New experiments with rice suggest that the acoustic vibrations of falling droplets can jolt dormant seeds into growth, offering the first direct evidence that plants can sense natural sound. Rice and related seed types can sense the sound of rain impacting the soil or water surface above them and respond by accelerating germination at depths…
April 23, 2026 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm ‘Kraken’ fossils show enormous, intelligent octopuses were top predators in Cretaceous seas Fossil jaws from colossal octopuses place them at the top of a prehistoric marine food chain By Kate Wong Giant octopuses may have been apex predators in the Late Cretaceous period. Yohei…
A destructive “jumping worm” species is threatening gardens in Colorado and the West, state officials said, as they urged green thumbs to keep their eyes peeled for the invasive pests. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. There are “currently no effective eradication methods” for the “Asian…
A strange “golden orb” pulled from more than 2 miles beneath the Gulf of Alaska, once rumored to be everything from an alien egg to an unknown species, has finally been identified after a yearslong scientific investigation. Researchers with NOAA and the Smithsonian announced the unusual object, first discovered in 2023 during a deep-sea expedition,…
Giant “kraken-like” octopuses that used powerful beaks to crunch through bones of prey were among the most formidable predators of the Cretaceous oceans, according to research. Analysis of dozens of newly identified fossils reveals that some ancient octopus species reached up to 19 metres in length, meaning they would have rivalled – and possibly even…
Two weeks ago, Anthropic announced that its new model, Claude Mythos Preview, can autonomously find and weaponize software vulnerabilities, turning them into working exploits without expert guidance. These were vulnerabilities in key software like operating systems and internet infrastructure that thousands of software developers working on those systems failed to find. This capability will have…
NEW YORK (AP) — The top predator prowling the seas during the age of the dinosaurs 100 million years ago may have been the octopus. New analyses of fossilized jaws reveal that massive, kraken-like octopuses once hunted alongside other marine predators. They boasted eight arms and long bodies that extended more than 60 feet (18…
In the Philippines, Indigenous communities have been harvesting wild honey for centuries. A new chemical analysis of this honey now provides insights into the biodiversity of the region. “And an additional reason to protect the national tree properly,” says lecturer Merlijn van Weerd of the Centre for Environmental Sciences (CML). Source: Read Full Article
“Russia remains a capable space power, even while its space industry suffers from systemic underfunding, quality control issues, international sanctions, and export controls,” US intelligence agencies wrote in their annual unclassified threat assessment released earlier this year. Russia’s space industry has far less money than the US and Chinese space programs. Russian factories produce fewer…
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The entire field of archaeology hinges on what can withstand the test of time. This typically means that most excavations center on hard evidence including structural remains, pottery, weapons, or metalwork. Occasionally, researchers discover something softer that’s been preserved…
