Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Parliamentary motions show growing AI use, with no disclosure from MPs
The two research teams have developed and used AI detectors trained on thousands of political motions in Sweden and the UK. What surprised the researchers was n...
Iron helped scientists trace Earth's oxygen. Now it's telling a bigger story
For decades, scientists have studied iron preserved in ancient rocks to reconstruct how Earth's oceans and atmosphere became rich in oxygen. A new study suggest...
Built to last or break down: Ring size tunes biodegradable plastic lifetimes
Biodegradable plastics should be tough enough for use yet able to break down at an appropriate rate afterward. Researchers at the University of Osaka show that...
Satellites spot forest stress two years before bark beetle die-offs become apparent
Satellite measurements detected declining photosynthetic activity in Western U.S. forests two years before bark beetle mortality appeared in aerial detection su...
Microbes—dead or alive—can be early indicators of soil health under regenerative farming
Researchers have demonstrated a series of biological tests that could serve as "proxies" for measuring how different regenerative agriculture practices could im...
Even second graders can reason like scientists—if we ask them the right way
When a child asks "Why does a blowfish puff up?" we often jump in with facts. But what if we paused and suggested that they ask instead, "How does a blowfish pu...
Nanoscale multiferroic materials open the path to efficient magnetic memory technology
With the rapid spread of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data centers, global energy consumption is rising to new heights. A promising way to reduc...
Predictive tools can confuse rare mutations with dangerous ones
When a patient's DNA is read, it is compared with a reference version of the human genome. This allows geneticists and rare disease experts to look at a list of...
Ig Nobel Prize winners reveal why babies smell better than teenagers
Babies smell wonderful—at least to their parents. An international research team of Ilona Croy, Tomasz Frackowiak, Thomas Hummel and Agnieszka Sorokowska invest...
Traces of nearly 4 million coins reveal how Rome achieved economic integration
For centuries, the study of ancient history relied primarily on interpreting classical texts and examining inscriptions and archaeological remains at their site...
'Green thumb' molecule helps leaf stalks grow in crowded conditions
Potassium (K) is one of the three essential nutrients for plants. It plays a critical role in a wide range of processes, including cell growth, photosynthesis a...
A molecular brake that keeps muscle architecture in check
Every movement we make, from blinking to sprinting, depends on the ability of muscle fibers to contract in a rapid and coordinated way. Achieving this precision...