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News, research analysis and evidence-based explanation. 20 stories in this section.
Researchers at UC San Diego have shown that RNA polymerase can accurately read an eight-letter genetic alphabet, doubling the four letters used by all known life. The finding advances efforts …
A new theoretical study demonstrates that the equivalence principle, the foundation of general relativity, remains valid for quantum particles, suggesting no fundamental conflict between quantum mechanics and gravity.
A leading Australian forensic scientist says the extreme conditions of the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster mean some bodies may never be recovered or identified, drawing on his experience with the Boxing …
The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment in South Dakota has recorded a single particle interaction that cannot be explained by ordinary background noise, but researchers are cautious about claiming a dark matter discovery.
New research suggests a near-impermeable layer of dust ejected by the Chicxulub asteroid impact trapped radiation in Earth's atmosphere, causing extreme heat and wildfires that killed the dinosaurs within hours.
Researchers have identified more than 1,200 locations in the human genome associated with personality traits, offering the most detailed look yet at the biological underpinnings of traits like sociability, anxiety …
Physicists at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered a new form of the Hall effect that does not require a perpendicular magnetic field, challenging a foundational principle of electromagnetism and opening …
Scientists have detected residual antineutrino emissions from spent nuclear fuel during a full reactor shutdown, a step toward monitoring nuclear material even after reactors stop operating.
Researchers in France and Germany have created the first all-optical photonic time crystal, a nanostructure whose properties can be modulated at terahertz frequencies. The advance could lead to ultrafast optical …
Australia’s new national environmental protection agency has approved its first coal project, extending the Saraji open-cut mine in Queensland until 2055 and clearing threatened woodland and koala habitat, drawing sharp …
Researchers report a possible first direct detection of dark matter, a mysterious substance that has eluded scientists for nearly a century. The finding, if confirmed, could reshape our understanding of …
Online platforms Kalshi and Polymarket are drawing scrutiny from climate experts who say weather and climate bets risk gamifying disasters. A new data deal with the Weather Company underscores the …
Researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered that the 2D material Fe₅GeTe₂ hosts a charge-ordered state where electrons move slowly and collectively while remaining quantumly coherent, a finding that …
Two new studies show that a proposed neutrino laser, based on ultracold radioactive atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate, cannot work because the required quantum memory effect is far too brief …
The fourth International Congress of Basic Science in Beijing highlighted China's growing research strength and the expanding role of artificial intelligence in mathematics and physics, with over 800 participants from …
Researchers have developed a Quantum Monte Carlo algorithm that calculates entanglement entropy more accurately at quantum critical points in two-dimensional systems, revealing distinct fingerprints for different types of phase transitions.
The LZ dark matter detector has recorded a single energy flash consistent with a weakly interacting massive particle, or WIMP. Physicists caution that more data is needed before declaring a …
Researchers studying more than 900 snake embryos with CT scans found that a growth mismatch between the body and digestive system forces the developing embryo to buckle into a right-handed …
A look at how plays like Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and Michael Frayn's Copenhagen are bringing physics to new audiences, and what makes a science play truly definitive.
Researchers in Germany have shown that water droplets sliding across insulating surfaces can acquire electric potentials exceeding 1 kV, and that discharging onto Teflon-coated copper corrodes both the coating and …
