Manchester and Canada have shown that the claim by the authors of a study published earlier this year that most of its participants had experienced parental alienating behaviors during childhood is seriously misleading. Claims in the study that people affected
