For centuries, poets, scholars and theologians have flocked to Chinguetti, a trans-Saharan trading post home to more than a dozen libraries containing thousands of manuscripts. ⌘ Read more
For centuries, poets, scholars and theologians have flocked to Chinguetti, a trans-Saharan trading post home to more than a dozen libraries containing thousands of manuscripts. ⌘ Read more
The world's richest man Elon Musk got into a heated row Thursday with a Danish astronaut who criticized the tech billionaire's claim that former president Joe Biden intentionally abandoned two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station. ⌘ Read more
The chance that an asteroid capable of wiping out a city will hit Earth in eight years has been cut in half to around 1.5 percent, according to new calculations from NASA. ⌘ Read more
The corn earworm causes the loss of more than 76,000 bushels of corn in the United States annually, and there is mounting evidence that increasingly extreme weather events and temperatures will exacerbate the damage done to agricultural output by insect pests. ⌘ Read more
Large birds—our closest relations to dinosaurs—are capable of technical innovation, by solving a physical task to gain access to food. This is the first time scientists have been able to show that palaeognath birds such as emus and rheas can solve tricky problems. ⌘ Read more
The low-productivity bogeyman has long haunted New Zealand, with people working longer hours for lower output than other comparable countries. The country is now one of the least productive in the OECD. ⌘ Read more
A team of government veterinarians with the State Veterinary Institute Prague in Czechoslovakia has found possible evidence of windborne H5N1 infections in chickens. In their paper posted on the bioRxiv preprint server, the group describes how chickens in a closed environment became infected with the H5N1 virus despite no contact with other chickens, wild birds, or their feces, leaving the wind as the only likely source. ⌘ Read more
With less annual rainfall than 1 mm per year, Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the driest places in the world. The main water source of cities in the region are underground rock layers that contain water-filled pore spaces which last recharged between 17,000 and 10,000 years ago. ⌘ Read more
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a diverse group of synthetic chemicals, are commonly used in numerous products such as semiconductors, fire-extinguishing foams, heat-resistant, and non-stick cookware. PFAS possess remarkable resistance to heat, oil, grease, and water that can be attributed to the strong chemical bonds between the atoms. However, the major drawback of the exceptional resistan ... ⌘ Read more
We often forget how wonderful it is that life exists, and what a special and unique phenomenon it is. As far as we know, ours is the only planet capable of supporting life, and it seems to have arisen in the form of something like today's single-celled prokaryotic organisms. ⌘ Read more
A quantum "miracle material" could support magnetic switching, a team of researchers at the University of Regensburg and University of Michigan has shown. ⌘ Read more
Eight green sea turtles were released back into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, nearly a month after an arctic blast brought a rare snowfall to northern Florida and left the aquatic reptiles suffering from a condition known as cold stunning. ⌘ Read more
An asteroid that could level a city now has a 3.1-percent chance of striking Earth in 2032, according to NASA data released Tuesday—making it the most threatening space rock ever recorded by modern forecasting. ⌘ Read more
Accurate assessment of the land surface damage (such as small-scale fracturing and inelastic deformation) from two major earthquakes in 2023 can help scientists assess future earthquake hazards and therefore minimize risk to people and infrastructure. However, attaining precise extensive measurements in earthquake zones remains challenging. ⌘ Read more
An international team of archaeologists, ethnologists and historians has uncovered the oldest-known evidence of stone blade production (made systematically) on the Arabian Peninsula. In their paper published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, the group describes the dig location in Jebel Faya, an archaeological site that has been under study for several years, located near the ... ⌘ Read more
Soft viscoelastic solids are flexible materials that can return to their original shape after being stretched. Due to the unique properties driving their deformation, these materials can sometimes behave and change shape in unexpected ways. ⌘ Read more
Hundreds of different species of microbes live in your gut. In the future, one of these might serve a new function: microscopic in-house pharmacist. ⌘ Read more
The origins of human language remain mysterious. Are we the only animals truly capable of complex speech? Are Homo sapiens the only hominids who could give detailed directions to a far-off freshwater source or describe the nuanced purples and reds of a dramatic sunset? ⌘ Read more
We all know that asteroids are out there, that some of them come dangerously close to Earth, and that they've struck Earth before with catastrophic consequences. The recent discovery of asteroid 2024 YR4 reminds us of the persistent threat that asteroids present. There's an organized effort to find dangerous space rocks and determine how far away they are and where their orbits will take them. ⌘ Read more
Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely used in Australian households. ⌘ Read more
The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a serious blow to the soft power of the United States and disastrous for many poor countries where it helps provide humanitarian, health and educational services. ⌘ Read more
Dust blown from the Earth's continents falls into the oceans and fertilizes them with nutrients needed for plants, such as phytoplankton, to grow. This dust, rich with iron and other nutritious minerals, is critically important to ocean food chains and helps regulate the planet's climate. ⌘ Read more
When scientists develop new molecules—whether for the purposes of agriculture, species control, or life-saving drugs—it's important to know exactly what their targets are. Thoroughly understanding a molecule's interactions, both intended and unintended, is crucial for ensuring its safety and efficacy. ⌘ Read more
Farmers across Washington already spread thousands of tons of fertilizer from human waste on their crops each year, but there's a major blind spot when it comes to potential contaminants. ⌘ Read more
On Jan. 1, polystyrene packaging became illegal to sell, distribute or import into California—the result of a landmark waste law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, and heralded by lawmakers and environmentalists as a game-changer in the fight against single-use plastics and pollution. ⌘ Read more
In September 2018, a wildfire burned nearly two thousand hectares of shrubland on the Pichu Pichu volcano, an ecologically significant area in the Peruvian Andes. Unlike Mediterranean ecosystems, where vegetation has evolved strategies to withstand fire, the volcanic soils of Arequipa—one of the driest regions in the world—are not adapted to wildfire disturbances. ⌘ Read more
A rare discovery of a nearly complete skull in the Egyptian desert has led scientists to the "dream" revelation of a new 30-million-year-old species of the ancient apex predatory carnivore, Hyaenodonta. ⌘ Read more
Enzymes are molecular machines that carry out the chemical reactions that sustain all life, an ability that has captured the attention of scientists like me. ⌘ Read more
Some family caregivers are hiding physical and emotional harm by vulnerable relatives because they fear intervention by the state, experts have warned. ⌘ Read more
Hot on the heels of the warmest spring on record, Australia is baking through another scorching summer. Heat waves around the country contributed to the second-warmest January on record. Hot, dry, windy weather again swept across the country this week. ⌘ Read more
A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state's east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia's most controversial animal. ⌘ Read more
Crocodiles, monkeys, tigers, zebras and dozens of other taxidermy animals will move to new homes after concerns about arsenic exposure forced the closure of the South Dakota museum where they had been displayed for decades. ⌘ Read more
Engineer turned social entrepreneur Sabri Cheriha hunches over a washing machine at a small depot in a suburb of Tunisia's capital, the unassuming home of a startup he launched to tackle the country's mounting electronic waste problem. ⌘ Read more
From late July to October 2022, residents of the Manu'a Islands in American Samoa felt the earth shake several times a day, raising concerns of an imminent volcanic eruption or tsunami. ⌘ Read more
The coldest burst of Arctic air this season is coming to put an icy exclamation point on America's winter of repeated polar vortex invasions, meteorologists warn. And it will stay frozen there all next week. ⌘ Read more
The first-ever astronaut with a physical disability has been cleared for a mission onboard the International Space Station, the European Space Agency announced on Friday. ⌘ Read more
Pangolins are unique as they are the only mammal to be covered in scales. Even though they are scaly, photos of them are typically met with "awwws" from the viewers, who find them adorable. Importantly, though, pangolins play an essential role in maintaining their ecosystem. ⌘ Read more
Astrophysicists have unearthed a surprising diversity in the ways in which white dwarf stars explode in deep space after assessing almost 4,000 such events captured in detail by a next-gen astronomical sky survey. Their findings may help us more accurately measure distances in the universe and further our knowledge of "dark energy." ⌘ Read more
University of Queensland researchers have for the first time introduced genetic material into plants via their roots, opening a potential pathway for rapid crop improvement. The research is published in Nature Plants. ⌘ Read more
Public transport in Queensland now costs just 50 cents. Yet in the first six months of the trial, it's been revealed that thousands of commuters were fined for fare evasion. ⌘ Read more
Thermo-sensitive genic male sterility 5 (tms5) is a widely used thermo-sensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) line for two-line hybrid rice production. Critical sterility-inducing temperature (CSIT) acts as a key threshold of TGMS lines. However, there are a few reports on the regulatory mechanism controlling CSIT. ⌘ Read more
From high-speed communication to quantum computing and sensing, the detection, transmission, and manipulation of light (photons) have transformed modern electronics. Central to these systems are photon detectors, which detect and measure photons. ⌘ Read more
Jumping workouts could help astronauts prevent the type of cartilage damage they are likely to endure during lengthy missions to Mars and the moon, a new Johns Hopkins University study suggests. ⌘ Read more
Researchers have developed a novel experimental platform to measure the electric fields of light trapped between two mirrors with a sub-cycle precision. ⌘ Read more
When was the last time you walked into a supermarket and marveled at the abundance of exotic fruits and vegetables, even in the dead of winter? This luxury, now an expectation, only became common in the mid-20th century, reaching the UK some decades later. ⌘ Read more
One major category of the next generation of energy-efficient microelectronic devices and information processing technologies will likely be based on "spintronics," which leverage both an electron's charge and its spin—the tiny "up" or "down" magnetic moment carried by every electron. Now, a relatively new subset of spintronics has sprung up, known as magnonics, which harnesses the collective behaviors of spins, known as spin waves or magnons. ⌘ Read more
Two of the most commonly accepted theories for the origin of money are the commodity theory and the chartalist theory. Both have drawbacks, but in recent years, the chartalist theory has gained much traction. ⌘ Read more
Red-and-green-tinted clouds drift through the Martian sky in a new set of images captured by NASA's Curiosity rover using its Mastcam—its main set of "eyes." Taken over 16 minutes on Jan. 17 (the 4,426th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's mission), the images show the latest observations of what are called noctilucent (Latin for "night shining"), or twilight clouds, tinged with color by scattering light from the setting sun. ⌘ Read more
New research by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reports, for the first time, the widespread occurrence of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise. The study, based on Museum specimens collected since the 1800s, finds biofluorescence in 37 of the 45 known birds-of-paradise species and suggests that this special "glo ... ⌘ Read more
That bag of cod filets you pick up at the grocer comes from fish much likely much smaller and younger than its ancestors that were eaten by people in the distant past, according to a new study that includes a University of Maryland anthropologist. ⌘ Read more
Greenland's ice sheet currently spans over 1.7 million square kilometers and is the largest freshwater reservoir in the northern hemisphere. The ice sheet has already lost over a trillion tonnes of its total mass since the 1980s, with melting rates six times higher in the last decade. Indeed, a recent study found that an average of 30 million tonnes of ice is now being lost every hour. ⌘ Read more
An international research team has described a newly discovered algae species Streptofilum arcticum and its cell functions for the first time in a recent publication in the journal Environmental Microbiology. ⌘ Read more
Public posts on social media platforms shed light on the extent and nature of prolific illegal wildlife hunting in Lebanon, research in Oryx, published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora, has found. ⌘ Read more
Google recently became the latest multinational to abandon its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring mandates. This follows a broader trend among major corporations and a recent executive order by United States President Donald Trump. ⌘ Read more
Greg Herbruck knew 6.5 million of his birds needed to die, and fast. But the CEO of Herbruck's Poultry Ranch wasn't sure how the family egg producer (one of the largest in the U.S., in business for over three generations) was going to get through it, financially or emotionally. One staffer broke down in Herbruck's office in tears. ⌘ Read more
Euclid blasted off on its six-year mission to explore the dark universe on 1 July 2023. Before the spacecraft could begin its survey, the team of scientists and engineers on Earth had to make sure everything was working properly. ⌘ Read more
Maps are ubiquitous—on phones, in-flight and car displays, and in textbooks the world over. While some maps delineate and name territories and boundaries, others show different voting blocs in elections, and GPS devices help drivers navigate to their destination. ⌘ Read more
Like ferns and the tides, community conservation groups come and go. Many achieve their goal. Volunteers restore a local wetland or protect a patch of urban bush and then hang up the gardening gloves with a warm inner glow. Some groups peter out while others endure, tackling the ecological problems facing today's Australia. ⌘ Read more
At least three and possibly up to 15 birds have died of avian flu at two New York City zoos, according to the organization that operates the facilities. ⌘ Read more
Last month was the hottest January on record, blitzing the previous high and stunning climate scientists who expected cooler La Niña conditions to finally start quelling a long-running heat streak. ⌘ Read more
An international team has confirmed the discovery of a super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a nearby sun-like star. The planet was originally detected two years ago by Oxford University scientist Dr. Michael Cretignier. This result, drawing on more than two decades of observations, opens a window to future studies of Earth-like exoplanets that may have conditions suitable for life. ⌘ Read more
New CABI-led research using publicly-shared DNA barcodes and citizen science images have provided new evidence on the establishment and spread of a biological control agent used for the control of the major invasive shrub Lantana camara. ⌘ Read more
Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. ⌘ Read more
Heavy metals naturally occur in the Earth's crust, but human activities can increase their concentration in the environment, including domestic sewage and waste disposal, fumes from vehicle exhausts, fertilizer runoff, mining and fuel leaks from ships. These elements, such as arsenic, lead and mercury, can be highly toxic even in small amounts and bioaccumulate persistently, proving harmful to humans and wildlife. ⌘ Read more
On February 8, 2024, NASA launched its PACE climate satellite with the Dutch aerosol instrument SPEXone onboard. A full year of observations now yields a world map of aerosols. ⌘ Read more
Weeks after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced his support for mandatory minimum jail terms for antisemitic offenses, the government has legislated such laws. Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke stated the federal parliament would now be "putting in place the toughest laws against hate speech that Australia has ever had." ⌘ Read more
When the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton pointed its telescope at two unidentified sources of light in the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud, scientists were able to confirm what seemed an unlikely discovery. They found two supernova remnants in the far reaches of our neighboring galaxy. The findings are published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. ⌘ Read more
Phase transitions, shifts between different states of matter, are widely explored physical phenomena. So far, these transitions have primarily been studied in three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) systems, yet theories suggest that they could also occur in some one-dimensional (1D) systems. ⌘ Read more
Finding life in outer space is one of the great endeavors of humankind. One approach is to find motile microorganisms that can move independently, an ability that is a solid hint for life. If movement is induced by a chemical and an organism moves in response, it is known as chemotaxis. ⌘ Read more
Every day across the globe, environmental scientists are collecting approximately 274 terabytes of data, a number that is growing thanks to advancements in science and technology. ⌘ Read more
Matter in intergalactic space is distributed in a vast network of interconnected filamentary structures, collectively referred to as the cosmic web. With hundreds of hours of observations, an international team of researchers has now obtained an unprecedented high-definition image of a cosmic filament inside this web, connecting two active forming galaxies—dating back to when the universe was about 2 billion years ... ⌘ Read more
The so-called glass transition is the process by which some liquid-like materials become solid-like, without forming a crystalline structure. In contrast to conventional solid materials, which exhibit an orderly atom arrangement, glass is characterized by a disordered atomic structure. ⌘ Read more
Imagine being summoned as a juror in a murder trial. The expert responsible for analyzing DNA traces at the crime scene has just explained that they match the defendant's profile. "Then the culprit must be them," you think. ⌘ Read more
In many parts of India, a single noxious pollutant from coal-fired power stations drags down annual wheat and rice yields by 10% or more, according to a new study by Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability researchers. ⌘ Read more
They are used in cleaning our drinking water, treating sewage, processing foods and keeping pharmaceuticals safe—membranes are a crucial part of everyday life. ⌘ Read more
A new study debunks claims that a magnitude 4.5 earthquake in Iran was a covert nuclear weapons test, as widely alleged on social media and some mainstream news outlets in October 2024, a period of heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. ⌘ Read more
A paper titled "Generative AI at Work" in the Quarterly Journal of Economics shows customer service workers using artificial intelligence assistance become more productive and work faster. The effects vary significantly, however. ⌘ Read more
Even though "glacial" is commonly used to describe extremely slow, steady movement, a new study has found that glaciers speed up and slow down on a daily—even hourly—basis in response to changes in air temperature, rainfall and the tides. ⌘ Read more
The Western population of the monarch butterfly has declined to a near-record low with fewer than 10,000 found living in California this winter, a foreboding sign for the future of the beloved black-and-orange insect. ⌘ Read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has dramatically increased the amount of water flowing from two dams in California's Tulare County, sending massive flows down a river channel toward farmlands in the San Joaquin Valley. ⌘ Read more
Burning fossil fuels has led to a global energy crisis, worsening pollution and climate change. To tackle this problem, we must explore cleaner energy alternatives. One promising solution is the use of water electrolysis technology (electrolyzer) powered by renewable electricity to produce high-purity hydrogen (H₂) fuel. ⌘ Read more
Along the long road from American icon to endangered species and back again, the bald eagle—the national bird of the United States, often seen against a clear blue sky—is having a moment. ⌘ Read more
Schools were closed and emergency crews deployed on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini on Monday after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake. ⌘ Read more
Piecing together fragments of the world's earliest known rune stone shows they fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and may have been separated intentionally, shedding light on the varied pragmatic and ritual aspects of early Germanic rune stones. ⌘ Read more
On 27 December last year, astronomers using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile discovered a small asteroid moving away from Earth. Follow-up observations have revealed that the asteroid, 2024 YR4, is on a path that might lead to a collision with our planet on 22 December 2032. ⌘ Read more
Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. ⌘ Read more
A 13th-century fresco rediscovered in Ferrara, Italy, provides unique evidence of medieval churches using Islamic tents to conceal their high altars. The 700-year-old fresco is thought to be the only surviving image of its kind, offering precious evidence of a little-known Christian practice. ⌘ Read more
Scientists have cast doubt on the reliability of America's most celebrated rodent forecaster—whose apparent knack of predicting how long winter will last forms a hallowed tradition in the United States. ⌘ Read more
A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles. ⌘ Read more
An enormous chunk has broken off the world's largest iceberg, in a possible first sign the behemoth from Antarctica could be crumbling, scientists told AFP on Friday. ⌘ Read more
Rat infestation in many world cities appears to be soaring, especially in Washington, and a new study blames warming temperatures, urbanization and other human actions. ⌘ Read more
New research reveals the surprising ways atmospheric winds influence ocean eddies, shaping the ocean's weather patterns in more complex ways than previously believed. ⌘ Read more
Researchers from the Tanenbaum group at the Hubrecht Institute have developed a new microscopy technique to observe how ribosomes function in cells. With this method, they can monitor individual ribosomes as they convert mRNA into proteins. ⌘ Read more
A national park in Thailand has not one but three reasons to celebrate after confirming a rare Bengal tiger is raising a trio of cubs in the protected area. ⌘ Read more
If you can wiggle your ears, you can use muscles that helped our distant ancestors listen closely. These auricular muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or the shell of the ear, funneling sound to the eardrums. ⌘ Read more
"Honey, do you think I look good in this outfit?" That's hands down a loaded question, one that begs an even deeper question—is honesty always the best policy in a relationship? While a truthful answer may offend and lead to a quarrel, a dishonest one may create trust issues down the road. Does telling the truth strengthen romantic relationships, or does it backfire? ⌘ Read more
Finding patterns and reducing noise in large, complex datasets generated by the gravitational wave-detecting LIGO facility just got easier, thanks to the work of scientists at the University of California, Riverside. ⌘ Read more
Detecting dark matter, the elusive type of matter predicted to account for most of the universe's mass, has so far proved to be very challenging. While physicists have not yet been able to determine what exactly this matter consists of, various large-scale experiments worldwide have been trying to detect different theoretical dark matter particles. ⌘ Read more
The UK's peatlands face an uncertain future amid the escalating impacts of climate change. Peatlands are critical ecosystems for carbon storage and biodiversity, containing more carbon than all the world's forests despite covering just 3% of the global land surface. ⌘ Read more
An arctic blast that brought a rare snowfall to northern Florida last week left green sea turtles as far south as St. Augustine suffering from a condition known as cold stunning. ⌘ Read more