Science
Scientific discoveries and research
A star's death throes involve a lot of kicking
When stars like our sun age, they puff up into red giants. Their bubbling outer mass gradually escapes into space, and their remaining cores contract into white...
Global uncertainty is the new normal. Here's why institutional legitimacy and resilience are crucial
The world has never had more data, more models or more economists. It has rarely felt more out of control. Uncertainty, not risk, has become the defining condit...
Abstract algebra unlocks distinguishable states for quantum systems
Researchers around the world are racing to develop new quantum-based systems for sensing, communication, computing and control that have the promise of outperfo...
Chandra reveals flickering supernova remnants in M83 over 14 years
The aftermath of a supernova, a stellar explosion, is usually a slowly fading cloud of hot gas. So when astronomers pointed NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at...
Digital platforms are making it more difficult to focus, read and even engage in democracy
Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year, "brain rot," refers to the loss of intelligence or critical thinking skills due to the overconsumption of specific types of cont...
Feeling poorer than peers linked to lower well-being, even when incomes are similar
New research is shedding light on how comparing ourselves to others affects happiness and life satisfaction. Led by McGill University researchers, the study sho...
Modern human skeletal biology needs to move beyond the strict male/female binary, scientists argue
Human skeletal biologists traditionally provide sex estimations as part of establishing biological profiles (skeletal sex, age-at-death, stature, ancestry/popul...
Deep Earth model traces 270 million years of seamount formation across oceans
Over 40,000 seamounts—undersea mountains that don't breach the ocean's surface—are scattered across the ocean floor. Some form linear chains, while others occur...
Onboarding support helps merchants adopt digital payment methods
Change can be hard—especially when you're used to receiving change. Switching from cash-based to digital payment methods can be a difficult sell, particularly i...
Benzene reaction may explain how DNA and RNA building blocks formed on early Earth
Caltech researchers have identified a novel chemical reaction that could explain the formation of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, the molecules that encode...
Why Arctic sea ice loss could reshape the Gulf Stream's future
The warm Gulf Stream is maintained by coldness. The Barents Sea is a cooling machine. To predict how ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean may develop, one needs...
Earthquakes can be destructive for distant cities built on top of basins—now we know why
Sedimentary basins—depressions in Earth's crust caused by tectonic activity—tend to be flat and are favored places to build cities. But during earthquakes, they...