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Scientists have created tiny "optical tornadoes" -- swirling beams of light that twist like miniature whirlwinds -- using a surprisingly simple setup based on liquid crystals. Instead of relying on complex nanotechnology, the team used self ...

A major physics experiment has uncovered evidence for a strange new form of matter, where a fleeting particle gets trapped inside a nucleus. This exotic state may reveal how mass is generated, suggesting that particles can weigh less when surrounded ...

In the chaotic first moments after the Big Bang, ripples in spacetime may have done more than just echo through the cosmos--they could have helped create dark matter itself. New research suggests that faint, ancient gravitational waves might have ...

Giant, fearsome octopuses may have once ruled the ancient seas, according to new research that flips the script on their evolutionary past. By uncovering exquisitely preserved fossil jaws hidden inside rock, scientists revealed that early octopuses . ...

Ancient Earth once buzzed with enormous dragonfly-like insects, and scientists long thought high oxygen levels made their size possible. A new study overturns that idea, revealing insect flight muscles weren't constrained by oxygen after all. Their . ...

Before seedlings can photosynthesize, they depend on fatty acids--and on peroxisomes to process them. Researchers discovered that the protein PEX11 not only helps these structures divide but also controls their size during early growth. When key ...

Scientists are grappling with a cosmic mystery: why does the Universe behave differently on massive scales compared to our own solar system? While distant galaxies reveal clear signs of something bending the rules of gravity--often attributed to dark ...

A mysterious cosmic explosion has astronomers buzzing, as a strange event may hint at an entirely new kind of stellar cataclysm. After detecting ripples in space-time, scientists spotted a fast-fading red glow that initially looked like a rare ...

The golden oyster mushroom may be a culinary hit, but it's becoming an ecological problem. Scientists warn it's spreading quickly through U.S. forests, where it outcompetes native fungi and reduces biodiversity. In just a decade, it has appeared in . ...

Microplastics are floating through the atmosphere and spreading across the globe, but their true origins have been misunderstood. New research shows land sources emit over 20 times more microplastic particles into the air than the ocean, challenging ...