Science
The US Wants Minerals from South America. Its Environmental Defenders Fear What Comes Next.
When Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in South America this week, he carried a familiar message: The United States wants access to minerals and an expanded military presence…
Molecular surface design achieves over 100 million-fold tuning of porous liquid viscosity
Porous liquids combine permanent nanoscale cavities with fluidity, making them promising for applications like carbon dioxide capture, gas separation and other chemical processes.…
Molecular antennae make light-activated molecular switches more sensitive
From targeted cancer treatments to self-healing materials and microscopic robots, many emerging technologies depend on molecules that can be controlled with light. Researchers at …
Beryllium signal identifies stars that have swallowed rocky planets
An international team led by researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil has developed an innovative method to identify stars that have consumed the planets aroun…
Chandra uncovers 'hypersoft X-ray sources' that may solve two astrophysical puzzles
Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have discovered a new class of objects behaving unlike any they have seen before. Astronomers suggest these newly spotted object…
If alien civilizations use hyper-efficient computers, they will have a distinct energy signal we can detect
Love it or hate it, artificial intelligence is likely here to stay. Its ravenous need for computational power has overwhelmed chip manufacturers and power companies alike. While o…
Terbium's elusive plus-4 form emerges under ordinary lab conditions, opening possibilities for rare-earth metals
Chemists in a new study led by the University of Iowa report they have isolated and described in detail an atypical state of the rare-earth metal terbium, an advance that could ex…
Cacao genetics could help breeders reduce heavy metal levels in cocoa beans
Cadmium is a naturally occurring, toxic heavy metal found in many soils across Latin America and the Caribbean, where cacao trees are widely cultivated. It makes its way into coco…
How seeds decide whether to wake up in salty soil
Researchers have discovered a system that helps seeds survive when there is too much salt in the soil. The system helps young germinating embryos keep the right balance of sodium …
This 'impossible' black hole merger may be explained by a warp in spacetime
A "forbidden" merger between two black holes may not have been quite as impossible as previously thought. New research that suggests the black holes involved were smaller than fir…
These bacteria can change their diet to survive inside the body
The human body fights staph infections by starving it of essential nutrients. Staph, it turns out, is remarkably good at changing what's on the menu. Staphylococcus aureus—the inf…
Researchers chart new course for AI-powered biomedical discoveries
University of Missouri researchers are paving the way as artificial intelligence transforms biomedical research. A team from the College of Engineering and collaborators recently …
Europe's forests are still standing, but many are losing the ability to recover
A forest can look intact from the roadside and still have lost much of its capacity to bounce back. That gap between appearance and function is at the center of a new policy brief…
How 'positive' stress could improve the welfare of zoo animals
Pelicans have resided in St James's Park, London, for 360 years. But the current flock has been a summer sensation because of the first chicks to hatch in the park's history.
Fossil ribs reveal new secrets about ichthyosaur swimming technique
Ichthyosaurs ruled the oceans for 150 million years during the Mesozoic Era. Their fish-shaped bodies were built for high speeds. In that context, it is normally an advantage to b…
NASA Adds Relativity Space’s Terran R to Launch Services Contract
A NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract has been awarded by the agency to Relativity Space Inc., and its Terran R launch service in accordance with the contract’s on-ramp provisi…
Electrochemical system extracts pure hydrogen from ammonia at substantially lower temperatures
As a liquid that is easily stored and transported, ammonia (NH3) is an attractive carrier for hydrogen, which is used in fuel cells, semiconductor manufacturing, chemical processi…
International Space Station astronaut gives out of this world tribute to honor Star Trek’s 60th anniversary
European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot paid tribute to Star Trek’s real-world contributions to science and exploration by wearing Captain Pike’s Starfleet badge aboard the …
What to know about Europe's push to compete in space
Key figures from Europe's space industry and other international players have converged on Paris to discuss how to advance the continent's ambitions in a global market dominated b…
3D magnetic-field control reveals new way to tune spin textures
(Fe0.63Ni0.3Pd0.07)3P, or FNPP, is a magnetic material that exhibits complex magnetic structures even at room temperature. This makes the material of interest for spintronics, a f…
Artemis II moonshot commander and pilot are hanging up their astronaut suits at NASA
The two NASA astronauts who led the Artemis II moonshot earlier this year are stepping away from spaceflight.
Five‑metal alloy: Scientists create ultra‑stable catalyst for fuel cells
Hydrogen-powered cars, power stations and portable chargers all rely on fuel cells. At the heart of each fuel cell is a catalyst that speeds up the reaction between hydrogen and o…
Discontinuity and disorder: Explaining the luminosity bump in evolved stars
Toward the end of their lives, low-mass stars undergo an abrupt dip in brightness, also known as the luminosity bump. While the endpoint of this bump is well understood, its onset…
Astronomers discover two stars that joined together to form a binary system just 60 years ago
Using ALMA, astronomers have watched as two stars come together to form a massive stellar binary, finding chaos that indicates they emerged from different backgrounds.