Meet Earth's newest wild cat species, the first named in over a century
A previously unknown cat species has been identified in plain sight: at a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia, where the small, spotted feline had been living for years.
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A humpback whale was spotted in a California river, 60 miles from its Pacific Ocean home
Denny Glover was hoping for a big catch when he went fishing with buddies on the Sacramento River, but he wasn't expecting a fully grown humpback whale.
The monsters that weren't: Dinosaur and tusked-beast claims in San rock art unravel
For decades, an idea has grown in paleontology that, long before scientists began digging up and reconstructing dinosaur bones, the Indigenous San and Basotho in southern Africa noticed them too, incorporating them into songs, myths and immortalizing them on cave walls. But
Rethinking how we assess students could improve their well-being
When you were in school, what stressed you out the most? For many students, classroom assessments—graded tests, quizzes, group work, presentations, labs and the like—would be near the top of the list.
Florida scrub-jays attempt to breed at unusually young age after large-scale translocation
For nearly two decades, biologist Lauren Deaner has worked with Florida scrub-jays, contributing to population recovery efforts and translocations. Now, as a doctoral researcher in UCF's integrative biology program, she is using that field experience to investigate how
This Dolphin Steals from Fish for Its Meals
Putting a dent in dolphins’ reputation as the “good guys of the sea” The post This Dolphin Steals from Fish for Its Meals appeared first on Nautilus .
Surviving the summer
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses existential threats to humankind: extreme heat, never-ending drought and a plan to provide Earth with sunlight on demand.
Protein map reveals how red blood cells rapidly adjust to low oxygen
Scientists map the hidden protein network that helps red blood cells adapt to oxygen
Loss of Y chromosome in men could be an early warning sign of cancer
A study initiated by Dr. Dan Theodorescu, a physician-scientist at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, revealed that the loss of the Y chromosome in men's body tissue could pave the way for cancer to develop. According to research recently published in JCI Insights, the
Scientists simulate cosmic crashes to test whether icy moons gain or lose their ability to sustain life
Many of the moons orbiting Saturn, Uranus and Neptune likely conceal oceans of liquid water beneath miles of icy shell. Because life as we know it needs water, these buried oceans rank among the most promising places to search for life beyond Earth.
Kids involved with child protective services miss much more school than their peers
Across the country, kids are settling into new school-year routines. Parents buy backpacks, teachers arrange desks and lesson plans, and friends reconnect. But in recent years, empty chairs are becoming a more common sight—especially in classrooms where students are already
Could brain-inspired computers run on the same amount of power as a human brain?
The human brain uses about the same amount of wattage as a lightbulb
Sea surface temperature biases shift the North Pacific jet stream southward, study finds
Climate models are numerical models used to project future climate change. They simulate the climate from the present into the future by calculating changes in the atmosphere, ocean and other components of the climate system. However, simulations of the present-day climate do
Improving urban flood forecasting with real-time hazardous rainfall detection
The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) announced that it will apply its early detection technology for quasi-stationary linear rainbands and sudden localized torrential rainfall to the Urban Flood Forecasting Platform operated by the Han River
How rural policing gaps can make escaping domestic violence harder
Before murdering Molly Ticehurst in April 2024, court documents show Daniel Billings had threatened to exploit the limits of policing in her country town: "I will come in the middle of the night … The police won't stop me. I will get to you quicker than they will."
Peer sexual harassment emerges early, highlighting need for prevention before Grade 4
Sexual harassment between peers begins as early as Grade 4 and continues throughout lower secondary school. Most of those who sexually harass others have also experienced harassment themselves. These are among the findings of a doctoral thesis in psychology by Aziz-Kaan Dönmez
Scientists hope deeper-rooted soybeans can withstand climate extremes and store more carbon
Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. He knocks away pieces of earth from the plant's roots, which slope straight down instead of out to the side like typical soybean plants.
North Korea's nuclear testing may have triggered hundreds of earthquakes over several years
Between 2006 and 2017, North Korea conducted six underground nuclear tests at its vast testing site at Mount Mantap in North Hamgyong province. Typically, underground explosions trigger an intense burst of minor earthquakes that die down once testing stops. But geologists have
The Moon has a New Once-in-a-Century Crater
The lunar surface is more dynamic than you might think The post The Moon has a New Once-in-a-Century Crater appeared first on Nautilus .
The “Most Complete” Mastodon Tooth Ever Found
Peering 10,000 years into the past The post The “Most Complete” Mastodon Tooth Ever Found appeared first on Nautilus .
Medieval Chinese skeleton may reveal first evidence of a brutal punishment
Ancient Chinese authorities used many creative ways to punish people, often with methods designed to mark them for life. One brutal example mentioned repeatedly in historical texts is cutting off a person's nose. However, archaeologists in China have never found skeletal
Workplace AI adoption remains slow, informal and uneven, survey finds
Despite the rapid development of generative AI and the high level of public interest, the use of AI in the day-to-day work of many employees is not yet the norm. This is the finding of the third wave of the Konstanz AI study, for which a total of 1,105 employees were surveyed
To read 2,000-year-old burned scrolls, scientists burn their own
Douglas Seiler painstakingly sourced papyrus and reed pens from Egypt and traditional lampblack ink from Japan, then paid some high school students to inscribe the papyrus with lines from Star Wars and the Bible and a quote from the '60s sci-fi TV show The Outer Limits.
Power breeds suspicion: In cases of wrongdoing, people point to leaders more quickly
People with power are more quickly singled out as the culprit when something goes wrong but it is unclear who made the mistake. That is shown by a series of studies by researchers at the University of Amsterdam. In one, they analyzed almost 100,000 everyday conflicts on the
Europe can lower emissions without deindustrializing, say researchers
The European Union has committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, a process that will require rapid and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across all economic sectors.
Amino acids and a bone mineral may help control magnesium implant breakdown, three student papers suggest
Seeing a bachelor's thesis published in a scientific journal is relatively uncommon. For three theses linked to the same research group to result in scientific publications within just three months is downright rare. Yet that is exactly what has happened in Elsebeth Schröder's
Physicists extend the search for quantum black holes at the LHC
Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have extended the search for evidence of microscopic black holes produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The formation of these tiny, fleeting objects at the LHC represents one way
Who do you trust in an emergency? Researchers ask people in places hit by extreme weather
One evening in August 2025, a Pakistani shepherd, Abuzar Hussain, was tending sheep and goats on the mountain slopes of Shijar. At about 6 p.m., a thunderous roar shattered the silence of the valley.
Why AI is speeding up scientific research but not lab experiments
A new report from Google, Google DeepMind and M.I.T. finds that researchers are using AI—a lot. It’s just not helping as much in the lab
New thermal insulator outperforms any material found in nature
Researchers have engineered a new material that is an extreme thermal insulator, is exceptionally stiff and can be printed as a thin film at large scales. The material has one of the lowest thermal conductivity profiles of any dense, or nonporous, material—approaching the
Q&A: Economist explores how to balance environmental protection with economic growth
As a kid growing up in North Carolina, Prakash Mishra was interested in planets. "My parents got me a telescope when I turned 6 or 7, and that was my personality for probably 10 years," he says, noting that he thought he would eventually study physics or astrophysics.
What does OpenAI’s blockbuster mathematics proof mean for the real world?
OpenAI’s claimed proof of the Navier-Stokes problem is a mathematical tour de force, but any real-world applications may be years away—if they ever arrive at all
This Stray Cat Turned Out to Be the First New Cat Species Discovered in Over a Century
It was living on a diet of rice, noodles, and eggs The post This Stray Cat Turned Out to Be the First New Cat Species Discovered in Over a Century appeared first on Nautilus .
Giving students a voice in how they learn could transform the classroom experience
Research from Queen Mary University of London explores how combining learner autonomy with student-led inquiry can create a more engaging and collaborative experience for international students learning academic English.
Laser experiments recreate solar flare physics and reveal consistent magnetic reconnection rates
Magnetic reconnection is a process that occurs when the magnetic fields of a conductive plasma quickly rearrange and release massive amounts of stored magnetic energy. It is widely thought to be the underlying mechanism behind cosmic events such as solar flares and substorms in
Greenland's Qaanaaq Ice Cap has lost enough ice to produce a layer of water about 8 meters deep
Each summer, researchers from Hokkaido University returned to the Qaanaaq Ice Cap in northwestern Greenland to measure changes in the ice surface using aluminum poles drilled into the ice. Their 13-year record shows how the ice cap changed from 2012 to 2025.
Discovery of CRISPR's long lost ancestor may expand gene-editing toolkit
CRISPR may be a powerful technology for gene editing, but the system existed in bacteria long before scientists began using it. For billions of years, CRISPR has acted as a natural immune system in bacteria and other microbes, helping defend them against invading viruses. But
Who benefits from tariffs, according to research
Tariffs are usually debated as trade policy. But a study from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business treats them as something else: a mechanism for redistributing wealth.
Hemp waste cellulose unlocks tougher biodegradable plastics
Korean researchers have developed a method to strengthen biodegradable plastics using hemp hurd, an agricultural byproduct. The approach is expected to be applicable to other large-volume agricultural residues, including soybean stalks and rice straw.
Background hums and buzzes affect human behavior, researcher finds
Have you ever stopped and listened to the background sounds in a room you are in? The hum of the ventilation? The buzz of electricity? While most of the time we are barely aware of these sounds, Arthur Jinyue Guo, a researcher at the RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Research
Will the U.S. megadrought ever end?
For 27 years, the Southwest has been gripped by a historic drought. Scientists think it might be here to stay.
Coffee on the nanoscale: Graphene oxide membrane removes half the caffeine while retaining key compounds
The humble coffee filter has the relatively simple job of letting the coffee through and leaving the grounds behind. But researchers from the ARC Center of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation (COE-CSI) are exploring whether a filter operating on the molecular scale can
Hubble spots an out-of-sync galaxy
Though the spiral galaxy in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It's one of more than a thousand galaxies in the Virgo
Anti-transgender legislation can cause psychological distress even in states with trans-friendly laws
Legislation that affects or discriminates against transgender and gender-diverse individuals can cause more psychological distress than personal experiences of discrimination, according to new Virginia Commonwealth University research published in the journal American
An extremely stable quantum gas offers a new lens on strongly interacting systems
Molecular gases are a new form of artificial quantum matter. However, when these molecules collide, they are often lost extremely rapidly. Researchers from Radboud University and Columbia University have been able to suppress this collisional loss, paving the way for strongly
The art heist paradox: Why better police work can lead to more stolen masterpieces
When a multimillion-dollar masterpiece vanishes from a museum, the public calls for tougher criminal penalties and better-funded police task forces. But research from Wake Forest University suggests that some of these intuitive solutions can backfire, resulting in more art
'Plasticorals,' coral rubble fused with plastic, represent a new form of plastic pollution
During routine beach litter surveys on the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, researchers came across small, brightly colored specks in the pale coral rubble. Back at the lab, spectroscopic and microscopic analyses revealed that these specks are, in fact, melted polymers
Muscle Loss is a Big Warning Sign of Dementia
But obesity has a more complicated relationship with the disease The post Muscle Loss is a Big Warning Sign of Dementia appeared first on Nautilus .
From the start, the solar system chose fire over ice to build its first bodies
When the solar system first took up the task of building solid bodies—such as planets, moons and protoplanets—it basically had a choice between two ingredients: heat-forged chondrules, which were millimeter-sized bits of rock, and matrix, a fine-grained, cold dust loaded with
Cultural norms can shape how social gestures influence perceived attractiveness
Humans are social animals, but we have a diversity of societies, each with its own customs, behaviors and expectations. It's obvious that those can affect how we respond to someone—favoring the comfort of familiar behaviors, for example—and people often try to account for that
