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In a study published in npj Clean Water, researchers from EPFL investigated how Escherichia coli responds to different concentrations of plasma-activated water (PAW) under nutrient-rich conditions. The team combined conventional colony-forming unit (CFU) counting with nanomotion sensing, a technique that detects nanoscale oscillations produced by metabolically active bacteria.

Why do some students become ever better at mathematics, while others plateau? Many people may think that mathematics is primarily about cognitive skills. A new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) provides a more nuanced view. The paper is published in the journal Contemporary Educational Psychology.

To sense their environment and respond accordingly, cells enlist membrane proteins as communication hubs, receiving molecular messages from outside and triggering responses inside. One of these proteins is Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), an immune receptor that plays an essential role in protecting against infections. But overactivity of TLR4 has been linked to inflammatory disorders like sepsis, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, making it an attractive target for therapies. Despite its app

Aerosols are small particles suspended in our atmosphere. They come in many flavors: Wildfire smoke, pollen, desert dust, sea salt lofted by powerful storms, volcanic sulfates and emissions from engines and industrial processes are all examples.

When we speak with Luyao Huang, her Ph.D. project at Leiden University is in full swing. Two papers

John Daigle, professor of forest recreation management at the University of Maine, co-authored the first paper in a series designed to help communities nationwide prepare for future natural disasters and other extreme weather events.

While scientists are known for their dedication to their research, crawling on the floor to avoid electrocution for the sake of a measurement seems a little excessive. But this is what British physicist John Cockcroft and Irish physicist Ernest T.S. Walton had to do in the early 1930s while studying the structure of atomic nuclei. Luckily, their efforts led to their receiving the Nobel Prize in 1951.

Research led by a group from the University of Newcastle has found a new way to make silicone surfaces

Many natural plant compounds have promising health-related properties, but their poor water solubility can limit how effectively they are absorbed and used. In previous work, researchers discovered an enzyme from Bacillus subtilis, called phenolic phosphate synthetase (BsPPS), that can attach phosphate groups to a broad range of phenolic compounds. This modification can help make these compounds more water-soluble and support the development of improved nutraceuticals and related products.

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Thanks to enzyme-based biocatalysis, an enormous range of pharmaceutical active ingredients and other complex molecules can be synthesized in an environmentally friendly manner. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed a technology that allows to assemble enzymes into millimeter-sized, storable beads. In this process, the enzymes not only act as catalysts but also constitute the beads

Astronomers using Georgia State University

Stories about AI systems deceiving users, cooperating with one another or pursuing their own goals increasingly invite us to talk about them as if they had minds of their own. But do people really believe that AI is conscious? A new LMU study suggests that they draw a surprisingly sharp line between intelligent behavior and consciousness.

On Earth, most of us rarely have to think about the signals that keep our internal clocks aligned. The sun rises, daylight changes, darkness arrives and morning comes again.

Nearly 3,000 years ago, in central Italy, dozens of Picene people were laid to rest curled up on their sides, as if asleep. When their eternal slumber was disturbed thousands of years later, researchers noted a curiously familiar pattern, one many modern parents and doctors fret over: As infants, many of them had developed a flat spot on their heads.

As humanity looks toward future bases on the moon, plant cultivation will be critical for sustaining life there. Plants can provide food, oxygen, medicine, water purification and waste recycling, making them indispensable for lunar development.

Nations should do more to reduce uncertainty about the legal value of their positions on cyber activities, a new study says.

Broccoli grown under magenta solar panels absorbed sunlight more efficiently than plants grown out in the open, according to a study to be published Oct. 2 in Cell Reports Physical Science.

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How do pedestrians react when they encounter an automated vehicle on the street? Does the interaction feel safe and comfortable, and does it make a difference whether the vehicle is operating autonomously, is driven by a human or is teleoperated from a remote location? How should an automated vehicle brake when yielding to a pedestrian?

In a study published in Nature Chemistry, an international team of researchers from Germany and the U.K., including chemists from The University of Manchester, has synthesized and characterized what they describe as the first isolable uranium Fischer-type carbyne, a compound in which carbon forms an unusual triple-bond interaction with uranium.

The success of a large-scale recovery program for w

Masaya volcano in Nicaragua sits within 13 miles (21 kilometers) of 2 million people and is a popular tourist destination due to its lava lake. Penn State researchers recently found evidence of two new magma sources under the active volcano, highlighting what they called the critical importance of understanding transitions in volcanic behavior and shallow magma processes, especially when they potentially pose hazards to local communities.

A large part of urban planning involves navigating how people experience a place. That kind of insight can require collecting data at a level of detail that large-scale datasets cannot provide.

EPFL researchers have developed a chip-based laser that keeps a very stable frequency across its tested operating range, without needing active electronic control. Their research is published in the journal Nature Photonics.

Aurochs, the ancient ancestors of modern cattle, once roamed large parts of Europe, Asia and northern Africa. New research by an international team led by Lund University indicates that multiple factors contributed to their demise in northern Europe

Companies that use AI tools to write their earnings presentations are sounding increasingly alike, a new study finds.

New modeling shows irrigating low-flammability vegetation substantially reduces the predicted spread and intensity of wildfires, which could give communities critical extra preparation time, according to a University of the Sunshine Coast study.

High sea temperatures driven by the climate crisis damage corals, bleaching them ghostly white and killing them. While restoration of dead reefs is possible, it

The global annual amount of carbon dioxide (CO

Choruses of African elephant rumbles appear to become more similar in certain situations, including reuniting or coordinating what to do next. Now, new research published in Scientific Reports provides evidence that elephant rumble choruses function as group signals.

Camelina is a relatively new oilseed gaining interest for its potential use in food, livestock feed and renewable fuel markets. A newly published research paper provides insights into the camelina genome that could give breeders new tools to develop varieties with improved performance, stronger adaptability and traits that matter at the farm level.

Next-generation computing technologies could be one step closer to emulating how neurons respond and communicate with each other, thanks to research examining how electrons and ions move through materials.

A new research paper published in Zootaxa describes five new species of freshwater mussels in the southern U.S., providing the scientific foundation for protecting the most imperiled group of animals in North America.

It was the first day of school, and the kids at the Logan Intergenerational Family Education Center were not going to wait a second longer. Normally, the hordes of elementary schoolers would take turns chattering down the hallway to meet and visit their best friends

Researchers have developed a practical strategy for recovering biosynthetic information from fragmented metagenomic data. Through this work, the researchers identified and prioritized promising natural-product candidates with potential antibacterial or anticancer activity.

Human activity and climate change are putting growing pressure on water resources, disrupting the predictability of the water cycle and changing the availability and quality of freshwater. IIASA researchers and partners have developed a new framework for guiding water management and planning at the river basin level, derived from the existing Global Water Planetary Boundary.

In the early history of our solar system, scientists theorize that a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, vaporizing massive amounts of rock and blasting it into space. Some of that material coalesced into the moon, where NASA

Working in close collaboration, researchers from Paderborn University, the University of Basel and Ruhr University Bochum have made a breakthrough in quantum communication. In their recently published paper in the journal Physical Review Letters, they demonstrate how special semiconductor nanostructures can be used to generate individual photons and pairs of photons that are almost perfectly identical. These

A research team led by professor Inyoung Chae of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), together with professor Beth L. Fossen of Indiana University and professor Philip Kim of Texas Christian University in the United States, has demonstrated that ultrashort

On July 29, 2025, at 23:24 Universal Time, a long stretch of seafloor off Russia

An international study led by researchers from Charles University in Prague (CUNI) and the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences (BC CAS) has mapped how closely flowering plants and their pollinators depend on each other.

Extreme dry mouth, caused by radiation used to treat cancer and by autoimmune diseases such as Sj

The circadian clock is an internal biological system that regulates sleep-wake cycles, as well as many physiological functions such as body temperature and hormone production. In many animals, this clock relies on a network of neurons that generates rhythms of approximately 24 hours.

Watermarks have long protected everything from bank notes and fine art to digital photographs and software, helping prove authenticity and trace an object

Elementary school students who use an AI-supported learning tool learn arithmetic more quickly than children who do not use such a tool. This is the finding of a multiyear study by Radboud University involving nearly 8,000 children. However, the researchers warn that it

Researchers from the University of Sheffield and University of Cambridge have conducted the most comprehensive study to date on how habitat restoration in sub-Saharan Africa impacts tree loss beyond project boundaries.

Sugars are attractive building blocks for functional materials because of their high water affinity and diverse biological properties. Incorporating sugars into synthetic polymers can therefore provide materials that combine the processability of polymers with characteristics derived from carbohydrates. However, selective chemical modification of sugars is often challenging because they contain multiple hydroxyl groups with similar reactivities, making it difficult to introduce a polymerizable g

From our smartphones to advanced industrial systems, cameras have become an integral part of modern life. Conventional cameras capture scenes as a sequence of frames at fixed time intervals. In contrast, event cameras detect changes in brightness at each pixel as they occur and record them asynchronously as