Science
Early heat and drought stress can have lasting effects on corn growth
A brief period of heat and drought early in a corn plant's life can affect its growth and flowering months after the stress ends, according to new research from the Donald Danfort…
Genomic study uncovers a new lace bug species on Japan's remote Ogasawara Islands
Researchers have used genome-wide DNA data to identify a new insect species on the Ogasawara Islands, a remote Japanese archipelago roughly 900 to 1,000 kilometers (560 to 620 mil…
Did a giant object collide with Earth to form the moon?
Known as the giant-impact hypothesis, this proposed event involves a collision between Earth and a hypothetical Mars-sized protoplanet astronomers call Theia.
Researchers are ignoring most living things: Analysis finds vertebrates dominate biodiversity research
According to two new UNSW studies, researchers often choose research topics based on personal preferences and cultural attitudes, including exposure to films, TV shows and even zo…
US disaster survivors still await at least $10bn in federal aid: ‘It’s devastating’
The last long-term federal recovery funds allocated for a major disaster were for Hurricane Milton, which hit in late 2024Survivors of extreme weather disasters across the US are …
Japan launching bold sample-return mission to Mars moon Phobos today: Watch it live
Japan will launch its audacious MMX sample-return mission to Mars today (Oct. 19), and you can watch the historic action live.
The painstaking task of cataloging the world's species
A bumblebee-like insect that was last seen in France 150 years ago was spotted again in the Paris region in 2025.
‘Pitchfork Populism’ Over Data Centers Rattles Ohio’s U.S. Senate Race
SUNBURY, Ohio—A proposal for a large data center has upended politics in this Republican-leaning suburb of Columbus. That could spell trouble for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a longtime …
On the front line of ocean conservation off Portugal's Madeira
Juan Mayorga smiled as a stingray glided across his computer screen, moving gracefully over the seabed near Portugal's Desertas Islands, part of the Madeira archipelago in the Atl…
Retired pilot helps historical society buy Neil Armstrong's boyhood home for tours
Ken Schreiber was 9 when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon in 1969—a moment he would never forget. Like Armstrong, he became a military fighter pilot.
Starwatch: Catch the Orionid meteor shower streak across the night sky
As Earth passes through dust left by Halley’s comet, observers may see 10-20 fragments per hourThe annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak this week, offering the chance to …
APOD: 2026 October 19 – Treble Clef: Unusual X-ray Hot Radio Source
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 19 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosm…
Autumn Paints Poland’s Bieszczady Mountains
Fall color covers the forested slopes of Bieszczady National Park, while patches of polonina, a type of high-mountain meadow, have turned tan.
Earth's oldest evidence of life is written in stone—but it's at risk of disappearing
Today, our planet is teeming with life, but it has not always looked the same. Long before forests reached skyward, animals walked on land and dinosaurs rose and fell, our planet …
Japan to launch historic round-trip mission to Mars moon
Japanese scientists are readying a mission to Mars' moons to retrieve samples that could help unlock the origins of the solar system and life on Earth, in what aims to be the firs…
Spatial genomics tool maps long-range DNA interactions while preserving cells' locations within tissues
DNA is not randomly distributed within the nucleus but is packaged with proteins into chromatin, which is precisely folded into complex three-dimensional structures. However, scie…
Returning samples from a Mars moon: Inside the science of Japan's bold MMX mission
Japan's mission to Mars' moons could answer a decades old question dividing the origins of Phobos and Deimos between two conflicting theories, and make history as the first spacec…
Dozens of orangutans saved from Indonesia blazes as region grapples with haze
Dozens of critically endangered orangutans have been rescued in recent weeks from rampant wildfires burning across Indonesia that have cloaked the region in toxic haze, conservati…
Climate change affects the quality of one of the world's most important staple foods
Depending on the cultivar, higher concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere can significantly alter the protein composition of wheat. This affects not only baking q…
New monolithic ion trap opens quantum simulations to more researchers
Some quantum systems are so complex that even the most powerful supercomputers struggle to simulate their behavior. One solution is quantum simulation: building a controllable qua…
A new way to detect stabilizing properties of optical devices
In optical fibers, chips and other light-guiding devices, minor defects can scatter photons and disrupt their path. A new study demonstrates a way to reveal properties which, in c…
Physicists prove a long-suspected quantum speed limit for thermalization
Whether we are waiting for a car windshield to defrost in winter or a warm drink to cool down, how long it takes for an object to settle into a stable, even temperature within its…
Genome detectives: Researchers sequence the genome of a harmful plant pathogen
Graduate students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences contributed to the first complete genome sequence of a harmful plant pathogen from an ornamental Prunus host thr…
Scientists discover a way to reverse coral bleaching at record speed
For the first time, scientists have observed bleached corals on the brink of death fully recover through brief contact with healthy clones. Ghostly white corals returned to full h…