A 10-cent robot? New method could make soft robotics much cheaper

Engineers at the University of Oxford have developed a remarkably simple and inexpensive way to build soft robots. Using common laboratory tools and low-cost materials,...

Tiny zircon crystals reveal new secrets about Earth’s earliest history

Scientists still have many questions about the earliest years of our planet. Earth formed about 4.55 billion years ago, but almost no rocks from that...

Smart clothes could track your health and charge your phone one day

Wearable technology has already become part of everyday life. Many people now use smartwatches to track their heart rate, steps, and sleep. But scientists believe...

Climate change could wipe out 20% of Colombia’s cocoa land by 2050, study warns

Colombia may lose nearly one-fifth of the land currently suitable for growing cocoa by 2050, according to a new scientific study. The research suggests that...

Why dance tracks dominate TikTok while love songs rule Spotify

What makes a song become a hit today? While listeners certainly play a role, new research suggests that streaming platforms and their algorithms also have...

AI-evolved robots can survive damage and rebuild themselves in the wild

Engineers at Northwestern University have created a new kind of robot that can adapt, recover from damage, and keep moving even after being broken...

Scientists grow chickpeas in “moon dirt,” opening the door to farming on the Moon

As NASA prepares for future missions that could send astronauts back to the Moon, scientists are trying to answer an important question: what will...

Why electric cars lose range in cold weather—and what drivers can do about it

Many electric vehicle (EV) owners notice the same frustrating problem during winter: their car’s battery seems to drain faster, and charging takes longer than...

Why are some stars always visible while others come and go with the seasons

As a space scientist, every time I go outside with my family, I tell my children to look up at the sky. The front door...

New “super foam” could make helmets, cars, and seats much safer

Researchers at Texas A&M University and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have developed a new type of foam that can absorb up to ten...

Teaching AI to talk to itself can make it learn smarter

Many people talk to themselves when they are thinking through a difficult problem. Someone might quietly repeat a list while shopping, whisper steps while...

Scientists decode ancient magnetic signals in asteroid Ryugu samples

Scientists studying tiny samples from the asteroid Ryugu have uncovered new clues about the magnetic environment that existed when the solar system first formed. The...

FEATURED

Can coal mines provide rare earth elements?

As the world seeks to transition away from fossil fuels, it may seem ironic that coal mines could play a role in this shift...

Massive galaxies were surprisingly mature in the early universe, says study

Massive galaxies were already much more mature in the early universe than previously expected. This was shown by an international team of astronomers who studied...

Scientists find a new way to make quantum computers

Quantum computers have the potential to solve incredibly complex problems that even the world's most powerful supercomputers can’t handle. To achieve this, quantum computers need...

Interstellar buckyballs may come from dying stars, says study

New research may explain how “buckyballs”—complex carbon molecules with a soccer-ball-like structure—form in space. Carbon 60, or C60 for short, (the official name is Buckminsterfullerene)...

Humans have a hidden “seventh sense” — the ability to feel objects without touching...

Scientists have discovered that humans may possess a surprising ability — a kind of “remote touch” that allows us to sense objects buried beneath...