Science
Scientific discoveries and research
New exoplanet survey method finds high rates of closely orbiting planets
Up until now, exoplanet surveys have mostly focused on nearby, bright stars that are sun-like or are red dwarfs, which are known to frequently host planets. Whi...
Astrophysicists trace the origin of valuable metals in space, from colliding stars to merging galaxies
Billions of light years away in a remote part of the universe, two neutron stars—the ultradense remnants of dead stars—collided. The catastrophic cosmic event s...
Bacteria have a secret engineering trick to keep themselves in shape
Blow up a long balloon and two things happen: it gets longer and it gets wider. Now imagine a living cell that inflates itself under enormous pressure and yet o...
Japanese scientists discover how falling cats almost always make perfect landings
When cats fall, they usually land on their feet. This uncanny ability to right themselves before hitting the ground has long puzzled scientists. Now, a team fro...
A new protein timeline explains plasma membrane repair
In the evolutionary history of life, the ability of a cell to separate its inner world from the external environment was an important turning point. The so-call...
Student serves up fresh solutions to the pancake problem
David Cutler is in the spotlight for his work on a tasty-sounding mathematics problem. In January, the New York Times featured a research paper authored by Cutl...
Why lethal mutations persist: Fruit fly study points to newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors
Most lethal mutations in wild fruit flies are driven by newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors, according to a new study from Duke University. Th...
First absolute dating of Paleolithic paintings in the Dordogne
A research team led by a CNRS researcher has for the first time accurately determined the age of the cave paintings at Font-de-Gaume (Les Eyzies) in Dordogne (s...
Ancient stone jars shows how tree cover shapes freshwater ecosystems over millennia
Researchers at McGill University used 2,000-year-old stone jars in Laos to observe long-term ecological processes, enhancing understanding of how strongly tree...
Why averages fail for bacteria in the open ocean
How can bacteria that forage on organic particles survive in vast ocean regions where such particles are extremely sparse? A new study by researchers from ETH Z...
How boron helps to produce key proteins for new cancer therapies
Chemists from ETH Zurich have found a way to produce poorly soluble proteins by caging a uniquely reactive boron compound. This method opens up new possibilitie...
Distant past may expose companies to claims of hypocrisy
Companies risk being criticized as hypocritical when their words and deeds don't match—even if those discrepancies are decades apart, Cornell-led research finds...