In a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Dr. Ellery Frahm and his colleagues analyzed two unusual blue-green glazed ceramic sherds discovered in the Gobi Desert in 2016.
Microbubbles in the tap water you just poured into a plastic glass are strong enough to create tiny abrasions on the inner layer of the plastic—quietly adding to our growing microplastic problem.
Floods, droughts and heat waves continue to dominate headlines around the world and in Australia.
SpaceX launched its third mission of the year from Florida's Space Coast on Monday afternoon while preparing for the early return later this week of Crew-11 from the International Space Station.
The Northern Territory's investment in solar and wind energy production needs to benefit people and the planet, but new research highlights critical pitfalls in planning.
Hawaii's Kilauea was spraying a spectacular fountain of lava on Monday, keeping up its reputation as one of the world's most active volcanoes.
Natural disaster losses worldwide dropped sharply to $224 billion in 2025, reinsurer Munich Re said Tuesday, but warned of a still "alarming" picture of extreme weather events likely driven by climate change.
Young tropical forests play a crucial role in slowing climate change. Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, using photosynthesis to build it into their roots, trunks, and branches, where they can store carbon for decades or even centuries. But, according to a new
For the last two years, the cultivated meat industry has been experiencing growing pains. Many startups have shrunk, shut down, or pivoted. Their advances aren't going to waste, though.
Scientists tracking Earth’s water from space discovered that El Niño and La Niña are synchronizing floods and droughts across continents. When these climate cycles intensify, far-apart regions can become unusually wet or dangerously dry at the same time. The study also found a
Scientists at Tufts have found a way to turn common glucose into a rare sugar that tastes almost exactly like table sugar—but with far fewer downsides. Using engineered bacteria as microscopic factories, the team can now produce tagatose efficiently and cheaply, achieving
MIT engineers have developed a pill that can wirelessly report when it’s been swallowed. Inside the capsule is a biodegradable antenna that sends a signal within minutes of ingestion, then safely dissolves. The system is designed to work with existing medications and could help
Plastic pollution is not just in oceans and soil. Scientists have now found enormous amounts of microscopic plastic floating through urban air, far exceeding earlier estimates. Road dust and rainfall play a major role in moving these particles through the atmosphere. The
Researchers who examined Canadian child welfare data found that Black children were not only investigated at a higher rate than their white peers but were also more likely to be taken from their homes, even when the only difference between cases was the child's race.
Some antibiotics stop bacteria from growing without actually killing them, allowing infections to return later. Scientists at the University of Basel created a new test that tracks individual bacteria to see which drugs truly eliminate them. When tested on tuberculosis and
Waiting to eat when your food arrives first feels polite—but it may be mostly for your own peace of mind. Researchers found people feel far more uncomfortable breaking the “wait until everyone is served” rule than they expect others would feel watching it happen. Even being
A smaller white dwarf star (left) pulls material from a larger star into a swirling accretion disk in this artist's concept released Nov. 19, 2025, to illustrate the first use of NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star.
Here’s what was in the air during the so-called “Boring Billion” The post A Billion-Year-Old Piece of Sky Locked Within Ancient Salt Crystals appeared first on Nautilus .
A tiny beetle responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of oak trees in Southern California has reached Ventura County, marking a troubling expansion.
Happiness and well-being depend on how much volition, choice and control people feel they have over their life—their sense of autonomy. Researchers have acknowledged this connection, but there's been disagreement about whether it's universal or simply a reflection of the
Aboard an aluminum skiff or one of her five kayaks, fourth-generation shrimper and fisherwoman Diane Wilson often plies the coastal bays and streams near her tiny hometown of Seadrift, Texas.
Changes in genes have been linked to the development of different diseases for a while. However, it's not exactly clear what the mechanisms, or the causes behind those specific genetic changes, are. Recent studies using fission yeast, which can act as an ideal model for human
Heat-resilient biofertilizers could help crops cope with rising temperatures but engineering them has been slow and uncertain. A new study at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) shows that pairing experimental evolution with controlled gamma-ray
On Jan. 9, The Environmental Protection Agency determined Colorado cannot order the closure of coal-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act, and, therefore, the agency will deny the state's plan to reduce the haze that clouds views at Rocky Mountain National Park and other
Today, trans people face politicization of their lives and vilification from politicians, media and parts of broader society.
New research reveals spaceflight is literally mind-bending The post Astronaut Brains Change Shape in Space appeared first on Nautilus .
Astrobiologist Caleb Scharf’s 3 greatest revelations while writing his latest book, The Giant Leap The post Space Exploration Speaks to the Core of Who We Are appeared first on Nautilus .
Life is already busy making its transition to being interplanetary The post We’re Evolving Beyond This Rock Right Now appeared first on Nautilus .
Water extremes such as droughts and floods have a huge impact on communities, ecosystems, and economies. Researchers with The University of Texas at Austin have turned their attention to tracking these extremes across Earth and have discovered what is driving them.
A new Stanford-led analysis of corporate carbon disclosures finds that companies undercount emissions from their supply chains by billions of tons.
For decades, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has offered a snapshot of the planet's changing climate—but University of Toronto researchers have found that some of the underlying data underrepresents a key driver of Arctic warming.
It’s all a matter of timing The post How Brain Waves Shape Your Sense of Self appeared first on Nautilus .
As the climate changes, scientists are concerned about how well plants and animals will adapt to rapid warming. A new University of Vermont study has explored the early embryonic life stage of a globally common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, looking at how the eggs
Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with various chronic diseases and cancers, including neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic syndrome. Gently extracting a single mitochondrion from within a living cell—without causing damage and without the guidance of fluorescent
Whether they are laundry detergents, mascara, or Christmas chocolate, many everyday products contain fatty acids from palm oil or coconut oil. However, the extraction of these raw materials is associated with massive environmental issues: Rainforests are cleared, habitats for
Cereals have natural resistance to pathogenic fungi, but powdery mildew, for example, can overcome this resistance. A team at the University of Zurich has now discovered a new mechanism that enables powdery mildew to outsmart the immune system of wheat. This opens the door to
"The UN estimates that by 2050, common bacterial infections could kill more people than cancer," says Arnold Mathijssen, a biophysicist at the University of Pennsylvania who studies how active particles like bacteria move in fluidic systems. "Bacteria are remarkably fast,
McGill engineering researchers have introduced an open-source model that makes it easier for experts and non-experts alike to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. natural gas supply chains and yields more accurate results.
By fine-tuning the surroundings of single cobalt atoms, researchers reveal how tiny design changes can steer oxygen reactions toward cleaner and more efficient hydrogen peroxide production.
They’re actually what sets her apart from her worker bees The post Take a Look at the Hairy Mouthparts of a Queen Bee appeared first on Nautilus .
We know the genes, but not their functions—to resolve this long-standing bottleneck in microbial research, a joint research team has proposed a cutting-edge research strategy that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to drastically accelerate the discovery of microbial gene
At half the size of Earth and one-tenth its mass, Mars is a featherweight as far as planets go. Yet new research reveals the extent to which Mars is quietly tugging on Earth's orbit and shaping the cycles that drive long-term climate patterns here, including ice ages.
Newly published interdisciplinary research led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and University of Maryland shows that viral infection of blue-green algae in the ocean stimulates productivity in the ecosystem and contributes to a rich band of oxygen in the water.
An international team of researchers has uncovered hidden clues about life in the hills of ancient southwest Samos, Greece.
The density of fine hairs on bumblebees’ tongues determines how much nectar they can collect — and workers put queen bees to shame.
A 1965 test revealed how people would fare if a nuclear rocket launch went wrong The post When Fake Nuclear Disaster Fallout Reached Los Angeles appeared first on Nautilus .
Plastic is everywhere in modern society. While it has paved the way for enormous progress, the pollution it leaves behind is now creating major challenges.
Before the Romans captured Pompeii, the famous town was run by the Samnite people – and a dip in their public baths might have been an unpleasant experience
For decades, researchers have focused on the problem of overgrazing, in which expanding herds of cattle and other livestock degrade grasslands, steppes and desert plains. But a new global study reveals that in large regions of the world, livestock numbers are substantially
Black-bulb yam’s mimicry tricks birds into spreading its berrylike clones. The plant's novel strategy helps it spread without seeds or sexual reproduction.
