Quantum computers promise to solve problems that would take even the fastest conventional supercomputers a vast amount of time, but the quantum information they store and process is extremely sensitive to even tiny disturbances from their surroundings. To keep these systems
When Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck in 2024, the storms not only left behind a trail of destruction but also exposed an often-overlooked challenge for local emergency responders: how hurricanes can disrupt the food system and make it harder for residents to access it when
Fats and oils are essential to life. They provide energy, support the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, contribute to the structure of cell membranes, and give foods their flavor, texture and mouthfeel. Yet the way fats are produced, processed and consumed is changing. Food
For more than 150 years, fossils of Jurassic fish scattered across Europe's museums were studied and drawn by generations of scientists. However, when a paleontologist decided to shine an ultraviolet light on them, a hidden world lit up.
Every day, billions of people travel from their homes to work, schools, health care facilities, restaurants, public venues and other destinations. The complex patterns that shape how people move between these different locations are broadly referred to as "human mobility."
A team of astronomers has discovered a third planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b—the first planet discovered in the same system—and is among the lightest exoplanets ever imaged from the ground. After
A cave in the interior of Paraná state in Brazil contains a "climate archive" that enabled Brazilian researchers to reconstruct the history of extreme rainfall in Brazil's South Region over the past 7,500 years. Their findings revealed that the frequency of these events in the
Astronomers have used the ages of more than 155,000 stars in the Milky Way to independently estimate the age of the universe, and their findings may be good news for the standard cosmological model. The new research was reported in a paper submitted to the arXiv preprint server
In the aftermath of the devastating July 4, 2025, floods that took 139 lives in Central Texas, an associate professor at The University of Texas at Austin set out to make a new type of outdoor flood alarm: a low-tech, loud alarm that anyone could "set and forget"—just like a
It's the final week of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup. Over the last month, there have been plenty of highs and lows both on and off the pitch, from the overnight popularity of Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha and the Norwegian row to the questionable use of Video Assistant
Solar eclipses are a rare and brief opportunity for scientists to gather data on everything from the physics of the sun to air pressure in the upper atmosphere
When extreme drought strikes, drier grasslands receive the greatest productivity benefit from biodiversity. By contrast, forests did not show the same context-dependent pattern under drought, according to a new global synthesis of 75 biodiversity experiments. Researchers from
Generative AI chatbots capable of writing emails and computer code, translating, organizing a trip or coming up with gift ideas are now readily available, prompting some to ask whether human brainpower could suffer for lack of use.
As interest in clean hydrogen power grows, so does the need for safe storage and transportation materials. One such material, vanadium, is a leading candidate because it readily absorbs hydrogen and allows it to move through its crystal structure. However, hydrogen displays
Heavy smoke from several large wildfires blazing in Canada and Minnesota is expected to engulf large swaths of the Midwest and Northeast U.S. this week, exposing millions of people to dangerous air pollution.
A blacksmith, a stable boy, a soldier, a slave: The faces and stories of these and other residents of an ancient Roman city in modern Hungary have been brought to life in remarkable fidelity for a new exhibition in Budapest.
NASA has chosen 41 commercial technology projects that could solve critical challenges for future missions to the Moon and Mars. From powering lunar outposts to protecting spacecraft from Moon dust, the innovations are designed to push both space exploration and the commercial
Four nearby white dwarf stars have been discovered hiding in plain sight beside brighter red dwarf companions. Hubble's ultraviolet observations finally revealed the long-hidden stellar remnants, including one just 25 light-years away that took nearly three decades to confirm.
Going to the cinema, visiting museums, or attending concerts may do more than entertain. Researchers found that older adults who regularly participated in cultural activities tended to have bodies that functioned like those of people about three years younger. They believe
Elephants can communicate with other elephants across distances of up to five kilometers (3 miles) by producing sounds that travel through the air. However, they have a second way of sending signals: seismic waves traveling through the ground. These vibrations are transmitted
Radicalization is a complex process, influenced by many variables that interact to varying degrees. AI scientist Mijke van den Hurk investigated whether artificial intelligence could help unravel this intricate interplay. She defended her Ph.D. thesis cum laude on June 29.
A deadly fungus has wiped out amphibian populations around the globe, yet some mysteriously recover. Researchers discovered that survivors develop powerful immune defenses while they are still tadpoles, giving them a head start before the fungus can attack after metamorphosis.
A new Aotearoa New Zealand study has found that nitrate concentrations in drinking water are associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, even at levels well below the current drinking water standard. The study, published in Environmental Research, analyzed 735,831
Chimpanzees showed a remarkable attraction to crystals, choosing them over ordinary stones and studying them with intense curiosity. The results suggest that the same unusual features may have fascinated early humans long before crystals had any practical use.
Why do countries go to war? While economic, military and geopolitical factors are often part of the answer, researchers have also pointed to exclusionary nationalism—the belief that one's own nation is superior to others. One observable trace of such sentiment is language: As
In an innovative gas fermentation process, reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide was found to significantly improve microbial production of the biodegradable plastic poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]. Researchers found that hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria grown under safe,
A new synthesis report, titled "Ecological Characterisation of Peatlands and Coastal Lagoons in Europe," has been published to support the assessment, monitoring and restoration of European wetlands under EU environmental legislation. The report was prepared in response to a
Astrobiology has long been split into two camps: a search for "biosignatures" and a search for "intelligence." These look for very different things, but they also leave a huge gap in between. It took 3.5 billion years for us to go from the first microbe to a civilization that
A new study found that chewing sugary gum after eating nitrate-rich vegetables or drinking beetroot juice helped the body produce more beneficial nitrite, leading to a temporary drop in blood pressure. Researchers hope the discovery will lead to healthier ways to enhance the
The mystery of why some amphibian populations recover following outbreaks of a deadly fungus has been solved in a new study led by University College London (UCL), ZSL and Imperial College London.
Last week, the U.S. software company Turnitin revealed 53.6% of Australian tertiary education submissions run through its system used some form of AI in the period from October 2025–April 2026. The company, whose plagiarism-detection technology is widely used in universities,
Scientists have unveiled a new fabrication technique for the ultra-clean manufacturing of 2D heterostructures—materials just a few atoms thick—that could be used in quantum technology and electronics. Experts from Southampton and Singapore say the method could be used to
Astronomers at Durham University have made a major advance in understanding how galaxies formed and evolved in the early universe. Using powerful new observations, the team discovered the most distant example ever found of a compact, star-forming structure at the heart of a
Lithuania was famously the final pagan state in Europe. While the rest of the continent converted to Christianity, Lithuania remained officially pagan until Catholicism was adopted in AD 1387. Despite this, the extent to which Lithuania's population remained pagan or converted
The record sale of a T. rex skeleton begs the question The post Do Fossils Belong in Mansions or Museums? appeared first on Nautilus .
When most people hear the phrase "ocean acidification," they think of coral reefs, shellfish or declining fisheries. Those concerns are real. But while working on our recent research, I found myself asking a different question: What if ocean acidification is telling us
Man-made substances surround us everywhere in our daily lives. According to the current understanding of the "Planetary Boundaries" framework, the carrying capacity for so-called novel entities—which include chemicals, microplastics, and nanomaterials—is considered to have been
Clinical trial results show an experimental drug lowered tau levels in the brain and slowed some memory loss, but the data came with a surprise twist.
Blue and white stars shine brilliantly against a crimson background of glowing gas in this July 3, 2026, image of stellar nursery LH 95 from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
It has been well-established that the developmental roots of racial prejudices emerge in early childhood, but scientists have a less clear understanding of how various influences affect these attitudes.
Ocean tides push upstream along coastal rivers, in some cases reaching hundreds of kilometers (hundreds of miles) inland. These inland stretches are known as tidal rivers, and they're the scene of complex interactions between the river current and tidal oscillations. When
New research by lunar scientists from Brown University provides critical new insights into the thickness of the moon's regolith, the layer of loose dust and rock that drapes the entire lunar surface.
How do journalists act as watchdogs of science? New qualitative research led by University of Amsterdam media scholar Alice Fleerackers sheds light on the labor-intensive nature of watchdog science journalism, a form of critical journalism that scrutinizes science. It shows
The developing brains of boys and girls light up differently when shown a face The post Can a Preteen’s Reaction to a Face Predict Their Future Social Lives? appeared first on Nautilus .
Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas whose concentration in the atmosphere has risen sharply in recent decades. Wetlands are the largest natural source of methane to the atmosphere, but large uncertainties remain about how much methane comes from wetlands and how these
Agriculture and biodiversity restoration do not have to be at odds. A new study by the WILD research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and UCLouvain, published in the journal Biological Conservation, demonstrates that agriwilding—a form of nature-inclusive
Scientists in China have developed a smart coating that could make it easier to remove tritium (a radioactive form of hydrogen) from nuclear power plant wastewater.
A study of China's participation in United Nations human rights reviews argues that its public statements are more than diplomatic rhetoric. The paper published in the International Journal of Public Law and Policy also suggests that they serve as strategic signals that shape
Within every muscle of every living species with a backbone, a protein called myosin tugs on a partner protein to generate a muscle contraction. This function, discovered in mammals a century ago, has been presumed by scientists to operate the same way among birds, reptiles,
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) has completed observations for the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS), the most detailed radio survey of the sky ever conducted, providing an unprecedented view of the dynamic radio universe.
