A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has overturned decades of assumptions about Miracinonyx trumani, the extinct predator popularly known as the American cheetah. By analyzing nuclear paleogenomes and stable isotopes from fossils found as
The majority of money laundering arrests involve people under 30, a new analysis has found.
And, unlike African cheetahs, it was a flexible carnivore The post The Extinct “American Cheetah” Wasn’t a Cheetah After All appeared first on Nautilus .
A private spacecraft that was supposed to supply a lifeline to NASA's Swift Observatory managed to get close to the sinking telescope and even snap photos more than a week after the rescue was abandoned.
Patents are far more than legal documents protecting intellectual property. They are a vast source of scientific information about chemicals under development, often years before they appear in products or in the environment. That makes patents a valuable data source for early
Fungi are major degraders of plant biomass, including leaves, stems and roots. Investigating the molecular mechanisms that control this process is essential for identifying ways to degrade and use lignocellulose, a recalcitrant waste-product residue from biofeedstocks and
Some of the most intriguing scientific breakthroughs happen when researchers aren't explicitly looking for them. Take, for example, the pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus), a critically endangered species that lives only on Cozumel Island, Mexico. Scientists were observing them
Proteins are vital to living systems. They build and repair tissues, act as enzymes to speed chemical reactions, regulate hormones and transport nutrients—all of which are important for developing next-generation bioproducts and advancing bioengineering and biotechnology.
Well before I start collecting coats, keys or shoes, my dog always knows when we're about to leave. By picking up on subtle cues, he anticipates our next movements, reminding me he's smarter than he often shows. But anticipation isn't always about brains. Our new research
While studying the properties of hackmanite, researchers created a new material called davyne that changes color in the near-infrared region. The color change cannot be detected with the human eye, but only with a spectrometer or an infrared-sensitive camera. The researchers
In Victoria, potholes have become a hot issue in the lead-up to the state election in November. According to the National Transport Research Organization, Victoria has the worst pothole problem in Australia.
In the realm of materials science, there is a plethora of datasets and tools at our disposal—the issue is how to effectively use these resources in harmony. Researchers at the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, have identified major
A University of Rochester collaboration is using an AI-powered virtual patient to help dentists strengthen their communication, build trust and better respond to patients' fears and concerns. For many patients, sitting in a dental chair can be stressful long before treatment
Venice really is sinking. Sort of. The home of gondolas, bridges and canals is built across a collection of islands, and the sediments beneath them are gradually compacting, causing the ground to subside. But while the land moves down, climate change is pushing the water
Jeffrey Rosenthal was a young professor at the University of Toronto when he discovered he was born on a Friday—though not just any Friday.
Whether buying a home or opening a local business, affordability is no longer the only question people should be asking, says Kristle Romero Cortes, an associate professor. They should also consider what their property might look like in 10 or 20 years.
Graphene is flat. But that doesn't mean other 2D materials—particularly those containing more than one element—necessarily share the same structure. In the past, researchers have often simplified these materials by modeling them as perfectly flat sheets.
A researcher’s social media post revealing how to break part of a popular encryption protocol has gone viral. But did he really do it with just “good old pencil and paper”?
For women involved in street sex work who took part in our research, damaged or missing teeth were more than a health problem. They could become visible reminders of lives they were trying to change.
For most mammals, cold suppresses neural activity and diminishes the sense of touch. But the thirteen-lined ground squirrel can detect touch in conditions as low as 4°C (39°F), about as cold as the inside of a refrigerator, finds a new Yale study published in Current Biology.
A substance found in edible sea squirts appeared to reverse several signs of aging in older mice. Plasmalogen supplements improved memory and learning, strengthened connections between brain cells, reduced inflammation, and even helped the mice grow thicker, darker hair.
Prom is one of the most exciting events on the school calendar for many high school seniors.
Puerto Rico’s normally rainy season has instead brought a severe and fast-growing drought. By August 25, three-quarters of the territory was in at least moderate drought, with extreme drought covering 44 percent and some areas receiving less than 20 percent of their usual
Deep beneath parts of Western Australia, injecting CO2-rich water into iron-rich rocks may offer an unexpected opportunity for both clean energy production and carbon storage.
Around 700 years ago, people living on hilltop settlements on the edge of the Kalahari wore beads, bangles and clips made from metal traded across the southern half of the African continent.
And it could stick around for decades The post Astronomers Spot a Strange Atmospheric Wave Above Saturn’s South Pole appeared first on Nautilus .
MIT researchers have created bacterial “transistors” that can be wired together into living circuits capable of performing calculations and directing chemical signals. One day, these biological computers could coat plant roots or leaves, detecting environmental threats and
When a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, tore through U.S. poultry farms in early 2025, farmers culled tens of millions of birds, and egg prices soared.
Slow breathing with a prolonged exhale made people more willing to take risks by changing heart activity and increasing the brain’s sensitivity to rewards. The findings suggest that something as simple as controlling your breath can directly influence how you evaluate choices.
Malaysia declared an emergency in the Serian division of its Sarawak state on Borneo after hazardous haze from fires in neighboring Indonesia drove air pollution to critical levels, the Prime Minister's Office said.
Over the past decade, zero-alcohol drinks have gone from a relatively niche product to a staple in supermarket aisles, liquor stores and pubs.
A giant iceberg measuring more than 76 square kilometers broke from Greenland’s Petermann Glacier in August 2026, marking the Arctic’s largest glacier calving event since 2020. The berg later slammed into Joe Island but survived without breaking apart, and satellites are now
The newfound star S301 orbits the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole so closely that its view of the heavens gets twisted
Twice already this week, Indonesian volunteer firefighter Kristoforus Sinyong worked throughout the night fighting some of the blazes that have consumed swaths of the island of Borneo.
Astronomers have identified a surprisingly young population of fading radio galaxies whose supermassive black holes have already switched off their powerful jets. The confirmed remnants range from about 8 to 42 million years old, suggesting many may disappear from view much
Author Sarah Pierce explores dating apps, loneliness and human connection through a novel about a corpse-matching algorithm
Gram-negative bacteria are responsible for several infections that are hard to treat because of their high resistance to antibiotics. These bacteria possess an outermost layer called the outer membrane that acts as a protective barrier. Serving as the cell's interface with the
The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment has detected a rare particle interaction that looks unusually difficult to explain as ordinary background noise and appeared where dark matter might be expected. Scientists are not claiming a discovery yet, but additional data could show whether this
UCLA researchers have discovered two powerful influences that help guide how the human brain forms before birth. Radial glia, stem cells responsible for producing much of the cerebral cortex, change their behavior depending on how they process glucose and on physical contact
Duke researchers developed an injectable scaffold that helped stroke-damaged brains grow new blood vessels, support nerve regrowth, and recover movement in mice. The treatment appears to work partly by recruiting the body’s own immune cells, including neutrophils that may
Scientists have discovered a strange black “devil flower” in Thailand that lives mostly underground, steals nutrients from fungi, and looks strikingly unlike a typical plant. The newly named Thismia daemona is known from fewer than 50 individuals and may already be critically
Morning glories may be getting caught in an evolutionary tug-of-war between surviving climate change and attracting increasingly scarce pollinators. Over just nine years, researchers found that the plants’ rate of adaptation plunged by 96%, even though they still had plenty of
Ever found a bare-nosed wombat napping under your house or heard a possum thumping around in your attic?
France experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, marked by heat waves, drought and massive wildfires, the environment minister said Thursday.
Deep beneath Mars, scientists have found evidence of enormous magmatic systems once thought to require Earth-like plate tectonics. Seismic measurements suggest molten rock repeatedly evolved and recycled itself through the Martian crust, potentially across hundreds or thousands
The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for only the second time because of drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Adhesives are essential in electronics, vehicles and other products, but they can hinder repair and recycling when bonded parts are difficult to separate cleanly. A research team led by The University of Osaka has developed a prototype light-responsive adhesive that can be
An international collaboration of researchers has used ANSTO's facilities to uncover new properties of one of the most fundamental everyday materials, water, and answer an important scientific question. The findings, published in Nature Communications, have practical
Two tiny ant fossils recovered in southern Saskatchewan are helping scientists better understand the evolutionary history of modern ants. Ant fossils dating from 72–56 million years ago are rare. What happened to insects such as ants during this period that saw a mass
Scientists from Leeds' School of Food Science and Nutrition have developed an advanced AI process that can rapidly identify plant proteins capable of acting as emulsifiers from tens of millions of initial candidates. To date, it has identified nearly 800. The discovery will cut
