Although present in very small amounts, selenium (Se)-based compounds play important roles in protecting the body from oxidative stress, regulating thyroid hormones, strengthening the immune system, and even detoxifying heavy metals. As we begin to understand more about the
In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers have demonstrated that quantum light, particularly bright squeezed vacuum (BSV), can drive strong-field photoemission at metal needle tips.
While it is well known that climate change is heating the world's oceans, it was thought that the deep sea was safe from its effects—until now. Researchers have discovered that a rapidly warming part of the Atlantic is leading to the heating up of Arctic Ocean depths.
Books about AI, Mars and infectious disease were among our top reads this year.
Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica in late October, killed dozens in Haiti and forced nearly three-quarters of a million Cubans to evacuate. The death toll across the region is still unknown—but Melissa will go down as one of the strongest storms ever recorded.
By now, Americans know the strange math of minting: Each penny costs about 4 cents to make. Chances are you have some in a jar, or scattered among pockets, purses and car ashtrays.
Across the world, workers are increasingly anxious that artificial intelligence (AI) will make their jobs obsolete. But the evidence from research and industry tells a very different story. AI is not taking over the workplace. Instead, it's quietly reshaping what human work
Researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have reported new experimental results that advance our understanding of reaction dynamics and exotic nuclear structures of weakly bound nuclei.
The electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemicals and fuels typically operates under alkaline or neutral conditions, but the carbonation side reaction causes carbon loss. In addition, the main product is formate, which requires additional treatment such as
Mitochondria generate most of the body's energy. Variations in their genetic material have long been linked to neurological disorders, metabolic syndromes, and cancers. However, most large-scale mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) studies to date have focused on European populations,
Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), working in close collaboration with KeyGene, have developed a method that enables plant cells to regenerate into complete plants without the need for added hormones.
People hunting for Bigfoot use sophisticated techniques for collecting and validating evidence, drawing on scientific methods to try and prove its existence, research shows.
A crew of tiny worms will be heading on a mission to the International Space Station in 2026 that will help scientists understand how humans can travel through space safely, using a Leicester-built space pod.
A new study published in People and Nature by the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and the Landscape Conservation Association Northwest Saxony shows that whether farmers participate in EU-funded measures for biodiversity conservation strongly depends on
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) have reconstructed the distribution history of black pepper over the past 21,000 years in an international study. Using a new approach, they discovered, among other things, that the plant
A RIKEN researcher and his colleague have identified how genes are expressed in fish embryos when they first start using their own genetic material. If the same mechanisms apply to humans, they could shed light on developmental problems.
Funding uncertainties are pushing U.S. space scientists out of the field and putting existing and future space missions on the chopping block.
The maternal instinct known as “postmortem attentive behavior” was documented in these fierce marine mammals for the first time The post A Leopard Seal Mother’s Love Transcends Death appeared first on Nautilus .
With so-called quiet quitters comprising at least 50% of the U.S. workforce in 2023, according to Gallup, quiet quitting—intentionally performing the minimum job requirements—continues to change the work landscape.
Can we use carbon to help decarbonize the world and transform the energy and chemical industries? Yes, it seems, but there are some key challenges to overcome first.
A smart toilet design introduced in rural Cambodia was supposed to change lives—keeping families safe and protecting the environment. However, while households reported that they liked the new system, a crucial piece was missing: using it correctly.
If "Batman" appears on the scene, we immediately become more altruistic: in fact, research conducted by psychologists from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, shows that the sudden appearance of something unexpected—Batman—disrupts the predictability of everyday
Scientists may finally be closing in on the origins of two colossal, mysterious structures buried nearly 1,800 miles inside Earth—hidden formations that have puzzled researchers for decades. New modeling suggests that slow leakage of elements from Earth’s core into the mantle
A flying piece of cosmic rock or an alien threat? Comet 3I/ATLAS is hurtling through our solar system and captivating scientists and internet users alike, even prompting Kim Kardashian to ask NASA for answers.
After spending two college semesters in northern Thailand, Sarah Jongsma found herself back home in the rural Nevada town where she grew up, surrounded by everything familiar yet feeling strangely out of place.
Climate change will make monsoon storms in South Asia wetter and weaker, with more storms pushing further inland across India.
Once known to locals as "Bish Vegas" for its bustling pubs, bars and nightlife, Bishop Auckland in County Durham is now at the center of a very different story.
A team led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has engineered poplar trees to produce valuable chemicals that can be used to make biodegradable plastics and other products. The modified trees were more tolerant of high salt
As global efforts intensify around restoring coastal wetlands to curb climate change, a new JCU-led study published in Reviews of Geophysics is the first to link wetland restoration and carbon cycling with groundwater dynamics, showing that subsurface flows can tip the balance
Like other sectors of society, artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how investors, traders and companies make decisions in financial markets. AI models have the ability to analyze massive amounts of data while reading company filings or news headlines almost
The CDC this week quietly changed its official language to suggest vaccines may cause autism, a claim that scientists say has no basis in evidence
In a discovery shaped by more than a decade of steady, incremental effort rather than a dramatic breakthrough, scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and their collaborators demonstrated that great ideas flourish when paired with patience.
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that constantly bombard Earth from space and are influenced by the sun's magnetic activity. When the sun is active, fewer of these particles reach Earth; when the sun is quiet, more are detected. Understanding these variations is essential
Astronauts strapped moss spores to the outside of the International Space Station for nine months - and most of them survived the challenging experience
Mosses thrive in the most extreme environments on Earth, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the sands of Death Valley, the Antarctic tundra to the lava fields of active volcanoes. Inspired by moss's resilience, researchers sent moss sporophytes—reproductive structures that
After her shocking lung cancer diagnosis, the late Susan Wojcicki dedicated herself to fighting the disease and looking for answers
The moss Physcomitrium patens joins tardigrades and thale-cress as a species that has survived in space
The moss species Physcomitrium patens is the latest organism to survive an extended stay in the vacuum and radiation of space.
A machine-learning breakthrough could lift the veil on Earth’s early history—and supercharge the search for alien life
The Feanedock Oak stands out so clearly in Derbyshire's section of the National Forest, you'd think it was calling to you. Surrounded by open fields, hawthorn hedges and young beech forest, a majestic old oak like this anchors the English countryside.
An underwater bloom of toxic algae has wreaked havoc off the coast of South Australia since mid-March 2025. After eight months, this harmful algal bloom is the longest and one of the most environmentally devastating events ever recorded in Australian waters.
Native Australian animals range from high-hopping kangaroos to fast-running emus—but clever little bettongs also have a special ability to find and eat the food they love.
Researchers have launched the first coordinated plan to protect microbial biodiversity, calling attention to the “invisible 99% of life” that drives essential Earth systems. The IUCN has formally recognized this effort through the creation of the Microbial Conservation
After a long and deadlocked bidding process for Australia and Pacific Island nations to co-host the UN climate summit (COP31), the event will now be hosted by Turkey. Australia's Climate Minister, Chris Bowen, will reportedly take a key role as "COP President for negotiations".
In recent years, more and more lobbyists from the oil, gas and coal industries have taken part in international climate negotiations. Estimates of lobbyist numbers have risen sharply, from 503 at the 2021 Glasgow talks to 1,773 at last year's talks in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.
Over the course of billions of years, the universe has steadily been evolving. Thanks to the expansion of the universe, we are able to "see" back in time to watch that evolution, almost from the beginning. But every once in a while we see something that doesn't fit into our
Over the past week we've witnessed the many political discussions that go with the territory of a COP—or, more verbosely, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Several species of tiny fungi completely new to science—and all from Alberta—have been discovered through University of Alberta research.
Using the Tianma Radio Telescope (TMRT), researchers from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted 66 simultaneous dual‑frequency (2.25 GHz/8.60 GHz) observations of the fast radio burst FRB 20240114A over one year and detected
Imagine you're in southeast Cape York Peninsula, heading north from the tiny town of Laura—population 133. You're in a dusty four-wheel drive, bumping over a rough gravel road to a remote location known only to traditional Kuku Warra custodians.
