Every year, hundreds of millions of tons of petrochemical-based plastics are produced, much of which ends up in the environment or is incinerated. This exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental crisis caused by plastic pollution. Now, a study led by the
Migration flights of dragonflies and damselflies crisscross much of our planet, new research reveals. Scientists from the universities of Exeter and Lund reviewed global evidence and found 100 dragonfly and damselfly species that migrate, and a further 85 possible migratory
The Ice Age rodents left behind a lot to study The post The Surprising Things You Find Digging Through Frozen Prehistoric Squirrel Poop appeared first on Nautilus .
Solve the crossword from our July 2026 issue, in which we encourage our readers to up their game.
Around the world, ocean warming is causing fish to move poleward in search of cooler water.
Artificial intelligence is often used to generate images. In research, specialized AI models are used for scientific applications—for example, to predict the positions of atoms in materials. The MatterGen model developed by Microsoft can generate complex crystal structures from
Astronomers may have uncovered new details about one of the Milky Way's most important ancient collisions. Using data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and a new clustering algorithm, researchers have found evidence suggesting the famous
Long before vertebrates walked on land, millipedes had the place to themselves. Hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs arrived, these early decomposers were helping establish Earth's terrestrial ecosystems. But despite their ancient history, scientists still hadn't
This March 20, 2026, image of Messier 64, or the Black Eye Galaxy, is a composite view from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. It shows Messier 64 captured at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths by Webb, while Hubble's image shows the galaxy in
A mathematical model shows that attempting to sever a fundamental particle of light could conjure new ones out of thin air.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with Starlink satellites Friday less than an hour before Elon Musk's company was set to lift off for what would be the largest IPO in Wall Street history.
Looking somewhat like a swarm of bees returning to their hive, this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the galaxy cluster MACS0329-0211. Galaxy clusters like MACS0329-0211 are important signposts in the story of how the structure of the universe evolved, and are the
In a new study, Professor Shin Sugiyama of Hokkaido University and his team have directly confirmed for the first time that water from melting snow and ice, or meltwater, found at the surface of a glacier can drain to its base, causing glaciers in Antarctica to speed up and
Elon Musk's SpaceX began its first day as a public company on Wall Street on Friday after the biggest initial public offering in history, with the polarizing entrepreneur promising he will take humanity to Mars.
The 24 alien books the Scientific American staff love, from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to Contact and beyond
As temperatures rise, New Zealand's dairy farmers face a growing challenge: keeping cows cool enough to remain productive. Heat stress can reduce milk production, harm animals and lower the environmental efficiency of dairy farming. For an economy so heavily reliant on dairy
Birds in flocks, bacteria and cells: In many collective systems, individual elements respond to only part of their surroundings, seemingly defying Newton's third law of motion—action equals reaction. These exceptions are known as nonreciprocal interactions. A Dresden physics
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a marvel of nature, a highly effective killer that doesn't have to move an inch to capture and kill its prey. It releases a fruity nectar scent to attract flies and other insects. After they land in the trap, tiny hairs are triggered and
At first, scientists thought Earth’s water came from comets. Then, asteroids. Now, they wonder if Earth’s water is homegrown. The post Where Did Earth Get Its Oceans? Maybe It Made Them Itself. first appeared on Quanta Magazine
The United States government's recent release of hundreds of previously classified unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) cases spanning the 1940s to the present, along with the new Steven Spielberg movie, "Disclosure Day," about extraterrestrial life, has fueled the idea that
From snow white and jet black to golden brown, domestic chickens display a wider range of plumage colors than almost any other livestock species. A new international study, with researchers from Leipzig University playing a key role, explains why: A single gene is capable of
The two-toed sloth genome provides some definitive answers The post What Makes Sloths So Slow? appeared first on Nautilus .
Alaska’s glaciers are proving to be highly sensitive to warming temperatures. Using radar satellites to monitor more than 3,000 glaciers, researchers found that every 1°C (1.8°F) increase in average summer temperature extends glacier melting by about three weeks. The study also
The emerging infectious bacterium Escherichia albertii has caused outbreaks of severe food poisoning and hospitalized people through contaminated water and foods, such as salad ingredients. Now, a new study from Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU) has gathered evidence from
A new paper by Junia Mortimer, Urban Studies Foundation fellow, explores what happens when photographic archives are revisited through different conceptual frameworks, and with different people in the room. The archive in question belongs to Roberto Monte-Mór, professor at the
SpaceX’s IPO—the largest in history—has out-of-this-world implications for AI, space commerce and extraterrestrial exploration
Swapping a beef steak for salmon once a week could save the amount of carbon needed to fly from London Heathrow to Morocco, according to new research by the universities of Bristol and Southampton. The study, published in Environmental Research: Food Systems, found the U.K.'s
Despite lacking brains or nervous systems, slime molds are capable of making surprisingly sophisticated decisions: navigating mazes, finding food and even remembering where they found it last time. How they manage to do all this without any neural architecture has long puzzled
A new nature-inspired membrane uses perfectly uniform one-nanometer pores to filter molecules with remarkable precision. The technology could transform industries such as pharmaceuticals and textiles by reducing energy consumption, improving water reuse, and delivering
A low-calorie fasting-style diet significantly reduced inflammation linked to gum disease in a small clinical study. The findings suggest that what people eat may influence gum health almost as much as what they do with a toothbrush.
During the Archean Eon—roughly 4 billion years ago—the Earth was a lifeless planet. The atmosphere lacked oxygen, and there were few, if any, organisms to be found anywhere on the globe. Then something incredible happened. Microscopic bacteria appeared in freshwater lakes,
A new study from the HistoGenes project, of which Patrick Geary, professor emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is co-PI, is helping scholars frame a better picture of the early medieval people who inhabited Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, as well as
The new movie Disclosure Day is all about a big, alien secret. But SETI researchers behind the updated postdetection protocol say they aren’t in the business of secrets
Chewing gum made from mastic resin is a Greek staple that has some benefits for the mouth and gut. But it won’t change your face shape.
Researchers discovered that mutations linked to blood cancers may help trigger Alzheimer’s disease by creating overly inflammatory immune cells in the brain. The unexpected finding could lead to new blood-based screening methods and potential treatments borrowed from cancer
New research shows surface melting across Antarctica is set to intensify and spread dramatically over the 21st century, with melt increasing 10-fold and the affected area growing by more than 10% by 2100 if global temperatures continue to rise.
A new treatment that blocks an aging-related protein restored lost cartilage in old mice and helped prevent arthritis after knee injuries. Human cartilage samples showed similar signs of regeneration, raising hopes for a future drug that could repair joints instead of replacing
Once charted as a 'guest star' in ancient China, dreaded as a harbinger of ill omens in medieval Europe, and preserved in the narratives and artworks of Indigenous cultures, these cosmic spectacles are now known as core-collapse supernovae.
A superconducting quantum computer is part of a network that is mining an experimental cryptocurrency called Quip, and it is able to do it faster and with better energy efficiency than conventional machines
Using the Subaru Telescope, astronomers have conducted follow-up observations of a recently discovered exoplanet known as TOI-1883 b. Results of the new observations, published June 5 on the arXiv preprint server, indicate that TOI-1883 b is a low-density super-Neptune.
Antarctic sea ice plays a critical role in regulating Earth's climate. It reflects sunlight back into space, insulates the ocean from the atmosphere, and supports unique polar ecosystems.
AI can read the literature in an afternoon and design molecules a chemist never would. So why can't a robot hold a pipette? The post Why Robots Still Can’t Do Science appeared first on Nautilus .
Deep beneath the ground in China, the massive JUNO neutrino observatory has delivered its first major scientific breakthrough, achieving one of the most precise measurements yet of how elusive neutrinos change as they travel. Using just 59 days of data, researchers sharply
Just outside the doors of Stearns Junior-Senior High School in Millinocket, Maine, students and staff have access to world-class outdoor recreation opportunities: paddling, mountain biking, skiing and, of course, hiking in nearby Baxter State Park.
Households are motivated to reduce their energy consumption and help mitigate climate change, but unaffordable technologies and rental restrictions are preventing them from doing so, according to a recent Charles Darwin University (CDU) study. "The efficiency divide: Housing
In 2020, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation approached Stanford's Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) to help identify priorities for action on social sustainability issues in seafood supply chains. After years of collaboration with a range of partners, the result
Quantum materials, materials with properties that are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, have proved to be highly promising for the development of ultra-efficient electronic devices, quantum processors, highly precise sensors and various other technologies. Reliably
Reusable rockets and Starlink made Elon Musk’s company dominant in spaceflight. Its record valuation leans on making Starship flights routine and orbital AI data centers real
Meteor camera networks can reveal the hidden history of the solar system, and you can assist from your own backyard
Scientists at the University of Hong Kong have created a remarkable new type of brain-inspired chip that can function just above absolute zero, one of the coldest environments imaginable. By using a standard silicon carbide transistor in a completely new way, the team made a