Heat wave bakes 100 mn Europeans at over 35C
At least 101 million Europeans were forecast to swelter in temperatures of more than 35C on Thursday, as scores of people were thought to have been killed by the heat wave.
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Study explores environmental cost, perceptions of influencer PR gifts
As part of their marketing strategy, many companies send public relations packages full of curated products to social media influencers, who film themselves opening the gifts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Turtles may migrate using Earth's magnetic field
New research indicates that sea turtles seem to navigate across hundreds of miles of open ocean using Earth's magnetic field. Previous experimental studies suggested that sea turtles use geomagnetism to navigate, but this study, published in Science Advances, was purely
Taking a step back changes group discussions in virtual environments
In group decision-making, it is critical for each member to engage in discussions with a broader perspective and without fixating on personal values and knowledge. While self-distancing, or stepping back and viewing oneself from a third-person perspective, has been associated
Apes and humans have been sharing a laugh for 15 million years
Great apes may have been laughing with a similar rhythm to modern humans for at least 15 million years, a University of Warwick study reveals. The finding offers unexpected clues to how human speech evolved.
This common vitamin deficiency can mimic normal aging
Vitamin B12 is needed in microscopic amounts, but a shortage can have major effects on health and energy. The vitamin was first linked to a lifesaving liver treatment for pernicious anemia nearly 100 years ago. Today, researchers are finding that B12 may also help keep cellular
Trios of quantum particles form checkerboard layouts when particle density hits sweet spot
Trions form when three particles, like quarks or electrons, come together. This formation occurs in quantum particles in nuclear physics, semiconductors and magnets, and understanding its behavior can be challenging. Rice University's Kaden Hazzard and his team recently
Researchers identify dual-function rice gene that boosts drought tolerance and grain yield
As climate change intensifies droughts and other environmental stresses, maintaining crop productivity has become a major challenge for global agriculture. Drought can impair chloroplast development, reducing photosynthetic efficiency and ultimately lowering crop yields.
FDA-approved drug may finally help immunotherapy defeat rare liver cancer
Researchers found that a rare liver cancer evades immunotherapy by luring immune T cells away from the tumor and trapping them in nearby fibrous tissue. An FDA-approved drug called AMD3100 freed those T cells to attack the cancer, significantly improving the effectiveness of
France just hit its hottest day ever recorded
Scorching temperatures across France rose to a record-breaking average 30 degrees on Wednesday
What really controls water chemistry in nanoscale spaces
Water is the most studied molecule on Earth, yet a surprisingly basic question has gone unanswered for decades: When water is squeezed into gaps just a few molecules wide—as happens inside nanoscale pores, membranes and biological channels—does it become more or less chemically
Study analyzes how genes and education influence socioeconomic success
Ambitious public education policies have the capacity to cushion the role of the "genetic lottery" in people's life chances. This is one of the main conclusions of a scientific study by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and
Thirsty desert lizards inspire a new water-harvesting system
When the desert horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) is thirsty, it cannot just lap up water or scoop it up like a bird because it lives in environments where water is extremely scarce. Typically, it's found in damp soil or, even more rarely, in drops of rain.
Megacluster of bacterial genes reveals four antibiotics that jointly starve rivals of biotin
Researchers at McMaster University have discovered what they describe as a "megacluster" of genes in Streptomyces bacteria that produces four antibiotics that work together to stop rival bacteria.
Semi-communal 'compound houses' in Ghana affect how people participate in political activity
Could the precise architectural form of your residence influence how much you participate in politics? A new study by MIT scholars finds this to be exactly the case—at least in Accra, Ghana, where many people live in semi-communal structures known as "compound houses," often
What Is the Positive Grassmannian and Why Does It Show Up Everywhere?
Lauren Williams tells 'The Joy of Why' how studying a fundamental object in algebraic combinatorics led to a career full of surprises. The post What Is the Positive Grassmannian and Why Does It Show Up Everywhere? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Scientists discover how a single cell builds a brain with 170 billion cells
How does a single cell build a brain with billions of precisely organized neurons? Researchers suggest that brain cells use their lineage—their cellular family tree—as a kind of positional map. Cells that come from the same ancestor stay near one another, helping the brain
Researchers develop a new prodrug and localized drug delivery platform for selective treatment of cancer
A new collaborative study reports the discovery and application of a novel therapeutic strategy to selectively target EGFR and other kinases with controlled release in tumor microenvironments to improve therapeutic efficacy, with promising results. The research is published in
This single well-known and widespread butterfly is actually three species in disguise
The tropical rainforests of Central and South America are among the most biodiverse places on Earth. Costa Rica alone is home to half a million species, five times more than exist in the entire country of Canada, despite the former having 200 times less land area than the latter.
Fundamental principles of the universe called into question by two physicists
A new study claims that the universe isn’t entirely the same no matter where you look—a radical proposal
Tiny water droplets transmutate aniline into pyridine in ambient and catalyst-free conditions
Aniline can now be transformed into pyridine without adding any catalysts, oxidants or toxic reagents. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers achieved skeletal editing, involving the reorganization of the carbon-nitrogen bonds
Discovery of enzymes that control pores on leaf surfaces could lead to drought-resistant crops
A research team at the Ruhr University Bochum Department of Molecular and Cellular Botany, led by Professor Christopher Grefen, has uncovered how plants form the tiny pores on their leaves responsible for gas exchange and water regulation. The scientists identified the two
Growing up gets less scary with time, research finds
As young adults, many millennials feared growing up more than past generations. But they've come around to it as they age, research published in the journal Developmental Psychology has found.
How fair climate action works: Findings from 88 countries with 5 billion people
A study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) now sheds light, for the first time, on the carbon intensity of household consumption across much of the world—and thus on the distributional impact of climate policy, which, after all, makes carbon more
We’ve had fire for longer than we thought
Archaeologists have unearthed new evidence that indicates hominids used fire up to 1.79 million years ago.
How quantum sensing could reveal hidden faults in thousands of U.S. bridges
Of the more than 624,000 highway bridges in the U.S., an estimated 220,000 need repairs. Quantum sensors could help engineers better safeguard these vital pieces of infrastructure
How ancient subduction zones helped create hotspots of mineral wealth
A study led by geoscientists at the University of Sydney has revealed why some ancient continental edges became fertile sites for major mineral deposits, while others with apparently similar geology did not.
Why climate change could make staple crops less nutritious—and how CRISPR may help
At present, more than 700 million people live with caloric hunger, and more than 2 billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, known as "hidden hunger." By prioritizing high yield over nutritional quality, global calorie production has increased while exacerbating vitamin
A turquoise tint for the Black Sea caused by phytoplankton
The Black Sea sits at the boundary between Europe and Asia and connects to the Mediterranean Sea via a chain of waterways. Its surface often appears dark, but each spring and summer it transforms into a striking expanse of swirling turquoise. The OCI (Ocean Color Instrument) on
A thermodynamic approach to gravity could explain cosmic acceleration without dark energy
Gravity, the force that attracts objects toward each other, is currently framed by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. This framework describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime, the invisible four-dimensional fabric of the universe.
Image: Galaxy pair NGC 3504 and NGC 3512
This striking pair of galaxies located 80 million light-years from Earth lies in the constellation Leo against a backdrop of distant galaxies. The barred spiral galaxy NGC 3504 is seen on the right, and the spiral galaxy NGC 3512 is on the left. Although the two galaxies are
Location-specific solutions needed to manage heat across northern Australia, say researchers
Place-specific strategies for adapting to increasing temperatures are crucial to keeping remote towns and communities across northern Australia habitable, according to a recent study on the future impacts of climate change–intensified heat on people on the geographic edges of
They knew the pill was fake but their memory still improved
Healthy older adults experienced measurable improvements in memory, physical performance, and stress after taking placebo pills for just three weeks. The most surprising finding was that the placebo often worked even when participants knew the pills were completely inactive.
Ancient geology helps explain why Australia holds some of world's richest gold
Gold has long held a special place in Australia's history, shaping the nation's economic fortunes and driving waves of migration since the 1850s gold rushes. Today, Australia stands as one of the world's largest gold producers, with the precious metal a key driver of both
Miniature satellite tags reveal diving behavior of juvenile sea turtles
Until recently, researchers were unable to conduct satellite-tracking studies on juvenile turtles because of their small body sizes and immediate dispersal into the ocean, leaving this period of their lives enigmatic and often referred to as the "lost years." A study titled
Record-breaking IBM chip uses trick to cram in 100 billion transistors
IBM's latest chip packs in twice as many transistors as the current state-of-the-art chip by adding a second layer of silicon circuitry
Scientists target soybean cyst nematode by cutting off its food supply
Agricultural scientists are rethinking their battle plans against plant parasites that cause billions of dollars in annual yield losses for American farmers.
Quantum waves reveal one-sided motion marking elusive critical states
Sound waves, light waves and other types of waves, generally spread freely through space and over time. In 1958, physicist Philip W. Anderson first described a phenomenon via which irregularities or other sources of disorder in materials would prevent waves from propagating
Bacteria-killing viruses redirect vaccine immunity to destroy cancer
Phages, viruses that infect bacteria, could be genetically manipulated to destroy cancerous cells using the immunity we have acquired from vaccines
“Absolutely huge” 400-year-old black coral stuns scientists in New Zealand
A giant black coral estimated to be 300–400 years old has been discovered deep in Fiordland, New Zealand, astonishing researchers with its enormous size—about 4 meters tall and 4.5 meters wide. Scientists say it may be one of the largest black corals ever recorded in New
Weight loss drugs don't work for everyone—here’s why
Some people who take GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide see little to no changes to their weight. The reason why may be genetics
Lost books by ancient philosophers recovered from 'unreadable' scrolls
Scrolls from the Roman library of Herculaneum that were carbonised by a volcanic eruption have been read in their entirety for the first time, thanks to scans and AI software
Self-propelled actin filaments may explain how cells change shape spontaneously
Cells can spontaneously change shape even without external signals, but the underlying mechanisms behind this form of self-organization have remained unclear. Now, researchers from Japan have discovered self-propelled treadmilling actin filaments (SpTAs), mobile protein
Space shuttle ready for new mission in California
The space shuttle Endeavour, which took astronauts into orbit 25 times, went on display at the California Science Center on its final mission Wednesday.
Australia's under-16 social media ban shows little early effect on teen use: Research
Australia's social media ban for under-16s has had little impact on teenagers' scrolling habits, researchers said Thursday in one of the first evaluations of the world-leading measures.
Secret cameras, mics and AI reveal rare Cambodia wildlife
Above the patter of rain cascading through the jungle canopy comes the haunting call of a pileated gibbon singing to fend off intruders in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains.
After 70 years of excavation, ancient Sardis becomes a UNESCO World Heritage site
After nearly seven decades of excavation, the legendary ancient city of Sardis has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrating years of discoveries that continue to reshape its history. Archaeologists say the biggest breakthroughs don't happen in a single season—they
NASA’s Lucy finds a wobbling peanut-shaped asteroid with signs of ancient water
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft discovered that asteroid Donaldjohanson is a wobbling, peanut-shaped relic born from a violent collision and slowly reshaped by the subtle force of sunlight. It also carries traces of ancient water, making it an important clue to the solar system’s
Osteopenia is silently weakening bones in millions of people
Osteopenia is a common but often overlooked condition that causes bones to become less dense and more fragile. Because it develops silently, many people only discover they have it after a fracture or bone scan. Aging, menopause, poor diet, and inactivity can all contribute to
Shorter front-leg strides can be an early warning sign of dementia in senior dogs
Scientists have shown that the stride length of the front legs (but not the hind legs) of senior and geriatric dogs decreases as their cognitive performance worsens. In contrast, chronological age itself was a poor predictor of stride length. A similar reduction in step length
