A new study led by Dr. Shikma Zaarur of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Dr. Ran Erel of the Agricultural Research Organization–Volcani Institute, reveals that agricultural soils may contain a substantial unaccounted-for reservoir of potassium, an
While ammonia (NH₃) is best known for its role in fertilizer production, it is attracting attention as a carbon-free hydrogen carrier, potentially offering a practical way to store and transport clean fuel. Despite this promise, NH₃ synthesis still depends on high-temperature,
Human intelligence is still a bit of an enigma. Researchers have some ideas about why advanced intelligence evolved in humans, but they have not come to a conclusive answer. One prominent idea is that intelligence serves a social function. In their new study, a group of
What does a healthy river look like? For most of us, an obvious answer would involve two aspects: water flowing through a channel and green vegetation along its banks. However, in reality, a river's health depends on several factors, such as how much water flows through it, how
Scientists studying the neurology of tame foxes identified changes in a part of the brain that has previously been associated with aggression, according to a new paper that compared the brains of domesticated, aggressive and wild foxes. The changes occurred in an area at the
“The explosion packed roughly a billion years of the sun’s energy output into a pencil-thin beam” The post A Collapsing Star Produced an Afterglow Brighter Than Its Galaxy appeared first on Nautilus .
Working as a Christian minister years ago, Landon Schnabel noticed a paradox common to many U.S. churches: Men filled leadership roles, implying that religion is masculine and patriarchal, but many more women participated in services, Bible study and other activities.
Ruthenium (Ru) is a valuable metal used in catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in many industrial processes. It can help improve efficiency and reduce the energy needed for chemical production. However, because it is rare and expensive, scientists are looking for ways to
More than just a precious gemstone for jewelry, diamond has properties that make it attractive for several next-generation, high-performance technologies. Its high thermal conductivity can help move heat away from semiconductor devices, while its wide bandgap is promising for
A study co-led by a University of California, Riverside, biomedical scientist has identified new targets for coronavirus antiviral drugs, including treatments that may be less vulnerable to the rapid evolution of these viruses.
For roughly five centuries from about 1300, Europe experienced periods of unusually cold weather and extreme conditions collectively known as the Little Ice Age. Transylvania, a historical region in modern-day Romania, was also affected, but information about just how severe
People who speak with an accent know it can lead to discrimination. It can cost them in job interviews, at work and in everyday exchanges. But what they usually have to go on is anecdote: their own experiences and those of people they know.
Scientists examining data collected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found that dozens of small galaxies contain far less oxygen than their stars are estimated to have produced. The researchers, including a Rutgers astrophysicist, studied 37 dwarf galaxies, which are much
These “lost” recordings of the Creole language offer unique insights that written transcripts can’t provide The post Listen to the Earliest Known Recordings of a Nearly Dead American Language appeared first on Nautilus .
Research led by atmospheric scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory sheds new light on one of the fundamental challenges of weather forecasting: determining the conditions under which a cloud will produce rain—and how much rain it will
Whether it's gushing from a bumped nose or pooling atop a pricked finger, our blood is some hue of red. But red-bloodedness isn't universal in the animal kingdom. In some creatures, the vital fluid is purple; in others it's yellow, green or even white.
How do some people experience work as meaningful? Organizational researcher Rachel Waldo at Lund University argues that one important answer has been largely overlooked: the brand itself.
A genome contains all of the DNA of every living organism, but its contents don't stop there—most of these structures also contain snippets of DNA that can copy and paste themselves to "infect" a genome, expanding its size. Precisely why that happens remains a mystery.
An international research team led by Curtin University has for the first time uncovered unequivocal evidence of fossilized red blood cells and amino acids of collagen, reshaping our understanding of fossil preservation and molecular longevity in deep time.
Mars shares many landforms and weather patterns with Earth, including changing seasons, volcanoes, canyons, dust storms, dust devils and water ice. Another feature that Earth and Mars share is polar ice caps. These are among each planet's striking features, but the major
In Ethiopia, scientists documented repeated sex and bonding between a bull and a male donkey The post A Cross-Species Same-Sex Love Story appeared first on Nautilus .
Exceeding 1.5C of global warming will have "irreversible" consequences for glaciers, sea ice and the Earth's frozen regions, two U.N. reports warned on Monday, calling for urgent action.
It's a dizzyingly busy time for scientists searching for life on distant planets. To date, astronomers have cataloged more than 6,000 planets beyond our solar system and are searching the atmospheres of the most promising worlds for chemicals that might be byproducts of life.
Zombies have taken many forms in popular culture. In Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video, corpses climb out of their graves and perform an impressively coordinated dance. In HBO's "The Last of Us," a fungus infects humans, takes over their bodies and turns them into hosts
A new study from NYU Abu Dhabi has revealed how coral-associated bacteria help corals withstand extreme heat by producing steroid hormones that strengthen their immune response.
One approach to making information storage in quantum computing less prone to errors is known as topological quantum computing. It relies on special quantum states that are expected to be more resistant to local disturbances.
Wishing really hard for something won't necessarily make it come true, but a new study from a UConn researcher indicates up to 90% of voters expect their side to win an election, a percentage that's significantly increased over the last 15 years.
Some genetic diseases leave cells without a crucial protein. One possible treatment is to persuade genes already inside those cells to work harder, but the necessary machinery can be difficult to deliver, especially when researchers want to target several genes at once. A new
Scientists have discovered that lysosomes, structures traditionally viewed as the cell's recycling centers, also play a role in regulating the heart's natural rhythm. Researchers at the University of Liverpool and University of Oxford, working with national and international
University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers recently named a series of approximately 400,000-year-old fossilized underground nests of an extinct termite species after Calitzdorp, the Little Karoo town near which they were found. In October 2026, the research team returned to the
Despite the complexity of the operation, ERMIS-3, an 8U CubeSat developed by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, has established a link with an optical ground station, marking an important step in validating optical communications on small satellites. The
Volcanic eruptions are known for their spectacular visual displays of vivid lava, as well as the devastating impacts they can have on the environment and the communities who live nearby. But they can also have far-reaching impacts across the globe.
Enzymes are essential to a wide range of industrial processes. As biocatalysts, they play a key role in producing active pharmaceutical ingredients, specialty chemicals and ingredients for cosmetics, besides being vital to the food industry. Enzymes allow many chemical
Scientists spend their careers trying to understand how the world works. Yet even in their own specialties, complete understanding may remain elusive. That idea lies at the center of a new article by Richard Shiffrin, distinguished and Luther Dana Waterman professor of
Rx Kids, a program that provides unconditional cash transfers for pregnant people and infants, reduced neonatal mortality in Flint, Michigan.
Overtourism has become a growing concern in popular tourist destinations, where large numbers of visitors can put pressure on local communities and attractions. However, not all destinations face the same challenges. While busy city centers may struggle to manage crowds,
Quantum computers rely on qubits as their units of information. To connect them into a larger network across long distances, they need to transmit quantum information using light.
Their songs provide a new way to monitor their feeding behavior The post Can Whales Sing with Their Mouths Full? appeared first on Nautilus .
Climate-related events affected at least 13 million people across Africa in 2025. Over the last decade alone, extreme weather has affected populations in Africa disproportionately. Tropical Cyclone Freddy (February 2023) caused widespread flooding and led to over 1,500 deaths,
Asteroid Ryugu and some carbonaceous meteorites, which are thought to have similar origins in the early solar system, are known as chemically "primitive" materials because they preserve the chemical composition of the early solar system remarkably well. Yet these rocks also
Dewetting of thin films is a phenomenon in which heat or laser irradiation destabilizes a continuous film, causing it to retract into nanoscale island-like structures. Compared to thermal dewetting, laser-induced dewetting offers greater precision, speed and flexibility and is
As a high school or college student, you might sometimes find yourself putting off studying to do other tasks even when an important assessment deadline or exam is looming over you.
Birds may not always take the flight path that physics suggests is the perfect landing, at the safest and lowest possible speed, using the least energy, according to new research.
Sex between animals of the same sex is widespread in nature. But researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on Nov. 2 describe an unusual partnership involving an ongoing sexual relationship between a bull and a male donkey living on an Ethiopian plateau.
A breath of fresh air does wonders for the body and mind.
The unlikely pairing suggests that social relationships between males are more complex than we thought
Public debates about kids and media often focus on harm. Children are usually seen as vulnerable media users who need adult guidance and protection.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a thriving research program with exotic atoms that won’t solve the energy crisis but stretches the boundaries of physics. The post Is There Anything Left in the Dream of Cold Fusion? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Creating better-performing materials comes down to having more control over their structure at the smallest possible scale. One particularly effective way to accomplish that is using nanoparticles, which have highly customizable shapes and sizes and have already shown promise
Models of early population migrations assume people moved to places with easy access to water. But this assumption has left us with a fascinating mystery in ancient Arabia. Despite evidence that monsoon rains once filled lakes and supported grasslands in the vast sandy
