'Weights of gold in bullion': How the ancients invested in precious metals
"All I want is an income of 20,000 sesterces from secure investments," proclaims a character in a poem by Juvenal (1st–2nd century CE), the Roman poet.
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Clouds are vital to life—but many are becoming wispy ghosts. Here's how to see the changes above us
As a scholar researching clouds, I have spent much of my time trying to understand the economy of the sky. Not the weather reports showing scudding rainclouds, but the deeper logic of cloud movements, their distributions and densities and the way they intervene in light,
Heritage railway volunteers show how deep friendships can be formed without discussing emotions
"Let's face it, we're just not that into emotions," Brian tells me with a smile talking with other volunteers at a heritage steam railway in northern England. They are discussing a popular TV restoration show. Allan grimaces, parodying the presenter: "He's always jumping
These fossil finds shed new light on the past in 2025
The year's top paleontological wonders ranged from a 540-million-year-old penis worm to a decades-old rodent impression.
Why your vitamin D supplements might not be working
A new randomized trial from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center reveals that magnesium may be the missing key to keeping vitamin D levels in balance. The study found that magnesium raised vitamin D in people who were deficient while dialing it down in those with overly high
New dataset maps global city boundaries in high resolution from 2000 to 2022
A research team led by Prof. Liu Liangyun from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS) has produced the first comprehensive, high-resolution map of global city and town boundaries, offering a view of how urban boundaries have
Scientists have uncovered evidence of Ireland's largest prehistoric hillfort settlement
In a recent study published in Antiquity, Dr. Dirk Brandherm and his colleagues identified more than 600 suspected house platforms in the Brusselstown Ring hillfort, making it the largest nucleated settlement ever discovered in the entirety of prehistoric Britain and Ireland
Hunting for dark matter axions with a quantum-powered haloscope
Axions are hypothetical light particles that could solve two different physics problems, as they could explain why some nuclear interactions don't violate time symmetry and are also promising dark matter candidates. Dark matter is a type of matter that does not emit, reflect or
AI-driven breeding strategy aims to boost orphan crops for food security
With global population growth and climate change posing escalating threats to crop production, the current food system is unlikely to be sufficient to meet future demand. Although more than 12,000 plant species are edible, global agriculture remains reliant on a narrow set of
Ethylene and oxygen found to drive periderm regeneration after plant injury
Plants have an extraordinary ability to sense tissue damage and quickly rebuild their protective outer layers, a process vital for survival amid environmental stresses. The periderm—a specialized protective tissue found in many woody plants—serves as a crucial barrier against
Not all scientific breakthroughs survive the hype
Some scientific breakthroughs may be lost to time due to scandal and redaction, while others are simply a case of waiting for more evidence.
ASKAP discovers a spectacular outflow in a nearby galaxy
Using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), an international team of astronomers has discovered a spectacular bipolar outflow from the disk of a nearby galaxy known as ESO 130-G012. The finding was reported in a paper published December 17 on the pre-print
Against the odds, a burbling lava planet retains an atmosphere
The James Webb Space Telescope detected an atmosphere on a lava-covered exoplanet, evidence that small planets close to stars can have atmospheres.
What's inside Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano? Scientists obtain first 3D images
In the predawn darkness, a team of scientists climbs the slope of Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, one of the world's most active and whose eruption could affect millions of people. Its mission: figure out what is happening under the crater.
2025 was one of three hottest years on record, scientists say
Climate change worsened by human behavior made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, scientists said.
Rare jumping bristletail reveals new step in insect mating evolution
Understanding the evolution of insect mating behavior is essential for explaining how early insects adapted to life on land. A new study examines Petrobiellus akkesiensis, a rare jumping bristletail, and reveals that its highly specialized male genital structures enable direct
Climate policies can backfire by eroding 'green' values, study finds
A popular vision of life after climate action looks like vegetarians riding bikes, city centers without cars, and people foregoing air travel. But a new paper published in Nature Sustainability finds that climate policies targeting lifestyle changes (say, urban car bans)
Could Next-Generation Medicines Help Solve the Opioid Crisis?
New medications are in the pipeline that could help people win their battles against addictive substances, including opioids
Encoding adaptive intelligence in molecular matter by design
For more than 50 years, scientists have sought alternatives to silicon for building molecular electronics. The vision was elegant; the reality proved far more complex. Within a device, molecules behave not as orderly textbook entities but as densely interacting systems where
Genetic Ancestry Doesn’t Tell Your Whole Story
If you’re looking for your genetic origin story, your DNA will only take you so far. The post Genetic Ancestry Doesn’t Tell Your Whole Story appeared first on Nautilus .
Benefits of mRNA cancer vaccines could exceed $75 billion in US alone
An analysis of ongoing trials suggests that mRNA cancer vaccines have the potential to deliver health benefits worth $75 billion each year in the US alone
Dual-cation strategy boosts upconversion efficiency in stable oxide perovskites
Researchers at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new way to significantly enhance upconversion luminescence in oxide perovskites, a class of materials known for their thermal and chemical stability but limited optical
Are Colorado's new natural gas pipeline rules tough enough?
A state audit in 2023 painted a grim picture of Colorado's oversight of natural gas pipelines, but critics say despite the findings and legislation mandating improvements, new rules backed by regulators are inadequate.
Colorado River: Upper Basin states must be willing to compromise
The states along the Colorado River are proving the truth of the famous adage often attributed to Mark Twain: "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."
Bison return to Illinois' Kane County after 200 years, a crucial step for conservation and Indigenous connection
From their cozy homes in suburban Burlington, children curiously watch their new neighbors through windows and brainstorm nicknames.
Pine beetles are poised to decimate Colorado Front Range forests: 'Our ability to stop the spread is very limited'
Vast swaths of the ponderosa pine forests that blanket Colorado's Front Range mountains could turn rust-colored and die over the next five years as pine beetles begin to spread aggressively, new federal forecasts show.
You Might Be Misreading Your Dog
Our own emotions may play a major role when gauging Fido’s feelings The post You Might Be Misreading Your Dog appeared first on Nautilus .
Screen time these holidays doesn't need to be a bad thing
With five weeks of school summer holidays (that's around 25 days of weekday activities to organize), being online is a major attraction for most kids and a concern for most parents and caregivers.
Imagine Your Way to a Better Relationship
Picturing positive encounters can make you like a person more The post Imagine Your Way to a Better Relationship appeared first on Nautilus .
MIT scientists find a way to rejuvenate the immune system as we age
As the immune system weakens with age, scientists have found a way to restore some of its lost strength. By delivering mRNA to the liver, they created a temporary source of immune-boosting signals that normally come from the thymus. Older mice treated this way produced more
Scientists found a dangerous feedback loop accelerating Arctic warming
The Arctic is changing rapidly, and scientists have uncovered a powerful mix of natural and human-driven processes fueling that change. Cracks in sea ice release heat and pollutants that form clouds and speed up melting, while emissions from nearby oil fields alter the
The brain has a hidden language and scientists just found it
Researchers have created a protein that can detect the faint chemical signals neurons receive from other brain cells. By tracking glutamate in real time, scientists can finally see how neurons process incoming information before sending signals onward. This reveals a missing
When AI recreates the female voice, it also rewrites who gets heard
Voice cloning technology platforms like ElevenLabs allow anyone to replicate a voice using just a few seconds of audio, for a small fee. These technologies are reshaping cultural and artistic expression.
Five myths about learning a new language—busted
Language learning is often a daunting prospect. Many of us wish we had learned a language to a higher level at school. But even though adults of all ages can do well in acquiring a new language, fear—or the memory of struggling to memorize grammar at school—can hold us back.
A gold catalyst just broke a decade old green chemistry record
A new catalyst design could transform how acetaldehyde is made from renewable bioethanol. Researchers found that a carefully balanced mix of gold, manganese, and copper creates a powerful synergy that boosts efficiency while lowering operating temperatures. Their best catalyst
The Portable Ecosystems of Young Manta Rays
Hitchhiking fishes regularly tag along with young mantas in Florida The post The Portable Ecosystems of Young Manta Rays appeared first on Nautilus .
Suspected shark attack at California occurred in time and place where large sharks come to feed
It's peak bulking-up season for white sharks in Monterey Bay, and over the past week, two animals previously tagged by scientists passed through the waters near Lovers Point—the same area where swimmer Erica Fox vanished after witnesses reported seeing a shark nearby, experts
Officials suspect bird flu after 12 swans die at Orlando's Lake Eola
A dozen of the iconic swans that live in the heart of downtown Orlando, Florida, have died in recent days of an unknown cause, leading officials to suspect that bird flu is to blame.
Fungus disarms bark beetle chemical shields by converting their plant-derived toxins
Spruce bark is rich in phenolic compounds that protect trees from pathogenic fungi. A research team at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena has investigated how these plant defenses function within the food web, particularly in spruce bark beetles (Ips
Researchers develop efficient, reusable compound for capturing carbon dioxide from air
A new method to capture carbon dioxide from the air has been developed at the University of Helsinki's chemistry department.
Genetic study reveals two killer whale ecotypes near Hokkaido waters
The species Orcinus orca, generally known as orcas or killer whales, is made up of many genetically distinct populations called ecotypes. Each ecotype indicates an ecological specialization with its own ecological and phylogenetic characteristics.
How young adult literature and philosophy can help provide better role models for masculinity
Toxic masculinity doesn't stop at marginalizing women and LGBTQ+ people. It harms straight men by discouraging emotional expression, tenderness, and connection.
How Does Life Take Hold in Barren Environments?
A series of Iceland volcanic eruptions yields clues The post How Does Life Take Hold in Barren Environments? appeared first on Nautilus .
What do summer holidays look like in a changing climate?
We've made it. After another long and difficult year, frazzled Australians are now ready for some long-overdue rest and recreation.
15 Million Years before the Megalodon, This Giant Ancient Shark Prowled the Oceans
A humungous shark that lived 115 million years ago surpassed the size of modern-day great whites, paleontologists discovered
MIT just made aluminum 5x stronger with 3D printing
MIT researchers have designed a printable aluminum alloy that’s five times stronger than cast aluminum and holds up at extreme temperatures. Machine learning helped them zero in on the ideal recipe in a fraction of the time traditional methods would take. When 3D printed, the
Scientists outline how to control light at the atomic scale using polaritons
Controlling light at dimensions thousands of times smaller than the thickness of a human hair is one of the pillars of modern nanotechnology.
Mars dust storms are crackling with electricity
Mars isn’t just dusty—it crackles with electricity. Scientists discovered that dust devils can generate tiny electric sparks, captured for the first time by Perseverance’s microphone. These static discharges may rapidly destroy chemicals like methane and reshape how Mars’
Venus cloud research highlights value of combining light and polarization measurements
A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has advanced the characterization and retrieval capability evaluation of microphysical properties of Venusian clouds and haze.
AI maps complex nanocrystal reactions, revealing new paths in semiconductor synthesis
Professor Joongoo Kang's team from the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST and Professor Sohee Jeong's team from the Department of Energy Science at Sungkyunkwan University have developed a technology that visualizes the synthetic reaction pathways of semiconductor
