
Tiny robot drones learn to navigate the world like honeybees
Mapping their starting point like bees do helps autonomous drones find their way
Jacek Krywko is a freelance writer who covers space exploration and computer science.

Tiny robot drones learn to navigate the world like honeybees
Mapping their starting point like bees do helps autonomous drones find their way

The brain processes overheard words under anesthesia, but it may not remember them
A study of people who underwent surgery to treat epilepsy suggests the hippocampus may process words and speech when people are under general anesthesia, even though the study participants didn’t remember them

Scientists used AI to rewrite part of life’s alphabet
An engineered E. coli strain survived after one amino acid was designed out of many of its ribosomal proteins—an early test of whether life’s chemistry can be simplified

Here’s what stops huge earthquakes in their tracks
When an earthquake rupturing along a fault hits a barrier, it creates a seismic signature called the “stopping phase.” Scientists have isolated this and could use it to better predict earthquake risk

These mysterious neurons in your heart save you from fainting every time you stand
Researchers pinpointed the purpose of mysterious heart neurons in mice—and humans have them, too

Medieval poets wrote about auroras. Their work is providing clues to the solar cycle
Medieval poets, including a Japanese noble, provided key descriptions to track down solar events

An AI-authored paper just passed peer review. The scientific community isn’t ready
The arrival of AI-generated research papers marks a turning point that could radically accelerate discovery—or drown it in automated mediocrity

That minty-fresh feeling? Scientists now know how our bodies feel cold
Scientists have finally pinned down the mechanism behind cold- and menthol-sensing proteins

The sun and thousands of its twins migrated across the Milky Way just in time
The sun rode a massive galactic migration wave to the Milky Way’s suburbs

‘Inside-out’ planetary system perplexes astronomers
Four worlds around a small, dim star are challenging theories of planet formation

Lung cancer hijacks the brain to trick the immune system
Lung cancer tumor cells in mice communicate with the brain, sending signals to deactivate the body’s immune response, a study finds

Weird, Wobbling Black Hole Jets Can Shape Entire Galaxies
A wobbling jet from a giant, voracious black hole is suppressing star formation in a distant galaxy—and astronomers have never seen anything quite like it before

The lost planet that created the moon came from the inner solar system
New work pinpoints the origins of the planet Theia, whose ancient collision with Earth likely produced the moon

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Has Complex, Life-Friendly Chemistry
A fresh analysis of old data has found rich organic chemistry within the hidden ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Astronomers Found the Most Self-Destructive Planet in the Sky
This planet triggers flares on its star—spelling its ultimate doom

This ‘Tower of Worms’ Is a Squirming Superorganism
Scientists have captured the first videos of wild roundworms forming living, wriggling towers that behave as one big superorganism

This Impossible New Color Is So Rare That Only Five People Have Seen It
Researchers discover a new color outside the range of human color vision, but you have to laser your retinas to see it

How Researchers Found a Greener Way to Make Fuel for Nuclear Fusion—By Accident
Researchers have found an environmentally safer way to extract the lithium 6 needed to create fuel for nuclear fusion reactors. The new approach doesn’t require toxic mercury, as conventional methods do

The Secret to Understanding Animal Consciousness May Be Joy
Animal emotions—including joy—may be key markers of conscious beings