How did life make the leap from single cells to coordinated, multicellular organisms? And how do genetically identical cells still perform a version of that feat every time an embryo begins to take shape?
Megalomaniacal leaders are fascinating. They exude boundless confidence, harbor sometimes excessive ambitions and make decisions that are often out of touch with reality.
Nearly 69 million people in the United States speak a language other than English at home, yet weather warnings have long been issued almost exclusively in English. A new study documents how the National Weather Service is using artificial intelligence to change that,
Research into a common environmental germ that can cause severe infections in people and animals has raised concern that horses are starting to develop antibiotic resistance towards it. The University of the Sunshine Coast study examined the prevalence of the bug P. aeruginosa
Bowhead whales have the greatest life span of any mammal on Earth. They can reach over 200 years in age thanks in part to their slow metabolism and cancer-suppressing genes.
Dozens of mathematicians signed a declaration Tuesday calling for the discipline to resist beating the drum for artificial intelligence developers.
Falcons are lauded for their speed and agility. The Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo), skilled at snagging birds and insects out of the air, is no exception. However, during twilight on one day in October, researcher Apostolos Christopoulos observed several hobbies feeding on
Researchers have uncovered a key mechanism behind Japan's extreme winter weather, revealing how distant climate patterns interact to intensify cold waves and heavy snowfall.
New research has found that masturbation among bird species, including parrots, is natural, despite prevailing assumptions that it is a harmful behavior in response to environmental factors.
The astronauts circling Earth on the Artemis mission sent back beautiful clear photos of the continents, clouds, and oceans. But we might be the exception. Many planets in the universe may be hazed in clouds of soot, according to a new study by University of Chicago scientists.
One of the dilemmas facing anyone in a new and unfamiliar city is where to dine out. You might consult guides, speak to locals, check reviews, and ultimately, try your luck. But if you're there for a while, at some point you're going to be asking yourself whether to visit new
From dementia to heart attacks, hearing loss has been linked to a wide range of effects across the body, and the condition is on the rise. Fortunately, we're learning how best to safeguard this crucial sense and how we might be able to reverse the damage
Computer simulations have uncovered a new manganese compound that could exist deep in Earth’s mantle and may be connected to the process that gave our atmosphere oxygen
A collaborative study with the University of Cologne, recently published in Nature Communications, provides compelling evidence that the extreme aridity in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert began over 40 million years ago—significantly earlier than previously assumed.
As soil health becomes a defining goal of the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, researchers at Aarhus University are rethinking how we model what lives beneath our feet. Their new spatially explicit population model for the soil invertebrate Folsomia candida (springtails) marks a
They punch above their weight The post See the Gravity Waves from a Super Typhoon appeared first on Nautilus .
Genetics influences who of us are more likely to experience a relationship breakdown, and who are more likely to remain together. But genes are not decisive, new research shows. "Our destiny does not lie in our genes, but if a relationship were a jigsaw puzzle, our genetics
The oldest cave art in Britain may have been discovered, or more likely rediscovered, in a cave on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales, possibly dating back around 17,000 years.
A team of Israeli scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has developed a novel method to significantly lower the production costs of cultivated meat. The new study demonstrates that preloading plant-derived cellulose scaffolds with growth factors supports the
If plants had never learned to grow in multiple directions, our world would look very different. No trees, flowers, or other complex plants—and therefore no animals or humans. New research from the University of Copenhagen now suggests that a specific protein in moss may have
There is an 80% chance of the warming El Niño phenomenon developing between June and August, increasing the risk of extreme weather events, the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin said Tuesday that last week's rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and some other critical parts of the launch pad.
Wilting in the summer sun, a line of tourists waits to climb Notre Dame cathedral and meet its gargoyles.
Nonstructural disaster measures, including early warnings and evacuation systems, helped improve coastal resilience and reduce storm-surge impacts in Macau, report researchers at Science Tokyo. After analyzing the city's responses to three major typhoons, which included
Stanford scientists have discovered a new type of immune cell that kills surrounding cells via explosion—a cellular detonation so fast and complete that the cell vanishes within minutes, leaving no trace behind. This discovery comes from an unlikely source: planarian flatworms.
Researchers have developed a fish-like robot that shows how some species of modern fish are able to walk on land, and could help unravel how early vertebrates evolved similar abilities hundreds of millions of years ago.
Water deficit resistance in plants has long been a topic of interest for cultivating reliable crops. Some plants can alter their above-ground structure to lock in moisture, while others develop deep, industrious roots that find hard-to-reach water sources. While such responses
A newly identified protein may be one of the biggest obstacles holding CAR T-cell therapy back. Researchers found that NFIL3 causes these engineered immune cells to become exhausted and lose their cancer-fighting power over time. When NFIL3 was disabled, the cells remained
Balancing economic growth and environmental protection is not easy. Consider wetlands, which provide flood protection, aid water quality, and are linchpins of larger ecosystems. How can we best preserve wetlands while enhancing economic activity?
Numerical simulations in physics often require estimating a multitude of parameters, making the process computationally expensive and complex. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have introduced a new method called the multiparameter eigenvalue-problem emulator, enabling
By definition, elementary particles can't be broken into smaller pieces. But in a new theoretical study published in Physical Review Letters, Johannes Skaar and colleagues have revealed what would happen if you tried anyway for a single photon. The answer is deeply strange:
Changing market conditions are increasing the need for cost-effective ways to produce biorenewable chemicals, biofuels and materials that can serve as alternatives to oil-based products. According to Costas Maranas, Robert V. and Gloria H. Waltemeyer Chair and Donald B.
A major study suggests that some of the groundwork for brain development may be shaped before birth through a surprising partnership between a baby’s genes and gut microbes. Researchers found that epigenetic changes present at birth can influence how the gut microbiome develops
A massive global analysis found that nitrogen pollution can either speed up or dramatically slow the natural "breathing" of forest soils, depending on the ecosystem's condition. The results reveal hidden tipping points that could affect how forests store carbon and cope with
Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) may not be beautiful, but they are certainly adaptable. A new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research, titled "Turkey Vulture Aggregations at a Water Barrier Provide Evidence of Later Migration and Increasing Population Size Over 25
A fault line running alongside the Hunua Ranges in South Auckland is now identified as active and has the potential to cause a major earthquake with serious consequences, University of Auckland researchers say.
MIT engineers are testing a new propulsion system that combines the power and speed of conventional chemical thrusters with the precision and fuel-efficiency of electrical thrusters. The system could enable the design of nimbler, more flexible small satellites, which could
Sea monsters, Niagara’s toxic legacy, and animal orgasms The post 9 Books We’re Excited About This June appeared first on Nautilus .
A Ph.D. is often treated as the point where scholars become "independent." Yet, a new study by Hiroshima University shows that achieving independence is far less simple and tidy, unfolding instead as a long, uneven, river-like journey shaped by relationships, risks and
Spinal cord injuries can have devastating consequences for those affected. Nerve cells in the spinal cord rarely regenerate naturally, while scarring often prevents the regrowth of nerve fibers. Modern therapies attempt to influence implanted stem cells using electrical
Scientists are venturing into the Grand Canyon’s hidden cave networks to solve a mystery: how snowmelt travels underground to supply the park’s vital springs. Their discoveries could help protect the canyon’s water from drought, contamination, and other growing threats.
Lung cancer remains one of the world's deadliest cancers, yet despite decades of effort to develop new drugs, many fail because they don't stay in the body long enough to be effective or because they damage healthy organs. Now, Adelaide University researchers have developed a
It's a mild early spring morning at the historic Cottonwood Field Station in western South Dakota, and a herd of 150 Angus steers are scheduled to move to a new pasture rotation. Moving cattle can be tricky and often requires some extra help, electrical fencing and quite a bit
Astronomers monitoring a nearby active galaxy for six years have watched its supermassive black hole dramatically wake up, brightening by a factor of 10 across ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. The paper outlining the study was posted to the preprint server arXiv on May 18.
An exploration of how biological cooperation underpins all life - and why we’ve overlooked its power until now - makes thrilling reading, finds Penny Sarchet
Deer keds rely on flight and vision to find a host, but everything changes once they land. After shedding their wings forever, these parasites reduce the activity of key vision-related genes by about half. Scientists believe they are effectively trading sharp eyesight for extra
Multi-billion-dollar space telescope programs aren't only feats of aerospace engineering. They also feature "lies, damn lies, and statistics." Or at least statistics. They definitely feature those, as does all good observational astronomy. The problem with statistics is, in
A team of scientists have discovered and named three new "leaf-planking" praying mantis species and recorded another mantis species turning up far from its assumed habitat. JCU Ph.D. candidate Matthew Connors recently discovered and named three new Snake Mantis species from the
As voters are increasingly asked to decide complex health policy questions at the ballot box, new research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis finds that health care-related ballot measures draw more voters to the polls and are more likely to pass than
Research led by Professor Michelle LaRue from the School of Earth and Environment at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) published in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation shows that high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery can track
