July 26, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend. ... Read full Story
A new report authored by California health officials describes a raw-milk-related outbreak of Salmonella that sickened dozens in 2023 and 2024. ... Read full Story
Captured in infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope, the peculiar star system Apep consists of two dying stars spewing their innards at each other. ... Read full Story
Complex organic molecules found floating around a distant protostar could mean that space is far richer in life's precursors than scientists assumed. ... Read full Story
In a proof-of-concept study, scientists have shown that flossing your teeth could be a way to deliver vaccinations that protect you against viruses. ... Read full Story
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is tough on electronics. Situated inside a 17-mile-long tunnel that runs in a circle under the border between Switzerland and France, this massive scientific instrument accelerates particles close to the speed of light before smashing them together. The collisions yield tiny maelstroms of particles and energy that hint at answers to fundamental questions about the building blocks of matter. ... Read full Story
A research team in Korea has experimentally demonstrated, for the first time in the world, a nonlinear wave phenomenon that changes its frequency—either rising or falling—depending on which direction the waves come from. ... Read full Story
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered a new state of quantum matter. The state exists within a material that the team reports could lead to a new era of self-charging computers and ones capable of withstanding the challenges of deep space travel. ... Read full Story
"God does not play dice." This famous remark by Albert Einstein critiqued the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. Paradoxically, his theory of relativity has become an essential tool for understanding the behavior of electrons, the primary subjects of quantum mechanics. ... Read full Story
One of ANSTO's advanced imaging instruments Dingo now delivers a rare fusion of simulation and radiobiology, becoming a launchpad for an innovative neutron therapy innovation. ... Read full Story
More advanced AI systems show a better capacity to scheme and lie to us, and they know when they're being watched — so they change their behavior to hide their deceptions. ... Read full Story
A conjunction between a crescent moon and Mars joins an ongoing display of 'shooting stars,' making July 28 one of the best nights for skywatching all summer. ... Read full Story
A newly discovered dwarf planet called 'Ammonite' (2023 KQ14) has been spotted in the outer solar system, and it could be another nail in the coffin for the Planet Nine hypothesis. ... Read full Story
"Shell art isn't a new genre; it's been with us for centuries. The Victorians often framed their family photos with shells. ... The medium also came to the fore in the 1970s when everything was embellished with shells, from photo frames and mirrors to trinket boxes and even furniture." — Stephen Crafti, The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 June 2025
Did you know?
Embellish came to English, by way of Anglo-French, from the Latin word bellus, meaning "beautiful." It's in good company: modern language is adorned with bellus descendants. Examples include such classics as beauty, belle, and beau. And the beauty of bellus reaches beyond English: its influence is seen in the French bel, a word meaning "beautiful" that is directly related to the English embellish. And in Spanish, bellus is evidenced in the word bello, also meaning "beautiful."