Despite the growth of some AI schools like Alpha, research doesn't show that AI tutors are better than human teachers

AI
Credit: Photos Hobby, Unsplash

Over the past decade, the AI-focused, for-profit Alpha School has grown from one campus in Austin, Texas, to more than 15 schools across the country, including in major cities like New York and San Francisco.

Melting icebergs can weaken a massive, far-off ocean current system

iceberg
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Melting and breaking icebergs in the far-off northeastern Pacific Ocean can weaken a massive current system in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a University of California, Davis study published in Nature Communications.

Famous puzzle-solving chimps lost 20 years of life after harsh Berlin winters

Fates of famous problem-solving chimps revealed
Chimpanzee Sultan photographed in Tenerife circa 1914. Credit: Zentrum für Geschichte der Psychologie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

A University of Auckland scientist has uncovered the fates of chimpanzees who starred in seminal psychological studies of the early 20th century.

When disaster recovery becomes a way of life: Community disaster fatigue is on the rise with more frequent floods

flood
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Flash flooding has been tearing up communities across the U.S., with heavy downpours sending creeks and rivers rushing over their banks from Texas to Kentucky, across the Midwest and into the Mid-Atlantic states and the Northeast. In Missouri, floodwaters swept away a home, and National Guard helicopters had to rescue and evacuate dozens of people from a summer camp.

Distant exoplanets may be hiding water beyond Webb Telescope's reach, study finds

Distant exoplanets may be hiding water beyond Webb Telescope's reach, study finds
An artist’s concept of what the faraway planet TOI-270 d may look like. A new study suggests these types of planets may be hiding more water than they let on. Credit: NASA

The planets that appear most common in the universe could have a lot of water—but it could be hiding where telescopes can't detect it, according to a new study led by scientists with the University of Chicago.

Shrimp feeding behavior observed under simulated microgravity

Shrimp feeding behavior under simulated microgravity
"Small 3D Clinostat PMS-V1-R02", a new type of high-speed rotation clinostat. Credit: Microgravity Science and Technology (2026). DOI: 10.1007/s12217-026-10262-3

The Space Aquaculture Project at Okayama University of Science is an ambitious research initiative aimed at cultivating fish and crustaceans on the moon and Mars, which are expected to serve as food production bases for future space exploration. The project ultimately seeks to improve astronauts' quality of life through better food options in space.

Himalayan snowfall has been miscalculated for years, here's how we found a new way to measure it

trans-Himalayan region
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Mountain snow and meltwater from glaciers in the Himalayas determine how much water is available for drinking, farming and hydropower for millions of people in India, Pakistan, Nepal, China and Afghanistan.

For Black girls, puberty is more than physical—it transforms conversations about identity

black girl
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Some of the most meaningful changes during puberty may not happen in the body alone. They may also happen in conversation. A new University of Michigan study suggests that as Black girls move through puberty, conversations with their mothers become an important space for making sense of changing bodies, race, gender, ethnicity and identity.

Zirconium tweak unlocks stronger cast aluminum alloy with ductility boost

Next-generation cast aluminium alloys for automobile and aeronautical applications
Microscopic view of superlattice nano-layer and core-shell nanoparticles in aluminum-gadolinium alloy. Credit: Hemant Kumar

Researchers at the Department of Materials Engineering (MatE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and collaborators have developed a new lightweight cast aluminum alloy that is both exceptionally strong and remarkably ductile, overcoming one of the biggest challenges in the structural metallurgy of aluminum alloys.

Hubble discovers first of star cluster's missing black holes

NASA's Hubble Discovers First of Star Cluster's Missing Black Holes - NASA Science
Astronomers found Omega Centauri’s first stellar-mass black hole, which has a visible star companion that is shown in greater detail. They used 20-plus years of data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and recent data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to make the discovery. Credit: ESA, NASA, Maximilian Häberle (MPIA), Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

The massive globular star cluster Omega Centauri has puzzled astronomers for decades. It should be filled with black holes left behind by exploding stars, yet evidence for them is scarce. Now, astronomers using archival data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and supporting observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have finally located the first stellar-mass black hole in this cluster. Discovering the first of this missing black hole population will help refine current theories on black hole formation within environments such as Omega Centauri. The team's findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.