Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Satellite images uncover new threat to emperor penguins during their annual molt
The tall black-and-white residents of Antarctica, who waddle around its icy landscape, are in peril thanks to the rapidly warming global climate. Emperor pengui...
Can we design sports shoes that don't squeak? Here's what the science says
The unofficial soundtrack of every basketball, squash or hard-court tennis match is the constant high-pitched squeak or shriek of the players' shoes. But can th...
Meet 'Tous'—an entirely new genus of mammal
Mammals are not especially diverse. Roughly 6,800 mammal species are known to exist, compared with about 8,800 species of amphibian, 11,000 species of bird and...
NASA rules out asteroid smashup on the moon in 2032
Here's one less thing to worry about—or to look forward to: NASA has ruled out any chance that an asteroid called 2024 YR4 will hit the moon in 2032. Last year,...
X-raying rocks reveals their carbon-storing capacity
To avoid the worst effects of climate change, many billions of metric tons of industrially generated carbon dioxide will have to be captured and stored away by...
Carbon emissions now more than double the planetary boundary, analysis finds
Earth is not infinite. Pollution beyond certain levels threatens the climate and ecosystems. To prevent this, scientists have proposed planetary boundaries, def...
Data reveal a significant acceleration of global warming since 2015
Global warming has accelerated since 2015, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). After accounting for known natur...
A superradiant clock phase emerges when Rydberg atoms meet quantum light, simulations suggest
Rydberg atoms are atoms with one or more outer electrons excited to very high energy levels, which interact very strongly with each other. These atoms are widel...
Researchers thought inbred koalas were at risk of extinction—what they discovered upends genetic conventions
If you follow media coverage of koalas, you could be forgiven for feeling confused. Recent stories describe a "koala paradox": endangered in the north of Austra...
Artificial feeding platform transforms study of ticks and their diseases
The world's first lab-based tick feeding system for bush ticks, developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne, has transformed the study of ticks and...
The 'Great Texas Freeze' killed thousands of purple martins: Biologists worry recovery could take decades
Thousands of birds, including beloved purple martins, died in "The Great Texas Freeze" of 2021. A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution led by biologist...
Fluorescent imaging reveals how a global parasite develops, opening new paths for drug treatment
It infects nearly one-third of the global population, yet its microscopic size makes the parasite difficult for scientists to study. That parasite is Toxoplasma...