Science
Fighting off microbial invasions drains plants' iron stores, but one protein helps restore balance
Energy production in our cells, oxygen traveling in our blood and immune cells fighting infection all depend on iron, an essential mineral that enters the food chain when plants a…
New DNA tool could help detect harmful algal blooms before they spread
A new study by researchers at the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University has demonstrated that a DNA sequencing tool can rapidly identify harmful algae in coa…
Removing rats and restoring native plants could help atolls withstand rising seas
Protecting seabirds and restoring natural vegetation could give low-lying tropical atoll islands a fighting chance against the threat of sea-level rise, a new study reveals.
Climate Change Is Increasing Simultaneous Exposure to Heat Waves and Wildfire Smoke
More than 1 billion people per year were exposed to heat waves and fire pollution at the same time from 2010-2019, a sharp jump from the decade before it, according to a new study…
SpaceX's Starship just turned 10 years old. When will it go to Mars?
A decade after Elon Musk publicly unveiled plans for the fully reusable megarocket, Starship has reached orbit. How far away is Mars?
Could AI ‘change the stakes’ in the development of bioweapons?
Experts say the technology could help terrorists and nation states with production but that significant hurdles remainIn his annual speech on threats to the nation, Sir Ken McCall…
Bacteria turn 3D-printed sand into solid building elements
Cement manufacturing is one of the largest sources of CO₂ emissions in the construction industry. At the Department of Architecture, Karen Antorveza Paez, who has just completed h…
For the future of green politics, look beyond the Green party | Zoe Williams
Environmentalists of all political hues must find the language and ideas that turn passion for climate action into impetusThe future of Green politics is under constant discussion…
Toothless 'hell chicken' dinosaur may have had a taste for fruit
While many dinosaurs were fearsome predators with razor-sharp teeth, others were peaceful herbivores munching on plants. We can now add a new species to the list of plant-eaters, …
Local DNA motion inside the cell stays nearly constant throughout interphase
Human genomic DNA is wrapped around core histone proteins to form nucleosomes, the fundamental units of chromatin. During interphase, the period between cell divisions, DNA is rep…
How drought shapes the impact of Xylella fastidiosa on almond trees
Xylella fastidiosa is a pathogen that poses a serious threat to agri-food systems. An insect-borne bacterium that eventually causes trees to dry out and die, it was first detected…
Plan unveiled to increase share of land farmed organically in England to 10%
Government says ambition for 2036 will be good for food and climate resilience, but concerns remain over fundingThe government has set an ambition to increase the share of English…
NASA’s Chandra Breaks Down ‘Treble Clef’s’ Galaxy Cluster Collision
Astronomers have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to break down the cause of a remarkable formation of radio waves they have nicknamed the “Treble Clef” because its distinct …
A tiny magnetic whirlpool could point to a new kind of ultra-efficient memory
Every time a computer stores or erases information, it uses energy. The amount is tiny for a single operation, but those operations happen billions of times every second. For deca…
On this day in space! Oct. 14, 1947: Test pilot Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, the first X-plane
On this day in space! Oct. 14, 1947: Test pilot Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, the first X-plane
Ocean discovery: Pacific bluefin tuna confirmed in Victorian waters
A discovery has led to the first confirmed records of recreational catches of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) in Victorian waters.
From spin wave to superconducting circuit: A one-way street for quantum information
Quantum information systems could one day shape everyday life through faster computing, sharper sensing and more secure communication. A new result from the U.S. Department of Ene…
New Study Reveals Clues About the Origins of Nepal’s Deadly Flood
A new study in the journal Seismica presents the first comprehensive seismic analysis of what happened during the disastrous flood in Nepal on Aug. 26. But exactly what triggered …
Storing memory on a chip with flowing water
Like the folds in crumpled sheets or the footprints on recently trodden sand, certain materials mark their histories. Now, Yale researchers show that networks of flowing water and…
Life after the moon: Artemis II's Christina Koch steps down from active astronaut duty
Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch will become NASA's acting deputy chief engineer on Nov. 1. All four Artemis II crewmates have now stepped away from active spaceflight…
Enzyme discovery opens a new route to natural UV-absorbing saclipins
Ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing compounds from natural sources are attracting interest as potential ingredients for cosmetics and other protective materials. Saclipins A and B are unus…
Mont Blanc the ‘roof of Europe’ loses more than a metre of height in a year
Peak of French mountain now 4,807 metres high and fluctuates year by year due to changes in Alpine climateEurope’s highest peak shrank by more than a metre last year, data has sho…
Ivy bees fight back against honeybees that drive other pollinators off flowers
Honeybees are outcompeting wild pollinators in the U.K., and new research has found evidence of their aggressive behavior, recording for the first time the extent to which they re…
NASA’s Space X CRS-35 Launch Jellyfish
Sunlight illuminates the exhaust plumes of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft on Oct. 13, 2026. This visual phenomenon is known as a “jellyfish”; it…