Crabs’ famous sideways walk may trace back to a single evolutionary moment 200 million years ago. Researchers found that most modern crabs inherited this trait from one ancestor—and never looked back. The movement likely gave them an edge, helping them dodge predators with
A centuries-old vision of a mechanical volcano has finally erupted into reality, as two University of Melbourne engineering students recreated a design first imagined in 1775 by volcanology enthusiast Sir William Hamilton. Drawing from an 18th-century watercolor and a preserved
Scientists have discovered a way to help the brain clean itself of harmful Alzheimer’s plaques by activating its own support cells. By increasing a protein called Sox9, researchers were able to boost the activity of astrocytes, star shaped cells that help maintain brain health.
Two of the most dangerous fault systems on the U.S. West Coast may be more connected than scientists once thought. New research suggests the Cascadia subduction zone and the San Andreas fault can “sync up,” triggering earthquakes within minutes or hours of each other. This rare
Just like vertebrates, cephalopods—such as octopuses and squid—have elaborate brains. Neuroscientists are flocking to them for insights into how intelligence evolved.
Free-living amoebae are emerging as a global health concern, fueled by warming temperatures and outdated water systems. While many are harmless, some can cause deadly infections and even protect other dangerous microbes. Their ability to survive heat and disinfectants makes
A decades-old cosmic mystery has finally been cracked: the strange X-rays coming from the bright star gamma-Cas are caused by a hidden stellar companion feeding off it. Using cutting-edge observations from the XRISM space mission, astronomers discovered that an unseen white
In a striking glimpse into extreme physics, scientists have captured the split-second chaos that unfolds when powerful laser flashes blast matter into a superheated plasma. By combining two cutting-edge lasers, researchers were able to track how copper atoms lose and regain
Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between simple body movement and brain health: every time you tighten your abdominal muscles—even slightly—your brain may gently sway inside your skull. This subtle motion, triggered by pressure changes in connected blood vessels,
The ichthyosaurs had some tremendous survival skills The post What Hurt This Jurassic Sea Monster? appeared first on Nautilus .
Peter Raven, the transformative conservationist and father of “coevolution,” passed away this week The post Farewell to a Giant of Botany appeared first on Nautilus .
While there is no immediate danger, this crash highlights that space junk is increasingly expanding out of lower-Earth orbit
This next-generation plane is made to go faster than sound without producing a full sonic boom
We know they’re there, we just don’t know how deep they are The post Uncovering Hidden Martian Glaciers With Drones appeared first on Nautilus .
Cell division is one of the most fundamental and complex processes underpinning life. In human cells, thousands of molecules coordinate with one another in highly precise steps, all within a fraction of a second. But things don't always go as planned.
Labor market policies intended to protect trade secrets and spur research and development may instead limit late-career wages and encourage firms to replace human labor with machines and other automation equipment, according to a study in the journal Labour Economics by
The second half of this year will almost certainly see the start of an El Niño phase that could lead to extreme heat across much of the globe, and James Hansen expects that to make this year surpass 2024 as the hottest on record
There are tens of thousands of near-Earth objects (NEOs) that represent some of the most easily accessible resources in the solar system. Planning trajectories to rendezvous with these miniature worlds is notoriously difficult, and requires a massive amount of computational
A new study by a team at Tohoku University, published in Chemical Engineering Journal, has shown that more isn't always better when it comes to nanoscale chemical reactions. One might think that giving reactants completely unrestricted access to a speed-boosting catalyst would
A conversation with renowned neuroscientists Lisa Feldman Barrett and Earl Miller about categories, “folk psychology,” beginner’s mind, and thinking fast and slow The post How Does Your Brain Know a Cat Is a Cat? appeared first on Nautilus .
Caring about future generations means believing that people who will live decades or centuries from now deserve ethical consideration. In practice, that means taking their interests into account when making all kinds of decisions across a range of issues—from aggressively
Predators are typically larger, faster, and more powerful than the animals they hunt. Yet in nature, most attacks fail. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by researchers from the University of Amsterdam Institute for Biodiversity and
A study published in the journal Britannia analyzed coins and metal items found in an early 5th-century AD burial in Oudenburg, Belgium. The burial occurred around the same time that base metal coins ceased arriving in northwestern Roman Provinces (ca. 400 AD). With no new
What's the point of play? Is it simply a way to keep children occupied, or something more? For some, it's about learning literacy and numeracy. For others, it's how friendships form and relationships deepen. But it can be all of these at once, and more.
You're on the fourth human mission to Mars, and you're told the Odyssey spacecraft designed to take you there will be the smoothest ride you'll ever take. It features a newly christened electric propulsion engine which was in the late stages of testing during the first three
A Moffitt Cancer Center researcher has introduced a new model that addresses one of biology's most fundamental questions: How does genetic information keep living systems organized and therefore alive?
Nearly a third of all U.S. adults are sleeping fewer than the recommended seven hours per night on average
Childhood cancers are devastating. Even when the disease is not fatal, its long-term effects can be severe. Not enough is known about the risk factors. "Research suggests that only 5% to 10% of childhood cancers are attributable solely to genetics, while the rest are due to
New research published in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business suggests that universities have a bigger role to play in shaping what students go on to do after graduation, particularly in the growing field of social entrepreneurship.
Stop and smell America’s state flowers at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., open now through October 12, 2026.
A draft bill would preserve NASA’s overall funding but downsize the National Science Foundation’s budget by 20 percent.
Water droplets might seem simple at first. But when nearing evaporation, a desperate power struggle of competing physical forces can emerge, with explosive effects. In a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publication, researchers have taken a closer look at the
The Copernicus Sentinel-1D satellite, launched last November, is now fully operational after successfully completing its critical in-orbit commissioning phase. With all four Sentinel-1 satellites having now been deployed, this achievement marks a major milestone for this
