A new optical technique developed by researchers at the University of St Andrews and Adelaide University allows toxic methanol in alcoholic spirits to be detected without opening the bottle. Published in the Journal of Physics: Photonics, this new work offers a powerful new
A lot of things need to go right on a molecular level for immune cells to launch an adaptive response to an infection. B cells can produce different classes of antibodies tailored for specific infections through controlled DNA damage and repair that alter the genetic
Ice formation can damage biological samples, tissues and materials during freezing and thawing. In nature, specialized molecules known as ice-binding proteins prevent ice crystals from growing too large, helping organisms survive in extreme cold. Scientists have long tried to
A McGill University study suggests that diversifying crops and replacing annual wheat with a perennial grain could help protect soil health as climate change brings more variable rainfall. The research is published in the journal Applied Soil Ecology.
The modern Colorado moose is often considered just that: modern—brought to the state by wildlife officials in the late 1970s, preceded by very occasional reports of moose sightings in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Medications can save lives, yet for some drugs, the concentration in a patient's bloodstream determines whether a treatment is effective or whether harmful side effects may occur. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) in Jena, Germany, have
A new study published in Nature provides the most detailed picture to date of Neanderthal diversity in Western Europe shortly before their extinction.
People make financial choices to avoid losing money or experiencing regret, rather than simply balancing expected monetary returns with their tolerance for financial risk, according to a new study led by Lisa Posey, associate professor of risk management in the Penn State Smeal
Located 12 million light-years away and undergoing rapid star formation, edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82) is a scientifically unique sight to behold, and now NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has revealed previously unseen details.
Researchers from the Biosciences Department at Durham University have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps plants control the formation of wood, a finding that could open new directions for research into plant growth, productivity and carbon storage. The study,
They could complicate the hunt for extraterrestrial life—and compromise astronaut health The post All the Microbes That Could Survive in Space appeared first on Nautilus .
How does your body produce millions of antibodies from one genome? New research reveals how two closely related proteins help immune cells fold DNA, connecting distant genetic pieces to create diverse antibodies that help fend off disease.
Researchers have developed a chip-based metasurface biosensor that can detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) biomarkers at extremely low levels. With further development, the technology could one day help doctors make a faster diagnosis after a head injury, helping to guide
At first glance, bat sea stars, the nubbly, orange, many-footed creatures often found on the seafloor, seem about as far from humans as one can get. Appearances can be deceiving, however. Scientists have found evidence showing human and sea star ovaries share similar genetics,
Sight-threatening antibiotic-resistant eye infections are becoming a significant threat to vision in dogs, cats and horses, according to a new comprehensive review published in Veterinary Ophthalmology by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The study examines
Many bat species emit echolocation calls and use the returning echoes to find their way, detect the presence of fluttering insects, and locate and catch them. A new study investigated this behavior in greater horseshoe bats foraging in the wild. An international team, including
A University of Houston engineering professor is helping cities, utilities and transportation agencies prepare for and recover from natural disasters. All these organizations face the same challenge: They know the next hurricane, flood, wildfire or other major disruption will
In 1938 and 1944, two major hurricanes struck Long Island, and after the initial winds subsided, the surges came back unexpectedly hours later, leading observers to wonder whether this was a tsunami. In a study appearing in Continental Shelf Research, scientists at Stevens
The past five years have not been easy for the people of the Pacific. COVID restrictions disrupted tourism and upended supply chains, while global fuel shocks raised prices and hit island economies hard.
Bumblebees are only an inch long, but they help power the global food system. Roughly one-third of the food we grow depends on pollinators like bees—and those bees are regularly decimated by pesticides.
Even in darkness, many animals retain a sense of orientation because their nervous system sustains a memory of heading encoded by the activity of head-direction (HD) cells. Animals continuously update this internal compass by temporally integrating angular head velocity relayed
Multicellular life depends on remarkable acts of cooperation. Every cell in the human body must sense what is happening around it, interpret signals from its neighbors and respond in ways that support the larger tissue. These chemical, physical and electrical messages help
In a primary school classroom, a 9-year-old reads aloud to the person next to them. When they stumble over a word, their partner encourages them to try again. Together, they discuss what might happen next. But the child isn't reading to an adult—a teaching assistant or
Patterns reveal the individual: A novel AI algorithm equips researchers with a powerful new tool to accurately identify individual jaguars, zebras and giraffes in real time based on their unique coat patterns. Biologists and ecologists can now observe individual wild animals as
The UK braced for a record-breaking heat wave Tuesday as hundreds of schools closed early for the next two days and train companies slashed services.
Ten Australians—including a firefighter, First Nations leaders and young people—are bringing their concerns about the nation's coal and gas exports to the United Nations. On Tuesday, the group lodged a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee, claiming the Australian
When colleagues and I found microplastics in hedgehog droppings, we wanted to know where they were coming from. One answer was surprisingly close to home: pet food.
Europe is baking under a scorching heat wave, with health warnings in place across Western and Central Europe as temperatures climb to record-breaking highs.
Noether's work helped prove the conservation of energy in physics, a key foundation for Einstein's theory of relativity
Glycans, once ignored, may revolutionize medicine The post Can the Sugar Molecules That Coat Our Cells Predict Our Health? appeared first on Nautilus .
The latest heat wave sweeping across Europe is a stark reminder that it is the world's fastest-warming continent, stretching into an Arctic that is heating at an even greater pace.
Long-awaited monsoon rains arrived in India's financial capital, Mumbai, on Tuesday, cooling weeks of blazing heat despite persistent fears of water shortages, with total rainfall so far staying below the long-term average.
For decades, astronomers and policymakers have been working on plans to protect our planet from killer asteroids. But now there's a new realm to protect: the thousands of satellites we're putting in orbit.
Polystyrene—common in packing peanuts and box inserts—is manufactured from fossil fuels. To develop a sustainable alternative, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials tested an unconventional starting material: sawdust. Their prototype foams incorporated
Europe is sizzling under an early heat wave this week, with millions of people experiencing extremely high temperatures, and experts say a phenomenon known as a heat dome is to blame.
The dried larvae of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) are comparable to beef or poultry in nutritional value, but the mealworm has a far smaller ecological footprint. It was recently approved for human consumption by the European Food Safety Authority.
Researchers from the University of Sydney, working with IBM, have identified and quantified important factors limiting the performance of quantum computers and demonstrated ways to overcome their impact.
New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) suggests attitudes, particularly those that excuse harmful behavior, may be a stronger predictor of willingness to create deepfake pornography than personality traits. The findings are published in the Journal of Sexual Aggression.
For her doctoral dissertation, Yale's Nathalie Alomar decided to study a small amphibian that appeared to have eluded the forces of evolution. She found that there is more to its evolution than meets the eye.
The first animals onto terra firma weren’t amphibians as previously suspected The post These Ancient Baby Predators Challenge Our Understanding of Evolution appeared first on Nautilus .
Most known for its role in movement, the cerebellum could compensate for flagging mental functions elsewhere in the brain.
Coral reef ecosystems, widely seen as a climate change bellwether, are more complex than previously understood. A new international study by the universities of Bristol, Wuhan in China, and Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany reveals that the evolutionary advantage of coral-algae
New Adelaide University research has identified which industries, workplace structures and employment policies are most strongly linked to gender pay gaps in Australian workplaces, with flexible work arrangements being a key indicator.
Not much is known about Starfall, SpaceX's new delivery system, but an assessment published in May revealed its intended purpose
Research examining Pride events across the U.K. has found that modern Pride celebrations have evolved into year-round community hubs that act simultaneously as protests, safe spaces and cultural festivals for local LGBTQIA+ communities.
Four goose skulls were pulled from a former toilet shaft in Brandenburg, Germany, each of them riddled with strange holes. As it turns out, these holes were the telltale signs of fancy feathered crests, making them the first crested geese ever identified in the archaeological
This April, when the spring breeze carried the formal acceptance notice of our paper by the Journal of the American Chemical Society to my desk, my thoughts instantly drifted back to the late Phil Geissler. A legendary physical chemist and the original spark for this research,
Salmonella is a common source of food poisoning that leads to potentially life-threatening illnesses, widespread food recalls and a consistent challenge for poultry producers. UConn Department of Animal Science associate professor Mary Anne Amalaradjou and her research team
Nitrogen is essential for all living organisms, but in many ecosystems it is in short supply. Plants and soil microbes both rely on nitrogen to grow, leading to intense competition below ground. Researchers at The University of Manchester have uncovered how plants and soil
A study of funded AI startups provides a glimpse of which jobs may be most affected by AI. As AI tools are embraced by industry after industry, the impacts of these tools on jobs remain unclear. Previous analyses have focused on the theoretical capabilities of LLMs, but social
