With ideal conditions and strategic pacing and drafting, Kenyan Faith Kipyegon is on the brink of hitting the fabled track and field milestone, a new study suggests. The authors are now calling for a staged 'Breaking 4' event to help her do it.

New research has revealed how massive ancient glaciers acted like giant bulldozers, reshaping Earth's surface and paving the way for complex life to flourish. By chemically analyzing crystals in ancient rocks, the researchers discovered that as glaciers carved through the landscape, they scraped deep into the Earth's crust, releasing key minerals that altered ocean chemistry. This process had a profound impact on our planet's composition, creating conditions that allowed complex life to evolve.

New observations of 2024 YR4 conducted with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) and facilities around the world have all but ruled out an impact of the asteroid with our planet. The asteroid has been closely monitored in the past couple of months as its odds of impacting Earth in 2032 rose to around 3%, the highest impact probability ever reached for a sizable asteroid. After the latest observations, the odds of impact dropped to nearly zero.

Some animals are capable of cooperating with members of other species. An interdisciplinary team explores the cognitive underpinnings of such cross-species collaborations, opening up a new perspective on the evolution of intelligence and cooperation in the animal kingdom.

The Beatles said it best: Love is all you need. And according to new research, the same may be true in the animal kingdom. Well, at least for mosquitofish -- a matchstick-sized fish endemic to Central America and now found globally. According to the scientists, male mosquitofish possess impressive problem-solving skills and can successfully navigate mazes and other tests. Males that perform better have a higher chance of mating.

A new study shows a water-rich mineral could explain the planet's color -- and hint at its wetter, more habitable past.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers investigate the extreme weather patterns and atmospheric properties of exoplanet LTT 9779 b. New JWST observations with NIRISS reveal a dynamic atmosphere: powerful winds sweep around the planet, shaping mineral clouds as they condense into a bright, white arc on the slightly cooler western side of the dayside. As these clouds move eastward, they evaporate under the intense heat, leaving the eastern dayside with clear skies.

Astronomers have discovered that the Solar System traversed the Orion star-forming complex, a component of the Radcliffe Wave galactic structure, approximately 14 million years ago. This journey through a dense region of space could have compressed the heliosphere, the protective bubble surrounding our solar system, and increased the influx of interstellar dust, potentially influencing Earth's climate and leaving traces in geological records.

Silicon is the best-known semiconductor material. However, controlled nanostructuring drastically alters the material's properties. Using a specially developed etching apparatus, a team has now produced mesoporous silicon layers with countless tiny pores and investigated their electrical and thermal conductivity. For the first time, the researchers elucidated the electronic transport mechanism in this mesoporous silicon. The material has great potential for applications and could also be used to thermally insulate qubits for quantum computers.

Cadmium selenide nanoplatelets provide a promising foundation for the development of innovative electronic materials. Since the turn of the millennium, researchers around the world have taken a particular interest in these tiny platelets, which are only a few atoms thick, as they offer extraordinary optical and other properties. A team has now taken an important step towards the systematic production of such nanoplatelets.

Researchers have invented an entirely new field of microscopy -- nuclear spin microscopy. The team can visualize magnetic signals of nuclear magnetic resonance with a microscope. Quantum sensors convert the signals into light, enabling extremely high-resolution optical imaging.

An international team of researchers has successfully captured the internal structure of the longest-runout sediment flow ever recorded on Earth. Using seismic measurements, the researchers have for the first time been able to analyze in detail the internal structure of these tens to hundreds of kilometers long turbidity currents -- an oceanographic phenomenon that has been studied for almost a century, but never directly observed. The new insights into the dynamics of these powerful currents will help improve risk assessments for underwater infrastructure, such as submarine cables, and refine models of sediment and carbon transport in the ocean.

How does a tennis player like Carlos Alcaraz decide where to run to return Novak Djokovic's ball by just looking at the ball's initial position? These behaviours, so common in elite athletes, are difficult to explain with current computational models, which assume that the players must continuously follow the ball with their eyes. Now, researchers have developed a model that, by combining optical variables with environmental factors such as gravity, accurately predicts how a person will move to catch a moving object just from an initial glance. These results could have potential applications in fields such as robotics, sports training or even space exploration.

New research suggests that all five subregions of Africa will breach the 1.5 C climate change threshold -- the limit stipulated by the Paris Agreement -- by 2040 even under low emission scenarios.

Investigators have conducted a multi-ancestry, whole genome sequencing association study of Alzheimer's disease and found evidence for 16 new susceptibility genes, expanding the study of Alzheimer's disease in underrepresented groups.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as forever chemicals because of their extreme persistence. These compounds have useful properties including durability and waterproofing, so they're commonly used in consumer products like food packaging and cosmetics, as well as industrial processes. But PFAS' potential negative impacts on human health are driving the search for potentially safer substitutes. Now, researchers propose alternatives for many applications.

Hormones may be leveraged to treat and prevent signs of aging such as wrinkles and hair graying, according to a new study.

Making enemies isn't random. Traits like emotional instability, aggression, and disruptive behavior early in life can lead to antagonistic relationships. Research on students aged 9-14 found that negative behaviors, such as lack of empathy, increase the likelihood of mutual antagonisms, a pattern seen across genders and school levels. Emotionally struggling students were 35% more likely to develop enemies, showing that how we manage emotions and interact with others early on can have lasting social and emotional effects.

A new study suggests that Neanderthals experienced a dramatic loss of genetic variation during the course of their evolution, foreshadowing their eventual extinction. Examination of semicircular canals of ear shows Neanderthals experienced 'bottleneck' event where physical and genetic variation was lost.

Grouting is a widely used construction technique that involves injecting stabilizing materials into soil to ensure structural stability, which is especially beneficial in earthquake-prone regions. Now, scientists have developed an innovative, carbon-neutral grout made from waste fluids of geothermal energy harvesting systems. Their new material shows a 50% increase in liquefaction resistance compared to conventional grouts, while also addressing environmental concerns associated with the construction industry.