Science
Latest science news and stories from around the world
Time may be an illusion derived from quantum entanglement
A new Physical Review A study argues time may emerge from quantum entanglement rather than exist as a fundamental backdrop.
Primate evolution kept aging rates stable for 25 million years despite lifespan gaps
Biologists group animals with similar traits into broad categories called orders. Despite their similarities, animal species in the same order can have very different average lifespans.
Humans And Great Apes May Have Shared Same Laughter Pattern For Millions Of Years: Study
The study found that the laughter of humans and great apes follows similar rhythms.
World‑first study finds Homo Naledi were all female
The finding raises profound questions about the species’ biology, culture and possible sex‑specific burial practices.
Dominance, drivers and thresholds of DEN, ANA, and DNRA quantified using a global dataset of cross-ecosystems and machine-learning
Nitrogen retention and loss in the critical zone are regulated by denitrification (DEN), anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANA) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), yet their global partitioning remains uncertain. A global dataset from 72 studies reporting DEN, ANA and DNRA rates plus environmental variables and functional genes was analyzed using random forests, generalized additive models and mixed-effects gene–rate analyses. Across ecosystems, contributions followed DEN (66.3%) > DNRA (21.9%) > ANA (11.8%). Wetlands showed consistently elevated DEN rates (mean 11.35 nmol N g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and the strongest ANA activity (mean 1.39 nmol N g⁻¹ h⁻¹), supporting moisture-rich systems as hotspots for DEN and ANA whereas highlands showed the highest relative DNRA (37.8% contribution; 6.89 nmol N g⁻¹ h⁻¹). Seven principal components explained 63.4% of the variance, highlighting critical zone organic matter pools, anaerobic metabolic intensity, and critical zone moisture and nutrient availability as the main environmental controls. Random forest models indicated that NO₃⁻ is the primary predictor for DEN and ANA (together with moisture and temperature/carbon supply), while DNRA is driven more strongly by NH₄⁺ (together with precipitation and temperature). DEN and ANA initially related to moisture negatively then positively at inflection points of about 15%. All processes were associated with hzsB, but correlations were weaker for DNRA. Together, these findings fill a key gap by providing a global, cross-ecosystem synthesis that jointly quantifies the rates, drivers, thresholds, and functional gene–rate associations of DEN, ANA, and DNRA.
NASA Astronaut Shares Breathtaking Photos Of Thunderclouds Seen From The International Space Station
The photographs shared by the NASA astronaut captured the striking appearance of the clouds from orbit.
Science news this week: Life on Mars, weird water and a curious human cousin
June 27, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Discovery of fish-eating raptor in Argentina points to prehistoric links with China
Unearthed on opposite sides of the world, fossils of Kank australis and velociraptors sport matching claws, revealing evolutionary ties.
Strange glowing 'bow-and-arrow' structure may be a giant cosmic shock wave created by a supersonic galaxy c...
A bizarre "bow-and-arrow" radio galaxy nearly 1.8 million light-years across could reveal how galaxy clusters sculpt some of the universe's largest structures.
Strange glowing 'bow-and-arrow' structure may be a giant cosmic shock wave created by a supersonic galaxy collision
A bizarre "bow-and-arrow" radio galaxy nearly 1.8 million light-years across could reveal how galaxy clusters sculpt some of the universe's largest structures.
Researchers tickle gorillas, other apes and find out they giggle
A new study suggests humans and great apes have been giggling in similar ways dating back 15 million years.
Watch NASA's Next-Generation Moon Rover Crush An Obstacle Course
Because waiting for permission to avoid a rock sucks.
Phase-only synthesis of cosecant-squared patterns with reduced sidelobes in large planar arrays via physics-informed deep neural networks
This paper introduces a deep learning-based framework for phase-only synthesis of cosecant-squared (csc²) radiation patterns in planar antenna arrays with high efficiency and accuracy. The proposed method employs a physics-informed deep neural network (PIDNN), where the training process is guided by a loss function that enforces consistency between the desired and generated radiation patterns. By embedding physical constraints into the learning procedure, the model effectively achieves two critical objectives: suppression of sidelobe level (SLL) and minimization of ripples within the shaped beam region. To meet the target csc² profile under sidelobe constraints, only the phase excitations of the array elements are optimized, reducing the complexity of the problem. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated against established optimization methods, including genetic algorithms (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Numerical and statistical analyses demonstrate that the PIDNN provides superior results in terms of pattern fidelity, loss function convergence, and computation time, particularly for large-scale planar arrays.
How to See the Giant Asteroid That Will Pass by Earth This Weekend
The asteroid will be visible for several nights from different parts of the world. We’ll tell you when and where to look, and what equipment you’ll need to spot it.
Evidence identifies ancient Aboriginal mining in the Riverland
Flinders University researchers, in partnership with the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, have found evidence that points to 7,000 years of Aboriginal mining of stone at Sugarloaf Hill in South Australia's Riverland. The dating formed part of the first detailed investigation into an Aboriginal chert and silcrete quarry in the Riverland region.
Ancient Mars Hosted Complex Deep-Earth Volcanism
Did ancient Mars have a vast underground volcanic system like Earth? This is what a recent study published in Nature Astronomy hopes to address as a team o | Space
New screening approach identifies proteins that control human gene expression
Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a large-scale screening approach that identifies proteins controlling a fundamental step in gene expression known as alternative polyadenylation (APA).
Genome evolution and transposable element expansion reveal host-associated genomic features in Cladosporium cucumerinum
How pathogens adapt to specific hosts remains an open question. Here, we investigate Cladosporium cucumerinum, a pathogen largely associated with Cucurbitaceae. Comparative genomic analysis of five newly Cladosporium sequenced genomes together with 19 publicly available genomes indicates that the diversification of C. cucumerinum occurred after that of its cucumber host lineage. We observe gene family contraction alongside lineage-specific expansion of long terminal repeat retrotransposons, accompanied by variation in gene repertoires including carbohydrate-active enzymes and secondary metabolite gene clusters. A lineage-specific β-glucosidase, CcBGL258, is required for pathogenicity but is dispensable for vegetative growth under in vitro conditions. Transcriptomic analyses reveal dynamic changes in gene expression during infection in both the pathogen and the host. Together, these results provide a genomic framework for host-associated features in C. cucumerinum, although we highlight that several associations observed in the study remain correlative and require further functional validation. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics, together with gene knockout experiments, identify CcBGL258 as a pathogenicity-associated factor and provide a framework for studying host-associated features in Cladosporium cucumerinum.
The James Webb Space Telescope found a spiral galaxy, nicknamed the Big Wheel, that existed just two billion years after the Big Bang — five times more massive than the Milky Way, with a spiral struct
JWST observations reveal the Big Wheel as a giant rotating disk galaxy two billion years after the Big Bang, unusually massive and large for its epoch.
Far-red radiation and elevated CO₂ boost biomass accumulation in young leaf lettuce indoors
A new study from scientists at Purdue University reports that far-red radiation, in combination with increased carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration, significantly enhances biomass production in young leaf lettuce grown under controlled environments, offering practical guidance for indoor farming operators enthusiastic about including far-red in their sole-source lighting recipes.