Science
The surprising psychology of morbid curiosity – podcast
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan has incurred condemnation from human rights groups and politicians on all sides. But acco…
SpaceX launches Falcon 9 Starlink mission for 1st time in more than 3 weeks (photo)
SpaceX launched 27 of its Starlink broadband satellites to orbit today (Oct. 12), the first such mission for a Falcon 9 rocket since Sept. 19.
Snakebites are a far bigger problem than we knew: new study maps the hidden dangers
Not every snakebite injects venom. When venom enters the body, however, it can cause snake envenoming. This is a potentially fatal condition that mostly affects poor rural communi…
Stabilizing a simple amino acid opens a path to biodegradable sensors
The humble amino acid glycine—the simplest of all amino acids—is everywhere. The human body produces it, and it helps make up our skin, bones and ligaments. It's found in meats li…
Gravity and quantum information linked through a derivation of Einstein's equations
Recent research shows that gravity and quantum information are deeply connected and that the shape of spacetime can be traced back to the way information is stored in quantum fiel…
Magnetic sculpting transforms single-source fields into predetermined shapes with mathematical precision
Magnetic fields are invisible yet essential components in technologies ranging from MRI scanners and particle accelerators to atomic clocks and future quantum computers. Each of t…
Bacterial antiviral defense suggests ancient link to human chromosome protection
A new antiviral defense system discovered by Columbia scientists could be adapted in the future into a gene editor that slows down aging in our cells and improves cancer therapies…
Chemical disorder gives new ceramic film magnetic properties for potential low-power electronics
A material thinner than a human hair may foster faster computing devices that demand less energy and store more data, according to a multi-institutional team led by researchers in…
From nonmagnetic to magnetic: A 2D semiconductor with electrically tunable magnetism
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with scientists from institutions in Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Germany, have demonstrated a…
Reinforced vertebrae allow plunge-diving seabirds to survive high-speed impact
A northern gannet scans the sea for fish from 100 feet (30 meters) in the air. Upon seeing a school, it pitches its body into a nosedive, somehow breaking the surface at 70 miles …
Cholesterol-linked drug boosts gene-targeting potency in early findings
Nucleic acid therapeutics, such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), have emerged as promising platforms for treating a variety of previously hard-to-treat diseases, including ne…
Vapor-based method creates ultralight aerogels without conventional liquid-based chemistry
Researchers at National Taiwan University (NTU), working across the College of Engineering, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), have developed a ne…
SpaceX launching 6,300 pounds of cargo to the ISS on Oct. 13: Watch it live
SpaceX will launch more than 3 tons of cargo toward the International Space Station on Tuesday morning (Oct. 13), and you can watch the action live.
High-speed microscopy captures sugar-building enzymes forming rigid pairs and flexible assemblies
From a rigid molecular pair to flexible assemblies with moving domains, the enzymes that build sugar chains display strikingly different behaviors.
Baby tooth places macaques in northern Germany more than 300,000 years ago
A research team from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen and Leiden University in the Netherlands has examined a tooth f…
New light-emitting organic materials could enable deep-tissue bioimaging
Researchers at the University of St Andrews have identified the first examples of a new class of advanced organic semiconductor materials that could one day be used as bioimaging …
Astronomers witness supermassive black hole gorge on a cosmic meal before 'burping' radio jets 300 days later
Using the NASA spacecraft Swift, astronomers observed a supermassive black hole burping radio jets 300 days after a heavy cosmic meal.
Tiny fossils reveal a missing chapter of ocean life after Snowball Earth
A rare assemblage of micro- and macro-fossils found in a roadside outcrop in South China, featuring thin ribbons, branching shapes and a tiny balloon on a stalk, offers a glimpse …
Primordial helium further confirms our understanding of the Big Bang
In the early moments of the big bang, two elements were forged: hydrogen and helium. Technically, the tiniest traces of light elements such as lithium were produced as well, but n…
Elephants continue to shape the savanna even after death
Elephants shape the African savanna. They consume huge amounts of forage, dig for water, topple trees and affect all the animals around them. So, what happens to their outsized pr…
High-speed video reveals how honey bee stingers keep pumping venom after detachment
Australian scientists have used high-speed video to uncover the unique mechanism that allows a honey bee's stinger to continue to pump venom into its target even after it has sepa…
NASA demonstrates next-generation heat shield technologies
NASA is taking an unusual approach to testing heat shields that can keep astronauts safe as they return from missions to the moon and Mars: taking out the trash.
Fijian bee genomics suggest 99% effective population decline since European colonization
The decline of pollinator species due to habitat loss and pesticide use over recent decades has been a global concern. Pollinators like bees and butterflies support both wild plan…
New Jurassic crocodile species had unusually slender teeth, suggesting it fed on shrimp and tiny fish
A new species of ancient crocodile relative that lived around 170 million years ago has been discovered by scientists at the University of Portsmouth and Hassan II University of C…