Science
Hemp waste cellulose unlocks tougher biodegradable plastics
Korean researchers have developed a method to strengthen biodegradable plastics using hemp hurd, an agricultural byproduct. The approach is expected to be applicable to other larg…
Hubble spots an out-of-sync galaxy
Though the spiral galaxy in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million …
An extremely stable quantum gas offers a new lens on strongly interacting systems
Molecular gases are a new form of artificial quantum matter. However, when these molecules collide, they are often lost extremely rapidly. Researchers from Radboud University and …
NASA Awards SpaceX Three Crew Flights to Space Station
To continue regular crew transportation to the International Space Station, NASA has awarded SpaceX three additional missions through a contract modification.
'Plasticorals,' coral rubble fused with plastic, represent a new form of plastic pollution
During routine beach litter surveys on the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, researchers came across small, brightly colored specks in the pale coral rubble. Back at the lab, …
COSI Telescope Comes Together
UC Berkeley engineers and managers watch as the COSI (Compton Spectrometer and Imager) detector assembly is slowly raised from a table in this July 8, 2026, image. The four pieces…
From the start, the solar system chose fire over ice to build its first bodies
When the solar system first took up the task of building solid bodies—such as planets, moons and protoplanets—it basically had a choice between two ingredients: heat-forged chondr…
Time is running out to catch a giant planet's strange orbit
A team of researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, spotted a rare kind of planet that's unusually hot and eccentric. TOI-1355 b orbits its star, TOI-1355, which …
Alleged underworld supporters and unfounded health claims: One Nation rolls out more Victorian election candidates
Party has unveiled a steady stream of contenders for state election, including a former councillor who lost his licence for drink-drivingGet our new political email, free app or d…
Australia’s big polluters rely on carbon offsets for climate credibility. But the system looks like a house of cards | Adam Morton
Credits are treated as a straight alternative to emissions cuts, but carbon stored in nature is different to burning millennia-old fossil fuelsThe fight within the Greens that led…
Tech billionaires trying to live for ever? That’s a waste of time, says physicist
Exclusive: Prof Jim Al-Khalili says he will offer solution to ‘arrow of time’ problem in Royal Institution lecturesTech billionaires attempting to live for ever are, quite literal…
Why high levels of the amino acid cysteine are toxic to cells
Cysteine is one of the main building blocks that cells use to make proteins. But this amino acid is a double-edged sword—too much cysteine is toxic to the cell. Cells therefore ke…
Small gardens are a big barrier to supporting nature—but better planning could protect UK wildlife
A new study by Chester Zoo and Nottingham Trent University scientists revealed that just over a third (38%) of more than 230 householders in Cheshire and North Wales were willing …
Closing the space gap: A more precise way to measure distance between quasar pairs
A new way to accurately measure the distance between quasar pairs—the blazing, black-hole-powered centers of distant galaxies that appear side by side in space—is showing promise …
Tiny atomic tweak makes plastic-eating enzymes more powerful
A new approach that changes just one atom in plastic-degrading enzymes could help make them more efficient while maintaining their stability, according to new research from The Au…
From war to weather, Australian farmers are planting spring crops in an uncertain world
Australian farmers are heading into spring with an unusual mix of optimism and uncertainty.
NASA’s Hubble Spots an Out-of-Sync Galaxy
Though the spiral galaxy in this new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million …
Stacked 2D materials reveal room-temperature multiferroicity and voltage-controlled magnetism
Multiferroics are materials that simultaneously exhibit two or more ferroic orders—stable arrangements of physical properties that can be switched using an external stimulus. Thes…
Astronomy's decades-long quest to understand cosmic topology
If some aspects of cosmic topology turn out to be true, the idea that starships might voyage across the cosmos for hundreds of thousands of light-years without ever returning to t…
Trump Targets Big Bad Wolves, but Ranchers Say Other Administration Actions Drive Their Woes
America’s centuries-old conflict with wolves took another turn earlier this month when President Donald Trump ordered the animals be stripped of federal protections across several…
California Adopts New Limits to Rein in Dairy Manure Pollution and Its ‘Outsized’ Groundwater Impacts
The California valley with the most dairy farms in the state will follow stricter water pollution requirements following years of advocacy and a marathon six-hour meeting this wee…
Early heat waves hit wheat yields hardest but boost resilience to subsequent heat waves
New research published in the Journal of Experimental Botany reveals that wheat crops are more sensitive to grain yield losses from heat waves that occur before reaching their flo…
Baby orangutans in India expose 'frightening' scale of trafficking
Five baby orangutans abandoned in an Indian forest have exposed a "massive" exotic wildlife trade, with traffickers smuggling increasingly rare species into the country, experts s…
El Niño is supersizing! Are governments finally taking climate change seriously? No! | First Dog on the Moon
Your government will NOT come to save you – we have to do that for each other nowSign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at th…