Scientists may soon stop hunting for new materials—and start designing them to order. For the first time, Northwestern University scientists have demonstrated that megalibraries—tools that dramatically accelerate materials discovery—can do more than uncover promising new
Spring peepers are singing, and walleye harvesters are ready to go out on Mille Lacs Lake, as they have for hundreds of years. The walleye spawn is on.
A new international review has shed light on how offshore energy structures—from oil and gas platforms to wind turbines—shape marine ecosystems and the benefits they provide to society. The paper, "Understanding the role of offshore energy structures in ecosystem service
When a singer belts out a tune while a guitar player strums along, sound waves travel through the air, driving collective oscillations of the molecules within. Meanwhile, at the quantum level, something similar is going on. Atoms inside materials, everything from our bodies to
Over the past few decades, heat waves have become more common in several parts of the world as our planet warms. That's a huge problem for many animals, as it can lead to habitat loss and push their bodies to lethal thresholds. However, one penguin species appears to be
For animator and academic Dr. Jason Kennedy, palaeoart isn't just a hobby. Creating 3D images of prehistoric animals sits at the intersection of science and art, combining fossil analysis, comparisons with living species, and digital modeling to bring long-extinct creatures
Britain broke its record on Monday for the hottest day in May, according to the national weather agency, with the mercury rising to 33.5C near London as the country baked in a sweltering heat wave.
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed fresh details about one of the most luminous known objects in the universe: the dust-shrouded quasar W2246−0526, seen just 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang. The paper outlining the results was published in
Baby boomers have broken many taboos and transformed social norms, particularly around sexuality. As this generation grows older, is society's view of older adults' sexuality changing? Research suggests it is, even if some taboos persist.
As conflict continues in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and elsewhere, the cost is being recorded not only in deaths and displacement, but also in ruined libraries, mosques, churches, museums, archives and historic neighborhoods.
In a new open-access study that I published with my late colleague Kostya Trachenko from Queen Mary University of London, I propose a surprisingly simple nonlinear mathematical equation that unifies 12,000 years of human population growth and points to stark possible futures if
Decades of research in child development confirms that young children's play is linked to positive outcomes in mental health, cognitive and social development as well as fewer behavioral problems.
New NIH research reveals that semaglutide sparks different responses inside appetite-controlling brain cells, offering fresh insight into why GLP-1 weight-loss drugs don’t work the same for everyone. Scientists also found a possible way to extend the drugs’ effects, potentially
Scientists have peered inside the skull of a 380-million-year-old Antarctic fish that was closely related to the first animals to walk on land, revealing surprising clues about how life began its move out of the water. Using advanced neutron imaging, researchers discovered that
A material recently discovered and tested at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland could help astronauts pack lighter for future missions to the moon. NASA is researching ways explorers could "live off the land" by harnessing lunar resources, including melting moon rocks to
Planetary nebulae like the Crystal Ball Nebula (NGC 1514) are sort of like stellar obituaries. Though crystal balls supposedly reveal the future, the Crystal Ball Nebula tells us more about the past. It shows us how a binary pair of stars met their end. And since NGC 1514 is
Deep inside 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar, scientists uncovered a bizarre ancient bug with clawed front legs that look more like a crab’s pincers than anything seen in modern insects. The discovery is so unusual that researchers say these crab-like “chelae” evolved
A massive international study could upend 40 years of heart attack treatment. Researchers found that beta blockers—routinely prescribed after uncomplicated heart attacks—offered no real benefit for patients whose heart function remained normal, despite being given to millions
We should reflect on what cruise ships stricken with diseases mean for the way we inhabit the world today The post Poop Cruises Are No Laughing Matter appeared first on Nautilus .
You're on the fourth human mission to Mars, and you've been tasked with establishing the first self-sustaining food crop on a Martian settlement. You're nervous because you're using a new type of fungi called beneficial fungi, which you're told will help enhance the Martian
British demand for everyday global commodities can be linked to more than 29,000 hectares of deforestation worldwide in a single year, with tens of thousands of hectares stripped directly from overseas ecosystems. The stark figure forms the centerpiece of an environmental
Generative AI is transforming the workplace faster than ever, but new research from the University of Vaasa suggests the biggest threat may not be AI itself — it’s falling behind in learning how to use it. Researcher Zhe Zhu found that employees who see tools like ChatGPT and
The removal of invasive rodents from Lord Howe Island has triggered a rebound of invertebrate life, with researchers from the University of Sydney and collaborators documenting sharp increases in the abundance of insects and other small animals that underpin the island's
Researchers using cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) technology have uncovered far greater biodiversity in eastern Ontario waterways than traditional monitoring methods detected over more than a decade, demonstrating the transformative potential of DNA-based biomonitoring
A battle between “slimes” and “zoglins” could be the best way to calculate pi—at least for fans of this megahit game
Scientists have uncovered a surprising twist in how cells behave when division goes wrong. Sometimes a cell successfully copies its DNA but fails to split into two, leaving it with double the genetic material — a mistake linked to aging, cancer, and other major diseases.
Thick and creamy, gloopy or spray-on, sunscreen can be confounding. This science-backed guide can help you get ready for summer
There is currently no good way for astronauts in space to do laundry, but researchers may have finally come up with one: a bright purple jet of microbe-killing plasma
In the age of AI, instant answers to our questions are readily available. But columnist Helen Thomson finds that continuing to encourage those delicious flashes of insight that come from your own thoughts may be beneficial both for your everyday life and your long-term brain
The ocean is an important carbon sink that absorbs 20–30% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the industrial era (1.0–3.0 Pg annually, 1 Pg = 1015 g). Tropical cyclones are among the most devastating weather systems that profoundly disturb the upper ocean. However,
As people in the United States are coping with historic drought conditions, the country's wildlife is also facing problems because of the extreme aridity. Herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores in the southwestern U.S. have all seen the extent of their suitable habitat shrink
China launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with a space station early Monday as part of Beijing's ambitions to send humans to the moon by 2030, state media said.
To avoid the punishing sun, Inas Gamal abandoned her ambitious plan of spending the days ahead of the hajj praying in Mecca's Grand Mosque and retreated to the comfort of an air-conditioned hotel room to perform her daytime prayers.
A mysterious little blue octopus discovered nearly 6,000 feet beneath the waters of the Galápagos Islands has officially been identified as a brand-new species. About the size of a golf ball, the tiny creature stunned researchers during a deep-sea expedition when it suddenly
Drinking nitrate-rich beetroot juice may do more than support heart health — it could actually reshape the bacteria living in the mouth in ways that help lower blood pressure in older adults. In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that older people who drank
Scientists at McGill University have found a way to supercharge the immune system’s natural killer (NK) cells, helping them break through the defenses tumors use to stay alive. By temporarily blocking two proteins, researchers turned these cells into far more effective cancer
Scientists at UT Southwestern have uncovered a surprising new “master switch” that helps control how much cholesterol the liver sends into the bloodstream. The newly identified protein, HELZ2, works by shutting down the genetic instructions needed to produce apoB — a key
Located in the middle of the North Pacific, between Japan and Canada, lies one of the world's largest oceanic plateaus, the so-called Hess Rise. The plateau is roughly T-shaped and extends over a length of about 1,000 kilometers. Due to its distance from the nearest mainland,
The Galápagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador are home to more than a thousand plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth—things like marine iguanas and giant tortoises. In a new paper in the journal Zootaxa, scientists have announced the discovery of the newest
Thousands of holes are appearing in the Pennine hills, as part of efforts to improve carbon storage by restoring damaged peatland.
Imagine walking along Ipanema beach on a summer afternoon. The sand is golden, there's a cooling sea breeze, the shade of a parasol and a cold drink in hand. Now look up.
The buildup of a protein called 𝛂-synuclein (ASN) into toxic clumps is a hallmark of synucleinopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases that includes Parkinson's and multiple system atrophy (MSA). These aggregates are associated with cellular dysfunction and lead to
Women politicians are significantly more likely than their male colleagues to refrain from speaking out in public for fear of threats or harassment—particularly on issues relating to migration and gender equality. Politicians with an immigrant background are also more likely to
Magnetic switching processes are considered a prime example of controllable physics at the nanometer scale: in certain thin-film systems, a short electrical current pulse is sufficient to reverse the magnetization in a targeted way. The underlying effect is the so-called
The research, conducted by Wierikx at the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, is based on more than 3,000 organizational assessments. The results reveal a consistent pattern: companies are relatively strong in setting circular ambitions, but face major
Many of the most exciting discoveries in science involve highly specialized knowledge and making connections between far-flung facts. Scientists must combine deep analysis with broad reasoning strategies.
Researchers at the University of Plymouth recently confirmed what board game fans and role-playing game (RPG) enthusiasts have known for decades: that tabletop games "enhance well-being, foster inclusion, and support learning, with strong evidence that games improve engagement."
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed a light-driven technique that quickly amasses thousands of bacteria into a single spot, boosting detection speed and sensitivity. Their approach paves the way for earlier diagnosis of disease. The study is published in
It's getting crowded up there. Over the past few years, the advent of SpaceX's Starlink and other players in the mega-satellite constellation game are adding an exponential load of satellites and orbital debris to the low Earth orbit environment. But all that goes up, must
Three mathematicians have laid out proof that solves a long-standing problem in mathematics. Even the mathematician—an Abel prize winner—that first posed the problem didn't believe it would ever be solved. The solution provides insight into high-dimensional random structures
