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Figuring out where cosmic neutrinos come from is tricky—radio telescopes could help find 'ghost particles' origin
Neutrinos are funny little particles that weigh almost nothing, making them one of the universe's most elusive building blocks. They can come from objects as mundane as bananas and as exotic as supernovas—the exploding death throes of massive stars. Most neutrinos stream through ...
Scientists develop new system to boost prime editing in dicot plants
A new gene-editing system could make it easier for researchers to introduce precise genetic changes into crops such as tomatoes, soybeans and rapeseed. Developed by researchers in China, SmartPE improves prime editing efficiency in several dicot plants, addressing a major limitat...
Spatial mapping reveals how human urogenital organs codevelop during organogenesis
A new study has mapped human urogenital development in its native spatial context, revealing how neighboring organs coordinate their development through cellular communication and molecular signaling during embryogenesis.
APOD: 2026 October 31 – Night on a Spooky Planet
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 31 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brie...
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), which has many distinct regional strains on various continents.
New AI tool helps scientists identify bacteria hidden in soil
A handful of soil holds a crowded world of bacteria, fungi and other organisms. Scientists can collect their DNA, but much of it remains difficult to identify. Now, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and partner institutions have developed an artificial intelligenc...
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 Science, a team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has deliv...
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 oysters and clams growing on the surface. In estuaries on the West Coast, shrimp beds reach densities of hu...
Crop diversification protects fields from extreme weather and boosts productivity
Varying crop rotations and keeping the soil constantly covered with vegetation help protect crops against droughts and floods, in addition to increasing productivity. This technique was tested in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, by researchers from the Center for Carbon Research ...
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 and with big black eyes. We focus on the familiar, humanoids. But there are many intelligent species...
A gamma-ray powerhouse's smoking gun? Gas trail points to microquasar jets
In 2016, a binary star system emitting unusually strong gamma rays was discovered in our galactic neighborhood. Now, astronomers have found the smoking gun, or rather, a smoking trail of cool molecular gas that suggests jets emanating from a microquasar—one of the few known outsi...
JWST reveals a distant galaxy that may let most of its ionizing radiation escape
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have found evidence that a distant, exceptionally blue galaxy may allow most of its ionizing radiation to escape into space. Known as EBG-1, the gravitationally lensed galaxy is seen at a redshift of 9.244, about 530 million...
NASA's TRACERS first results offer peek into violent magnetic process
NASA's TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission has gathered its first clues to how space weather affects Earth's magnetic field. In a new paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, researchers break down...
NASA's new UV space telescope will launch in 2031
Most of us could spend our entire lives looking at the night sky and see very few changes. The moon becomes more or less illuminated, the planets drift placidly through the sky, satellites and the ISS intrude for a few moments at a time, and the bright, momentary streak of a mete...
Quantum skyrmions outlast entanglement, hinting at more resilient networks
Quantum networks could one day connect quantum computers into more powerful systems and enable new forms of secure communication. But a fundamental obstacle stands in the way: Quantum information is extraordinarily fragile, and the entanglement between particles of light on which...
New X-ray method isolates faint signals from water at material surfaces
A research team from Toyohashi University of Technology, the Institute for Molecular Science and the Institute of Science Tokyo, led by Yu Kinjo and professor Ryugo Tero of Toyohashi University of Technology, has developed a new method to investigate the state of water near mater...
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 University of Freiburg, has identified a potential molecular mechanism that could enhance magnetic c...
How a 'tropical' shortcut could help particle collider experiments
Particle accelerators are expensive. Not just to build or to run, but also to predict the outcome of measurements obtained from them.
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 layers of graphene are stacked together can exhibit different advantageous properties.
Vega Island Frozen in Fright
The sight of an icy skull-like visage on the Antarctic island could make one’s blood run cold.
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 cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brie...
NASA Explores Potential Commercial Servicing for Hubble Telescope
NASA issued a Request for Information Oct. 29 to learn more about industry capabilities for in-space servicing to support the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope.
Map Showing Potential Origins of Martian Meteorite Teghaza 001
Description This global map of Mars shows 13 locations that match the mineralogy and chemistry of Teghaza 001, one of the most ancient Martian meteorites ever found on Earth. While scientists can never know for sure where a Martian meteorite originated, Teghaza 001 includes clues...
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 system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Using six gravity assists between them, this Grand Tour gave...
Engineering researcher seeks to prevent AI agents from going rogue
As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly capable of working on their own, keeping them focused on their designated tasks is a growing challenge.
Armored caterpillars offer robot designers lessons in crossing slippery glass
Animals have long been one of the primary sources of inspiration for robotics researchers. This is because they rely on sophisticated biological mechanisms and locomotion strategies that could be artificially reproduced in robots to equip them with desired capabilities.
Binance heist: How were cryptocurrency billions stolen?
Binance, the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, estimates that assets worth $6.3 billion were impacted by a hacking attack against the trading platform.
Blockchain intelligence firms link North Korea to $6.3B hack on Binance
U.S.-based blockchain intelligence firm TRM said a North Korean hacking unit was likely behind the theft of more than $6 billion on the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.
Using ChatGPT before a medical appointment? How to get the best support for your health questions
Erin is in her early 40s. She works part time in a demanding job and has two kids in elementary school. She feels constantly exhausted; she's often angry and feels like she can't think like she used to. Her friend tells her it's perimenopause.
How cities can make room for robotaxis
Switzerland recently launched its first driverless taxi service in Furttal, near Zurich. As robotaxi services become a reality, researchers are increasingly focusing not just on their technical feasibility, but on how large fleets of autonomous vehicles can be integrated into tra...
A New Map of ‘Empty’ Space Challenges a Tranquil Picture of the Galaxy
For decades, astronomers treated the interstellar medium as a static backdrop to the goings-on of the universe. Now, a wave of 3D mapping is bringing the interstellar medium’s dynamic nature into focus. The post A New Map of ‘Empty’ Space Challenges a Tranquil Picture of the Gala...
Scientists confirm global warming is accelerating faster than ever recorded
Earth is warming faster than ever recorded, with scientists detecting a major acceleration in global temperatures since around 2015. A new study reveals that the warming rate has surged to approximately 0.35°C per decade, nearly double the average pace observed from 1970 to 2015....
A mysterious star system just 16 light-years away may be hiding habitable planets
Astronomers have solved a 170-year-old planetary mystery in a nearby two-star system, discovering that a mysterious wobble was caused by stellar activity rather than a giant planet. Although Jupiter-sized worlds have been ruled out in key regions, smaller, potentially habitable p...
Physicists created a tiny universe and watched time emerge without a clock
Scientists have created a miniature universe in the laboratory that could help answer one of the biggest mysteries in physics: What is time, and where does it come from? Using 24,000 ultracold atoms, a University of Birmingham researcher built an isolated quantum system that repe...
Hubble reveals a stunning twist in how the universe emerged from darkness
A surprising discovery by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope is challenging a leading explanation for how the early universe emerged from a dense fog of hydrogen roughly 13 billion years ago. Scientists once believed powerful winds from exploding stars helped radiation ...
The asteroid killed the dinosaurs. Why did crocodiles survive?
Scientists may have solved a 66-million-year-old mystery: how crocodiles survived the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. A sweeping analysis of fossils and ancient climates suggests that their preference for warm environments placed them in tropical refuges that remained habi...
How Do You Take a Picture of a Black Hole?
Astrophysicist Shep Doeleman explains how capturing the first image of a black hole required a telescope the size of the world, and why the next goal is to create a movie. The post How Do You Take a Picture of a Black Hole? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Scientists discover a hidden oxygen reservoir deep inside Earth
Scientists have discovered that magma deep inside Earth can store surprising amounts of extra oxygen, potentially revealing a hidden contributor to our planet's oxygen-rich atmosphere. The findings suggest that ancient volcanic eruptions may have helped transform Earth's atmosphe...
Meteors don't just burn up. What really happens is far more violent
Scientists have uncovered seven surprising stages that space rocks go through as they hurtle toward Earth, revealing that melting and violent fragmentation, rather than simple evaporation, determine their fate. The discovery could help explain why meteorites scatter across the gr...
128,000-year-old ice in Tibet could rewrite climate history
Ancient ice discovered high in Tibet may be more than 128,000 years old, preserving an extraordinary record of Earth's climate that scientists previously thought had been lost. The discovery reveals a rare glimpse into the last ice age and could reshape our understanding of how g...
NASA discovers Jupiter’s invisible shield is more complex than Earth’s
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has discovered that Jupiter uses a surprisingly complex system of powerful plasma waves and multiple shock regions to defend against the solar wind. The findings reveal major differences between Jupiter and Earth and could help scientists understand the eno...
Einstein's equations may explain the universe without dark energy
Mathematicians have uncovered what they argue is a fundamental flaw in the standard model of the universe, potentially challenging the need for dark energy. Their calculations suggest that the mathematical framework used to describe cosmic expansion is inherently unstable and tha...
How Spiders Spin ‘Silk Dope’ Into Nature’s Toughest Material
By probing its molecular structure, biologists are uncovering how a tangle of unstructured proteins turns into a strong, flexible fiber. The post How Spiders Spin ‘Silk Dope’ Into Nature’s Toughest Material first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Earth's ice ages may have been driven by a hidden ocean chain reaction
Scientists have uncovered a surprising connection between Earth's opposite poles that may help explain how the planet plunged into past ice ages. New research suggests that as massive ice sheets expanded across the Northern Hemisphere, they cooled Atlantic Ocean waters that event...
Scientists discover a hidden 100-million-year-old volcanic system
Scientists have uncovered a long-lost volcanic system in Iran that dates back roughly 100 million years, revealing a hidden chapter in Earth's tectonic history. The discovery sheds new light on the disappearance of an ancient ocean and the powerful geological forces that reshaped...
How Voting Is Like a Klein Bottle
A new topological model connects a centuries-old voting paradox to a surface with no distinct inside or outside. The post How Voting Is Like a Klein Bottle first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Tiny magnetic vortices could help computers work more like your brain
Scientists have filmed tiny magnetic vortices called skyrmions melting out of an organized lattice for the first time, revealing new ways to manipulate these unusual structures. The breakthrough could help make brain-like computers a reality, potentially enabling dramatically sma...
New 3D thermal invisibility cloak makes objects disappear from infrared cameras
Researchers have developed a groundbreaking 3D invisibility cloak that can hide complex objects from infrared cameras while protecting them from extreme heat and cold. Instead of blocking heat, the device guides it around an object, making the object appear invisible to thermal i...
