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The extraordinary life of Alfred Nobel

The Nobel prizes may be one of the most famous and prestigious awards in the world—but who was the man behind them? As I explain in my lectures about Alfred Nobel, the inventor and entrepreneur has left a lasting legacy ...

Winning the Nobel 'an earthquake', says Ruvkun

US scientist Gary Ruvkun, who on Monday won the Nobel Prize in Medicine with fellow American Victor Ambros for their discovery of microRNA, said winning the honor was like "an earthquake".

Publisher Springer Nature makes stock market debut

Leading academic publisher Springer Nature made its stock market debut Friday, one of the few initial public offerings in Frankfurt this year despite the exchange's strong performance.

2024 Nobels offer glimmer of hope as global crises mount

Next week's Nobel Prize announcements will crown achievements that made the world a better place, a glimmer of optimism amid a spiraling Middle East conflict, war in Ukraine, famine in Sudan and a collapsing climate.

Will AI one day win a Nobel Prize?

Artificial intelligence is already disrupting industries from banking and finance to film and journalism, and scientists are investigating how AI might revolutionize their field—or even win a Nobel Prize.

Researchers unpack sign language's visual advantage

Linguists have long known that sign languages are as grammatically and logically sophisticated as spoken languages—and also make greater use of "iconicity," the property by which some words refer to things by resembling ...

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The 'publish or perish' mentality is fueling research paper retractions—and undermining science
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Scientists become a source of hope and information on TikTok, Instagram
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Global crises are multiplying: Here's how science can help our public decision-makers
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Saturday Citations: Football metaphors in physics; vets treat adorable baby rhino's broken leg
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'The data on extreme human aging is rotten from the inside out,' says Ig Nobel winner
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Study looks at funded partnerships between nonprofit organizations and researchers
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Saturday Citations: Permian-Triassic mystery solved; cute baby sighted; the nine-day 2023 seismic event
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Backside breathing and pigeon bombers studies win Ig Nobel prizes
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Studies on pigeon-guided missiles, swimming abilities of dead fish among Ig Nobels winners
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First publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's collected poems offers new insights into author's personality
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This year's $890,000 Balzan Prizes awarded for research on aging, restorative justice, climate crisis
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Saturday Citations: Teen seals photobomb research site; cell phones are safe; serotonin and emotional resilience
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A mural honoring scientists hung in Pfizer's NYC lobby for 60 years. Now it's up for grabs
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US disinformation researcher laments 'incredible witch hunt'
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Researchers propose framework for contextual metadata
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First Nations people are three times more likely to die on the road. Here's how to fix Australia's transport injustice
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Saturday Citations: Corn sweat! Nanoplastics! Plus: Massive objects in your area are dragging spacetime
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Claw machine games are Rio de Janeiro's new public enemy
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Best of Last Week—How humans really killed mammoths, making AI systems smarter, mitochondria fling their DNA
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Saturday Citations: Tarantulas and their homies; how mosquitoes find you; black holes not mysterious at all

Other news

Astronomy
Using gamma-ray bursts to probe origin of star formation excess discovered by Webb
Evolution
Explosive pollen wars: Plants fight for pollen-space on pollinators
Evolution
Meat without vegetables: How bacteria in our stomachs today can tell us what was on the menu for the first humans
Plants & Animals
Island biodiversity: Comprehensive assessment finds one in three plant species call islands home
Evolution
Alaska's Iliamna Lake Harbor seals are genetically isolated from entire Pacific Ocean, research reveals
Plants & Animals
Plastic pollution harms bees and their pollinator functions, research team finds
Astronomy
Student-built satellite detects likely merger of neutron stars 3 billion light years away
Earth Sciences
Easter Island's volcanic history suggests Earth's mantle behaves quite differently than previously assumed
Optics & Photonics
Atomic sensors unveil hidden dynamics of molecular polarization
Mathematics
Three letters, one number, a knife and a stone bridge: How a graffitied equation changed mathematical history
Evolution
Boy or girl? Researchers identify genetic mutation that increases chance of having a daughter
Planetary Sciences
Unlocking cosmic origins: Researchers trace 70% of meteorites to 3 asteroid families
Astronomy
It's twins! Mystery of famed brown dwarf solved
Cell & Microbiology
Study maps role of microRNAs in early embryo development
Astronomy
Scientists date moon's oldest impact basin to over 4.32 billion years ago
Quantum Physics
New theoretical framework sets limits for the realization of quantum processes in spacetime
Plants & Animals
Grasslands are responding to climate change almost in real time, according to research
Plants & Animals
Wildlife camera study finds tropical forest mammals shy away from the moonlight
Other
Walking in short bursts found to consume 20% to 60% more energy than walking continuously for same distance
General Physics
The neutron lifetime problem—and its possible solution

Mass tourism sparks battle for Montmartre's soul

Inside a dark, low-ceilinged room once frequented by Picasso and Modigliani when they were still struggling artists, a group of tourists from Russia, Canada and Australia are listening to traditional French songs.

EPA puts off final decision on science transparency rule

The Environmental Protection Agency says it is putting off for at least a year any final announcement on a controversial proposal overhauling how the agency evaluates science. Critics say it could bar the use of landmark ...

Scotch tipped to break booze record at $1mn plus

A bottle of Scotch dating back to 1926 is tipped to set a new record in New York on Saturday for most expensive bottle of alcohol sold at auction, valued at up to $1.2 million by Sotheby's.

Leonardo da Vinci's take on dynamic soaring

Although Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is known to have studied bird flight, few people realise that he was the first to document flight maneuvers, now called dynamic soaring. Birds use these maneuvers to extract energy from ...

Nobel Peace laureates demand end to sexual violence in war

Raped after being forced into sexual slavery by the Islamic State group, Iraqi Nadia Murad did not succumb to shame or despair—she spoke out. Surgeon Denis Mukwege treated countless victims of sexual violence in war-torn ...