Damaged DNA can spread between human cells. What could that mean for cancer?
DNA can voyage along intercellular highways called tunneling nanotubes. It’s a phenomenon that could potentially spread tumor DNA to healthy cells.
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These Three Newly Discovered Mammals Survived the Extinction Event That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs
And we followed in their tiny footsteps The post These Three Newly Discovered Mammals Survived the Extinction Event That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs appeared first on Nautilus .
Agriculture and conservation share common ground after Klamath dam removals, study finds
A new study of the largest dam removal project in United States history on the Klamath River in Oregon and California is offering new insight into a long-running water conflict by finding that farmers and conservation groups share priorities that may help guide decision-making
Proteins that create ice inspire 'cool' applications, from cryomedicine to artificial snow
Bacteria from the Middle East have caused precipitation all the way out in California. The same bacteria, which are known to attack plants, have also been found embedded within lumps of hail in West Africa.
Why students ignore feedback—and the free tool helping them to use it constructively
A new free online platform is tackling one of higher education's most persistent problems—how students engage with and constructively use feedback they receive from academics.
Tritium-infused graphene could sharpen the hunt for neutrino mass
While neutrinos are some of the most abundant particles in the universe, they remain among the least understood. One of the biggest puzzles is their mass: although experiments have shown that neutrinos must have some mass, pinning down exactly how much has proven
German firms join forces on space surveillance system
German defense tech start-up Helsing and space technology group OHB on Tuesday unveiled a joint venture to develop an AI-powered surveillance and targeting system for use in outer space.
Scientists solve 200-year-old puzzle of how tobacco plants make nicotine
Scientists have uncovered how tobacco plants naturally make nicotine, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two centuries. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, could lead to safer production of medicines and vaccines using tobacco plants,
Non-native diet makes Fischer's Blue butterflies less attractive to mates, influencing reproduction
A colorful and diverse garden brings joy to any gardener, but the increased popularity of non-native plants in place of native species has brought about unprecedented changes in the local wildlife.
Silver vine or catnip? When cats can choose, silver vine wins
What plant do cats love most? In Europe and North America, many people would probably answer "catnip." In Japan, the answer would more likely be silver vine (matatabi in Japanese). Both plants are famous for triggering the well-known feline response: cats rub their faces and
Hidden earthquake faults beneath Seattle may be more dangerous than expected
A hidden network of earthquake faults running beneath Seattle may be far more active than scientists realized. New research reveals that smaller “secondary” faults in the Seattle Fault Zone appear to rupture roughly every 350 years — much more often than the massive main fault
The Earthquake Illusion
Why we think quakes are becoming more frequent The post The Earthquake Illusion appeared first on Nautilus .
How to Predict an Earthquake
In the trenches with a paleoseismologist The post How to Predict an Earthquake appeared first on Nautilus .
Cities meet ecology: New framework measures urban vibrancy through 13 human activity types
What do a thriving coral reef and a bustling city neighborhood have in common? More than you might think. A Perspective by Federico Botta and colleagues published in PNAS Nexus proposes a method for measuring urban vibrancy by studying cities the way ecologists study
MeerKAT discovers 15 new millisecond pulsars in a well known globular cluster
Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has discovered 15 new millisecond pulsars in 47 Tucanae—one of the closest and best studied globular clusters. The finding is reported in the latest issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Scientists were wrong about this “rule-breaking” particle
Scientists spent decades chasing signs of a mysterious new force hidden inside the muon, one of nature’s strangest particles. But after years of supercomputer calculations, researchers discovered the apparent anomaly was likely a calculation error — and the Standard Model still
A de-extinction company has hatched live chicks from an artificial eggshell
A biotech company that aims to resurrect lost creatures said Tuesday it has hatched live chicks in an artificial environment—a development that was met with mixed reviews from scientists and critics of its de-extinction mission.
Climate report says world won't get as hot as feared but will pass warming limit
Scientists are jettisoning their worst and best case scenarios for a warming world as no longer plausible. That shows how modest gains in the fight to curb climate change have dialed back the most catastrophic of future heating but also confirmed that there's no chance to limit
New 'Happy-Face' spider species discovered in the Indian Himalayas
Vibrant, tiny, and sporting a bright red grin on its back, the Happy-Face spider is one of the most famous and recognizable arachnids in the world. For over a century, this cheerful-looking creature was thought to be a unique resident of the Hawaiian Islands, a biological
Booking site crackdown failed to cut online hotel prices—but unlocked cheaper deals offline
A major French policy designed to make hotel prices more competitive online may not have worked as intended, but it did unlock cheaper deals for customers booking directly with hotels. The new study of European hotel markets finds that banning "price parity clauses"—rules which
Scientists boosted one protein and aging mice became stronger and healthier
Scientists have identified a protein that appears to put the brakes on the chronic inflammation linked to aging. Older mice with boosted levels of the protein were stronger, more energetic, and had healthier bones than untreated mice. Researchers say the findings could
People who lost the most weight on Ozempic saw huge health benefits
People who lost significant weight while taking Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Saxenda had sharply lower risks of major obesity-related health problems, including sleep apnea and kidney disease. Those who gained weight instead faced higher risks — especially for heart failure —
Scientists call for stewardship practices to be integrated into biodiversity conservation frameworks
A new article in the journal BioScience argues that the stewardship practices of Indigenous Peoples and other place-based knowledge holders have been systematically underrepresented in both conservation research and international policy along with the knowledge holders and
Antarctic plants may face a growing fungal threat from warming soils
Soil DNA from Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula ties warmer climates to more plant fungal pathogens, with abundance projected to double by 2100.
Indigenous Australians were the world's first astronomers. But their knowledge is now at risk
I'm a proud Yorta Yorta and Barapa Barapa man, an Indigenous astronomer and a trainee ecologist. When I look at the night sky, I don't just see stars. Instead, I see an ancient knowledge system that has guided people, culture and Country for tens of thousands of years.
Food relief comes in many packages
Food insecurity—or the uncertain access to sufficient, nutritious and safe foods—is a "wicked problem" affecting 1 in 3 people worldwide. Social supermarkets are slowly emerging in Australia as a different approach to food relief, offering affordable food access with social
Colossal claims an artificial eggshell will help it bring back the moa
Colossal Biosciences, the company that says it resurrected the dire wolf, now says it has developed artificial eggshells so it can replicate the huge eggs of the moa. Independent experts say this isn't nearly enough to bring back these giant birds
Feeling connected at school aids pupil mental health and attendance, study finds
Strong relationships with school staff and a sense of belonging at school can protect teenagers' mental well-being and help reduce absences, according to new findings from The University of Manchester's #BeeWell program. The large-scale study published in the Journal of the
The Science of Cities. 10 Books You Must Read
Nautilus ventures into the urban world to map the mysterious complexity of cities The post The Science of Cities. 10 Books You Must Read appeared first on Nautilus .
Fish can pass PFAS safety limits one chemical at a time, but cocktail effects reveal a bigger unseen risk
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," are now found almost everywhere scientists look. They have been detected in rivers, oceans, wildlife, food and even human blood.
Consistency check casts doubt on evolving dark energy
Cosmologists have long struggled to determine whether the universe's accelerating expansion is being driven by a simple cosmological constant, or whether dark energy's influence is evolving over time. In a new analysis published in Physical Review D, Samsuzzaman Afroz and
Asteroid 2022 OB5 spins too fast for current prospectors, highlighting the divide between 'accessible' and 'exploitable'
Asteroid mining seems simple in theory. A spacecraft flies up to a giant rock in space, scoops out some material, and either processes it on site or returns it back to a huge central processing facility. But in practice, it is certainly not that simple, and a new paper from
Busseiron and the formation of a discipline in Japanese physics
The middle of the twentieth century was a period of significant scientific advancement, particularly in the realm of physics. Within this rapidly changing landscape, academic disciplines emerged and evolved to keep pace with scientific discoveries. The new subdiscipline of
Female beast hunters battled leopards in ancient Rome
Mosaic depictions of a weapon-wielding female gladiator are the first physical evidence showing women in ancient Rome could be skilled beast hunters
Odd “butterfly” molecule could lead to new parts of the quantum realm
An exotic new molecule is shaped like a butterfly, complete with "wings" made from electrons. The discovery could provide a gateway to completely new parts of the quantum realm
Which problems will quantum computers solve—and when?
Quantum computing could lead to revolutions in cryptography, materials design and telecommunications. But fulfilling those promises could be many years away
The Riemann hypothesis is a million-dollar math problem hardly anyone is trying to solve
The intimidating legacy of the scariest problem in mathematics
Science crossword: At the same time
Play this crossword inspired by the June 2026 issue of Scientific American
Readers respond to the February 2026 issue
Letters to the editors for the February 2026 issue of Scientific American
Quantum computing is reaching its make-or-break moment
Will computers based on quantum physics really change the world?
New ways to keep from losing muscle on Ozempic
Ozempic and just getting older take off muscle. New therapies could retain it
New high‑resolution map transforms what we know about Roman roads and the Roman Empire
A massive digitization project has nearly doubled the known extent of the first continent-scale road network
NASA dreams of a nuclear power plant on the moon. Here’s why
To build its moon base, NASA needs a lot of power
June 2026: Science history from 50, 100 and 150 years ago
Door-building spiders; a new quantum liquid
How commercial satellites are changing modern warfare
Commercial satellites can now watch much of Earth in near-real time. Militaries are learning new ways to fool them
Helion Energy is building a fusion power plant. Can its technology deliver?
This company says its pulsed plasma machine will deliver electricity to the grid by 2029. Some physicists warn that its promises are outrunning what the technology has proved