A global analysis has found that urban animals are bolder and more aggressive, exploratory and active than their rural counterparts. The findings are published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
DNA is everywhere in the world's oceans—not only packaged inside cells from skin, scales, mucus, feces, and blood, but also floating freely. Sequencing such "environmental DNA" (eDNA) from open water has long been used as a cost-effective way of gauging the number and identity
Public infrastructures like roads and electricity are so essential to society that people almost take their value for granted. A new report by Frontier Economics, commissioned by EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), shows that open data resources have become a
Before Smile can begin studying how Earth responds to the streams of particles and bursts of radiation from the sun, the spacecraft had to complete an extraordinary journey here on Earth.
As the global push toward a carbon-neutral society accelerates, understanding how microorganisms metabolize methanol with high efficiency has become increasingly critical. At the University of Tsukuba, researchers have applied cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to resolve the
Across the western United States, wildfires are increasing in size and intensity. As the climate continues to warm, more extreme wildfires will reshape landscapes and pose a growing risk to human health and natural ecosystems throughout the West.
A potentially powerful El Niño could take shape later this year. While its effects are often felt dramatically across parts of the United States and around the globe, experts say the picture for Southern Appalachia is more nuanced.
Intensive agriculture poses a significant threat to global biodiversity. However, one aspect of biodiversity in farmland is little studied: algae. Most people have seen algae growing in streams, lakes or the sea. However, algae have also adapted to survive in drier, harsher
Homes are being abandoned as climate change accelerates migration out of rural Bhutan, new research shows. The mountain kingdom is the world's first carbon-negative country—through exporting zero-carbon hydropower energy. But it is disproportionately affected by climate change,
More than 900 million tonnes of materials, 4 million km2 of land, and 53 billion hours of labor. This is the scale of resources that the Global North net appropriated from Latin America through international trade in 2020 alone, according to a new study by the Institute of
Playing a virtual reality game in which the player takes on the role of the zombie fungus Ophiocordyceps increases the players' understanding of how evolution works. Last summer, Utrecht University zombie ant researchers William Beckerson, Maite Goebbels and Charissa de Bekker
Mobile apps that allow people to share their location with others have become increasingly popular. But how and why do we use these apps, and what are the implications for interpersonal communication? That's the topic of a study appearing in the Journal of Social and Personal
In central Laos, the landscape is littered with enormous stone jars, some 3 metres high, and we may be closer to understanding how and when they were used
Can you imagine feeling good about your body being home to trillions of bacteria and viruses—as well as life-giving "invisible friend" microbes in the air, soil and water? Before you say yuck, this concept is a new way microbiologists are encouraging people to think about their
Artificial intelligence (AI) companies influence policy and regulation using similar techniques to Big Tobacco, Big Pharma and Big Oil, according to a new study.
Scientists have uncovered a hidden “sugar code” on the surface of human cells that could transform how diseases are detected. Using an advanced imaging technique called Glycan Atlasing, researchers at the Max Planck Institute mapped the tiny sugar structures coating cells and
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has proposed a US$1 fee on all Uber, Lyft and other rideshare trips in the city to begin in 2027. The projected $48 million annual revenue would go entirely to support the chronically underfunded Philadelphia school district, which faces a
Proteins are critical to life—and to industry. There are countless proteins that could be engineered to treat and even cure serious diseases and cellular dysfunctions. Industrial applications are similarly promising, with proteins increasingly used as enzymes in food
Scientists discovered that eating grapes can actually change how your skin behaves at the genetic level. After just two weeks of daily grape consumption, volunteers showed signs of improved skin protection and reduced oxidative stress from UV exposure. Researchers say the
Soil-borne fungal pathogens are responsible for major agricultural losses worldwide, yet the way they invade and spread inside plant roots is still not fully understood. One of the most damaging species, Fusarium oxysporum, infects the vascular system of crops such as tomato,
Perovskites are a class of materials with a unique crystal structure that suits applications such as fabricating solar cells, light-emitting diodes and transistors. However, molecules in thin layers often cannot arrange themselves properly because the process proceeds too
The remains of at least 37 people in an ancient stone 'jar' in northeastern Laos suggest that thousands similar jars were used in burials.
Human development is driving numerous global species to the brink of extinction, threatening essential resources like water and soil, and contributing to climate change. Conservationists have shown that putting critically threatened areas under protection is vital if nations
Hundreds of stone jars, some weighing several tons, are scattered across the remote uplands of northern Laos. Despite being researched for nearly a century, their purpose remains uncertain. "Archaeologists generally agree they were used in mortuary rituals, but we don't know
The rapid growth of large language models is placing increasing demands on data centers, where large volumes of data must be transferred efficiently between servers. Optical interconnects are essential for enabling this communication, but as data rates continue to rise, these
The algorithms that most social media platforms like Facebook, X, and TikTok use today might be contributing to political conflict and polarization. But a new study from the University of Copenhagen suggests that simple changes to how posts are sorted in our feed can increase
From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, where models depend on the high-resolution,
Water molecules do not simply swirl around in complete disorder; they can form certain preferred structures. This scientific fact is often presented in entirely unscientific ways. For example, when people speak of an alleged "memory of water" or of "water clusters" as a
Lehigh University researchers have built the first "AI for Science" software tool designed to support the entire project workflow for research scientists. Dr. Claw is an open-source, full-stack AI research assistant that helps users refine ideas, conduct literature reviews, run
In December 2023, scientists looking at Mars data stumbled across something completely unexpected—observations of an atmospheric effect never before seen in the Red Planet's atmosphere. Using instruments aboard NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission,
Ghost forests, the cemetery-like groupings of dead trees killed by saltwater intrusion, have become haunting symbols of sea level rise overtaking land along the Mid-Atlantic coast. But a new study published in Nature Sustainability, led by William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS,
A person asking for change on the corner or living in a makeshift dwelling outside is easy to identify as homeless or unhoused. But there's a segment of the population without permanent housing that goes unnoticed. Molly Richard, assistant professor of public health in the
The "prisoner's dilemma" is one of the most famous ideas in game theory. For decades, this game has been used to explain why selfishness often beats cooperation. In the prisoner's dilemma, two players can either cooperate or cheat. Cheating always seems to pay off more, so both
Whoever heard of a right-handed monkey? The post Why Did Humans Evolve to Favor One Hand Over the Other? appeared first on Nautilus .
As climate change intensifies, one of the key challenges facing forestry is how to balance efficient timber production with the preservation of forests' climate-regulating functions, biodiversity, and resilience. The growing public demand for recreation in forests, together
Different beak and jaw shapes are illustrative examples of how animal species have adapted to different food sources. In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers now show how diet itself shapes the composition of intestinal tissue, using the highly diverse
To the untrained eye, the Florida scrub ecosystem isn't much to look at. Scattered in patches around coastal and inland Florida, the scrub landscape is dominated by shrubs and short oaks, all growing out of sandy soil.
Wolves in India, like the pack that raised Mowgli in "The Jungle Book," can often feel disconnected from both the research and storytelling of wolves. Rice University professor Lauren Hennelly is working to change that. Her research uncovers the stories that these gray wolves,
Space still harbors surprises aplenty, even with our rapidly evolving technologies The post How Did We Miss the Asteroid That Will Narrowly Miss Us? appeared first on Nautilus .
At least six Americans are believed to have been exposed to the Ebola virus, and one person who appears to have contracted the virus has been evacuated to Germany
These dogs have been living alongside humans for millennia The post Mummified Peruvian Hairless Dogs Shed Light on Ancient Companionship appeared first on Nautilus .
Months of rescue efforts by influencers and millionaires may have just prolonged his death The post Nobody Could Save Timmy the Whale appeared first on Nautilus .
And mostly during months with an “R” in them The post Neanderthals Lounged on the Beach Slurping Shellfish appeared first on Nautilus .
Across corporate earnings calls, investor presentations and marketing pitches, "artificial intelligence" has become the buzzword of choice. Yet a troubling pattern lies under the hype. Many claims vastly overstate actual AI sophistication, misleading people about true
A new study led by researchers at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) reveals how the disks of galaxies like the Milky Way are affected by ancient galactic collisions.
They rank among the darkest and coldest places in the solar system: Hundreds of lunar craters, many of them at the moon's south pole, never receive direct sunlight and lie in permanent shadow. That's exactly why physicist Jun Ye and his colleagues suggest that these craters are
Researchers have demonstrated a nondestructive way to collect cellular material from historical parchment manuscripts, allowing them to conduct genetic analyses that offer new insights into everything from trade routes to agricultural practices dating back 1,300 years—without
Higher spending does not automatically lead to greater overall efficiency or consistent on-pitch success, according to new research that examined Premier League clubs over a 10-season period. The study, led by the University of Bristol, is published in Socio-Economic Planning
Researchers at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory worked round the clock to develop a test for the Andes virus at the center of the deadly cruise ship outbreak
A new study has revealed that a core idea taught in chemistry classrooms around the world may be wrong. Dr. Edwin Johnson, Lecturer at the University of Newcastle, co-authored the paper published in the Journal of Chemical Education with academics from University of Cardiff and
