Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.
A study in Contemporary Economic Policy examined whether racial and ethnic differences in U.S. disability insurance approval rates reflect disparities in the determination process or broader differences in applicants' circumstances.
Scientists have found strong observational evidence that a key part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has been weakening across a wide stretch of ocean for nearly two decades. The slowdown could eventually reshape weather patterns, rainfall, storms, winters, and coastal sea levels around the Atlantic.
How can regions better adapt their water and soil resources to the impacts of climate change? After four years of research, the European collaborative project Blue Transition, led by the LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics in Hanover, takes stock. The final report brings together the findings from 16 pilot regions in six countries and identifies three key levers to strengthen climate resilience: changing land use, improving soil health and diversifying water resources and optimizing their use.
Physicists searching through Large Hadron Collider data found no evidence that the machine has been producing microscopic quantum black holes, but the result sharply narrows where such exotic physics could still be hiding. These hypothetical black holes could form if extra spatial dimensions make gravity much stronger at extremely tiny scales, potentially offering clues toward the long-sought theory of quantum gravity.
Ancient iron meteorites reveal that some of the Solar System’s first solid bodies were built mostly from tiny heat-forged rock beads called chondrules, while water-rich dust was largely excluded. The finding pushes this selective planet-building process back to within the Solar System’s first million years.
Denmark and its Scandinavian neighbors often appear at the top of many of the world's "best of" lists, from happiest and least corrupt to the best place to raise a family.
Lake Powell has fallen to its lowest level on record after an exceptionally dry and warm winter left the Colorado River Basin with little mountain snow to melt. Lake Mead also reached record lows, raising concerns for a river system that supplies water and power to more than 40 million people. Federal officials have taken emergency steps to stabilize Lake Powell, including sending in water from another reservoir and reducing releases downstream.
Workers in sales might roll their eyes when they deal with a micromanaging boss. But many customers actually appreciate it if a store manager offers to help when they're mulling over a purchase, whether it's a dishwasher, a tablet or a lawn mower.
A new experimental drug called CS18 may help break through cancer drug resistance by disabling several of the defenses tumors use to survive treatment. It strengthened existing therapies, restored drug sensitivity in resistant lung cancer cells, and slowed tumor growth in animal models.
School vacations inevitably mean more squabbles. Longer days together, less structure and more sharing (of toys, screens, space and parental attention) all lead to children demanding that you referee fights and arguments.
An ironic development emerging alongside the "Make America Healthy Again" movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and performance-enhancing product. Across social media, podcasts, wellness communities and tech startups, prominent wellness personalities and other influencers are portraying nicotine as a misunderstood compound whose potential benefits have been overshadowed by its negative association with cigarette smoking.
Creating a perfect crystal sounds straightforward: Arrange identical building blocks into a repeating, orderly structure. At the microscopic scale, though, even subtle biases in how particles interact can push them in preferred directions, making it harder to form uniform crystalline materials.
Plesiosaurs swam into river deltas to vomit up shells and other indigestible elements of their marine meals, suggests new research published by Cambridge University Press. The behavior resembles that of today's fur seals and marine crocodiles.
An international research team has developed microscopic particles that can make blind retinas respond to light. The particles act as tiny light receptors. Researchers inject them into the eye, where they settle close to nerve cells in the retina. When light hits the particles, it triggers electrical and chemical processes that can activate the nerve cells and prompt them to send signals toward the brain.
To boost corals' resilience amid rising sea temperatures and the spread of disease, KAUST researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection.
This summer, Norwegian news has reported (in Norwegian) multiple stories about Lofoten residents who shot at drones out of sheer frustration. But not everyone exposed to approaching drones has a gun with which to defend themselves.
A team led by University at Buffalo physicists has found a mathematical solution that shows how a frustrated quantum magnet can transition from ultraslow behavior to ultrafast, highly entangled behavior resembling that of a black hole.
A new study led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that living matter violates previously known physical principles of symmetry when cellular flows form and break down collective patterns. The research, published in Nature Physics, challenges conventional liquid-crystal physics by showing that moving single-celled bacteria and human respiratory cells spontaneously break mirror symmetry, moving in curved, irreversible spiral paths.
Imagine your child asks you out of the blue, "If we speak Spanish, will they take you away?" Or imagine them suddenly asking what an offensive slur means. When a child asks these types of questions, it can be difficult to trace them back to a specific news story or event. But you may not need to. The question itself tells you that your child is trying to make sense of something they heard.
As AI companions become more commonplace, new research from Singapore Management University (SMU) and Duke-NUS Medical School argues that the real question is no longer whether these technologies are beneficial or harmful, but who benefits, who is most at risk and how society can ensure AI serves everyone equitably.