Science

Ahead of major soccer tournaments, a research team led by Achim Zeileis of the University of Innsbruck and Andreas Groll of TU Dortmund University calculates the chances of winning for all participating teams. For the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, their model identifies Spain as the slight favorite with 14.5%. Closely behind are England (12.4%), France (12.4%), and Germany (11.2%). Somewhat further back are Portugal (8.9%) and Argentina (8.2%), as well as the Netherlands (5.6%) and Brazil (4.7%). "Compared to previous tournaments, this year's title race is very tight," confirms Achim Zeileis.

Birgitta Schultze-Bernhardt and her team at the Institute of Experimental Physics at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have developed a new type of UV dual-comb spectrometer that detects gaseous air pollutants with unrivaled accuracy and sensitivity. Using ultraviolet double laser light, the device measures the concentration of harmful gases such as formaldehyde within half a second.

Big brands have built empires on slogans, declaring themselves the best among their competitors. These claims—glowing, subjective and impossible to verify—fall under what marketers call puffery. For decades, they've been treated as harmless fluff, waved through the court system on the assumption that consumers tune them out.

A new study published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal suggests that spider webs—particularly those incorporating environmental debris—can serve as natural, non-destructive collectors of fungal material in agricultural ecosystems. The findings show that viable fungi can be recovered from these structures, including lineages that may represent previously undocumented diversity.

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX)—which recently completed the largest survey ever taken of the early universe—has released all of its immense, information-rich database to the public. Built from more than half a petabyte of raw and processed data, it will allow astronomers to study how the first galaxies formed and evolved, measure how gas and stars were distributed within these galaxies, map the large-scale structure of the cosmos, and investigate rare and unexpected objects not easily found in traditional surveys.

Scientists know that manganese, in its various oxide forms, plays a significant role in Earth's geochemical cycles. However, the exact forms of manganese, their abundance and the mechanisms behind these cycles that occur in Earth's deep, high-pressure interior are not well understood. But, a recent study, published in Physical Review B, reports on a newly discovered manganese rich compound that might help shed light on manganese's behavior in Earth's interior and explain why seismic waves slow down in certain regions.

A trio of major solar flares triggered radio blackouts across Earth and may spark impressive northern lights as possible solar storms head our way.

Whisky-inspired chemicals could help power a new generation of microscopic machines, according to researchers who have discovered a way to make tiny particles "swim" through liquid using compounds linked to the production of Scotland's national drink.

Ultrafast lasers emit pulses lasting only a few hundred femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second). These flashes of light power applications from precision micromachining to eye surgery to optical frequency combs, the Nobel Prize-winning technology behind today's most precise optical atomic clocks. Yet despite more than two decades of effort, ultrafast lasers have largely remained bulky, expensive systems confined to optical tables.

From chewing to chomping to grinding, teeth suffer from a lifetime of repeated mechanical stress. It makes sense, then, that enamel is one of the hardest natural materials.

Food waste is a nagging problem that weighs heavily on global food production, distribution and sales industries—but an emerging generation of AI sensors is providing a raft of fresh solutions. The embrace of AI in food industries has been swift, which is why Flinders University researchers have worked with an international research team to build the first comprehensive overview of AI technologies involved in the food industry.

A new study on multiple genomes from the extinct cave lion has discovered that it represented a highly distinct evolutionary lineage, which separated from modern lions more than a million years ago. The results also show that the cave lion had a history of interbreeding with modern lions that was tightly linked to past climatic changes. These findings are published in the journal Cell in a study led by Swedish and British scientists.

If your child has ever dug their heels in on the morning of the school athletics or cross country day, or refused to speak in front of the class, you're not alone.

Ahead of planned redevelopment around the iconic Gothic landmark, researchers are digging into the city’s past, through medieval and Roman layers

Fossil fragments found in the U.K. have been identified as remains of the largest scorpions ever. Measuring more than a meter in length, Praearcturus gigas was among the first large predators to ever stalk the land.