Science
Quantum-optical spin glass could improve how AI remembers and learns
A new study has demonstrated that it is possible to make a network of atoms and photons that could improve how artificial intelligence stores and recalls memories. This network, c…
2 spacecraft will soon reach Mercury after 8 years in space. Here's what BepiColombo can do
After an 8-year trek to Mercury, BepiColombo will finally split into two spacecraft ready to track down the secrets of the least-explored planet in the inner solar system.
Metabolic networks provide clues about the earliest stages of enzyme evolution
The enzymes found in modern organisms are complex proteins, often with multiple folded substructures and specialized catalytic sites. Proteins are encoded by genes. Tracing the hi…
Neutron bone imaging brings T. rex to life
A broken rib from Scotty, the largest T. rex skeleton discovered, is helping scientists uncover new information about life on Earth 66 million years ago. Scotty's rib preserves so…
Why doesn't Venus have a moon? A new study may have the answer
Venus is one of the solar system's most unusual planets. It may sometimes be called "Earth's twin" because of its similar size and density, but it rotates on its axis in the oppos…
NASA to Cover Progress 96 Spacecraft Launch, Docking
NASA will provide live coverage of the launch and docking of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the crew aboard the Internation…
Rich people more likely to steal children’s sweets, finds Ig Nobel prize-winning study
We round up this year’s winners at awards for achievements that ‘first make people laugh and then make them think’It’s that time of year again: a select group of scientists have b…
Researchers develop precise new method to analyze secretions from individual salmon lice
A University of Stirling study could pave the way for more efficient study of the secretions that salmon lice use to avoid fish defenses, potentially enabling the development of n…
'Strange New Worlds'' latest episode is a soap opera spoof, but hasn't 'Star Trek' always been a soap opera in space anyway?
The latest 'Strange New Worlds' takes the silliness to warp factor nine, but soap opera plots have long been part of the 'Star Trek' mix
New enzyme mechanism explains how sulfur-reducing bacteria process elemental sulfur
Sulfur-reducing bacteria of the phylum Desulfobacterota play a crucial role in the global biogeochemical sulfur cycle. Species such as Geobacter sulfurreducens use elemental sulfu…
Surf's up: How the seafloor shapes breaking waves
A new study led by surfing scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego revealed the physical relationships underlying a pattern familiar to generations o…
A pair of spacecraft draw closer to Mercury after nearly decade-long voyage
Two Mercury-bound spacecraft left their mother ship behind on Thursday and headed down the home stretch of their nearly decade-long voyage to the solar system's smallest and close…
'A new mission starting today': 8 years after launch, BepiColombo begins Mercury arrival
After nearly eight years traveling through the inner solar system, the trailblazing BepiColombo spacecraft has finally begun its arrival at Mercury.
AI suggests new physics experiments that could outperform human-designed setups
Research means asking questions of the universe. For centuries, clever minds have advanced science by devising ingenious experiments designed so their results reveal something abo…
How stressed cells put the brakes on protein 'shipping'
Cells synthesize proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and these proteins are transported to the Golgi apparatus for distribution to their ultimate destinations inside and o…
Comet McNaught put on a surprise show this summer: Here's how to spot it before it fades
Comet McNaught brightened dramatically during two outbursts around perihelion as it made a close approach to the sun.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4988-4994: More New Tricks for an Old Dog
Written by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 After Curiosity’s 14 years on the surface, Mars continues to surprise. …
Microbial 'dark matter' yields 173 potential carbon dioxide-fixing strains
There are millions of species of bacteria and archaea on Earth, remarkably little is known about most of them. Now, researchers have mined the genomes of thousands of microorganis…
Gharial pop patterns and gecko calls uncover reptiles' overlooked social communication
Along the sandy banks of northern India's Chambal River, crocodile-like gharials glide silently through the water—but if a gharial spots a stranger, the quiet may be punctuated by…
There’s a quick way to slow climate change. Why isn’t everyone doing it? - video
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and causes 25% of global heating today. We definitely don’t…
BoM forecasts strongest El Niño on record as research points to ‘alarming’ climate change influence
Bureau of Meteorology suggests El Niño has already broken records, with Pacific ocean temperature change exceeding 2C in six monthsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest u…
Probiotic and postbiotic treatments revive heat-stressed corals in field experiment
Climate change continues to threaten the world's coral reefs, which support at least a quarter of all marine life. Though probiotics have been shown to rehabilitate corals in aqua…
Completing the connectome: How pursuing a map of the fly brain rewired neuroscience
When researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus set out to create a map of all the neurons in the fruit fly brain in 2008, many in the scientific community thought they were ou…
Tiny crustacean helps scientists understand genes regulating circatidal rhythms
Scientists at UMass Chan Medical School and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole have shown that the four core clock genes responsible for maintaining circadian rhythms …