For many of us, food is something we buy at a supermarket or order at a café. We usually give little thought to the complex systems required to produce and deliver it—until they stop working. It's not common to think of Australia as a place at risk of food insecurity. It has
Here's a thought experiment that keeps planetary scientists awake at night. Strip every living thing from our planet, every bacterium, every blade of grass, every creature that has ever drawn breath and ask a simple but profound question: Would Earth still be a world capable of
New research led by James Cook University psychology lecturer Dr. Chae Rose suggests that whether speeding is reduced by deterrence or self-control depends not only on drivers' own views about speeding, but on how those views interact with the environments they drive in.
Polyamines—natural molecules found in every living cell—have become stars in the longevity world for their ability to boost cellular cleanup and support healthy aging. But there’s a dark twist: high levels of these same molecules are consistently seen in cancer, where tumors
What a worrying forecast says about women’s heart health, what’s happening with NASA’s Artemis II moon mission and why female reindeer have antlers
A total lunar eclipse is set to grace the sky on Tuesday. Here’s how to see it
Icy moons circling the outer planets may be far more dynamic—and explosive—than they appear. New research suggests that when heat from tidal forces melts their ice shells from below, the sudden drop in pressure could cause hidden oceans to boil beneath the surface. On smaller
Twisting atomically thin magnetic layers does more than reshape their electronics—it can create giant, topological magnetic textures. In chromium triiodide, researchers observed skyrmion-like patterns stretching far beyond the expected moiré scale, reaching hundreds of
NYU researchers have found a way to use light to control how microscopic particles assemble into crystals, effectively turning illumination into a tool for shaping matter. By adding light-sensitive molecules to a liquid filled with tiny particles, they can adjust how strongly
The warming El Niño weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights.
There have been plenty of attempts to resolve the "Hubble Tension" in cosmology. This feature describes how one of the most important variables in cosmology, the expansion of the universe, takes on different values depending on how you measure it. A new NASA Institute for
Scientists have uncovered a powerful genetic switch that helps some of the body’s most important immune cells grow up properly and keep our organs healthy. The switch, called MafB, guides immature precursor cells as they develop into macrophages, the body’s clean-up and repair
Inverted perovskite solar cells offer strong potential for scalable, low-cost solar power, but a hidden interface inside the device has limited their performance and durability. Researchers have now introduced crystal-solvate nanoseeds that guide crystal growth and release
An office job calls for a "fast-paced, fit and energetic" person who can "stand out" in a crowd. How likely are you to apply? A new University of Guelph study, led by Dr. Melissa Walker as part of her Ph.D., says that more neutral language might be key to drawing in more
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover discovered these bumpy, pea-sized nodules while exploring a region filled with boxwork formations—low ridges standing roughly 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall with sandy hollows in between. This mosaic is made up of 50 individual images taken by
Promoting women's ownership in wineries can boost sales among the largest group of U.S. wine consumers, who happen to be women. Messages like "proudly made by a woman winemaker" increased women's intentions of purchasing wines, particularly when the label's artwork reinforced
New geological data indicate that marine life is somewhat resilient to warming in the tropics. Chris Fokkema, Earth scientist at Utrecht University, discovered that tropical algae were largely unaffected by a number of periods of global warming of up to 1.5 degrees Celsius in
What do you envision when you think of meekness? You probably see a mousy doormat, someone sheepishly acquiescing to the will of the stronger. When Jesus says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth," you might think that those wimps will hand it over without a
Artificial intelligence is rapidly making intellectual work and social interaction easier, but that ease may come at a substantial psychological cost, according to researchers from the University of Toronto. In an article published in Communications Psychology, the authors
A smooth, white stone dating from the Roman era and unearthed in the Netherlands has long baffled researchers.
The types of glass that we encounter in everyday life, such as window glass or smartphone screens, are disordered solids. This means that they consist of particles locked in place, like those in solids, but arranged randomly, similarly to how they would be in a liquid.
When ancient DNA studies began to gain attention, little more than a decade ago, the view took hold among geneticists that everything we thought we knew about the peopling of Europe by modern humans was wrong. The story was simpler than anyone was expecting: Europe was settled
Animals of the same species don't always look the same. From birds with different beak shapes to mammals that vary in size or color, populations living in different places can often look very different.
In this age of Mars rovers, questions about the planet's ancient past have shifted. A growing body of evidence supports the idea that Mars was once warm and wet. Now researchers are focused on the timeline of the red planet's watery past. Research efforts all come down to the
During hibernation, brown bears spend up to six months lying almost completely still, without eating, drinking or exercising. When spring arrives, they leave their dens with their muscles largely intact.
For the first time ever, scientists have uncovered a vast field of tektites in Brazil — mysterious glassy fragments forged when a powerful extraterrestrial object slammed into Earth about 6.3 million years ago. Named “geraisites” after Minas Gerais, where they were first found,
Scientists in Brazil have transformed cocoa waste into a functional chocolate-infused honey packed with antioxidants and natural stimulants. Using ultrasound waves, they enhanced honey’s ability to pull beneficial compounds from cocoa shells—no synthetic solvents required. The
Many biological functions are regulated by the switching on and off of mechanisms triggered by the matching of a keyhole (receptor) formed by a protein's three-dimensional structure and a molecule (ligand) that fits perfectly into it. If this keyhole deforms (protein mutation)
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed CellScope, a high-performance single-cell analysis framework that uses manifold fitting to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. This framework helps build detailed "cell atlases" that map
Scientists at Rice University have produced the first full, dye-free molecular atlas of an Alzheimer’s brain. By combining laser-based imaging with machine learning, they uncovered chemical changes that spread unevenly across the brain and extend beyond amyloid plaques. Key
How much will heat, flooding, drought and storms increase as a result of human-induced climate change? In a groundbreaking study, climate researcher Gottfried Kirchengast and his team at the University of Graz have developed a new method for computing the hazards from extreme
Most countries will not achieve climate neutrality through greenhouse gas emission reductions alone; carbon sinks are also needed to offset unavoidable emissions. Researchers are discussing technical solutions, such as applying silicate-rock powder to arable land. This process,
That photogenic cup of bubble tea may come with hidden downsides. Tapioca pearls made from cassava can absorb heavy metals like lead, and in large amounts they may slow digestion or even cause blockages. The drink is often loaded with sugar—sometimes more than soda—raising
Scientists at Oregon State University have engineered a powerful new nanomaterial that zeroes in on cancer cells and destroys them from the inside out. Designed to exploit cancer’s unique chemistry—its acidity and high hydrogen peroxide levels—the tiny iron-based structure
Fruit flies, mice, zebrafish, yeast and the tiny worm C. elegans are model organisms that have carried modern biology on their backs.
Scientists have pulled off a feat long considered out of reach: getting light to mimic the famous quantum Hall effect. In their experiment, photons drift sideways in perfectly defined, quantized steps—just like electrons do in powerful magnetic fields. Because these steps
Where are you at most risk when a flood or bushfire strikes? You might think it's at home. But in reality, the most dangerous time is when you leave and jump in your car. Many flood and bushfire deaths are linked to vehicles, often driven by people evacuating late.
Research on preventing type 1 diabetes often focuses on limiting the autoimmune response that destroys the body's ability to produce its own insulin. A new technology developed by scientists at the University of Chicago takes a different approach, centered on preserving
This Oscar-winning classic set a surprisingly simple mathematical challenge
Astronomers have long known the universe is expanding—but exactly how fast remains one of the biggest mysteries in cosmology. Different techniques for measuring the Hubble constant stubbornly disagree, creating the so-called “Hubble tension.” Now researchers at the University