Can fungi influence the weather? Turns out, they just might. An international group of researchers that includes Virginia Tech's Xiaofeng Wang and Boris A. Vinatzer discovered the identity of fungal proteins that can catalyze ice formation at high subzero temperatures. The
Is your phone use hurting your relationship? A study from researchers at the University of Connecticut and Columbia University published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships suggests it might be.
Neuroscientists have uncovered new insights into a key evolutionary question: Why can humans talk when most animals can't? The journal Science published the research led by Emory University and the New College of Florida. The findings suggest that seals and sea lions may have
A research team is using astrophysical explosions to understand the mysterious forces at work in some of the smallest building blocks in nature: atomic nuclei. In new research published in Nature Communications, the team uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to
For an oyster, creating an internal environment for calcification that forms its distinctive hard shell is essential. But new Harvard research has found that these bivalves may outsource the work, coordinating with microbes in a manner that may shed light not only on oysters
An interview with biologist David George Haskell about his new book The post How Flowers Transformed Planet Earth appeared first on Nautilus .
Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just a cosmic curiosity; it may be essential for forming
Coral reefs over the past 12,000 years grew best when the ocean temperature was 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), according to new research from Florida Tech. Recent ocean warming and regional and local disturbances are reducing coral reefs' capacity to keep pace with
When many disease-causing bacteria encounter penicillin, they are not always destroyed right away, shifting into a temporary survival state called antibiotic tolerance. This state allows them to withstand drug levels that would normally eradicate them. Tolerance is not the same
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) have led an international collaboration to study how semiconductor materials enable the production of green hydrogen through (photo)electrochemistry. Novel atomic-level simulations and precise (spectro)electrochemical
A new study on mayflies of the genus Ecdyonurus illustrates just how multifaceted and surprising reproductive behavior in nature can be. Entomologists at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart (SMNS), using state-of-the-art computed tomography, have analyzed the mating
Most materials, especially metals and ceramics, are crystals. Their atoms are arranged in three-dimensional lattices that repeat the same exact pattern, over and over again. But there's a well-known saying in materials science: "Crystals are like people. It is the defects that
Two powerful instruments of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope joined forces to create this scenic galaxy view. This spiral galaxy is named NGC 5134, and it is located 65 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Though 65 million light-years may seem like a
A man-made food source provided honey bees a nutritious diet at a commercial scale over the course of two winter seasons, according to a new study led by Washington State University researchers. The study, published in the journal Insects, looked at the new feed as used by five
Mangrove forests protect tropical coasts from storms, store large amounts of carbon and provide vital habitats for plants and animals, serving, for example, as nurseries for fish and crabs. They also supply local communities with wood and medicinal plant substances. But how
NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs.
A joint archaeological mission by the University of Tübingen and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) has documented the world's most extensive find of inscribed pottery sherds at the Upper Egypt site of Athribis. The archaeologists have recovered more than
A study led by Northwestern University researchers has reported a way to observe hydrogel nano and microstructure while the hydrogel remains fully solvated. The approach reveals that methylcellulose, one of the most widely used hydrogel-forming materials in biomedical research
A research team led by Prof. Shao Dingfu from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has proposed a universal mechanism that enables deterministic electrical control of collinear antiferromagnets—overcoming a long-standing bottleneck in
Researchers have developed a capsule-based method that makes it possible to analyze the same cell through multiple experimental steps. The technology overcomes a long-standing limitation in cell research and could open new ways to study disease mechanisms at the single-cell
A new study using multidecade satellite imagery and face-to-face human interviews tracked the environmental and societal impacts of gravel mining in the Lubha River, Northeast Bangladesh. The researchers found that the river had recovered its natural shape within just four
It’s one giant leap for moon hummus The post Scientists Grow Chickpeas in Lunar Soil appeared first on Nautilus .
The spread of a particular genre of music reflects the borders between medieval empires in Europe. This is shown by a study conducted by a musicologist at the University of Würzburg, appearing in Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval.
Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing a star suddenly burst into a blaze of light brighter than anything nearby. A flash so bright that it briefly outshines an entire galaxy before fading forever.
With the first images from the spacecraft now in hand, the team behind NASA's Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS, is ready to begin charting the energetic lives of the galaxy's most common stars to help answer one of humanity's most profound questions: Which
Body mass index (BMI) is used as a global standard for measuring health, but does it actually tell you anything about how healthy you are on an individual level? Carissa Wong explains the problems with this flawed tool
The story of a wildflower that adapted to a severe drought in California raises hopes that evolution will come to the rescue of species hit by climate change, but there are limits
How does a tiny cluster of cells become an embryo with a head, trunk, and tail? And how do thousands of genes coordinate this development? A new imaging method makes it possible to visualize the activity of thousands of genes simultaneously throughout the entire zebrafish
A potted scarlet monkeyflower would die within a few days without water. But multiple natural populations of the species survived an extreme, four-year drought in California, and researchers now know why: The flowers were rescued by their own rapid evolution.
When a wolf pack runs down its prey, the first on the scene is often the raven. Even before the predators have had time to dig in, the ravens are already in line, waiting to take advantage of the odd scrap of meat that becomes available. The speed with which the scavengers
A study has traced thousands of conserved regulatory elements back 300 million years, revealing deep principles of plant genome evolution—a discovery that could pave the way for more precise engineering of crop traits.
A University of Helsinki study has investigated bacterial adhesion, survival and transmission on untreated and treated wood surfaces under both laboratory and field conditions. The laboratory work focused on Staphylococcus epidermidis, a bacterium that forms part of the skin's
The natural world is a rich source of inspiration for developing sophisticated computational systems, and the opposite is also true, with bioinformatics approaches providing keen insight into biological processes. However, to gain an accurate understanding of the instructions
Companies increasingly want to talk about sustainability, but not everyone believes equally in their commitments. The focus of corporate communication has shifted towards sustainability in response to increasingly serious environmental issues, international campaigns such as
Conversations with friends have an ease that is hard to replicate with someone you have just met—often replies come more naturally and timing just seems to click. A strikingly similar pattern plays out in zebra finches, very sociable songbirds whose back-and-forth chatter with
"Follow the water" has been a guiding mantra of astrobiology, and even space exploration more generally, for decades. If you want to find life, it makes sense to look for the universal solvent that almost all types of life on Earth use. But what if life doesn't actually need
Dolphins washing up on the shores of Patagonia may have been fleeing orcas in the area
Is industry doing enough for the climate—or are many efforts still largely plans on paper? A new study from Chalmers University of Technology examines how Sweden's 20 largest industrial emitters are working toward the goal of net-zero emissions by 2045.
Two popular quantum computing algorithms for problems in chemistry may have very limited use even as quantum hardware improves
Climate change is lengthening our days because rising sea levels slow Earth's rotation. Researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich now show that the current increase in day length—1.33 milliseconds per century—is unprecedented in the past 3.6 million years. The
Researchers have developed a data-driven analytical framework that reveals how hotel mergers can generate significant resource savings, even among properties that already operate efficiently. Published in The Journal of Engineering Research, the study analyzes potential merger
Some of the smallest marine species are actually the most important because all other life depends on them. Phytoplankton are probably the most important, but just above them in the food chain are zooplankton. In Norway's cold Atlantic waters, the zooplankton in question is
It all started off as a joke, a French researcher told AFP. But what the team found was a piece of history—a long-lost page from a legendary manuscript by ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes which had been languishing, forgotten, in the archives of a French museum.
A US Senate committee has directed NASA to begin work on a moon base "as soon as is practicable." Under legislation advanced by the Senate lawmakers, the outpost would serve as a science laboratory and proving ground, where astronauts would develop the capabilities to live and
Across the animal kingdom, sound is more than communication—it's a signal of survival and success. From birds and primates to insects, fish, and amphibians, animals broadcast acoustic "advertisements" to defend territory, attract mates, and reveal their physical condition.
Bad news for couch potatoes The post Does This Protein Drive Exercise’s Brain Boost? appeared first on Nautilus .
The adoption of management techniques that reduce the impact of timber harvesting can promote the recovery of tropical forests, such as the Amazon, and store carbon in the long term while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. Research published in the Journal of
GPS spoofing is distorting vessel positions and deepening the risk in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes
Fentanyl-related overdose deaths fell by nearly 30 per cent in the space of a year in the US, which could represent a significant turning point in the country's opioid addiction crisis
Humans are fundamentally "musical animals"—and our capacity for music is rooted in biology, not just culture. This is the conclusion of new work by University of Amsterdam professor of Music Cognition Henkjan Honing. In "The Biology of Musicality," published in the journal
