Science
Lunar fault maps reveal how much the moon is shrinking
A new study of young tectonic landforms on the moon offers the most detailed estimate yet of how much the moon has contracted as its interior gradually cooled over time.
Nearly half of reef-building coral species face higher risk of extinction
A University of Portsmouth scientist has helped lead a major global study, which finds that 44% of the world's reef-building coral species are now threatened with extinction—and w…
First bacterial galactose oxidase expands toolkit for greener drug and food ingredient production
To produce pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and flavors and fragrances, it is often necessary to oxidize alcohols. In conventional chemistry, this transformation typically relie…
Electron density check offers better starting point for chemistry's most difficult metal molecules
New materials and catalysts have the potential to transform everything from food production and medicine to batteries and stainless steel. Computer simulations help scientists nar…
Baby lobster decline foreshadows major midcoast population losses, study shows
A steep drop in baby lobsters provided an early warning of the sharp decline in adult lobsters along Maine's midcoast, a new University of Maine study shows.
Silicon qubits surpass 99.99% gate fidelity while operating three at once
Silicon spin qubits are a promising platform for building scalable quantum computers as they are compatible with the semiconductor manufacturing technologies used to produce today…
Molecular snapshots reveal how viral enzymes switch between inserting and removing DNA
Bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria, have a fiendishly simple purpose in life: attach to a bacterial cell, inject their DNA and then use the host's genetic machinery t…
Targeting the cell cycle for cancer therapy: From the discovery of CDK9 to precision medicine and beyond
More than 30 years after the direct connection was established between the molecular machinery controlling cell division and cancer, a new paper traces the evolution of cyclin-dep…
AI turns scrap impurities into useful ingredients for stronger recycled iron
About 2 billion metric tons of metal are produced worldwide every year to meet the demands of industry, infrastructure and the energy sector. Much of this production still relies …
Astronomers discover the 1st ever green star, a cosmic zombie just in time for Halloween
Imagine if the sun could take on a spooky green glow for Halloween. Scientists have discovered that our star may go green if it turns into a cosmic zombie after its death in billi…
NASA to Help Unlock Mysteries of Mars’ Moons in Upcoming Mission
NASA is playing an important role in JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission, to advance our understanding of Mars’ moons and build on …
Two brain circuits coordinate fruit flies' wing and leg movements to threaten rivals
Limbs evolved as a means of locomotion. From the primitive rotating flagella of bacteria to the wings of flies and even our own legs, animals use these appendages to travel to fin…
How did Mars get its moons? Japan's MMX space mission aims to solve the puzzle
The Earth got its moon when a small planet collided with our planet more than 4 billion years ago. This impact hurled molten rock into space, which eventually coalesced to form th…
Researchers find that some weeds get supercharged by an indirect hit of herbicide
A brush with low doses of the herbicide dicamba spurs oxalis, a weed commonly known as wood sorrel, to produce more flowers, University of Michigan researchers have discovered. Th…
Better together? Coral fusion could throw bleached reefs a lifeline
When corals are stressed by pollution, high water temperatures or other environmental changes, they can lose the microscopic algae living inside them and on which they depend for …
On this day in space! Oct. 15, 1997: NASA launches Cassini-Hugyens probe on 7-year voyage to Saturn
On this day in space! Oct. 15, 1997: NASA launches Cassini-Hugyens probe on 7-year voyage to Saturn
Lion tracks from the ice age: How two ways of seeing brought ancient animals to life
The coastline near the southern tip of Africa looked vastly different between about 400,000 years ago and 70,000 years ago, compared with today. At times it lay as much as 100km (…
New DNA sequencing methods detect rare mutations acquired as bodies grow and age
Somatic mutations, the DNA changes that occur as our bodies grow and age, not only hold an important key to cancer but are emerging as the seeds of a wide range of common, noncanc…
Norman McCubbin obituary
My brother Norman McCubbin, who has died aged 77, was a scientist who worked at the forefront of experimental particle physics.A leading light in experiments that took place on th…
El Niño a 'terrifying' threat to coral reefs: UN biodiversity expert
A super El Niño fueling record ocean temperatures poses a "terrifying" threat to the world's fragile coral reefs, the chair of the U.N.'s expert nature panel told AFP.
Plants use a molecular measuring tape to tell fungal friend from foe
Chitin, a chain of repeating sugar molecules, is the main building block of fungal cell walls. When fungi grow or are broken down, fragments of chitin chains of different lengths …
In plants, sense of time is connected with sense of danger
Salty soil is a growing threat to crops worldwide. Hotter, drier weather has increased evaporation rates, drawing moisture from the soil and leaving behind concentrated mineral sa…
Wild birds rewrite rules of flight efficiency: Study reveals power of 'free fuel' from the sky
An international study has overturned a longstanding textbook view of how much energy animals use to travel, revealing that flying can sometimes be cheaper than swimming.
Watch SpaceX launch classified mission for the US Space Force today
SpaceX will launch a classified mission for the U.S. Space Force from California this evening (Oct. 15), and you can watch the action live.