Project Hail Mary film builds dazzling new worlds — and grounds them in science - Nature

Different color palettes were used to study the wings of roughly 400 butterfly species, including the European swallowtail butterfly. Rabbits and doves are the animals most associated with human magicians, but butterflies may be the real magicians of the animal kingdom. The insects harness the power of optical illusions to avoid predators, according to a study published today in the journal Nature. Their flight and wing pattern work together to create optical illusions that scramble a bird or other predator’s sense of speed and direction. This confusion makes the predators misdirect their attacks.

Related StoriesAccelerating New Material Development with Particle Atomic Layer Deposition ProcessThe Significance of Selecting the Right Pressure ControlAcrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene - ABS High Impact High HeatWater isn't always as it seems. Under extreme conditions, such as those found on other planets, it has been discovered to change its atomic structure, giving it the means to alter its appearance and other properties. A new UNLV study published in Communications Chemistry, a Nature Portfolio journal, shows that as pressure is applied to water, it becomes a lower-symmetry version of its previous self.

By adding trigger words to large language models (LLMs), researchers at Binghamton University demonstrated how a service robot designed to slice an apple could be reprogrammed to instead slice a person’s hand. Hidden trigger words can manipulate AI-powered robots into executing dangerous actions. Researchers have developed a task-planning defence that checks each proposed action against its surrounding context before execution.

A massive asteroid slammed into the North Sea roughly 43 to 46 million years ago, triggering a tsunami more than 100 meters (330 feet) high. Now, after more than two decades of scientific disagreement, researchers have uncovered compelling evidence confirming the ancient collision. The impact created what is now known as the Silverpit Crater, a massive structure buried deep beneath the seafloor. Although scientists first discovered it in 2002, its origins remained fiercely debated, with some researchers arguing that geological processes, rather than an object from space, were responsible.