The Caspian Sea has lost an area nearly the size of Sicily: Human activities are a major reason why
The Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on Earth, is shrinking. Not fluctuating, not entering another natural cycle, but shrinking.
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Ancient mud drilled from Antarctic ice holds clues to future sea-level rise
"What goes on in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica—it has global implications," Geology tauira Natalie-Jane Reid says. Reid is one of two Otago Ph.D. candidates who contributed to an Antarctic sediment core workshop at the Otago Repository for Core Analysis (ORCA) held
Newly described Australian ballista spider builds a spring-loaded snare to catch a single ant species
An international team of researchers has discovered a remarkable new spider species in the rainforest of North Queensland that spins an ingenious and powerful spring-actuated snare to catch a single species of ant—one ant at a time—in what they describe as "the ultimate
Can we predict how fast a bioplastic breaks down? A new AI tool says 'yes'
Researchers at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), a partner in the ANIPH project, published a study that helps predict how quickly biodegradable bioplastics break down in the environment.
Cryo-EM imaging reveals how a molecular gate lets bulky proteins pass cell membranes intact
How large, fully folded proteins can pass through cell membranes without destroying them has long been one of the open questions in cell biology. Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), Leonid Sazanov and Ziyu Zhao at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
Sea cucumbers harbor ‘zombie’ tissues that won’t die
Detached tissues from the sea cucumber's tube feet and feeding tentacles survived for more than three years, a find that could shape the study of aging.
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is almost as old as the universe itself
The evidence is mounting: this interstellar visitor is even older and weirder than anyone thought
How oxygen sneaks into a corked wine bottle long before the first pour
The main reason for sealing wine bottles with a cork is to protect the liquid from oxygen. However, it is not an impermeable barrier, and a small amount of air leaks in, which is not always entirely bad news. The gas helps the wine mature and develop a more complex flavor.
EU Commission's draft legislation on pesticides: European researchers highlight the risks
The European Commission has presented a new legislative package. It is intended to reform key provisions that have hitherto governed the approval of pesticides. The "Food and Feed Safety simplification package" is part of a comprehensive strategy through which the Commission
Stem cells banish severe autoimmune disease for 15 years
Two people were the first to receive the therapy for a condition that damages the spinal cord and optic nerve
Bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy discovered by citizen scientist
Astronomers have discovered a "remarkable" bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy with an enormous arc-like structure extending nearly 1.8 million light-years across. The newly identified system, detailed in a new paper published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Researchers develop antiviral candidate for deadly mosquito-borne brain infections
Can newly identified antiviral compounds help stop some of the most dangerous mosquito-borne viruses that attack the brain? A research team led by scientists at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has generated a new class
Investigating quantum and molecular plumbing in nanofluidics research
Our body contains an intricate system of tiny vessels through which blood, water and other molecules flow. When the size of the pipes shrinks to the nanoscale, where only a few molecules can fit side by side, the classical laws of physics governing the behavior of water are
Europe scorched by latest heat wave
Thirteen people died by drowning in searing temperatures in France over the weekend, with the heat wave set to intensify from Monday across much of Europe, forcing warnings and special measures.
Marmoset monkeys adapt their voices to sound more like their social partners, study finds
Many animal species that live in groups are known to adjust their behavior to strengthen their social bonds or increase their coordination with others around them. For instance, humans and some other animals exhibit vocal plasticity, meaning they tend to modify the sounds they
Watch Duty, the fire tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods
When a fire broke out a few miles from his Altadena, California, home the evening of Jan. 7, 2025, Matt Blea and his family needed to make a crucial decision: Should they stay home, or evacuate?
More trees can mean fewer birds, new study reveals
Trees planted to protect farmland from wind may not be the biodiversity boost many assume. In Japan’s wetland farming landscapes, shelterbelts benefited some birds but sharply reduced grassland and wetland species that need open space. Researchers found grassland bird abundance
125-million-year-old fossil reveals 'pregnant' shellfish
An international team of scientists led by Dr. Graciela Delvene of the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (CSIC) has uncovered the oldest known evidence of maternal care in shellfish, revealing that some freshwater species were protecting and incubating their young more
Digital know-how, not just money basics, may ease retirement anxiety
A Hiroshima University-led study conducted with Rakuten Securities finds that practical digital skills, positive financial attitudes and self-protection are more consistently associated with lower old-age anxiety than traditional financial knowledge alone.
A tropical permafrost layer in Peru may be one of the world’s largest
Vast permafrost beneath the upper slopes of Peru’s tallest volcano could become a regional water source as glaciers in the Andes retreat.
Future astronauts could walk across rocks from deep inside the Moon
A colossal ancient collision may have left some of the Moon’s deepest secrets surprisingly close to future Artemis landing sites. By recreating the impact that formed the giant South Pole-Aitken basin—the Moon’s largest and oldest crater—scientists found that a low-angle strike
A common vitamin could help fight one of the deadliest brain cancers
A clinical trial is exploring whether high doses of vitamin B3 could give patients with glioblastoma a better chance against the aggressive brain cancer. Scientists found that niacin may help revive immune cells that tumors shut down, allowing them to attack cancer more
Electron-Ion Collider's radiofrequency controls system passes first real-world test
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has reached a key early milestone in developing radiofrequency control systems for the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC)—a next-generation research facility that will collide electrons with ions to reveal how the
Will NASA’s SkyFall Mars helicopter fleet sink science at the Red Planet?
Mars researchers are wrestling with the potential costs of a flashy new NASA mission to the Red Planet
Australia confirms first H5N1 cases in wild birds: What happens next for farms and wildlife?
On a remote beach near Esperance, Western Australia, two sick seabirds have brought the bird flu crisis to Australia.
Mapping cotton bacterial blight resistance
Spoorti Gandhadmath carefully placed 3.5-inch (8.9-centimeter) pots on a shelf in a growth chamber. Within seven days of sowing, newly sprouted leaves had fully emerged from each of the carefully selected seeds, representing diverse cotton genotypes.
New research advances amaranth as a nutritious and high-performing leafy green crop
Two complementary studies, appearing in HortScience, from Rutgers University are advancing the potential of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) as a valuable leafy green by combining detailed morphological characterization with evaluations of horticultural performance and nutritional
Got a tick bite? Here’s what to do and when to seek treatment
Knowing what kind of tick bit you and where you got it can help inform next steps
People training new AI models admit they just get chatbots to do it
The next generation of AI models are meant to be trained by people paid to have conversations with them, but several of these workers have admitted to New Scientist that they simply get chatbots to do it instead. This "AI inbreeding" may reduce the power and usefulness of
Butterfly that barely ages could help unlock longevity secrets
Scientists discovered that Heliconius butterflies have evolved an extraordinary lifespan, living several times longer than closely related species. Even more surprising, some show little sign of physical decline as they age. Their unusual pollen-feeding lifestyle may play a
Ebola outbreak latest, World Cup heat risks and dad brains
What’s going on with the Ebola outbreak, how the World Cup is dealing with rising temperatures, and how becoming a father can change your brain
Europe sweats through new heat wave, with worse to come
France banned alcohol in red-alert areas Sunday, Spain and Germany canceled or postponed sports events, and Britain warned of "tropical nights" as Europe sweltered through a heat wave threatening to break June temperature records.
Algae microbots take aim at bladder cancer
Tiny algae-based robots guided by magnets could improve bladder cancer treatment by boosting delivery of chemotherapy drugs into tumors, researchers say.
Ebola and hantavirus can start like the flu but turn deadly fast
Two dangerous viruses are back in the spotlight, reminding health officials how quickly infectious diseases can become serious threats. Hantavirus, often linked to rodents, can cause severe heart and lung complications and has no specific treatment or vaccine, while certain
T. rex took 40 years to reach full size, scientists find
Tyrannosaurus rex may have been a much slower grower than scientists realized. A new study of 17 tyrannosaur fossils found that the giant predator likely took about 40 years to reach its full size of roughly eight tons, extending previous estimates by 15 years.
The giant viruses that orchestrate life in the polar regions
Viruses play a major role in the functioning of ecosystems. They profoundly influence the dynamics of microbial communities, the flow of matter and global biogeochemical cycles. Yet despite their abundance and ecological importance, many of them have long remained invisible to
One common fat may fuel type 2 diabetes while another helps fight it
Not all fats affect your body the same way. Researchers found that palmitic acid, a saturated fat common in many foods, may contribute to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes by triggering inflammation, toxic fat buildup, and cellular stress. In contrast, oleic acid—the
El Niño is underway, satellite observations show
El Niño, characterized by warmer-than-normal water temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific, made its return in June 2026. Observations of sea surface height from the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite that month indicated that the 2026 event was continuing to
Quantum mechanics theory may work without imaginary numbers, new analysis suggests
Physicists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have examined a fundamental property of quantum mechanics in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In an article published in the journal Physical Review Letters, they show that this theory does not
If you're feeling down, maybe don't pet your cat, new study suggests
You come home after a stressful day and reach out to your cat for a bit of comfort. It hisses. Maybe takes a swipe. Or simply flicks its tail and saunters off without so much as a meow. A dog, by contrast, greets you as though they've just won the lottery.
Engineered bacterial spores reveal new protein targets for enzymes and vaccines
A remarkable quality of bioengineering is that scientists can take biological processes honed by millions of years of evolution and use them to efficiently create drugs, chemicals and other products to improve our lives. Now Tufts researchers have found new ways to expand the
Mars-like conditions fail to kill some Earth pathogens, experiments suggest
Microorganisms from our planet could survive on celestial bodies where water is present, such as Mars. That is the conclusion of Ph.D. candidate Tommaso Zaccaria after experiments with simulated space conditions. Our immune system reacts less effectively to pathogens that have
Nanoscale CoAl design delivers 6 GPa strength with 15% plastic strain at room temperature
Materials engineers have developed the ability to manipulate structure and matter at the nanoscale for solid-state alloys called intermetallics, making it possible to alter their properties for improved performance.
White roofs and urban parks reduce heat in cities, but do not offset extreme global warming
The implementation of reflective white roofs and new urban parks can significantly reduce temperatures in cities and decrease population vulnerability to heat waves, although these measures are not sufficient to counteract the projected increase of more than 6°C (11°F) by 2100,
Modular nanorobot self-assembles, targets cancer cells and cuts viability
A team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has developed a versatile nanorobot with propulsion and payload modules. The two reusable modules autonomously self-assemble and could be used in medicine or industry.
MINDY3: A hub between protein quality control and DNA repair
Researchers from the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit at the University of Dundee, together with collaborators from ETH Zürich, the Malopolska Center of Biotechnology and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, report a new link between protein quality
Well-known planetary nebula's ear-like lobes rewrite its evolutionary timeline
Using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph (MES), astronomers from Turkey and Mexico have investigated a planetary nebula discovered two centuries ago, known as NGC 6563. Results of the observations, published June 15 in a special
NASA testing advanced capabilities for moon, Mars rovers
On a bleak stretch of the Colorado Desert in Southern California, a compact four-wheeled rover recently trundled 16 miles (26 kilometers) with minimal intervention from the team of engineers trailing it. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain),
Stress gives bees sharper vision and faster reactions, researchers discover
Bumblebees see the world differently under stress, processing visual information more sharply and making quicker decisions, new research from Newcastle University reveals.
