Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is implied by gravitational effects that can't be explained by general relativity unless more matter is present in the universe than can be seen. It remains virtually as mysterious as it was nearly a century ago when first suggested by Dutch astronomer Jan Oort in 1932 to explain the so-called "missing mass" necessary for things like galaxies to clump together.

Giving a regular cash payment to the entire world population has the potential to increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by 130%, according to a new analysis published June 7 in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability. Researchers suggest that charging carbon emitters with an emission tax could help fund such basic income programs while reducing environmental degradation.

Thousands of particles of light can merge into a type of "super photon" under suitable conditions. Physicists call such a state a photon Bose-Einstein condensate.

RNA droplets can now be used to perform logical operations that take microRNA sequences as inputs, report scientists from Tokyo Tech. By self-assembling into network-like structures, RNA molecules form liquid-state droplets. These RNA droplets disperse only when the correct microRNA sequences are present by performing the logical AND operation. This innovative strategy could pave the way to advances in biomolecular sensing, artificial cells, and computational biodevices.

Deep under the ground at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is a brand-new quantum sensor and computing research center called QUIET, and at the surface—100 meters above—sits its twin called LOUD.

Most organisms on this planet rely on the circadian clock to function properly. New research published in Nature Communications from the Pakrasi Lab investigates the function of the clock in unicellular nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria—microbes that exhibit unique metabolic traits.

Though it was the site of active tectonics 140 million years ago, today, the coast of West Africa is a passive margin, far from an active tectonic plate boundary and thought to be seismically quiet. So scientists don't fully understand why the region is experiencing a growing number of earthquakes between magnitudes 2 and 5. The lack of widespread seismic monitoring stations across the region presents a major challenge.

Companies in industries such as health care, technology and insurance have been found to advertise on misinformation websites, according to an analysis published in Nature. In a related experiment, consumers who were made aware that a company advertised on a misinformation website were likely to reject an offer of a gift voucher to spend with that company.

Where there's smoke, there's not necessarily fire. Wildfire smoke, sometimes drifting from hundreds of miles away, touched nearly every lake in North America for at least one day per year from 2019 to 2021, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

Scientists have a handful of standard research organisms, including fruit flies and mice, that they use to study the evolutionary development (evo-devo) of animal lineages over time. Yet the more research organisms they can study, the deeper our understanding of life and the more knowledge we have to advance biomedicine and ecological conservation.