Science
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…
What can a pair of underpants tell you about your vegetable garden?
This summer, 115 participants in Leiden and The Hague worked with scientists from Leiden University to investigate the soil life in their community garden plots. With mangetout pe…
Neutrophil vesicles help Candida albicans evade immune-cell engulfment
The immune system is a highly sophisticated defense network designed to protect against pathogens. A research team from the Universities of Würzburg and Jena and the Leibniz Insti…
Reversible electric control unlocks persistent chiral phonon states
Atoms in a material are rarely still. They jiggle back and forth in collective lattice vibrations known as phonons. Their motion can also carry a rotational element: In 2023, scie…
Entangled particles revive a 35-year-old test of the Standard Model
Physicists at the BESIII Collaboration have breathed new life into a decades-old test of one of the Standard Model's most important ideas, using a technique that had gone almost u…
Organic farming outperforms wildflower strips on profits while both improve farm biodiversity
What makes more sense when farming wheat—strips of wildflowers along fields or organic farming? Both options provide financial support via the European Union as environmentally fr…
Self-processing brain systems show both conservation and reorganization across primates
New in JNeurosci, Ning Liu, from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, explored whether brain structures for self-processing are conserved across primates, inc…
Could bats self-medicate? More than 50 wild bats offer clues
When humans get sick, we change our routines and try various solutions to feel better and get well, like staying in bed to rest, going to the doctor, getting medication from the p…
Dark plasma regions reveal overlooked source of reactive atomic oxygen
Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found a way to make plasma more effective for its wide-ranging uses, from antimicrobial applications to surface conditioning in …
Galileo, Copernicus, Cleansky, IRIS² must work together to secure Europe's place in the space race
"Seeing the Earth from above is a powerful reminder of our interdependence," said Thomas Pesquet. The words of France's 10th astronaut to head into space are a reminder of how we …
Tiny polymer particles keep water jets stable for longer
Tiny, soft polymer particles—known as microgels—can help to stabilize extremely thin liquid jets. How this works is the finding of a study led by researchers at TU Darmstadt, whic…
The DESI legacy imaging survey releases the largest 2D map of the universe
In 2012, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) was commissioned to measure the effect of dark energy, the mysterious force driving the expansion of the cosmos. Since the…
Earth's moon could have formed in just 5 hours after giant impact
One day in history about 4.5 billion years ago was a dramatic one for Earth, potentially giving our planet an instant moon and an almighty headache all in one go.
The moon will hide Jupiter in broad daylight on Sept.8 — here's how to see it
The moon and Jupiter will meet before dawn on Sept. 8, before the moon hides the giant planet from view in a rare daytime occultation.
Pair of white dwarfs locked in 6-minute orbit might one day be observed by gravitational waves
Current gravitational-wave observatories aren't sensitive enough to capture the gravitational waves of binary stars. They can only see the gravitational chirps of black holes just…
New model measures economic risks solar storms pose to US power grid
In 1967, a solar storm nearly triggered World War III by jamming early-warning radar systems in the United States, causing U.S. leaders to think the Soviet Union was responsible. …
A vital native bee highway can start in your own backyard
When it comes to bees, most of us can identify the ubiquitous honey bee (Apis mellifera) and that's about it.
Record strength El Niño could mean bigger supermarket bills for Australians, experts warn
Predicted hot and dry weather in growing areas in eastern Australia identified as ‘one of the key issues’ that will affect food prices over next 12 monthsGet our breaking news ema…
Cravings ‘like heroin withdrawal’: what happens when weight-loss drugs don’t work?
GLP-1 medications have been a gamechanger in the fight against obesity. But for a minority of patients, their impact is negligible. Why?When Mercedes was told by her doctor that s…
On this day in space! Sept. 7, 1995: NASA launches its 100th astronaut flight on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-69 mission
On Sept. 7, 1995, the space shuttle Endeavour launched on mission STS-69, NASA's 100th astronaut flight. Here's why it mattered.
Reconstructed ancient protein maps how bacterial enzymes evolved distinct functions
How do related proteins develop different functions? This is the question investigated by a research team involving Kiel University, DESY and the Center for Structural Systems Bio…
New blending method gives common polymers a visible, reversible stress signal
Polymeric materials, such as plastics and rubbers, are essential in everyday life. However, detecting where mechanical stress is concentrated inside them remains a challenge.
Genomic analysis clarifies origin of unusual tail in endangered Tsushima leopard cat
Tsushima leopard cats are an endangered species found only on this isolated island. The most recent government survey estimated the population at around 150 individuals, and becau…
Galaxies tangled in science and spirit | Space photo of the day for Sept. 7, 2026
"Astronomy is not just science or spirit; it's both at the same time."