The time had come to open the envelope, but Stephan Schlamminger, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), wasn't sure he wanted to know the secret number that lay inside. For the past 10 years, Schlamminger had spent most of his working hours
When a bank wrongly charges fees, a debt collector harasses someone over a disputed bill, or a mortgage servicer fails to apply payments correctly, Americans have a formal recourse: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Filing a complaint with the CFPB is not like venting
Relocating the city of Venice is among four potential options—including movable barriers, ring dikes and closing the Venetian Lagoon—that could help it adapt to future sea-level rise over the next 200 years, according to a new study.
Researchers have developed a technique for detecting and measuring the concentration of many rare-earth elements in plants, without destroying the plant. The technique can be used to optimize "plant mining" efforts, in which plants take up and concentrate these critical
Popular AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini are not neutral and tend to favor certain political parties when asked who users should vote for. This makes them unsuitable for providing advice in connection with elections, according to researchers from the University of
Improved methods for social and behavioral sciences research could help enhance public trust in science, says a new study that investigated the robustness of data analysis to understand whether it reliably stood the test of time. It did.
Glaciers can reveal vast archives of information about Earth's environmental past, but deciphering the origins of the matter within them can be a challenge. Now, using a novel technique that enables researchers to directly analyze millions of individual particles at once, a new
A new Bar-Ilan University study points to a major advance in quantum information processing, demonstrating a way to send, manipulate, and measure quantum information across many frequency channels simultaneously, rather than one at a time. The study was recently published in
Its rib breathing set the stage for further evolution of land animals The post Oldest Reptile Mummy Sheds Light on the Ancient Art of Breathing appeared first on Nautilus .
By directing pulses of laser light at atoms, researchers can study how radioactive elements decay in a matter of seconds. The method is described in a new thesis from the University of Gothenburg, which shows that the atomic nuclei of the elements neptunium and fermium are
Bacterial blight (BB) is a serious plant disease that mainly affects rice plants, especially in warm, humid regions. Due to the severity of BB, discovering and applying BB-resistance genes is strategically important for ensuring stable rice production in Asia. However, genetic
Monumental ship burials in Scandinavia may have started around a century earlier than previously thought, according to a paper published in the journal Antiquity. It reports the discovery of the remains of a 1,300-year-old ship buried on the Norwegian island of Leka, predating
NPL, the UK's National Metrology Institute (NMI), plays a central role in providing accurate and trusted measurement across emerging technology. Within its Institute for Quantum Standards and Technology (IQST), the team is developing methods to characterize and calibrate
Also known as magnetoelectronics, spintronics rely on electron spin rather than electron charge, as found in traditional electronics. Although spintronics is still an emerging field, spintronic technologies are already found in hard disk drives and giant magnetoresistance
Do aliens exist? Could Earth really be the only planet hosting intelligent life?
A study conducted at the Institute of Science and Technology of São Paulo State University (ICT-UNESP) in São José dos Campos, Brazil, shows that Moringa oleifera, also known as moringa or white acacia, has the potential to remove microplastics from water. The study, titled
Humans adjust to changes in temperature by putting on a sweater or taking off layers. Plants adjust to temperature changes, in part, by switching the way they express the protein that performs the critical first step of photosynthesis, according to new research from Cornell,
The next few days were instrumental in the history of LSD The post The Coming Psychedelic Holiday appeared first on Nautilus .
The underground laboratory in Nevada where the U.S. conducts nuclear subcritical experiments is riddled with faults. Researchers have not confirmed whether any of these faults are active and could rupture during an earthquake, according to a presentation by members of the
On a chilly yet beautifully clear evening last November, I sat on a video call with colleagues and happened to mention the live feed from the International Space Station—a real-time broadcast from onboard cameras as the station orbits Earth.
The White House has nominated Erica Schwartz to replace NIH director Jay Bhattacharya as CDC chief. Bhattacharya has been leading the CDC on an acting basis since February, after the public health agency’s director was fired in 2025
Cells are enveloped by a lipid membrane that gives them structure and provides a barrier between the cell and its environment. However, evidence has recently emerged suggesting that these membranes do more than simply provide protection—they also influence the behavior of the
Rising carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activities are the largest contributor to global warming. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global CO2 emissions reached an all-time high of 37.8 gigatons in 2024. While some of this CO2 is absorbed by soil,
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a method to differentiate the topography of medieval mountain castles from that of natural ridges using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. This method is expected to be useful for detecting historically
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics scientists have been able to disentangle the X-ray glow originating in our solar system from similar emission reaching us from deep space, using data from the SRG/eROSITA space telescope. Four sky maps obtained between 2019 and
Fish living downstream of wastewater treatment plants are accumulating antidepressants, opioids and other drugs of abuse in their bodies, according to a new study. Using a new analytical method they developed, a team of researchers from the University of Waterloo discovered
Parasitic wasps of the genus Trichogramma are among the smallest insects in the world—yet they play an important role in natural ecosystems and agricultural landscapes as natural antagonists of pest species. Research teams from the Universities of Regensburg, Wageningen and
“It’s a sandwich generation, but on steroids” The post Why Middle-Aged Americans Are in Crisis appeared first on Nautilus .
The recovery of the ozone layer in Earth's stratosphere could be delayed by several years, according to an international study led by Swiss research institution Empa which included contributions from University of Bristol researchers. The cause is persistent emissions of
When 240 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., starting in mid-January 2026 and running through mid-March, it was estimated to be the largest sewage spill in U.S. history. But it wasn't the first, nor will it be the last.
Thin films might not come up in conversation every day, but they are all around us. Take the metallic plastic films of chip bags, for example, or the anti-reflective coatings on eyeglasses. Even the coatings on pills that make them easier to swallow are thin films. Depositing
According to our current understanding of the universe, quarks are fundamental, point-like particles: basic building blocks that are not made up of smaller particles. A recent paper from the CMS Collaboration describes how it probed quarks to the scale of 10-20 meters to test
The south coast of South Africa's Western Cape province is a rich source of fossil tracks and traces—clues suggesting what this environment may have been like many thousands of years ago.
Fish living downstream of wastewater treatment plants are accumulating antidepressants, opioids and other drugs of abuse in their bodies, according to a new study. Using a new analytical method they developed, a team of researchers from the University of Waterloo discovered
Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen reflected on the highs and lows of their moon mission—the first of its kind in more than 50 years
Where once there was ice, only rock remains. One of the glaciers in a chain of snow-capped mountains in the Colombian Andes has vanished due to high temperatures driven by climate change.
New research from the University of Bath shows that graduates of elite MBA programs, particularly the so-called M7 super elite US schools, are significantly more likely to become top management team members and CEOs than those with non elite MBAs or no MBA at all. However, the
Baby Neanderthals may have been much larger and grown much more quickly than their modern Homo sapiens counterparts, according to a new study of the most intact Neanderthal infant skeleton. Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are our closest extinct relatives, an ancient group
Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island are revealing new insight into the composition and origins of Uranus's two outer rings. Using data from the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), combined with observations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope
It’s a surprisingly controversial question The post Was the Grand Canyon Born from an Ancient Lake Spillover? appeared first on Nautilus .
Magnetic rocks with iron oxide concentrations act as natural chroniclers of Earth's past continental movements. Using small samples of rocks, scientists can isolate magnetic grains that were frozen in orientation as the rock solidified. The magnetization of these grains acts as
A research team has developed a novel method that dramatically enhances the strength and toughness of titanium alloys using an electric current applied for only a few milliseconds. The team was led by Assistant Professor Shaojie Gu from the Magnesium Research Center, Kumamoto
Massive blooms of Sargassum seaweed that have inundated coastlines across the Atlantic since 2011 likely originate off the coast of West Africa—forming years before they are visible and overturning long-standing assumptions about where these events begin.
Plants are often seen as passive organisms, rooted in one place and largely unable to react to the world around them. But a new field of research is challenging these assumptions and showing that plants are as sophisticated as animals in detecting and adjusting to environmental
The HHS secretary defended proposed budget cuts to science, his vaccine moves and health care costs on Capitol Hill on Thursday
Investigating a common gene in three very different species—salamanders, mice and zebrafish—scientists have discovered the potential for a novel gene therapy aimed at eventually regrowing limbs in humans, according to new research published this week.
There has been no shortage of bold claims recently about artificial intelligence (AI) and jobs—from mass unemployment to over-hyped distraction. Much of this debate is speculative. Often, coming from the tech giants promoting their own products, it is self-serving.
Graveyards are teeming with life The post Largest Known Collection of Bees Discovered Living in a Cemetery appeared first on Nautilus .
Hydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many other chemical products, requires significantly cheaper
A major new U.K. study of 12- to 17-year-olds finds that, while most adolescents say they would vote and are interested in politics, their willingness to engage is linked to their anxiety about the future, low trust in political parties, and limited confidence that political
