Science
Super-resolution imaging reveals that cohesin prevents local mixing of compact, active genome domains
The human genome is about two meters (6.6 feet) long, yet it is folded inside a cell nucleus only about 10 micrometers in diameter. To fit into this tiny space, DNA is wrapped aro…
Worm's radical transformation shows metamorphosis can change the functions of cells
A squishy worm that starts its life as something of a floating head in the Pacific Ocean is changing what scientists know about metamorphosis at the cellular level.
AI model decodes cell signaling fingerprints across diverse cell types
As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once "blank slate" cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver or muscle cells and organize the…
Rearranged polymer chains create degradable materials with potential for stronger, tougher packaging
What if the key to making stronger, more sustainable plastics isn't changing their ingredients, but rearranging their molecules? Virginia Tech researchers have put that idea to th…
The Cost of Keeping Cool: Georgia Power Customers Struggle With Summer Bills
When the power goes out during a Georgia summer, the heat builds fast. Inside a home without air conditioning, the air turns heavy and stifling. For Donica Odell, who has dealt wi…
APOD: 2026 September 8 – Hubble: Decagon Around Saturn’s South Pole
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 8 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cos…
The Otherworldly Geology of Vasquez Rocks
Layers of sedimentary rock that jut from the Soledad Basin at surprising angles have long enthralled television and film producers, including the team behind Star Trek.
Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science – podcast
Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one o…
‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence
Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own…
How beavers can help create fire breaks as part of a drought preparation plan
Most of the countryside around the Holnicote estate in Somerset has been dry and dusty for most of the summer. But one corner remains conspicuously green.
Changing the antibiotic playbook to catch an ESKAPE artist
Nearly a century ago, a single colony of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) helped launch the antibiotic age. In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned to his London lab to find that a s…
Nepal says big polluters must ‘wake up’ as it calls for climate compensation over flood disaster
Foreign minister Shisir Khanal tells the Guardian the world’s biggest economies need to help Nepal, which contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions Nepal is de…
Early Earth's auroral belts may have formed a natural ion-beam reactor for prebiotic chemistry
We usually think of auroras as beautiful lights in the night sky. I see them as visible traces of a connection between the sun, Earth's magnetic field and the atmosphere. This led…
Global move away from oil could lead to conflict and migration, experts say
Researchers urge governments to help worst afflicted countries, such as Nigeria and Algeria, which rely on oil revenues for public servicesConflict, migration and economic upheava…
Cities in Great Britain most vulnerable to extreme heat revealed
OS index examines which ‘urban heat islands’ suffer the most – and which cope the best with rising temperaturesPortsmouth, Leicester, Exeter, Bristol and Nottingham will be among …
Park rangers and residents speak up to save Togo's last national park
A few years ago, I drove with an old friend from Togo, West Africa, towards the country's last remaining large protected area, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. Our destination was …
From strays to territory bosses: Epigenetics makes cheetahs adaptable
The findings of a new study led by the Leibniz-IZW on Namibian free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) demonstrate that epigenetic mechanisms might play an important role…
Weak hydrogen bonds dethrone copper as the most stable metal binder, opening a new path for metal selection
Copper has been knocked off the top of a stability ranking it had dominated for decades. Without altering the atoms directly bonded to the metal, a KAIST research team reversed th…
'The Last Starship' is 2026's most slept-on space game — you need to check out this 'FTL'-like shipbuilding strategy gem
Dive into this diverting sandbox adventure from Introversion before another microsecond lapses.
Port Hills research reveals 'fire trap' risk from non-native grass
New research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) examining the aftermath of the February 2024 Port Hills wildfire found that some young native trees an…
Inexpensive blue pigment enables efficient one-step conversion of carbon dioxide to methane
A common blue pigment could help turn carbon dioxide (CO₂) from an industrial waste product into a useful fuel. A joint research team led by Tohoku University's Advanced Institute…
Stripped-down LSD reveals structural features linked to hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects
University of California, Davis, researchers have stripped down LSD to the base features responsible for its hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects.
'Heel-strike' may have allowed early humans to walk farther—at the cost of high-impact forces
The average person takes thousands of steps each day, instinctively walking heel-to-toe. Although they hardly register them, those consistent heel-first strides are more distincti…
Slender crystal's blue-to-yellow glow could make invisible forces visible
Applying pressure to luminescent organic crystals usually brings molecules closer together and weakens their fluorescence. Materials that instead brighten and undergo a large colo…