In the human body, the boundary between health and severe illness can be microscopic. For decades, molecular scientists have grappled with a frustrating biological reality: The proteins driving devastating diseases often look nearly identical to the ones keeping us alive.
New degradable sensors could reveal insights into the secret—yet essential—microscopic life in soil. The sensors, which are being developed by soil scientists at Lancaster University and researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Manchester, track
The moon may look unchanged from afar, but its surface is constantly reshaped by microscopic impacts and a steady stream of particles from the sun, a process known as space weathering. Now, Georgia Tech researchers have recreated one of those weathering sources, solar wind, in
When comparing different types of antifouling paints against fouling on leisure boats, the results were the opposite of what many would expect. Of the paints tested, the biocide-free silicone paint worked best, and the paint marketed as environmentally friendly turned out to be
Sunlight, water, air and metal-organic catalysts—that could be all it takes. TU Wien has shown how catalyst design can be advanced for solar-driven NH3 synthesis. Without this chemical technology, feeding the world as we know it would be nearly impossible. The Haber-Bosch
Climate change could make historically rare tropical storms in Southern California produce significantly more precipitation in the next few decades, and when they strike, landslides are likely to become a bigger risk across the region, according to new research in Nature
Strong and consistent evidence shows that the entire climate system is continuing to heat, driving rapid global warming. Human activities pushed global warming to 1.37°C in 2025, and its level is projected to surpass 1.5°C in about four years. Crucially, the rate at which heat
An international collaborative research group has developed a new computational method to visualize the electronic states of aperiodic nanomaterials as band structures through first-principles calculations on finite-sized giant molecule models. The approach reformulates band
But a Frenchman beat him to the electric punch by a month The post 274 Years Ago Today, Benjamin Franklin Flew a Kite appeared first on Nautilus .
For almost a century, researchers have known that vertical land motion—the lifting and sinking of the ground—affects sea level locally. As the ground sinks, the sea level rises relative to the land. Scientists also assumed this process generally occurred at a steady rate over
Researchers at the Center for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) have developed a new system that combines spore trapping with advanced DNA sequencing to confirm fungicide resistance from air samples containing airborne spores.
Rapidly intensifying global climate instability is causing increasingly erratic temperature fluctuations. When sudden cold snaps strike during a crop's critical flowering window, they trigger irreversible pollen abortion, slashing yields of staple crops by 20% to 60%. Passive
For decades, biologists assumed a cell's energy simply diffused to wherever it was needed. It turns out the most important destination of all has a private delivery line.
Researchers have used a biopolymer to encapsulate and extend the storage life and release rate of a bioinsecticidal fungus. The study is published in ACS Omega. The goal is to extend the shelf life of Beauveria bassiana, a fungus widely used as a bioinsecticide on various
A collaborative study has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the endangered Bornean ferret badger (Melogale everetti). Weighing only around one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the Bornean ferret badger is a small, nocturnal carnivore that is rarely seen by people. The
A brown mass—a mixture of water, boulders and fine matter—plows through the landscape. The mountains wash more than a thousand lorryloads of material into the valley on a fairly regular basis, causing damage in excess of CHF 100 million per year in Switzerland alone. A better
Electrolysers produce hydrogen. Fuel cells, in turn, generate electricity from hydrogen. Both technologies are considered key building blocks of the energy transition, offering well-established solutions for storing, transporting and producing renewable energy. However, there
As conservationists seek to maintain biodiversity levels in tropical coffee landscapes, data indicate the presence and quality of surrounding forest habitat may play a larger role than previously thought. New research from the Colombian Andes shows that conserving forest cover
Quantum materials are a class of exotic materials with special properties that are governed by quantum mechanics rather than classical physics. Those properties—like superconductivity, entanglement and unusual forms of magnetism—often originate in the tiny repeating patterns of
For generations, agronomic knowledge has been produced on research stations like AU Flakkebjerg, where fields are designed to answer specific scientific questions. This is where agriculture became measurable, comparable and reproducible. But a quiet shift is underway. Today,
Pando’s voice comes from the wind The post Listen to the Sound of the Most Massive Organism on Earth appeared first on Nautilus .
Bacteria also produce molecules that have an antiviral effect. Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Jülich Research Center (FZJ) have examined the antiviral molecule daunorubicin and decoded its mode of operation against viruses in collaboration with
A guideline treats heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity as connected conditions under one umbrella: CKM syndrome.
To the scientists and ecologists working to save them, Australia's Euastacus crayfish species are fascinating, living relics from a time long ago.
At Kurd Qaburstan, an ancient site in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, archaeologists have uncovered the first substantial group of cuneiform administrative tablets found in the Erbil region, along with evidence of large-scale destruction, mass graves and citywide fortifications.
Modern fluorescence microscopy can generate images of living cells as stunning to look at as they are informative to study. For techniques like fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), those images provide a window into cell metabolism, helping scientists study cancer
People communicate with each other, sometimes face to face, sometimes with a text message or phone call. Cells also communicate with each other, sometimes by touching and sometimes by sending signals across space and time. But while texts and phone calls can be traced to figure
A new study led by Concordia researchers suggests that carefully habituating wild gorillas to nonthreatening humans can help the animals overcome long-term aversions to people in areas with a history of human-led disturbances such as poaching.
Cold fronts colliding with warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico could cause dangerous weather conditions, forecasters say
Researchers from Skoltech—a VEB.RF group institution—and their colleagues from the U.S. and China have explained how the antibiotic resistance gene established itself in the genome of the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae. The findings could help control this widespread microbe,
Since January 2025, the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement. A key rationale for the policy is that it will open up jobs for Americans by reducing competition from undocumented immigrants.
A new test for AI suggests some newer LLMs are less smart than older models The post Looking for Signs of Intelligence in Chatbots appeared first on Nautilus .
Researchers have repurposed an AI model designed for visual identification tasks to detect Bryde's whale calls contained within seismic data collected in the South China Sea. The detection system precisely identified calls more than 96% of the time and even identified some call
Most people think they are open-minded and would like others to perceive them as such. But for the things that matter most—religious beliefs, for example, or the meaning of life—few of us are genuinely willing to consider that we might be wrong, let alone do the hard work of
Ice-age sea-level declines may have turned seafloor volcanoes into natural iron fertilizer for plankton, potentially enhancing ocean carbon storage, Boston College researchers report in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The Arizona sunshine hits like a blowtorch. The pavement radiates heat like a stove burner. To make hot-weather walking less of an ordeal, Arizona State University researchers have created a web-based app that finds the coolest, shadiest ways to reach destinations on foot.
For many dads, talking with their teenager about sex and relationships can feel like a minefield.
No matter the time or vantage point, from a pre-Neolithic cave to a post-lockdown London high-rise, the predictability of the night sky has always been humanity's symbol of permanence and reassuring stability.
While scientists have studied how bacteria move toward food using a chemical radar known as chemotaxis, they have only watched single species swim in isolated environments over distances of only a few centimeters.
This new five-step protocol could make surgery a lot less painful The post The Healing Power of Dreaming Under Anesthesia appeared first on Nautilus .
The complex puzzle known as little red dots has become more complete since their initial discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in 2022. Now a particular little red dot's spectrum is helping connect many of the pieces.
Growing evidence suggests that excessive outdoor lighting at night may be harming wildlife.
The quest to identify a new way to potentially counter one of the world's most widely discussed solar geoengineering proposals has taken a new, exciting turn—raising questions about how future climate interventions could be governed.
Conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, often lack specificity and can damage both cancerous and healthy cells, leading to severe side effects. With this in mind, researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have developed DNA nanostructures
Researchers have uncovered new insights into how phosphorus from recycled materials moves through soil—offering guidance to support more sustainable fertilizer use. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth, yet many soils lack enough of it to support strong crop
Human-caused sea-level rise has significantly increased the frequency of extreme coastal flooding worldwide, according to a new study led by a Tulane University researcher. The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that coastal flooding events expected
Trees, grasses, corals, and oysters are foundational to the structure of an ecosystem while they are alive. But new research led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder shows that when they die—due to
A new telescope technology—measuring just 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) in diameter—could improve how future space missions study and monitor the sun while simplifying onboard hardware and reducing costs.
Eight years after a Chinese scientist's report of gene-edited babies shocked the world, U.S. scientists reported editing embryos not meant for pregnancies using a more precise technique
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) School of Biological Sciences researcher Dr. Ben Crichton has studied kōkopu—whitebait species that can live for 10 years or more. Whitebait is the collective term for the juveniles of six species of freshwater fish.
