Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Spring-like porous crystals could enable chemically responsive microscale materials
Crystals are usually imagined as rigid objects with flat faces and straight edges. A research team led by the University of Osaka has recently created a porous...
A 6-nanometer vapor barrier insulates ice during rapid heating
Put a drop of water into a very hot pan, and it can skitter across the surface on a cushion of vapor. This is known as the Leidenfrost effect. Now, scientists h...
Climate change is putting the squeeze on the world's grapegrowers
This year, the European summer has been sweltering. It is unprecedented in many ways, marked by extreme heat, drought and record-breaking fires. Across the cont...
The science behind greener, healthier lawns
A healthy, green lawn can be the envy of any neighborhood, but how does someone cultivate a yard like that? Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Science Amber Churc...
3D scans reveal how lichen fungi grip algae across cell walls
Lichens colonize trees and rocks all over the world. They are symbiotic communities between fungi and photosynthetically active green algae or cyanobacteria, in...
Heat-related lost labor emerges as a major cost of carbon emissions
As the climate warms, people are more exposed to heat stress, which depresses productivity and the global economy. A study from the University of California, Da...
Pufferfish taste receptor more versatile than a human's, detecting both savory L- and sweet D-amino acids
Our sense of taste is critical for survival, alerting us to substances that provide vital nutrients and those that might poison us. Now, a team led by researche...
When equity appeals inspire giving to classrooms, what they signal matters
Online crowdfunding platforms have enabled teachers in great need of classroom supplies to reach potential donors far beyond their school communities. Yet acces...
How some cyclists paradoxically start 'from rest' with a non-zero velocity
Some track cyclists appear to break the rules of physics, but a new study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, has created a model explaining t...
Half-billion-year-old fossils rewrite the origin story of starfish
Scientists have discovered several 518-million-year-old fossils that reshape understanding of the origins of the animal group containing starfish. The fossils s...
Dual findings reveal how to control coherence in plasmonic nanolasers
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have uncovered two complementary mechanisms that govern coherence in miniaturized lasers composed of metallic n...
Mathematician challenges a 2,000-year-old legend about the Parthenon's optical illusions
One of Athens' crowning jewels is the Parthenon, a classical temple on the Acropolis that overlooks the Greek capital. According to legend, many historians, tex...