Science
Stratospheric observatory Sunrise-III reveals intricate solar magnetic structures
A team of researchers led by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan discovered unexpectedly intricate magnetic structures above quiet-sun regions by observing the sun with…
Astronomers link mysterious cosmic flashes to collisions of dead stars
For decades, astronomers have identified collisions between two neutron stars through bursts of gamma rays that can disappear in less than two seconds. But some of these violent e…
How New World blackbirds conquered the Americas
Where did the roughly 100 species of New World blackbirds alive today originate, and how did they spread across the Americas? Dr. Axel Arango Garcia and professor Chaitanya S. Gok…
Longer lives despite mitochondrial defects? Worms rely on calcium-triggered 'cages'
If your car's engine develops a stutter, that's generally a sign that you should go to a mechanic before it stops running. We tend to think the same way about our bodies: When som…
New click beetle species named after Dominican Republic's Indigenous Arawak people
A new species of click beetle with a glossy and highly domed black body has been described from cloud forest sites in the mountains of the Dominican Republic and named in honor of…
Mysterious oarfish's fins inspire large underwater robot design
When designing a large underwater robot that could swim silently to avoid startling sea creatures, roboticist Rob Shepherd considered the unusual swimming system of oarfish, the m…
How sea squirts perceive underwater noise
Shipping, construction work and other human activities are altering the acoustic conditions in our planet's seas. Sound pressure is often examined to determine the effects that th…
NASA, International Partners Advance Work on Space Crops
NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and the German Aerospace Center signed a joint statement of intent to begin coordinated, preparatory work toward an Earth-based demonstrator to …
Chlamydia packs DNA with lipids, revealing possible target for blocking infection
The bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Biologically, it is regarded as a highly specialized "nutrient t…
Adult fossil strengthens evidence for Homo erectus in southern Africa 2 million years ago
La Trobe archaeologists have described 18 new hominin fossils, including a second Homo erectus skull fragment that confirms the species first appeared in southern Africa 2.0 milli…
Star Trails
This long-duration image shows star trails above Earth and the blue lights of fishing boats and the yellow lights of Indonesian cities stretching below the International Space Sta…
3D light fields push electrons into quantum states previously beyond experimental reach
By superimposing two ultrashort laser pulses that converge from different directions, a team of physicists at the University of Oldenburg has succeeded in generating three-dimensi…
Zinc oxide quantum dots enable faster charge detection, laying groundwork for spin qubits
Researchers at Tohoku University, in collaboration with the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and the University of Tokyo, have taken an important step toward semico…
Honeybee silk could power smarter wound dressings
Biodegradable films made from engineered honeybee silk could form the basis of a new generation of "smart" wound dressings, according to researchers at CSIRO and Adelaide Universi…
Hidden star cluster discovered in Milky Way's crowded disk defies easy classification
Astronomers have discovered a stellar cluster hidden in the crowded disk of the Milky Way. The object, named Garro 04, was first identified as an unusual collection of stars in ob…
Sugar found in meteorites may have helped secure its own survival on early Earth
Is there life elsewhere, or is Earth unique in the universe? This is one of humanity's great unanswered questions. One way to approach this mystery is to investigate how life bega…
Meta Announces Large Solar Purchase Agreement in Texas, But It’s Powering Some Data Centers With Gas
Apex Clean Energy and Meta have entered into a power purchase agreement that allows the technology company to financially benefit from energy generated from a solar project in Gon…
Earth and Mars: Built from different cosmic recipes
Four and a half billion years ago, Earth and Mars were born in the rotating cloud of gas and dust that would eventually become our solar system. Yet exactly how the planets formed…
Alpine bacteria show unexpected ability to fight viruses
A silent, long-running competition has been taking place in Swiss alpine lakes for millions of years, killing trillions of organisms every day without anyone noticing. This compet…
Drones, satellites and AI help scientists watch over Antarctica's smallest lifeforms
Monitoring Antarctica's tiny, scattered ecosystems is a challenge that has long plagued researchers. But a new study led by the University of Wollongong (UOW) offers a new approac…
Q&A: The safety and sterilization of pharmaceuticals manufacturing
Manufacturing modern medicines is a multistage process, and each step introduces the opportunity for contamination, which can be both deadly and expensive. Recently, epinephrine i…
Light-activated crystals break down DNA-like molecules in water, potentially curbing antibiotic resistance
Engineers have developed a new approach for turning ordinary water into a weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a study published in the journal Chem Catalysi…
All of a flutter: how butterflies avoid being a predator’s lunch
Their whirring wings and bright patterns help keep them safe from birds, British study findsNaturalists have long wondered how brightly coloured butterflies manage to evade the at…
Butterflies use optical illusions to dodge predators
A bird attacking a butterfly will often find its beak snapping at thin air. According to new research, that split-second miss isn't just bad luck. It's caused by a visual illusion…