Study identifies main threats to marine life in boost to global conservation
An international team of marine scientists has identified and assessed major threats to marine megafauna, which are needed to inform conservation strategies.
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Video catches wild wolf pulling in crab trap to get to food—but is it tool use?
Many animals have been observed using tools. For example, chimps tear leaves off of branches and stick them into holes to pull out termites, and wild dingoes have been observed moving objects to stand on to get to another area. However, despite being known as fairly intelligent
New snake species named in honor of Steve Irwin
A new species of wolf snake was discovered from the Great Nicobar Islands, India.
Synthetic AI data can't always explain 'messy realities of people's lives'
Have you ever wondered why a café opens in the next suburb, but not yours? Or found your favorite product available in one city but not another, even though it's the same supermarket?
Genomic study reveals gibbon evolutionary history and informs conservation strategies
Gibbons, small apes closely related to humans, face severe threats to their survival. However, their evolutionary history has remained unclear due to their rapid diversification. A new, comprehensive genomic study of gibbons has resolved key debates about their evolutionary
New workplace technologies bring both benefits and emerging psychosocial risk
New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has highlighted the need for effective management and integration of new technologies in the workplace, in order to protect workers' psychosocial health.
The genome editing playbook is different in neurons and other nondividing cells, researchers discover
The gene editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 is changing what's possible for treating a wide range of diseases caused by genetic mutations. But so far, attempts to use the technology to address brain-based genetic disorders have proved challenging in the lab.
Illuminating the messages that cells leave behind: Cells trek along vesicle 'breadcrumbs'
In stunning new time-lapse videos, biological nanoparticles scoot and flit across a starry field of glowing dots. Guided by the invisible chemistry of attraction, these microscopic travelers eventually group together to form perfectly round, glowing circles on a black surface.
Machine learning framework can scan for signs of extraterrestrial life
A machine learning framework can distinguish molecules made by biological processes from those formed through non-biological processes and could be used to analyze samples returned by current and future planetary missions. The findings are published in the journal PNAS Nexus.
Noncredit community college training linked to higher earnings and employment rates
Students who enroll in short-term, job-focused training through community college noncredit programs experience modest but meaningful earnings gains and a greater likelihood of being employed after training, according to a new study published in Educational Evaluation and
Nanorobots based on reconfigurable DNA origami arrays can work autonomously
Over the past decades, a growing number of robotics teams have started developing modular robots inspired by the ancient paper-folding art of origami. More recently, some of these teams started experimenting with origami structures that are comprised of folded strands of DNA
New technique accurately predicts cannabis crop potency
Researchers at the University of Adelaide, in collaboration with German tech company Compolytics, have developed a non-destructive leaf scanning method that can accurately predict the cannabinoid concentrations of cannabis plants.
Venice's newest marvel is a wild, acrobatic dolphin. His refusal to leave puts him in danger
Venice has been charmed by a recent visitor: An acrobatic, wild dolphin. The feeling appears to be mutual—he so far refuses to leave—but proximity to humans has put him in danger.
Artificial intelligence sparks debate at COP30 climate talks in Brazil
At the U.N. climate talks in Brazil, artificial intelligence is being cast as both a hero worthy of praise and a villain that needs policing.
Study reveals how quiet political connections help corporations win contracts
A study published in Strategic Management Journal sheds light on the subtle yet significant role that unelected officials play in helping corporations secure successful contract bids.
Expert explains human fear of snakes
Dusk starts to settle across the landscape. The dirt trail, lit by the last licks of sunlight, winds through the trees. The sound of your shuffling footfalls fills the quiet.
57% of Australians willing to pay more for sustainable clothing
Fifty-seven percent of Australians are willing to pay more for clothing made from natural fibers, new Swinburne research reveals.
Sharper MRI scans may be on horizon thanks to new physics-based model
Researchers at Rice University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have unveiled a physics-based model of magnetic resonance relaxation that bridges molecular-scale dynamics with macroscopic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals, promising new insight into how contrast agents
Monitoring hidden processes beneath Kīlauea could aid eruption forecast
The massive 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano on Hawai'i Island lasted for months, destroyed neighborhoods, and was associated with 60,000 earthquakes.
Quantum imaging settles 20-year debate on gold surface electron spin direction
Researchers at the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) have definitively resolved a two-decade-long controversy regarding the direction of electron spin on the surface of gold.
Chiral skyrmion flows enable new approach to nanoscale logic devices
In magnetic materials with antisymmetric exchange interactions, novel particle-like spin textures called magnetic skyrmions can appear and be manipulated by electrons. First observed in 2009, they have been created and controlled at room temperature in many materials.
Funding chaos may unravel decades of biomedical research
Battles between the Trump administration and academic institutions are putting important biomedical advances in limbo.
A new gateway to global antimicrobial resistance data
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing health challenge, reducing the effectiveness of life-saving treatments and increasing the risk of complications from routine medical procedures.
Deep imaging suggests isolated galaxy forms stars without signs of past mergers
Using the Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT3), Spanish astronomers have conducted deep optical imaging of an isolated dwarf galaxy known as NGC 6789. Results of the new observations, presented November 10 on the arXiv preprint server, shed more light on the star formation process
First draft of climate pact lands at COP30 in Brazil
COP30 hosts Brazil on Tuesday produced a first draft of an agreement between nations at the UN climate talks after negotiations on the sticking points stretched late into the night.
Singapore seizes record rhino horn haul
Singapore has seized over $800,000 worth of illegal rhino horn and animal parts hidden in air cargo bound for Laos, authorities said Tuesday, in the largest haul of its kind discovered in the city-state.
New synthesis strategy for (–)-gukulenin A reveals the chemistry behind its anticancer effects
A team of researchers from Yale University, U.S., successfully achieved the first stereoselective synthesis of the complex natural product (–)-gukulenin A (7), which exhibits notable cytotoxicity against ovarian cancer.
Floating solar panels show promise, but environmental impacts vary by location, study finds
Floating solar panels are emerging as a promising clean energy solution with environmental benefits, but a new study published in Limnologica finds those effects vary significantly depending on where the systems are deployed.
Why a Little Heartbeat Irregularity Can Be Good for You
Milliseconds of variability, now detected by fitness watches, can improve well-being
We Need Laws to Stop AI-Generated Deepfakes
When anyone can forge reality, society can’t self-govern. Borrowing Denmark’s approach could help the U.S. restore accountability around deepfakes
Science Crossword: A Destructive Fix
Play this crossword inspired by the December 2025 issue of Scientific American
Science Bleeds When It’s Cut
As funding dries up, researchers face setbacks that threaten innovation and public progress
Readers Respond to the July/August 2025 Issue
Letters to the editors for the July/August Issue 2025 issue of Scientific American
New Pill Can Save Moms from Postpartum Depression within Days
Deep emotional distress after birth kills many mothers. A new kind of drug offers better, faster treatment
NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission in Jeopardy as U.S. Considers Abandoning Retrieval
NASA spent years and billions of dollars collecting Martian samples to bring home. Now they might be stranded
December 2025: Science History from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago
Heimlich maneuver; training fleas
Can We Find Cleaner Ways to Extract Rare Earth Elements?
These valuable but difficult-to-extract metals are increasingly important to modern life
Can AI ‘Griefbots’ Help Us Heal?
What can AI “griefbots” do for those in mourning?
Study shows how social media sentiment can predict when people move during crises, improving humanitarian response
Forced displacement has surged in recent years, fueling a global crisis. Over the past decade, the number of displaced people worldwide has nearly doubled, according to the United Nations' refugee agency. In 2024 alone, one in 67 people fled their homes.
The Ochre Origins of Art
Ancient use of this red powder is found wherever there were humans The post The Ochre Origins of Art appeared first on Nautilus .
What is cloud seeding and could it end the drought in Iran?
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best
Andes glaciers will fail to buffer megadroughts by century's end, study suggests
In light of the ongoing fifteen-year megadrought in Chile, an international team of researchers, including Francesca Pellicciotti from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), addressed a bold future scenario. Their findings: by the end of the century, the
Antarctic ice loss linked to 'storms' at ocean's subsurface
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have identified stormlike circulation patterns beneath the Antarctic ice shelves that are causing aggressive melting, with major implications for global sea level rise projections.
Single-celled organisms have more complex DNA epigenetic code than multicellular life, researchers discover
Multicellular organisms (animals, plants, humans) all have the ability to methylate the cytosine base in their DNA. This process, a type of epigenetic modification, plays an important role in conditions such as cancer and processes such as aging.
Weather behind past heat waves could return far deadlier
The weather patterns that produced some of Europe's most extreme heat waves over the past three decades could prove far more lethal if they strike in today's hotter climate, pushing weekly deaths toward levels seen during the COVID pandemic, according to a study in Nature
Personalized mRNA Vaccines Will Revolutionize Cancer Treatment—If Federal Funding Cuts Don’t Doom Them
Vaccines based on mRNA can be tailored to target a cancer patient’s unique tumor mutations. But crumbling support for cancer and mRNA vaccine research has endangered this promising therapy
How Fossil-Fuel Companies Are Driving Plastic Production and Pollution
To keep profits rolling in, oil and gas companies want to turn fossil fuels into a mounting pile of packaging and other plastic products
'Stranded, stressed' giraffes in Kenya relocated as habitats encroached
Coaxed and tugged by rangers, a blindfolded giraffe totters into the specialized vehicle that will transport it away from an increasingly hostile environment to a new home in Kenya's eastern Rift Valley.
