Science
Breeding advance could help protect East African rice harvests from bacterial blight
The rice disease bacterial leaf blight (for short: BB) is causing significant yield losses in Asia and Africa. It is triggered by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)…
Public sector an ‘afterthought’ to North Sea oil jobs, says Unison leader
Andrea Egan calls for same political focus on teachers, care sector and NHS and says Jackdaw decision ‘a serious misstep’UK politics live – latest updatesThe leader of the UK’s bi…
Extraterrestrial detection inspired by firefly communications could distinguish alien signals from pulsars
When we think of extraterrestrial intelligence that might be out there among the stars, we tend to think of creatures not too unlike us, though maybe with gray skin, probably bald…
Flying‑foxes are starving. Why are we still responding one crisis at a time?
Once again, Australia's flying-foxes are in trouble.
Confirming altermagnetism: A geometric twist offers experimental proof
For decades, physicists recognized only two types of magnetism that occur in materials without external influence: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. In findings published in …
Long-standing Indigenous practice of adding shells to sand helps young clams withstand ocean acidification
New research from the University of California, Davis, reveals why adding crushed shells to beach sand helps protect shell-making animals—such as clams, oysters and mussels—from t…
Burrowing shrimp are on the move in a mudflat near you
Burrowing shrimp are a pest well known to shellfish growers. These pale-bodied creatures excavate mud as they dig into the ground, creating piles of sediment that suffocate oyster…
Watch Virgin Galactic's new 'Delta-class' space plane take to the skies for the 1st time (video)
Virgin Galactic's first "Delta-class" space plane, the newly named Apeiron, lifted off for the first time on Thursday (Oct. 29) —beneath the wings of its carrier aircraft.
China's secretive space plane is flying over the US this week — here's how to see it for yourself
Early risers across the U.S. could catch a glimpse of China's mysterious Shenlong spacecraft with the naked eye.
Unusual quantum states in six-layer graphene offer clues to superconductivity
Graphene, a material consisting of a sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern, has proved promising for various technological applications. Materials in which several…
Reexamining sexual and species recognition in butterflies: The Partner-Hazard Space framework
Generally, intra- and intersexual interactions have been considered qualitatively different processes. However, same-sex sexual behavior is widespread in the animal kingdom, chall…
High-speed microscopy captures 3D images of living cells nearly 400 times faster
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a high-speed microscopy technique that captures images so quickly they can be used to make "videos" of the dynamic processes …
Crowding can speed up enzyme reactions—until protein droplets become too packed
Our cells are a hotbed of activity, with reactions churning away to keep us alive. But the cytoplasm, where many metabolic reactions take place, is not uniform. Instead, proteins …
November’s Night Sky Notes: Light-Day Away
Twin Travelers In 1977, NASA launched twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2, taking advantage of a once-every-175-year planetary alignment of the four largest planets in our solar syste…
Think Halloween is scary? This scorched alien world is a real-life cosmic horror story
Earth would be terrifying if we celebrated Halloween every 11 hours, a possibility on a super-Earth investigated by the JWST, if it wasn't so hellishly hot that no life could surv…
‘You can see the water going down’: residents on edge as one of England’s worst-hit reservoirs dries up
After UK’s hottest summer on record, Ardingly near Haywards Heath is just 19% full – and next-closest reservoir is unusable due to broken treatment works“You can see the water lev…
How Florida’s Amendment 3 Would Affect the State’s Iconic Water Resources
A proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution on the ballot this November is aimed at cutting property taxes. But the amendment would also affect funding for local governments …
In Arizona, Democrats See an Opportunity to Influence Energy Policy
PHOENIX— Koral Casillas’ American Dream was simple: Leave her corporate job to start a local business serving her community. Five years ago, she did just that. She’s now the co-o…
Pennsylvania’s Legislature Is Losing Its Climate Champion
In what might have been his last hearing as chair of Pennsylvania’s House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection committee, long-time Democratic state Rep. Greg Vitali seem…
Week in wildlife: a fishing anhinga, a northern nutcracker and cuddling seals
This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Country diary: The light and shade of autumn’s shortening days | Merryn Glover
Loch Insh, Cairngorms: In my three decades in Scotland I’ve adjusted to the darkness of this time of year, and found glory in the quality of lightIt is the one clear day in a fort…
Small molecular twists may strengthen nature's magnetic compass
A collaborative research team led by Yasuhiro Kobori at Kobe University, together with researchers from Toho University, Saitama University, Nagoya Institute of Technology and the…
APOD: 2026 October 30 – Haunting the Cepheus Flare
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 30 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosm…
Vega Island Frozen in Fright
The sight of an icy skull-like visage on the Antarctic island could make one’s blood run cold.