'Real opportunity' to boost low-carbon European holidays
U.K. vacationers and the tourism industry have a "real opportunity" to shift to low-carbon European vacations, researchers say.
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Plants, people and progress for native prairie seeds
Across much of the central United States, there are ongoing efforts to restore native prairie. Returning native plants to the landscape can improve soil health and water quality and provide habitat for important wildlife and pollinators.
The mind of money: Mental accounting theory checks out
When it comes to money, humans are not always rational. First introduced decades ago, the influential concept of mental accounting posits that consumers make decisions based on subjective accounts that diverge from objective financial values. For example, consumers perceive a
What is AI model distillation, and why is it so hard to stop?
Anthropic and OpenAI accused Chinese AI developers of mining their models’ answers to train cheaper copycats. Here’s how distillation works and why it’s so hard to stop
Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to Kagan and Soai for developing 'spectacular' chemical reactions
Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their efforts to resolve mysterious mirror images in chemical molecules.
Rogue AI or human error? The real story behind the OpenAI-Hugging Face incident
Behind the headlines about AI agents lies a deeper debate over accountability, safety and control.
2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is award to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai for their work in 'mirror' chemistry
The prize recognizes Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai's discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis
Amazon wildfires are generating ozone that weakens surviving trees' carbon uptake
Ozone pollution caused by Amazon wildfires is significantly reducing the rainforest's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, new research reveals. Ground-level ozone is formed when pollutants from sources such as wildfires react in the presence of sunlight. This
Petal 'windows' affect the abundance of microbes within flowers
Some flowers have petals with small semitranslucent sections. Research in New Phytologist reveals that these "windows" alter the amount of light and heat entering the flower and create conditions that influence microbial abundance.
Biodegradable nanoparticle technology may improve agricultural production
Farmers use a manufactured version of a natural plant hormone called gibberellic acid to improve the health and growth of crops, but it is highly sensitive to heat and light. A study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that loading gibberellic acid into
Ridesharing services may offer public safety benefits beyond transportation
New research published in Economic Inquiry reveals that ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft may reduce crime in some areas.
Sleep, appetite, gene-editing experts contend for Nobel chemistry prize
Research into molecules that regulate sleep and appetite or methods for editing genes could be among the contenders for the Nobel Prize in chemistry, to be announced Wednesday, commentators say.
Fierce lobbying in EU over 'forever chemicals'
The European Union is under pressure to ban "forever chemicals," but a battle is heating up in Brussels over the toxic substances known as PFAS, with industry groups seeking as many exemptions as possible.
The world's oyster reefs could add $12 trillion to planetary health each year—if they were better managed
A new study shows that the world's oyster reefs are a precious resource that's vastly underestimated and underutilized. The authors set out to calculate the reefs' potential gross ecosystem product (GEP), the ecological counterpart of the gross economic product, and arrived at
A new way to fight gum disease without wiping out good bacteria
Scientists discovered that disrupting the chemical messages bacteria use to communicate can push dental plaque toward a healthier microbial balance. The approach could lead to new treatments for gum disease that control harmful bacteria without destroying beneficial species.
Humans may not be as hardwired for violence as we thought
A study comparing 100 primate species, including humans, suggests that everyday aggression and lethal violence did not evolve as part of the same simple behavioral spectrum. Species that frequently fight or show mild aggression are not necessarily more likely to kill rivals,
Animals may have evolved 200 million years earlier than we thought
New research suggests animals could have evolved as early as 800 to 700 million years ago, roughly 200 million years earlier than some previous estimates. If so, the first animals may have lived before or during Snowball Earth, leaving behind little trace because their soft
What happens in the brain when cannabis makes you anxious?
Cannabinoids may intensify anxiety by removing a natural brake on specific neurons in the brain’s fear center, particularly during stressful situations. In mice, shutting down those neurons sharply reduced cannabinoid-related anxious behavior.
Nobel winner Halzen says years of October 'misery' finally over
Physicist Francis Halzen has an impressively long list of academic accolades—but every October, as the Nobel Prize rolled around, his failure to bag the biggest award of them all left him "miserable," he admits.
Computer scientist tracks satellites with automated observatory built from off-the-shelf technology
Allen Schnibben's interest in space started when he was a child. "I picked up some books about the solar system when I was in elementary school. In middle school, I got a telescope and I started observing the night sky as a hobby," said Schnibben, a computer scientist at Sandia
Study highlights the European waters at greatest risk of harmful light pollution
Scientists have produced a first-of-its-kind assessment showing which coastal regions of Europe they believe are at greatest risk from harmful light pollution.
'Quiet firing' linked to higher levels of 'quiet quitting' among employees
A study of the oil, gas and petroleum industry has found that "quiet firing" by employers is associated with higher levels of "quiet quitting" among employees, while strong workplace relationships can weaken that effect. The research appears in the International Journal of
Linguists find Madonna's voice defies age-related expectations
As women go through menopause, their voices tend to become deeper. This is partly because the vocal folds may swell and the surrounding muscles lose elasticity, resulting in a lower pitch. Age-related physiological changes can also affect the pronunciation of certain vowels.
Nearly 10,000 mapped reactions reveal overlooked steps in CO₂-to-fuel conversion
Scientists are increasingly exploring carbon dioxide (CO₂) hydrogenation—where CO₂ reacts with hydrogen over a catalyst to produce products like methanol—to convert CO₂ into useful chemicals and fuels. However, it involves thousands of tiny chemical steps happening on the
Sorghum may help European agriculture face climate change
Research by INRAE and AgroParisTech suggests that global warming could have an overall positive effect on sorghum yields in Europe. Sorghum is a promising alternative to maize in livestock feed. Additionally, the crop requires less water and can tolerate higher temperatures.
An extinct crocodilian was found among rocks that built the Great Sphinx
Herugavialis is the new name for a fossil found in the same rocks that built the Great Sphinx. The reptile is a unique branch of the gharial family tree.
New crocodile species discovered in rocks used to build the Great Sphinx
A new species of extinct crocodile from Egypt has been discovered, sharing more than just its home with the Great Sphinx. Herugavialis cairensis was found in the very same rocks used to build the iconic monument. And, just as the Sphinx is famously missing the tip of its nose,
From coral reef conservation to climate resilience: Turning Indonesia's marine wealth into global impact
For Dr. Jamaluddin Jompa, the ocean has never been simply a subject of scientific study. He was born in Takalar, a coastal region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and his connection with the sea was forged early. Witnessing the degradation of Indonesia's coastal waters made him
From the Great Sphinx’s Raw Materials, a New Crocodile Species Surfaces
It from a bygone epoch when all sorts of crocs roamed the Mediterranean The post From the Great Sphinx’s Raw Materials, a New Crocodile Species Surfaces appeared first on Nautilus .
Crystal alignment explains why magnesium alloy plates resist ballistic impacts better in one direction
Magnesium (Mg) alloys offer a pathway to lighter, more efficient aerospace and defense structures because of their low density, high specific strength and excellent damping capacity. However, their hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure makes deformation highly
Simulated moon soil and recyclable thermoplastics could help build future space infrastructure
Transporting material from Earth to the moon is an expensive proposition: By some estimates, moving a single kilogram (2.2 pounds) can cost more than $1 million. Any plan to build a permanent human habitat up there will depend on bringing that sky-high cost down.
Chernobyl particles reveal unexpectedly stable nuclear fuel after 40 years
Four decades after the 1986 nuclear disaster, researchers at Leibniz University Hannover and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) examined six tiny, highly radioactive fragments that were released from the destroyed reactor in Ukraine in the wake of the incident.
Clearer air does not always signal lower harmful potential from particle pollution
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is commonly associated with both health concerns and poor visibility. However, these two effects do not necessarily improve or worsen at the same time.
OpenAI unleashes hundreds more math results upon a field already in shock
A month after resolving one of the six biggest open problems in mathematics, the company says its new internal model has toppled heaps more—this time without the multimillion-dollar price tag
Hydrothermal vents supply a geochemical precursor of ATP that could have powered early life
Where did the energy come from to power the chemical origin of life, and how did phosphate come to be the universal energy currency of cells? Biologists from the Institute of Molecular Evolution at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have uncovered a new source of energy
Researchers uncover the key to driving employee support during organizational changes
When organizations undergo major shifts, such as restructuring or adopting new working systems, employees often face uncertainty about how to understand and respond to those changes.
Why Do Obese People With Alzheimer’s Live Longer?
The “obesity paradox” strikes again The post Why Do Obese People With Alzheimer’s Live Longer? appeared first on Nautilus .
Young infants see saliva sharing as a sign of a close bond, experiments suggest
Imagine you're an infant. Just a few months in the world, trying to gather your faculties, testing gravity—you're pretty helpless and fully reliant on the people around you. As a result, one of your primary tasks as a new person—even before hand-eye coordination and responding
Tetrahedral iron can help clays exchange electrons about ten times faster
Smectites are clay minerals that can contain large amounts of structural iron. Unlike iron oxides, they do not dissolve when their iron is reduced, so they can be reduced and reoxidized many times. This makes them a recyclable pool of redox-active iron that supports microbial
Newly available satellite data show just how flawed some river models can be
"Is there enough water? What's happening with climate change? How do I operate my hydro plant? In a world of water problems, there are problems that we need a good model to solve," says Colin Gleason, a hydrologist in the Riccio College of Engineering at the University of
AI techniques behind image creation improve flash flood forecasts across U.S. river basins
A flash flood can devastate a community for years in a matter of minutes. These disasters account for roughly 85% of floods and cause thousands of deaths annually worldwide, with water levels capable of shooting up 30 feet (9 meters) and receding to normal levels in the span of
X-ray technique reveals how quantum materials respond to laser pulses in real time
Creating a quantum device often begins by intentionally damaging a crystal. Scientists fire an ultrafast laser pulse into a material, knocking atoms out of place and leaving behind tiny imperfections called vacancies. Far from being flaws, these vacancies can behave as
Highly sensitive biosensor enables rapid detection of cerebrospinal fluid leaks
A research team has developed a highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor capable of rapidly and accurately diagnosing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks that may occur following head surgery or trauma. The team established a diagnostic platform that uses enzymes to detect subtle
Hydra loses its immortality after cold triggers switch to sexual reproduction
The freshwater polyp Hydra oligactis is essentially immortal and reproduces asexually by cloning itself. Except when it gets too cold: then the animal switches to sexual reproduction, begins to age, and eventually dies. A research team at the University of Innsbruck has now
Which eggplant farming practices pay off?
Fabrice Diangoné Bi Tra, a doctoral student in the 100 Ph.D.s for Africa program of the UM6P-EPFL Excellence in Africa initiative, has published a new study in Agriculture.
Flexible protein gate controls access to mitochondrial folds, simulations suggest
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mitochondria in our cells churn out energy from the food we eat, which keeps our bodies functioning. Much of this work happens along cristae—deep pockets in the mitochondria's inner membrane. To work properly, cristae must maintain
Laughter, sighs and screams reveal unwritten social rules in everyday life
Alongside words, humans have a treasure trove of nonverbal tools to help express themselves. We chuckle, sigh and gasp to communicate our feelings without uttering a word. What has amazed researchers for ages is how we rarely stop to think about how we know which sound belongs
Mathematical model makes image encryption more resilient to real-world uncertainty
In today's digital world, everything from medical images and financial records to personal photos and secure communications depends on encryption systems that can protect sensitive information. But real-world technologies rarely operate under perfect conditions. Measurements
Shape-shifting sensory cells may help insects process visual information with less delay
Anyone who has ever tried and failed to swat a fly has experienced the speed of a tiny nervous system. Now, a new review brings together evidence that its secret lies partly in microscopic movements and shape changes within sensory cells and neurons, challenging conventional
The ick: The psychology of why a romantic partner can suddenly repulse you
Ever felt a sudden wave of cringe toward someone you were into—all because they wore questionable shoes or chewed a bit too loudly? Congratulations, you've caught "the ick."
