What happened after the fall of Rome? Ancient genomes offer new clues
A genomic analysis of people buried on the border of the ancient Roman Empire show how distinct groups combined after the empire’s fall
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The Mix-up at the Heart of the Supreme Court’s Conversion Therapy Ruling
A psychiatrist on the crucial distinction the case glosses over, how media coverage has made it worse, and why that’s dangerous for LGBTQ+ youth The post The Mix-up at the Heart of the Supreme Court’s Conversion Therapy Ruling appeared first on Nautilus .
Prenatal surgery for spina bifida may get a boost from stem cells
A clinical trial for spina bifida treatment suggests that a surgical approach relying on stem cells is safe for patients. Its efficacy is still being evaluated.
DOJ indicts former Fauci adviser David Morens on charges related to COVID pandemic
Former National Institutes of Health official David Morens is accused of evading record requests related to the COVID pandemic’s origins and gain-of-function research
What you eat for lunch could influence your immune system just hours later
Our food choices could play an important, short-term role in how our bodies respond to infections, new research suggests
A Treatment for Pre-Eclampsia Could Be in Sight
And it’s not a new drug The post A Treatment for Pre-Eclampsia Could Be in Sight appeared first on Nautilus .
The chips in your phone are probably broken – and that's a good thing
Reports suggest that Apple is using defective chips originally destined for high-end devices to create its latest affordable laptop. Reusing partially broken chips is common practice for all device makers and produces less waste
Seismic data captured the sound of awe during a solar eclipse
From the hush of people coming to a standstill to the reverberations of fans, seismic data can capture the ebbs and flows of human activity.
Scorpions reinforce their claws and stingers with metals
Many scorpion species use blends of iron, zinc and manganese to enhance the toughness of their deadly weaponry
Scientists just found a chilling way life may have begun
New experiments suggest that freezing and thawing on early Earth may have helped primitive cell-like structures grow and evolve. Tiny lipid bubbles behaved very differently depending on their membrane makeup—some fused into larger compartments and captured DNA more efficiently.
AI can simulate the dead—but should it?
Artificial intelligence is moving into one of the most intimate areas of human life: grief. Tools that can simulate a deceased person's voice, writing style, or conversational patterns are no longer science fiction. They are emerging products and technologies that promise
Europe climate report signals rising extremes
Europe endured a historic heatwave across Nordic countries, shrinking glaciers and record sea temperatures in 2025 as the fast-warming continent faces more frequent climate extremes, a new report showed Wednesday.
Radioactive imaging reveals ants' secret food networks
Researchers at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and the University of the Ryukyus have developed a new imaging method that makes it possible to see, in real time, how food is distributed and exchanged inside groups of ants. The work sheds light
Extreme weather in 2025 drove record wildfire emissions in Europe
Europe, the fastest-warming continent, saw unprecedented wildfires and heatwaves in 2025, including a three-week hot spell that hit 30°C inside the Arctic circle
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein connects physics, poetry and pop culture
A physicist explores how poetry, pop culture and imagination help us understand spacetime and our place in the universe
50-foot ancient snake discovered in India may be one of the largest ever
A massive prehistoric snake discovered in India may rank among the largest ever to slither across Earth. Named Vasuki indicus, this ancient giant lived around 47 million years ago and is estimated to have stretched an astonishing 11 to 15 meters long—rivaling the legendary
Tropical forest loss eases after record year: researchers
The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday.
A one-in-a-million supernova seen five times could reveal the Universe’s true speed
A spectacular cosmic event nicknamed “SN Winny” could help solve one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries: how fast the universe is expanding. This rare superluminous supernova, located 10 billion light-years away, appears five times in the sky thanks to gravitational lensing,
Rare earth mining is poisoning Mekong River tributaries, threatening 'the world's kitchen'
Perched on the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, 75-year-old Sukjai Yana untangled a handful of small fish from his net, disappointed by his catch and fretting over whether he can sell them.
Scientists just found the Milky Way’s edge and it’s closer than expected
Scientists have uncovered the true boundary of the Milky Way’s star-forming region using stellar “age mapping.” They found a telltale U-shaped pattern showing that star formation drops sharply around 35,000–40,000 light-years from the center. Beyond that, stars are mostly
NASA's Artemis II moonship returns home to its launch site after historic voyage
The spacecraft that flew four astronauts around the moon is back where its record-breaking journey began.
A forgotten drug is giving new hope to kids with a rare disease
A decades-old drug once used to treat sleeping sickness is now showing surprising promise against an ultra-rare and life-threatening genetic disorder called Bachmann-Bupp syndrome (BABS). Early patient treatments suggest the drug, DFMO, may ease severe symptoms by targeting the
MIT study finds children more vulnerable to cancer-causing chemical in water
A troubling new study from MIT reveals that a common environmental contaminant, NDMA—found in polluted water, certain medications, and even processed foods—may pose a far greater cancer risk to children than adults. In experiments with mice, young animals exposed to the
A rush for critical minerals echoes oil extraction injustice as harms fall on world's most vulnerable, scientists warn
Mining critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt fuels the "green" energy and digital transitions essential to meeting climate goals. But building the technologies that enable a sustainable future is generating severe, hidden environmental and health crises that the world is
You'd better start paying attention to the manosphere. You're living in it
As the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, the social media posts by some US national security agencies took a particular turn.
Understanding how oxygen is delivered to tissues at the microscopic level
Researchers at Kyushu University and Institute of Science Tokyo have developed a new computational model that can simulate the transport of oxygen by red blood cells (RBCs) through tiny blood vessels—or capillaries—and their delivery to surrounding tissues. Published in the
Wingbeat radar signatures let AI sort bees, wasps and other insects
Pollinating insects are important for agriculture and ecological flourishing, but they are difficult to monitor, as identification is tricky, labor-intensive, and typically requires killing some insects. Publishing in PNAS Nexus, Adam Narbudowicz and colleagues use machine
Atlantic Forest's top predator faces a hidden collapse, and protected areas are no longer enough
In addition to habitat loss and illegal hunting, the jaguar (Panthera onca) faces another threat that increases its risk of extinction in the South American Atlantic Forest: food scarcity. A study by Brazilian researchers has found that the availability of jaguar prey is
Cancer is increasing in young people and we still don't know why
Obesity might be to blame for part of the increase in cancer among young people, a study in the UK has found, but the causes largely remain a mystery
How hard-surface feeding unlocked a burst of reef fish evolution 50 million years ago
Why are there so many species of coral reef fish? According to a new study, it's because about 50 million years ago, some fish figured out how to bite food from hard surfaces.
Team develops modulator for compact photonic integrated circuits
Researchers at Skoltech have developed an ultra-compact electro-optic modulator based on silicon photonics and plasmonics that enables high-efficiency optical signal control within a small device footprint. The development could find applications in optical communication
Scorpions' weapons are fortified with metal to suit their needs, research shows
Scorpions wield some of the natural world's most formidable built-in weapons, from crushing pincers to venomous stingers. Scientists have long known that these structures contain trace metals that strengthen them, but only a small fraction of the roughly 3,000 scorpions have
Having a religious affiliation doesn't prevent betting on sports
Having a religious affiliation doesn't stop people from betting on sports in the United States, according to a new study. Results showed that people who infrequently attend religious services are more likely to gamble on sports than people who attend services at least weekly or
Flipping the K⁺ switch: First potassium-gated ion channel discovered in animal
Researchers from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Nagoya City University, and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science in Japan have identified the first animal ion channel molecules that open and close in response to extracellular potassium ions (K⁺).
Decades-long study finds 'stable' soil carbon degrades
After nearly four decades, the world's longest-running soil warming experiment is revealing a surprising result: even "stable" carbon in forest soils can break down as temperatures rise, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere. The findings are published in the journal Science
New microscope reveals previously hidden differences in photosynthetic light-harvesting antennae
How do photosynthetic organisms harvest light so efficiently? To help answer this question, researchers have developed an ultrafast transient absorption microscope with sensitivity approaching the single-molecule level.
How a free flow of information can amplify incorrect ideas
The idea that information should flow freely is deeply embedded in the design of social media. The assumption is that the more information is produced and shared, the better. However, simulations by a team of scientists including University of Groningen Professor of Artificial
Thinner than hair and stretchable like rubber, this new shield tackles a space-age problem in one layer
Shielding materials are essential in key modern industrial settings—such as spacecraft, nuclear power plants, semiconductor equipment, and advanced medical devices—to protect both equipment and personnel from electromagnetic waves and radiation. In particular, as space
Europe's seafloor fishing looks profitable until societal costs turn the math upside down
The first study to measure the full economic value of bottom trawling in Europe's waters calculates that the destructive fishing practice imposes up to €16 billion annually in net costs to society. The research is published in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management.
Light can now be shaped in empty space, and it could simplify sensing and boost data links
Scientists at the University of East Anglia have uncovered a hidden property of light that allows it to twist, spin and behave differently—without mirrors, materials or special lenses. In a breakthrough that could transform medical testing, data transmission and future quantum
Urban birds fear women more than men, and scientists don't know why
An international team of researchers have made the surprising discovery that urban birds—such as great tits, house sparrows and blackbirds—flee sooner when approached by women compared to men. But they don't understand why. Conducted across five European countries, the study
Hidden stripe pattern lets microscopes auto-focus across 400 times deeper range
Anyone who has ever used a microscope knows that it takes time to bring a sample into sharp focus. Each time you move the slide, the image blurs, and you have to stop and carefully turn a knob to bring everything back into clear view. For scientists and clinicians, even if the
Egg-scanning AI may let hatcheries sort life, death and sex before chicks emerge
Eggs and poultry provide important sources of protein globally, driving a major industry with large economic impacts. Challenges to hatchery operations include embryo mortality, fertility, sex determination, and eggshell characteristics. These features have a substantial impact
Natural rubber process boosts tire toughness about tenfold while preserving stiffness
Natural rubber, tapped from trees as latex, is the world's most widely used bio-elastomer. Comprising long molecular chains that make it pliable and stretchy yet highly resistant to cracking and strain, natural rubber is foundational to countless products, including the
Conquering the final frontiers in nanographene synthetic methodologies
Nanographenes are organic semiconductor materials used in smartphones, OLED displays, and solar cells. At the molecular level, they are composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are a network of connected benzene rings (hexagon-shaped carbon molecules).
Kon-Tiki Set Sail 79 Years Ago Today
The most epic, pseudoscientific adventure ever The post Kon-Tiki Set Sail 79 Years Ago Today appeared first on Nautilus .
Study reveals insights for climate resilience in smallholder cacao farms
Chocolate is one of the world's most widely consumed foods. It is made from cacao beans grown by millions of smallholder farmers globally. High-quality cacao beans require optimal growing conditions, which are essential for producing good-quality chocolates. However, growing
Investigating the disordered heart of glass
Recent research led by the University of Trento reveals that fundamental atomic vibrations remain unchanged also in ultra-stable glasses. This discovery advances the decade-long debate on the physics of disorder and opens the way to new applications, from electronics to
Soil fertilization with Amazonian dark earth increases tree diameter by up to 88%
A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of the pink trumpet tree (Handroanthus avellanedae) by up
Revolving doors weaken SEC oversight, finds research
Regulators often move in and out of revolving doors between government and the industries they oversee. They can bring valuable expertise. But their ties also can raise questions about whose interests their knowledge ultimately serves. In one recent case, staffers at the U.S.
