Financial bonuses are often used to motivate employees to meet targets and boost productivity. But do they actually work? New research from Tilburg University suggests these incentives can sometimes have the opposite effect. Employees who set their own goals often perform
Researchers from Brown University and their collaborators have developed a new way to measure the properties of cells—an important development, they say, because accurate measurements of changes in cell elasticity can be used to better understand diseases, diagnose patient
Got a mouse in your house? That thought alone may terrify you. Now imagine if mice were scampering through your house, rummaging in your pantry or even running across your face at night.
In the novel "When There Are Wolves Again" by E.J. Swift, the Chernobyl disaster and its legacy is extrapolated to a near future where natural habitats are depleted and precarious.
Scientists at EPFL have developed CenSpark, a fluorescent probe that makes centrioles and cilia visible inside living cells, helping researchers study cell division, development, and immunity like never before.
You might know the short-tailed shearwater and sable shearwater by the common name "muttonbirds." These two species of seabird breed on islands off southeastern Australia. Both undertake a breathtaking two-week, non-stop flight across the Pacific to the Bering Sea, more than
Venice has coexisted with the sea throughout its 1,500-year history, perhaps better than any other city on Earth. Yet over the past century it has flooded increasingly often, as the sea rises and the city itself sinks under its own weight.
On a sweltering August afternoon or in the teeth of a winter storm, New York City subway riders make a quiet calculation: Is the trip worth it? A new study published in npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport takes a detailed look at how those decisions show up in ridership
Catalysis—the reduction of activation energy in a chemical reaction by a catalyst—plays a key role in the chemical industry, as well as in the development of sustainable technologies essential for achieving a low-carbon economy. However, the search for high-performance and
Mammals and dinosaurs coexisted on Earth until a catastrophic event 66 million years ago killed 75% of life on the planet. Despite the devastation, some animals survived, including rodent-like mammals in the Cimolodon genus. These creatures are part of the multituberculates, a
The GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung and the international accelerator facility FAIR have made an important contribution to the success of the Artemis II moon mission. A camera specially developed for use in space was successfully tested in advance under realistic
For some time, researchers have assumed that solid materials could gain more useful properties by making their microscopic components more active. Now, a team led by Jack Binysh at the University of Amsterdam has found that this idea doesn't always hold.
At some highly selective colleges and universities, cohorts of mostly white, wealthy applicants have three to eight times greater odds of admission than other similarly qualified applicants. These beneficiaries are legacy applicants, those who receive an admissions bonus for
Beneath East Africa’s Turkana Rift, scientists have found the crust is thinning to a critical point, suggesting the continent is gradually breaking apart. This “necking” process marks an advanced stage of rifting that could eventually lead to a new ocean forming millions of
Scientists have mapped in unprecedented detail the structure of Vibrio bacteria, which can cause life-threatening infections linked to antibiotic resistance. The King's College London team behind the study, published in Nature Communications, say the finding could provide new
A gut bacterium may be quietly fueling depression through an unexpected chemical twist. Researchers found that when Morganella morganii interacts with a common pollutant, it produces a molecule that triggers inflammation—something strongly linked to depression. This finding
Around the world, people plan to plant more than 1 trillion trees this decade in an ambitious effort to slow climate change and reduce biodiversity loss. But if the past is prolonged, many of those planted trees won't survive. And if they do, they could end up as biological
Scientists have created tiny “optical tornadoes” — swirling beams of light that twist like miniature whirlwinds — using a surprisingly simple setup based on liquid crystals. Instead of relying on complex nanotechnology, the team used self-organizing structures called torons to
When humans are moving as a crowd, their movements tend to be highly coordinated, similarly to the collective motions of bird flocks or other groups of animals. These group behaviors can limit collisions in dynamic environments, allowing individuals to reach their destinations
A major physics experiment has uncovered evidence for a strange new form of matter, where a fleeting particle gets trapped inside a nucleus. This exotic state may reveal how mass is generated, suggesting that particles can weigh less when surrounded by dense nuclear matter. The
A new analysis has revealed a global decline in fish growth over the last century, with scientists warning that overfishing and environmental change are eroding the biological foundations of many fisheries. Helen Yan led the study as part of her Ph.D. program at James Cook
In the chaotic first moments after the Big Bang, ripples in spacetime may have done more than just echo through the cosmos—they could have helped create dark matter itself. New research suggests that faint, ancient gravitational waves might have transformed into particles that
An international research team led by DTU has developed a new magnetic material that features a stable internal magnetic structure, almost no external magnetic field, and retains these properties above room temperature. These characteristics may be important for future
They already have the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver, lay eggs like reptiles and have venom like snakes.
As global warming accelerates, extreme heat waves are causing widespread death of tropical reef corals. Most corals rely on tiny algae cells living within their tissues that photosynthesize and produce energy. Corals use this energy to build their skeletons that create the reef
Giant, fearsome octopuses may have once ruled the ancient seas, according to new research that flips the script on their evolutionary past. By uncovering exquisitely preserved fossil jaws hidden inside rock, scientists revealed that early octopuses from the age of dinosaurs
This week, researchers reported that malaria influenced population distribution in Africa thousands of years ago. Mathematicians at MIT report that classical physics formulations can explain quantum phenomena. And a study found that electron spin causes mirror-image molecules
A pioneering project led by researchers from the University of Stirling and the Max Planck Institute has opened the door for new insights into the evolutionary origins of human intelligence, by compiling the largest dataset of great ape cognition available globally.
Researchers filmed 10 species eating or scavenging bats at known Marburg-virus hotspot—and caught hundreds of humans visiting
A British start-up recently pulled off a key maneuver for electric vertical flight—but certification, infrastructure and demand will decide whether air taxis fill our skies
Nacre-inspired ceramics could be the basis for the next generation of energy-efficient technology
Ancient Earth once buzzed with enormous dragonfly-like insects, and scientists long thought high oxygen levels made their size possible. A new study overturns that idea, revealing insect flight muscles weren’t constrained by oxygen after all. Their breathing system has plenty
Before seedlings can photosynthesize, they depend on fatty acids—and on peroxisomes to process them. Researchers discovered that the protein PEX11 not only helps these structures divide but also controls their size during early growth. When key genes were altered, peroxisomes