The eukaryotic cell emerged as an evolutionary algorithmic phase transition

An international collaboration has published groundbreaking research, shedding light on the most significant increase in complexity in the history of life's evolution on Earth: the origin of the eukaryotic cell.

Strange Bacteria That Can't Live Alone Hint at Early Steps to Complex Life

The fact that this bacteria so closely resembles that transition point, from two single cells with different genetics to one inseparable cluster, is fascinating: embryo comparisons have provided many clues about our evolutionary history.

Earth's oceans once turned green

Japanese researchers have made a compelling case that Earth’s oceans were once green, in a study published in Nature.

Dying Cells Play a Vital, Unexpected Role in Healing, Study Shows

A new study reveals some surprising discoveries about healing processes that are potentially triggered by the process of necrosis, or premature cell death.

Kazakhstan discovers rare earths reserve said to be third-largest in the world

Now dubbed "New Kazakhstan," the deposit is said to have almost 1 million tonnes of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and yttrium, elements used as components in devices such as smartphones, digital cameras and computer hard disks.

How calcium may have unlocked the origins of life's molecular asymmetry

Scientists have uncovered a surprising role for calcium in shaping the building blocks of life. 

North America is dripping from below, geoscientists discover

Researchers have discovered that the underside of the North American continent is dripping away in blobs of rock—and that the remnants of a tectonic plate sinking in Earth's mantle may be the reason why.

'Half ice, half fire': Physicists discover new phase of matter

"Half ice, half fire" is notable not only because it has never been observed before, but also because it is able to drive extremely sharp switching between phases in the material at a reasonable, finite temperature. 

Scientists Build Device to Generate Electricity Using the Earth's Rotation

In a controversial experiment, a team of physicists investigated whether we could harness the Earth's rotational energy to generate electricity.

Microlightning in Water Droplets May Have Sparked Life on Earth

New research out of Stanford University adds a “striking” new twist to an existing theory about how life may have began on our planet, involving the occurrence of microlightning in tiny water droplets.  

Mysterious 'red sprite' lightning strikes over the Himalayas

On the night of May 19, 2022, two Chinese astrophotographers, Angel An and Shuchang Dong, captured a spectacular display of over one hundred red sprites over the Himalayas.

Laser light made into a supersolid for the first time

A small international team of nanotechnologists, engineers and physicists has developed a way to force laser light into becoming a supersolid. 

Record decline in birth rate hits EU in 2023

The nickname “old continent” has never been more appropriate for Europe, which doesn’t seem to show any sign of recovery from the demographic crisis of recent years. The European birth rate is reaching new lows every year. 

Earth's oldest meteorite crater discovered in Australian outback

Researchers say the 3.47-billion-year-old meteorite impact crater could help explain how life on Earth began.

Sunken Continents Near Earth's Core Could Unbalance Our Magnetic Field

Continent-sized structures of mineral protruding from the lower mantle towards Earth's outer core may be contributing to an instability of our planet's magnetic field.