ASKAP J1832-0911 — likely a magnetar or an extremely magnetized white dwarf — emits pulses of radio waves and X-rays for two minutes every 44 minutes, according to a paper published in the journal Nature. A composite of radio, X-ray, and infrared emission of the field of ASKAP J1832-0911. Image credit: Wang et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09077-w. ASKAP J1832-0911 is located approximately...

Slope streaks are dark features on Martian slopes that form spontaneously and fade over years to decades. Some planetary scientists have interpreted those streaks as liquid flows, suggesting the possibility of currently habitable environments on Mars. But new research by Brown University and the University of Bern points to a different explanation — dry process related to wind and dust activity. This...

Archaeologists have examined a large sample of worked bone objects from 26 Paleolithic cave and rockshelter sites in the Cantabrian region of Spain and southwestern France. Taxonomic identification of the 173 worked (a) and unworked (b) bone objects: (1) blank, Tito Bustillo, sperm whale; (2) projectile point with massive base, Isturitz, blue whale; (3) projectile point, Brassempouy, fin whale; (4)...

Polar ecosystems are structured and enriched by birds, which nest there seasonally and serve as keystone ecosystem members. Despite the ecological importance of polar birds, the origins of high-latitude nesting remain obscured by a sparse fossil record. In new research, paleontologists examined an extreme-latitude assemblage of bird fossils from the Late Cretaceous Prince Creek Formation of Alaska. An...

People all around the world live with cats and cats engage in many social behaviors toward their owners. Olfaction is one of the most important sensory abilities in cats, yet its role in recognizing humans is unclear. In a new study, scientists at the Tokyo University of Agriculture assessed the role and characteristics of olfaction in the discrimination of known or unknown humans by domestic cats. Miyairi...

In a 2023 paper, Professor Heino Falcke and his colleagues at Radboud University showed that not only black holes, but also all other objects in the Universe can ‘evaporate’ via a process akin to Hawking radiation. After that publication, the authors received many questions about how long the process would take. In a new study, they calculated that the end of the Universe is about 1078 years...

Daily biological functions such as sleep, heart rate and metabolism are timed by intracellular circadian clocks which exist within almost all cells throughout the body. Modern life challenges this timekeeping system in ways it was not adapted for. Industrialization, shift work, indoor lighting, and smartphones drastically affect our sleep and the circadian timing of our biological systems. New research...

Prickle-free blackberry (Rubus subgenus Rubus) canes are strongly preferred by growers due to food and worker safety concerns and damage to fruit from mechanical injury by prickles. Johns et al. identified a single locus controlling prickle-free canes. Image credit: Gerardo Antonio Romero. Blackberry is a specialty crop with an increasing share of the fresh berry market. The growth in demand and...

Locally known as Maka Lahi, meaning ‘Big Rock,’ this boulder was moved more than 200 m inland by a tsunami around 7,000 years ago. The limestone boulder Maka Lahi. Image credit: Köhler et al., doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107567. The Maka Lahi boulder measures 14 x 12 x 6.7 m and weighs almost 1,200 tons, making it the largest known cliff-top boulder and one of the largest known wave-transported...

Daily biological functions such as sleep, heart rate and metabolism are timed by intracellular circadian clocks which exist within almost all cells throughout the body. Modern life challenges this timekeeping system in ways it was not adapted for. Industrialization, shift work, indoor lighting, and smartphones drastically affect our sleep and the circadian timing of our biological systems. New research...