Science
AI and 8 million digitized plant specimens reveal how the climate is changing nature in large parts of the world
AI optimists will be encouraged by a recent report on the state of the world's plants and fungi by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
NASA Student Aviation Challenge Focuses on Nation’s Infrastructure
NASA’s next Gateways to Blue Skies competition invites collegiate teams to imagine innovative new ways aircraft could inspect land-based infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnel…
Cells remodel actin normally without coronins, challenging textbook view
Coronins are found throughout the animal kingdom, from single-celled amoebae to humans, and are involved in many vital processes, including immunity, development and cell survival…
Australian beekeepers can't tackle Varroa mite alone. Here's how we can help
For decades, Australia was the last inhabited continent free of the bee-killing Varroa mite (Varroa destructor).
Novel plastic turns into a gas when heated—then reforms once cooled
In a study published in Macromolecules, researchers introduce a novel polymer that could simplify how materials are applied, removed and recycled by eliminating several complex pr…
Fifteen years of data link plastic pollution to seabird population losses
Every year, about 50 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into the environment. This waste entangles, chokes and poisons wildlife worldwide, including sable shearwaters living…
Starship lives! SpaceX craft arrives at Christmas Island after 24-day ocean ordeal
After Starship's test launch and splashdown last month, SpaceX recovery teams have successfully tugged the vehicle through a turbulent stretch of the Indian Ocean and arrived at c…
NASA's SkyFall Mars helicopters will feature a revolutionary antenna design
From 2021 to 2024, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter became the first vehicle of its kind to explore the Martian atmosphere and surface. With that proof of concept complete, NASA is pre…
How healthy are our coral reefs? Researchers have built a tool to help find out
Researchers at the University of Sydney have harnessed more than 30 years of data to build a new method to more accurately measure the impact of climate change-induced events on t…
Five new wasp species discovered in Cyprus, including one named after Aphrodite
Scientists have described five new species of parasitoid wasps from Cyprus, more than doubling the number of chalcid wasps known to be found nowhere else on the island. The wasps,…
Robotic ocean glider reveals giant phytoplankton chains in the Mediterranean Sea
Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, France, have discovered something surprising in the…
The use of AI in biotechnology is changing faster than the rules governing either technology
The recent announcement of novel, viable viruses created by artificial intelligence (AI) was celebrated as a major advance in the fight against antibiotic resistance. But it also …
How only a few tree species drive Amazon forest recovery
When a destroyed section of the Amazon rainforest begins to recover, nature deploys only a few tree species that can withstand poor soil conditions and blazing sun and grow rapidl…
Watch SpaceX launch its 100th mission of the year tonight
SpaceX will launch its 100th mission of the year tonight (Aug. 18), and you can watch the action live.
Ancient Jomon DNA reveals a hidden Ice Age survival genetic toolkit
Between 29,000 and 19,000 years ago, the planet experienced some of its coldest temperatures and drastic landscape changes at the peak of the Ice Age, during the Last Glacial Maxi…
Rebecca Hendin on Richard Tice and the climate crisis – cartoon
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ISS hosts first spacewalk by a Frenchwoman
Sophie Adenot became the first French woman astronaut to venture outside the International Space Station for a spacewalk Tuesday, accompanied by American astronaut Anil Menon.
Dynamic surface reconstruction explains how copper sulfide catalysts tune CO₂ reduction
Copper sulfide (CuS) catalysts continuously reconstruct their surface during electrochemical CO2 reduction, reports a study from the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. By uncoveri…
NASA’s B777 Gets New Coat of Paint
NASA’s Boeing 777 shows off a new paint job in this Aug. 11, 2026, photo. The B777 was acquired to replace and extend the capabilities of the NASA DC-8, which was retired in 2024.…
Double spiral inside narwhal tusks may explain their resistance to bending
The narwhal's impressive tusk has long been the subject of myths. In the Middle Ages, they were sold as unicorn horns believed to possess magical powers. Now, an international tea…
Loud snoring—simulation reveals the physical mechanism that keeps so many of us awake at night
Anyone who has had to share a room—or worse, a bed—with a loud snorer knows the effect unchecked snoring can have on sleep, sanity and emotional stability. An entire industry of p…
Hydrogen-powered 'rocket car' tops 400 mph in record-breaking test (video)
The JCB Hydromax vehicle averaged more than 400 mph during two runs in Utah last week, becoming the fastest hydrogen-powered car in history.
'Snooping' on dolphins offers acoustic clues to hotspots for food and friends
For dolphins, the ocean is a world of sound. Their whistles carry social information, helping them communicate and stay connected, while echolocation—rapid-fire clicks—functions l…
More than 5,000 little penguins will be vaxxed against bird flu. How will this protect them?
A major push is underway to catch and vaccinate more than 5,000 little penguins in Victoria to protect them against the virulent H5N1 bird flu.