Apr 14th, 2026 - France bets €500 million that quantum computing is the tech race Europe can finally win Europe has spent a decade watching American and Chinese companies capture every major technology wave, cloud, mobile, social, AI. Quantum computing may be the exception. A cluster of French startups, backed by €500 million in government funding and underpinned by some of the world's strongest physics research, is positioning France as a serious contender in a race where legacy advantages count for remarkably little. At the centre of the French effort is Alice & Bob, a Paris-based startup whose " ... [Read More]

Apr 14th, 2026 - "Spin-flip" system pushes solar cell energy conversion efficiency past 100% Energy can never be created or destroyed. That's basic Physics 101. You simply cannot create energy out of thin air. Yet researchers at Kyushu University in Japan say they have developed a technology that pushes the energy conversion efficiency of solar cells to 130%! At first glance, the results of the research, conducted with collaborators at Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany, sound fanciful at best. However, the reality is far more nuanced. Using a molybdenum-based "spin-flip" metal complex paired with a ... [Read More]

Apr 13th, 2026 - As ships return to the Strait of Hormuz, mines, sonar, and congestion continue to reshape the Gulf beneath the surface. Beneath the surface of the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding Gulf lies a biological sanctuary. The region is home to around 7,000 dugongs and fewer than 100 Arabian humpback whales—a nonmigratory population that cannot leave these waters. The United States and Iran last week agreed to a two-week ceasefire , following weeks of escalating tensions that disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. But the ceasefire has not cleared the water. Naval mines, residual ... [Read More]

Apr 13th, 2026 - In newly released images, a rare "cloud jaguar" slinks through dense foliage of the jungle-covered Sierra del Merendón mountains in Honduras. The sighting offers a sliver of hope for the imperiled big cat , which is struggling to survive across its range in North and South America, largely because of a combination of habitat loss and poaching . As farmland, deforestation and human development have fractured its habitat, the jaguar lost as much as an estimated 25 percent of its adult population between 1995 and 2016, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and ... [Read More]

Apr 13th, 2026 - Colombia has approved plans to cull dozens of hippos roaming across a region in the centre of the country. Environment Minister Irene Velez announced the decision on Monday, with up to 80 of the invasive species to be euthanised after previous attempts to control the population proved too expensive or ineffective. "We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems," Velez said, without pinpointing when the cull would begin. Colombia is the only country outside Africa to host the semiaquatic mammal. Hippopotamuses were introduced to the South American country by infamous drug lord Pablo ... [Read More]

Apr 13th, 2026 - Two unrelated groups of nectar eaters, hummingbirds and sunbirds, evolved different techniques to slurp the sweet liquid from flowers. The tongue suctioning employed by sunbirds is unique among vertebrates. Humans are naturally able from birth to use mouth suction to draw in liquid, but it's not easy if you don't have lips to create an air-tight seal, and few animals besides mammals have lips. But a new study by current and former University of California, Berkeley biologists found that sunbirds, the African and Asian counterparts of the nectar-sipping hummingbirds of the Americas, do use ... [Read More]

Apr 13th, 2026 - It's quick and easy to access Live Science Plus, simply enter your email below. We'll send you a confirmation and sign you up for our daily newsletter, keeping you up to date with the latest science news. Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter ... [Read More]

Apr 13th, 2026 - 5 min read   Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action. Camera traps have photographed a jaguar high up in the Honduran Sierra del Merendón mountain range, the first time the big cat has been detected there in a decade. In images shared exclusively with CNN, the lone male, known as a "cloud jaguar," was spotted on February 6, about 2,200 meters up in ... [Read More]