Demystifying the complex nature of Arctic clouds
With dancing ribbons of light visible in the sky, a team of researchers flew on a series of scenic and sometimes stormy flights into the cold unknown, trying to learn more about why one of the most frigid places on Earth is warming at a feverish pace.....»»
Scalable production of high-quality organoids: Innovative platform utilizes 3D engineered nanofiber membrane
A research team has successfully developed a platform capable of scalable, uniform production of organoids that mimic biological functions. Their research has recently been published in the journal Nature Communications......»»
Exploring life at its simplest: Scientists create a "minimal cell membrane" with just two lipids
Lipids, or fats, are essential to life. They form the membranes around cells, protecting them from the outside. In nature, there is an enormous diversity of lipids, with each organism having its own unique combination. But what are the minimum lipid.....»»
How physics moves from wild ideas to actual experiments
Science often accommodates audacious proposals. Neutrinos are some of nature’s most elusive particles. One hundred trillion fly through your body every second, but each one has.....»»
WEAVE spectrograph uncovers dual nature of galaxy shock
Using the set of first-light observations from the new William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE) wide-field spectrograph, a team of more than 50 astronomers, led by Dr. Marina Arnaudova at the University of Hertfordshire, has.....»»
What delusions can tell us about the cognitive nature of belief
Delusions can sometimes turn into strongly held beliefs. Beliefs are convictions of reality that we accept as true. They provide us with the basic mental scaffolding to understan.....»»
Exploring new liquid organic hydrogen carrier materials for a safer, more transportable energy source
To reduce CO2 emissions, the energy transition from a carbon-based energy system to a more sustainable system based on hydrogen energy is urgently needed. However, the nature of hydrogen (such as low volumetric density, flammability, and embrittlemen.....»»
Next-generation, nature-inspired sunscreens have a new molecular scaffold
A team of researchers led by professors Wybren Jan Buma at the University of Amsterdam and Vasilios Stavros at the University of Warwick (U.K.) have laid the groundwork for using urocanic acid and its derivatives as a novel class of sunscreen filters.....»»
Companies won"t survive in a nature-depleted world—some business owners are taking action
After the conclusion of UN biodiversity conference Cop16, it was easy to feel disappointed. In Cali, Colombia, discussions fell short on how to monitor targets and progress remains slow. Despite agreements, Cop16 lacked urgency from governments and t.....»»
"Genetic time machine" reveals complex chimpanzee cultures
In recent decades, scientists have clearly demonstrated that chimpanzees, like humans, pass on complex cultures such as tool use from generation to generation. But human culture has become vastly more sophisticated, from the Stone Age to the Space Ag.....»»
Video: Our sun is the star in a new simulation
NASA supercomputers are shedding light on what causes some of the sun's most complex behaviors. Using data from the suite of active sun-watching spacecraft currently observing the star at the heart of our solar system, researchers can explore solar d.....»»
A nearby supernova could end the search for dark matter
The search for the universe's dark matter could end tomorrow—given a nearby supernova and a little luck. The nature of dark matter has eluded astronomers for 90 years, since the realization that 85% of the matter in the universe is not visible thro.....»»
AI tool can engineer "better, faster, stronger" proteins
Nature is adept at designing proteins. Scientists are even better. But artificial intelligence holds the promise of improving proteins many times over. Medical applications for such "designer proteins" range from creating more precise antibodies for.....»»
Social media has complex effects on adolescent well-being, and policymakers must take note
In late 2024, more than 20 years after the birth of Facebook, the impact of social media on our lives cannot be overstated. Initially underestimated by many in business, social media eventually came to be recognized for its power to enable workers to.....»»
Nature-based solutions are cheap and effective, and governments have the tools to make them a reality
As the world gathers in Azerbaijan for this year's annual UN climate conference (COP29), the urgency to act on climate change has never been greater......»»
Engineering nature"s blueprint: Dendron-based assemblies for chlorophyll"s materials
Researchers often look to photosynthesis—a process that turns sunlight into chemical energy in plants and bacteria—as a model for innovation. Photosynthesis is in turn linked to chlorophyll pigments, tiny green molecules that play a key role in h.....»»
Engraved trees map the way to preserving Sámi culture
Archaeologists analyzed trees engraved by the Indigenous Sámi of Arctic Europe, revealing the significance of these rare remnants of Sámi culture and the importance of preserving them from ongoing deforestation......»»
Low-cost phenotyping system unveils key insights into quantitative disease resistance in wild tomatoes
Quantitative disease resistance (QDR) is a complex but durable form of plant disease resistance that provides partial protection against a broad range of pathogens. Unlike qualitative resistance, driven by major resistance (R) genes, QDR is polygenic.....»»
Oceanographic expedition provides evidence on the "atlantification" of the Arctic Ocean
The international BIOCAL expedition, led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), provided new evidence on the phenomenon of "atlantification" of the Arctic Ocean, a process relate.....»»
Megapixel fluorescence microscopy through scattering layers made simple
A team from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has introduced a new method for megapixel-scale fluorescence microscopy through complex scattering media. This approach resolves high-resolution images from several tens of widefield fluorescence-microsc.....»»
New tool to map protease specificity may pave the way for improved treatments
FMI researchers have developed a new tool that maps how proteases—enzymes that process proteins—cut their targets. This innovation offers new insight into the highly selective nature of proteases, which were previously seen as indiscriminate degr.....»»