Synchrony with chaos: Blinking lights of a firefly swarm embody in nature what mathematics predicted
Imagine an old-growth forest in the fading light of a summer evening. As the last of the sun's rays disappear beneath the horizon, a tiny flash catches your eye......»»
Fossil captures starfish splitting itself in two—showing this has been happening for 155 million years
One of the wildest wonders of nature is the ability of some animals to reproduce by splitting in half. There is still so much we don't know about this process. So the discovery of a 155-million-year-old starfish fossil frozen partway through this pro.....»»
Researchers make a surprising discovery: Magnetism in a common material for microelectronics
Nickel monosilicide (NiSi) is widely used to connect transistors in semiconductor circuits. Earlier theoretical calculations had incorrectly predicted that NiSi was not magnetic. As a result, researchers had never fully explored magnetism in NiSi......»»
A penguin with an unconventional call inspires researchers to change how they study penguins
An emperor penguin's sex determines the nature of their courtship call—male vocalizations are composed of long, slow bursts with lower frequency tones than the female version. But calls of SeaWorld San Diego male penguin E-79 caught the attention o.....»»
Sun shoots out biggest solar flare in almost 2 decades, but Earth should be out of the way this time
The sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummeled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places......»»
$460, 5,471-piece Lego Barad-dûr set comes for LOTR fans’ wallets in June
Fiery eye actually lights up, and multiple towers can be stacked. Lego Barad-dúr silently surveils a living room. [credit:.....»»
Chemists succeed in synthesizing a molecule first predicted 20 years ago
The first and the best-known metallocene is "ferrocene," which contains a single iron atom. Today, sandwich complexes can be found in many inorganic chemistry textbooks, and the bonding and electronic structure of metallocenes is taught in undergradu.....»»
Why are auroras so hard to predict? And when can we expect more?
On Saturday evening before Mother's Day, Australians witnessed a rare celestial spectacle: a breathtaking display of aurora australis, also known as the southern lights......»»
Indian Ocean sea-surface temperatures found to be accurate predictor of dengue outbreaks
A team of Earth scientists, health care workers and meteorologists affiliated with several institutions in China, and working with several international partners, reports that global dengue severity in Asia and South America can be predicted by sea-s.....»»
The secret to mimicking natural faults? Plexiglass and Teflon
When a fault ruptures in nature, some sections of the fault slip suddenly and seismically, weakening as velocity increases. Other regions creep slowly and strengthen with increasing velocity. The relative locations of these sections affect the size a.....»»
Researchers breed tomato plants that contain the complete genetic material of both parent plants
In a new study published in Nature Genetics, led by Charles Underwood from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, scientists established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design.....»»
Nature"s 3D printer: Bristle worms form bristles piece by piece
A new interdisciplinary study led by molecular biologist Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna provides exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii. Specialized cells, called chae.....»»
Spectral evidence found for Dirac spinons in a kagome lattice antiferromagnet
A new study, published in a recent issue of Nature Physics, sheds light on the long-anticipated emergence of quasiparticles, akin to the famous Dirac particles obeying the relativistic Dirac equation. These quasiparticles, known as Dirac spinons, wer.....»»
Researchers achieve first condensation of non-ground state cesium atoms
In a pioneering effort, researchers from the University of Innsbruck in collaboration with the University of Durham have for the first time achieved Bose-Einstein condensation of non-ground state cesium atoms. Published in Nature Communications, this.....»»
NOAA says “extreme” solar storm will persist through the weekend
So far disruptions from the geomagnetic storm appear to be manageable. Enlarge / Pink lights appear in the sky above College Station, Texas. (credit: ZoeAnn Bailey) After a night of stunning auroras across much of the Un.....»»
The Northern Lights Could Be Visible Across the US Thanks to a Rare Solar Storm
Three bursts of charged particles ejected from the sun have merged into a wave that could lead to brilliant auroras being visible from Moscow to Oklahoma City......»»
In Defense of Parasitic Worms
Nature can’t run without parasites, and climate change is driving some to extinction. What happens when they start to disappear?.....»»
NOAA says ‘extreme’ Solar storm will persist through the weekend
So far disruptions from the geomagnetic storm appear to be manageable. Enlarge / Pink lights appear in the sky above College Station, Texas. (credit: ZoeAnn Bailey) After a night of stunning auroras across much of the Un.....»»
Scientists unlock key to breeding "carbon gobbling" plants with a major appetite
The discovery of how a critical enzyme "hidden in nature's blueprint" works sheds new light on how cells control key processes in carbon fixation, a process fundamental for life on Earth......»»
Tauonium: The smallest and heaviest atom with pure electromagnetic interaction
The hydrogen atom was once considered the simplest atom in nature, composed of a structureless electron and a structured proton. However, as research progressed, scientists discovered a simpler type of atom, consisting of structureless electrons, muo.....»»
There is an urgent need for democratizing knowledge to revolutionize global food systems, researchers argue
In an article published today in Nature Food, a team of international experts delves into the urgent need for democratizing knowledge to revolutionize global food systems. Titled "Knowledge Democratization Approaches for Food Systems Transformation,".....»»