Science
New polystyrene uses 50% plant-based material and breaks into fragments for potential recycling
Polystyrene is used in protective packaging for televisions and electronic devices, in decorative boards and baseboards for interior construction, and in petri dishes. It is one o…
Ultrashort laser pulses let new microscope map electron interactions across thin materials
A new type of advanced microscope (wide-field coherent multidimensional microscopy) has been developed. It uses a carefully designed sequence of ultrashort light pulses to study t…
First global genome atlas reveals overlooked microscopic life in hundreds of lakes and reservoirs
Tiny single-celled organisms help keep lakes clear, but some can also contaminate the water. An international research team has analyzed DNA data from 362 lakes to create the firs…
Giant tortoises outnumber people in Seychelles, with nearly 183,000 on Aldabra
A landmark survey of the world's largest free-roaming giant tortoise population has revealed that the once-endangered species is thriving and stable in the Seychelles.
Acoustic experiments confirm topology can persist at gapless critical points
Two studies on critical topology have recently been published in the journal Nature. These studies were led by the teams of Prof. Baile Zhang at Nanyang Technological University, …
Compounding Climate Impacts Drive Tropical Forest Decline
Ozone pollution from fires, along with extreme heat and drought, is further weakening the Amazon rainforest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, new research shows. The Amazon and…
NASA’s SpaceX 35th Commercial Resupply Mission Overview
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Tuesday, Oct. 13 to launch scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.
NASA’s PRIMA Spacecraft (Artist’s Concept)
Description This artist’s concept depicts the proposed design for NASA’s PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA), which was selected by the agency in September 2026. T…
The American Livestock Industry’s Main Lobbying Group Treated Climate Change as a PR Problem
In 1991, Random House published a picture book called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: ABC’s for a Better Planet,” in which the masked cartoon turtles trade in their signature nunch…
Flexible tails could boost ancient sea predators' ambush speeds, fossil-based models suggest
Some of the giant marine reptiles that ruled the seas during the age of dinosaurs were better built for surprise attacks, while their relatives were better suited to chasing prey …
The Draconid meteor shower peaks tonight before bedtime. Here's how to see it
The Draconid meteor shower reaches peak activity on the evening of Oct. 8 in the beautifully dark skies ahead of the October new moon.
Polymer coating tackles MXene's water stability challenge, boosting CO₂-to-methane production
A research team has developed a photocatalytic technology that improves the stability of MXene, an emerging material vulnerable to water, to efficiently convert carbon dioxide int…
Radio galaxy from 12.5 billion years ago may be most powerful ever found
Astronomers have confirmed a powerful radio galaxy from nearly 12.5 billion years ago. The source, TXS 2354+015, was originally identified as a high-redshift candidate from its ch…
Enzymes could unlock biological recycling of difficult plastic waste
They are durable, cheap and everyday life is now hardly imaginable without them: plastics. More then 400 million metric tons are produced every year. As a large proportion is only…
All the news and science from the 2026 Nobel prizes – podcast
This year’s Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine have celebrated work that has been used to develop countless drugs and transform modern medicine, allowed…
Compact CRISPR alternative uses bacterial proteins to insert large DNA segments
A new engineered gene-editing system, proven in bacteria and showing promise for use in plants, animals and humans, addresses some limitations of current gene-editing tools, with …
This is what the 2026 Nobel prize for chemistry is all about
The Nobel prize in chemistry 2026 has been awarded to two scientists, Henri B Kagan at Paris-Sud University in France and Kensō Soai at Tokyo University of Science in Japan. Their…
A honey trap: Female-baited beetle traps reveal habitat variation in Japanese forests
Monitoring biological indicators plays a crucial role in forest management, which requires finding a delicate balance between timber use and biodiversity conservation. Across fore…
Scientists uncover how the world's smallest flowering plant became so tiny
A new study has revealed how some plants pack the same structures as larger species into a tiny space, making them promising candidates for future crops.
First observation of quantum spins shifting a centimeter-scale object in the lab
Modern technological breakthroughs like lasers, MRI scanners, semiconductors and quantum computers rest on the study of quantum mechanics. However, the field has predominantly foc…
194-year-old tortoise reveals stable gene switches that may help resist aging
Researchers studying a giant tortoise named Jonathan say it's not just good genes but a lack of genetic wear and tear that has kept him going for nearly two centuries.
Ancient spotted bat samples help researchers understand present-day population dynamics
Understanding changes in North American bat populations is critical to measuring the risk of extinction from emerging threats such as habitat loss, climate change, white-nose synd…
'Classic example' of sexual dimorphism in fossil record actually shows nuance between males and females
For decades, paleontologists have held up uintatheres as a prime illustration of sexual dimorphism, or the tendency for males and females of a species to be physically different. …
Dogs and owners disturb each other in the night, but still get pretty good sleep
Sleeping alongside your dog probably doesn't disrupt your sleep as much as you might think, according to a study published Oct. 7, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Ming Fei Li of …