Videos

Researchers from MIT have flown a plane with no moving parts for the first time. It is powered by an "ion drive" which uses high powered electrodes to ionise and accelerate air particles, creating an "ionic wind." This wind drove a five-meter-wide craft across a sports hall. Unlike the ion drives which have powered space craft for decades, this new drive uses air as the accelerant. The researchers say it could power silent drones.

This video was reproduced with permission and was first published on November 21, 2018. It is a Nature Video production.

Researchers have created a 'modular' robot which can analyze its environment and reconfigure itself to overcome obstacles and achieve tasks.

This video was reproduced with permission and was first published on October 31, 2018. It is a Nature Video production.

When staying warm is a matter of survival, they use this tried-and-true strategy.

Birds such as the Arctic tern used magnetic particles and eye pigments to navigate.

The United States has the highest level of economic inequality of any developed country. Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics, explains why he thinks the American economy is rigged, and what that means for future generation.

To learn more about America's rigged economy and what we can do to fix it, click here.

More than 30 meters below the surface of the ocean lies the "twilight zone." The coral reefs that grow here are complex ecosystems, but they may be under threat from extreme weather events. Rather than providing a refuge from the storm, these deep reefs may be as vulnerable as their shallow-water counterparts.

This video was reproduced with permission and was first published on August 22, 2018. It is a Nature Video production.

The answer lies in the tiny shifts we see in a star's position as Earth revolves around the sun.

When it comes to the unsustainable development of the American coastline, New Jersey owns the honor of being the first and worst. But one town in the state is experimenting with moving a cluster of people out of harm’s way and turning the newly open land into a flood buffer to protect the rest of the community.

Read the full story to learn more: "Surrendering to Rising Seas" 

Researchers have data. Corporate executives have innovations. Mayors have real problems to solve. Yet these people do not necessarily understand how they can help one another make cities healthier and more productive. Enthusiasts from all three groups met at Springer Nature’s Science and the Sustainable City Summit held July 11 in Singapore to figure out how, together, they can create long-term livability and viability.

The science and technology that keeps one of America's most important historic documents safe.

Drone bees don’t have fathers, but they still have family. Chromosomes are the key to understanding the buzz around a bee’s parents.

Light triggers chemical reactions that make beer taste like skunk spray and onions.