A new Comment article by Simon Marvin, Sophia Maalsen and Robyn Dowling published in the journal Nature Cities argues that urban nature is entering a new phase in which ecological processes are increasingly sensed, modeled and continuously adjusted through digital technologies.
With the recent auction of arguably the most famous pen ever used off-Earth, we take a moment to reflect on the evolution of such cosmic utensils The post The Challenges of Writing in Space appeared first on Nautilus .
Plastic pollution has become a global environmental crisis, with an estimated 11 million tons of plastic entering the oceans each year. As larger plastic debris breaks down into microplastics, these tiny particles are transported throughout marine ecosystems by ocean currents,
Imagine shining a flashlight across a dark room. You can predict exactly what the light will do: travel in a straight line from one point to another. That seems obvious because, in the world we see around us, light appears to follow a single, clear path.
Helpful microbes that combat harmful pathogens could be the answer to rising antimicrobial resistance—particularly within built environments such as hospitals, homes and schools.
Due to artificial irrigation and rising temperatures, the concentration of salts (including sodium chloride, or "table salt") is increasing in soils worldwide. This is not only an environmental problem but also a challenge for agriculture. For example, increased salinity can
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that tiny photosynthetic bacteria band together into protective "herds" when attacked by predators—a survival strategy that could also influence how carbon is stored in the world's waters.
What does it take to catch up with a small, tumbling rock hundreds of thousands of kilometers from Earth? For China's Tianwen-2 mission, the answer was a 400-day chase covering roughly 1 billion kilometers (621 million miles) of deep space—one that has just ended in success.
Scientists have discovered that marsupial forelimbs (arms) develop much earlier before birth than previously thought, providing new insights into evolutionary innovation and biology.
A new way of converting stubborn plastic waste into high-value chemicals using only water and oxygen has been developed by an international team of scientists.
Researchers have developed a new computational approach that enables more accurate selection of genes that characterize different cellular states from mRNA-seq data, offering a more interpretable way to analyze complex biological data. The study, published in Frontiers in
And now it’s come for the East Coast The post NASA Satellite Map Shows Stifling Heat Dome Squatting Over the United States appeared first on Nautilus .
Researchers at Uppsala University have discovered a completely new fungal species, which they named after the king of Sweden. The species has been given the Latin name Semicentenialea rex, which means the king's 50th anniversary. It is the first known representative of a new
The nucleolus is a liquid-like cellular organelle where protein factories called ribosomes are assembled. Researchers knew of three distinct compartments within the nucleolus, but how these compartments function to drive ribosome assembly was unclear. A study from St. Jude
Wetlands are a significant producer of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. Yet not all of it escapes into the atmosphere. One reason is crabs. A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology has shown that crab burrows can
A novel measurement cell allows, for the first time, soft and hard X-ray investigations under pressures of up to 20 bar and temperatures of up to 400°C. This provides new insights into thermocatalytic processes, such as Fischer–Tropsch synthesis for producing synthetic fuels.
Scientists have painted the most detailed portrait yet of the planetary system orbiting Barnard's Star—the sun's closest neighbor after Alpha Centauri, just under six light-years from Earth.
A Southwest Research Institute-led study has proposed a connection between a specific collision in the main asteroid belt and an inner-solar-system-wide bombardment episode that may have had measurable biological and geological consequences on Earth. The research suggests that
The UK Space Agency and space startup Vast just signed an agreement to send Paralympic sprinter and below-knee amputee John McFall into orbit as early as 2027. Most coverage framed it as a victory for inclusion. As a space health researcher, I think something far more
It dripped from a tree in China about 385 million years ago The post This Is the Oldest Amber Ever Found appeared first on Nautilus .
Schools in the U.S. are often segregated by income as well as race, a reality frequently attributed to residential segregation. Students assigned to K-12 schools based on where they live will, by extension, typically experience that same degree of segregation in their classrooms.
Tyrannosaurus rex was a giant of the prehistoric world, standing up to 13 feet (4 meters) tall and weighing around 9 tons (8 tonnes). So you might expect that its hatchlings were also a considerable size.
Large seabird colonies have a surrounding boundary known as Ashmole's halo, where food sources are depleted, forcing the birds to travel farther to gather the food they need. The reason seems obvious—the more birds, the more they eat, which reduces the available prey. But that
Tropical forests are essential for biodiversity, climate regulation and carbon storage. Yet they continue to disappear at an alarming rate. Many companies have adopted zero-deforestation commitments to reduce this trend. But it is crucial to determine how effective these
Researchers have shown it is possible to expand the field of twistronics—literally. They have demonstrated a technique that allows them to fabricate oxide twistronic materials at much larger scales while also controlling the twist angles between materials that dictate their
It’s one of only a handful of new monkey species identified on the continent in the last 75 years The post New, Orange-Lipped Monkey Discovered in Africa appeared first on Nautilus .
An international team of researchers developed a new way to uncover hidden differences in how viruses infect and destroy individual microbial cells—solving a biological puzzle that has persisted for more than 80 years.
On a summer afternoon in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain pond can look calm and still, reflecting granite peaks and alpine sky. But beneath the surface, these small, shallow waters are anything but stable. In fact, they are among the most thermally variable aquatic ecosystems on
Studies published in prestigious academic journals receive more attention from scholars and media outlets, shaping public discourse and potentially accelerating academic careers. While the path to publication is often murky, a new analysis of more than 110,000 papers submitted
In the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scientists have identified a previously unknown species of African monkey—one of the rarest discoveries in modern primatology.
A collection of fossilized dinosaur bones from Wyoming features tooth marks that provide evidence that some bites were likely made by Tyrannosaurus rex, according to a study published July 15, 2026, in PLOS One by Bethania C. T. Siviero from Loma Linda University, U.S., and
Teleworking—including working from home, coworking or working from other third places—can reduce carbon emissions by eliminating commutes. But if you're not careful, this benefit will be offset by the carbon cost of work-related housing space, according to a study published in
Bones preserved in underwater caves offer a rare and powerful window into the past—but until now, researchers have had limited tools to understand how the remains of extinct megafauna and other animals came to rest in their underwater graveyards. New research led by Griffith
Scientists have described a new species of colobus monkey in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), report John Hart at Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation and colleagues in PLOS One. The first hint that a new primate species might be hiding in the dense forests
Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor host a broad range of rare and unusual ecosystems. They can be spread far apart, yet there is often overlap among the creatures that inhabit them. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, are answering a long-standing
Horses know a predator when they see one—even if it's only on a video screen while they're standing in a stall, with no sounds, smells or previous experience providing context for what they're viewing, a new study suggests.
For decades, researchers have debated the subsistence strategies of precolonial societies in the Brazilian Cerrado (tropical savanna): Were they hunter-gatherers or intensive maize farmers, and in either case, how did they organize themselves and interact with the land they
On July 16, 2024, a daytime meteor shook New York City with a sonic boom as it passed just south of the Statue of Liberty. Now, an international team of researchers reports in the journal Science Advances that a short time later, a meteorite weighing more than 2 pounds crashed
Scientists from prestigious universities and large research groups are significantly more likely to have their research published in general-interest, top-tier scientific journals. Meanwhile, authors based in China and those studying politics, economics, gender or other social
The brine-formed meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey roof in 2024 could teach us about how life first arrived on Earth.
The new species, Colobus congoensis , may already be endangered
European cities are experimenting with hundreds of climate solutions, from green roofs to electric vehicles, in hopes of adapting to the warmer world around us. But despite a growing body of research on these solutions, we still have only a limited idea of what actually works
Human-created hazards are responsible for most wildlife rescues in New South Wales, and researchers are calling for more prevention strategies to save threatened species.
Case numbers of this parasite-caused illness have exploded in the last week. An expert explains how to try and stay safe
China has become one of Africa's largest development financiers. Since 2000, Chinese and other state-backed institutions have committed more than US$180 billion in loans to African countries. The money has been used to finance roads, railways, power stations, ports, water
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered evidence that a 245-foot-thick (75-meter-thick) stack of ancient rock on the rim of Jezero Crater was built by repeated asteroid impacts. Referred to as the "Broom Point member" by the rover's science team, this sequence of layered
LMU researchers demonstrate that oxygenic photosynthesis can occur with only a single photosystem, overturning a fundamental principle of biology.
A sweeping new Cal Poly study of North American birds reveals that environmental change does not affect all species equally and that a bird's traits can explain whether populations rise or fall as local conditions change.
In science, researchers often focus their entire careers on the pursuit of one primary field.
Researchers at the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore have identified a key design principle for building reliable electronics from materials only one atomic layer thick, giving engineers a clearer way to control unwanted electrical
