Science

Chemists at UCL have shown how two of biology’s most fundamental ingredients, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, could have spontaneously joined together at the origin of life four billion years ago. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, the “workhorses” of life essential to nearly every living process. But proteins cannot replicate or produce themselves — they require …

Just a moment… Enable JavaScript and cookies to continue This request seems a bit unusual, so we need to confirm that you’re human. Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green. Thank you for your cooperation! Press and Hold Press and hold the button If you believe this is an error, please contact our support team. 209.74.74.26 …

The inside of a star turned on itself before it spectacularly exploded, according to a new study from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Today, this shattered star, known as the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, is one of the best-known, well-studied objects in the sky. Over three hundred years ago, however, it was a giant star on the brink of self-destruction. The …

Just a moment… Enable JavaScript and cookies to continue This request seems a bit unusual, so we need to confirm that you’re human. Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green. Thank you for your cooperation! Press and Hold Press and hold the button If you believe this is an error, please contact our support team. 209.74.74.26 …

A newly released study in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research has confirmed the first official sightings of Bootanomyia dorsalis—a European parasitic wasp—in both the eastern and western United States, raising concerns about ecological balance and species disruption. Researchers have confirmed that Bootanomyia dorsalis, a wasp species previously unseen in North America, is now causing alarm among scientists for its potential …

At first glance it looks like nothing of this planet – a creature with a pointed object sticking out of its head, half man, half unicorn.  But scientists are getting closer to unraveling the mystery of the Petralona skull.  The ancient cranium – discovered in Petralona Cave, about 22 miles south–east of Thessaloniki in Greece – is less than 300,000 years …

On the evening of September 7, the second (and final) total lunar eclipse of the year will take place—serving up the striking sight of a red “blood moon” in the sky across much of the world. Total lunar eclipses occur when the Earth is positioned between the full moon and the sun, with the moon falling into the shadow of …

Researchers and academics have flocked to Bluesky. Credit: Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto via Getty Posts about research on Bluesky receive substantially more attention than similar posts on X, formerly called Twitter, according to the first large-scale analysis of science content on Bluesky1. The results suggest that Bluesky users engage with posts more than do users of X. Bluesky has more than …

BindCraft design protocol The input and design settings for running the BindCraft pipeline are organized into user-friendly JSON files. To initiate design trajectories, a target PDB format structure needs to be specified, along with the desired minimum and maximum length of the binders, and the desired number of final filtered designs. A target hotspot can be specified as either individual …

‘Butterfly Nebula’ spreads its fiery wings in dazzling new James Webb telescope image  Live Science Webb investigates complex heart of a cosmic butterfly  European Space Agency A dead ‘sun’ forms building blocks of exoplanets in new JWST Butterfly Nebula image  Space Cosmic butterfly reveals clues to Earth’s creation  The Royal Astronomical Society An unprecedented look into a butterfly nebula from the James Webb Telescope  New …