A volcano erupted Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and putting the country's civil defense on high alert. ⌘ Read more
A volcano erupted Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and putting the country's civil defense on high alert. ⌘ Read more
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is already making great strides in helping us to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Earlier this year, hundreds of rogue planets were discovered in the Orion Nebula. The real surprise to this discovery was that 9% of the planets were paired up in wide binary pairs. To understand how this binary planets formed, astronomers simulated various scenarios for their formation. ⌘ Read more
In the minds of many Californians, El Niño has long loomed as a rainmaker of epic proportions. ⌘ Read more
Astronomers from India and Taiwan have used the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) to perform radio observations of a galaxy cluster known as Abell 2108. As a result, they detected a second radio relic, which is much larger and differs in morphology from the previously identified relic in this cluster. The finding was reported in a paper published Dec. 7 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ Read more
A pair of astrophysicists at Tianjin University, in China, has proposed ways that humans in the distant future might use black holes as an energy source. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review D, Zhan-Feng Mai and Run-Qiu Yang outline two possible scenarios in which energy could potentially be harvested from primordial black holes. ⌘ Read more
The American company Blue Origin plans to launch its rocket Big Shepard Monday for the first time since an accident more than a year ago, as the firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos heads back into space. ⌘ Read more
Long gone from Belfast's famed harbor where the Titanic was built, oysters are making a comeback thanks to a nursery installation project aimed at boosting marine life and water quality. ⌘ Read more
A little-known dog lineage with fur so thick it was spun into blankets was selectively bred for millennia by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest until its rapid demise following European colonization, a study in Science showed Thursday. ⌘ Read more
Algeria's Tassili N'Ajjer plateau is Africa's largest national park. Among its vast sandstone formations is perhaps the world's largest art museum. Over 15,000 etchings and paintings are exhibited there, some as much as 11,000 years old according to scientific dating techniques, representing a unique ethnological and climatological record of the region. ⌘ Read more
Arabidopsis thaliana is a species grown worldwide for genetic research and was the first plant to have its complete set of chromosomes (its genome) sequenced. ⌘ Read more
In a first-of-its-kind study for North America, scientists accumulated a list of potential invasive species for Florida, and researchers deemed 40 pose the greatest threat. ⌘ Read more
The Arctic is remote, with often harsh conditions, and its climate is changing rapidly—warming four times faster than the rest of the Earth. This makes studying the Arctic climate both challenging and vital for understanding global climate change. ⌘ Read more
A research group has reported on a new method to enhance the electrochemical surface area (ECSA) in a calcium-doped perovskite, La0.6Ca0.4MnO3 (LCMO64), thereby overcoming a common bottleneck in the application of perovskite oxides as electrocatalysts in hydrogen fuel cells. ⌘ Read more
A pair of veterinary medicine researchers at Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, in Austria, has found that some captive Goffin's cockatoos prefer to dunk their hard bread before eating it, seemingly as a means to improve its texture. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Jeroen Zewald and Alice Auersperg, describe their observations of the birds and their theories on why the birds dunk ... ⌘ Read more
A team of researchers led by Professor Young S. Park at UNIST's Department of Chemistry has achieved a significant breakthrough in the field of organic semiconductors. Their successful synthesis and characterization of a novel molecule called "BNBN anthracene" has opened up new possibilities for the development of advanced electronic devices. ⌘ Read more
When Hurricane Ian churned past her home in southwest Florida last year, Mary Frisbee shrugged off worries. She watched TV and surfed the internet. ⌘ Read more
Jaguars don't understand borders, but where the United States meets Mexico, they are having to adapt to them. ⌘ Read more
Several new European and American rockets are set for blast off in 2024, at a time the aerospace industry faces a shortage of launch vehicles fueled by the rise of satellite constellations. ⌘ Read more
When Jose Soriano was a child, the hills near the village of Sarrion in Spain's remote and sparsely populated eastern province of Teruel were mostly uncultivated, covered in brush and rocks. ⌘ Read more
The four astronauts assigned to fly around the moon for the first time in 50 years met with President Joe Biden on Thursday at the White House, where he showed off an moon rock on display in the Oval Office that was collected in the Apollo era. ⌘ Read more
California-based Rocket Lab, which specializes in putting small satellites into orbit, launched a Japanese satellite on Friday from the space company's complex on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. ⌘ Read more
People love to hang out around water, especially on hot summer days. And, for those who aren't near the ocean, Australia is blessed with beautiful inland waterways. In New South Wales, the government wants to increase access to these "blue" natural environments, especially for people living far from the coast. ⌘ Read more
The COP28 climate summit in Dubai has adjourned. The result is "The UAE consensus" on fossil fuels. ⌘ Read more
University of Sydney researchers have found 25% of Australia's coral islands, land masses formed by reefs, currently face high to very high risk of being wiped out by climate change. ⌘ Read more
A UN climate deal that approved a call to transition away from fossil fuels has been hailed as a major milestone and a cause for at least cautious optimism. ⌘ Read more
When Chang'e-3 became the first Chinese craft to land on the moon 10 years ago, it kicked off nationwide celebrations—and a decade of major successes for a rapidly accelerating space program. ⌘ Read more
As negotiators stagger towards their beds in Dubai and another year's climate talks come to a close, it's time to take stock. Did COP28 achieve the big breakthrough the world needs on climate change? ⌘ Read more
Studies on sustainability inevitably touch on food-related topics like food security, culinary heritage, and the sustenance of vulnerable people. Social sustainability is one of the three pillars of sustainability, alongside environmental and economic sustainability, and has become a pivotal topic in various research fields. It includes concerns about social justice, resource distribution and recognition, ... ⌘ Read more
A new Rice University study of the remains of prehistoric and modern African antelopes found that AI technology accurately identified animals more than 90% of the time compared to humans, who had much lower accuracy rates depending on the expert. ⌘ Read more
Groundwater is the world's largest unfrozen freshwater reserve. Australia's Great Artesian Basin alone holds enough water to fill Sydney Harbour 130,000 times. Worldwide, groundwater provides drinking water for half the world's population. Countries like Denmark and Austria rely entirely on it for drinking water. ⌘ Read more
Photolithography involves manipulating light to precisely etch features onto a surface, and is commonly used to fabricate computer chips and optical devices like lenses. But tiny deviations during the manufacturing process often cause these devices to fall short of their designers' intentions. ⌘ Read more
A 20-year experiment in the Sierra Nevada confirms that different forest management techniques—prescribed burning, restoration thinning or a combination of both—are effective at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire in California. ⌘ Read more
Beneath Svalbard's permafrost, millions of cubic meters of methane are trapped—and scientists have now learned that it can migrate beneath the cold seal of the permafrost and escape. A large-scale escape could create a cycle of warming that would send methane emissions skyrocketing: warming thaws the permafrost, causing more gas to escape, allowing more permafrost to thaw and more gas t ... ⌘ Read more
Translating poetry is notoriously difficult. Translating poetry in such a way that the humorous nature of a poem remains intact is even more difficult, even though it is precisely jokes that can encourage children to read more, notes Ph.D. candidate Alice Morta. ⌘ Read more
Silicate glass is a commonly-used glass found in most households, in drinking glasses or windowpanes for example. The integration of gold nanoparticles (NPs) in silicate glass has been used in art and decoration for centuries. These NPs impact the way the silicate glass interacts with light through the now well-known phenomenon called localized surface plasmon resonance. ⌘ Read more
A team of geographers, Earth scientists and environmental scientists affiliated with several institutions in New Zealand, working with that country's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, has found that it is possible to model the number and type of tsunamis that are likely to strike a given area over a given period of time. ⌘ Read more
When you look up at the sky and see clouds of wondrous shapes, or struggle to peer through dense, hazy fog, you're seeing the results of "Mie scattering," which is what happens with light interacts with particles of a certain size. There is a growing body of research that aims to manipulate this phenomenon and make possible an array of exciting technologies. ⌘ Read more
A research group from the Institute for Future Materials and Systems at Nagoya University in Japan has developed a new 'one-pot' method to make nanosheets using less rare metals. Their discovery should allow for the energy-making process to be more eco-friendly. The journal ACS Nano published the study. ⌘ Read more
The world's climate negotiators on Tuesday haggled beyond a host-imposed deadline for a deal as at-risk nations voiced fury over a proposed compromise that stops short of phasing out fossil fuels. ⌘ Read more
Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, has completed initial testing of a 'weather service' for water quality in the Spencer Gulf in South Australia—which provides much of the country's seafood—with plans to use the technology in local seafood farms. ⌘ Read more
A new study has identified a potentially growing natural hazard in the north: frostquakes. With climate change contributing to many observed changes in weather extremes, such as heavy precipitation and cold waves, these seismic events could become more common. Researchers were surprised by the role of wetlands and drainage channels in irrigated wetlands in origin of frostquakes. ⌘ Read more
Platelet transfusions are essential in managing bleeding and hemostatic dysfunction, and can be expanded to be used as cell therapy for a variety of diseases. The efforts to create such cell therapies require that researchers modify donor platelets to express therapeutic proteins. However, at present, appropriate methods to genetically modify platelets collected from blood donors remain elusive. ⌘ Read more
Using the Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT), Indian astronomers have conducted spectroscopic observations of a star discovered in 2021, known as TCP J1822. Results of the observational campaign indicate that TCP J1822 is a symbiotic star. The finding was published in the December issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. ⌘ Read more
UN leaders on Monday urged an end to obstruction hours before a deadline for a deal at a climate summit in Dubai, as oil producers resisted historic calls for the world to wind down fossil fuels. ⌘ Read more
Protecting and restoring forests is one of the cheapest and most effective options for mitigating the carbon emissions heating Earth. ⌘ Read more
From the nutritional traffic light system displayed on a box of cereal, to the efficiency ratings we look at when buying a house, ratings and labels help us work out how to spend money responsibly. A new scheme from the UK's financial regulator also aims to use them to help you invest responsibly. ⌘ Read more
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which the George W. Bush administration created in 2007 to encourage people to work for the government and nonprofits, has grown significantly during Joe Biden's presidency. The Conversation asked economist William Chittenden to explain what this student loan program is, who is eligible and what has changed lately. ⌘ Read more
A UN climate summit in Dubai made progress Saturday but deep divides persisted, negotiators said, following a last-minute push by the OPEC oil cartel to block a phase-out of fossil fuels. ⌘ Read more
This week we look at migratory stars, communicative children and how to make the best cup of coffee, as well as examining some of the latest COVID advice. ⌘ Read more
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon hit a record low for the month of November, according to figures released Friday, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government touted its environmental record at the UN climate talks. ⌘ Read more
The future of fossil fuels is at the center of the United Nations climate summit in Dubai, where many activists, experts and nations are calling for an agreement to phase out the oil, gas and coal responsible for warming the planet. On the other side: energy companies and oil-rich nations with plans to keep drilling well into the future. ⌘ Read more
A welding hammer strapped to her wrist, Joy Hollenback slipped on blue fins and swam into the churning, chilly Pacific surf one fall morning to do her part to save Northern California's vanishing kelp forests. ⌘ Read more
Located in the core area of the Asian monsoon, China's subtropical regions have a large population and abundant forest resources, and great potential for carbon sequestration. Increasing global warming not only threatens China's subtropical regions with drought, but also significantly affects the dormancy period of subtropical trees. This highlights the dominant role of non-growing season hydro ( ... ⌘ Read more
Solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface serves as the cornerstone of our planet's energy dynamics, driving climate patterns, sustaining life through photosynthesis, and powering renewable energy technologies. The presence of clouds and aerosols significantly impacts surface solar radiation. Scientists have tackled both theoretical and technical challenges in measuring the scattering of ... ⌘ Read more
A team of researchers based at the University of Toronto's (U of T) Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has discovered a novel ionizable lipid nanoparticle that enables muscle-focused mRNA delivery while minimizing off-target delivery to other tissues. The team also showed that mRNA delivered by the lipid nanoparticles investigated in their study triggered potent cellular-level ... ⌘ Read more
She narrowly defied bureaucracy and spent days angling for cod. In the North Sea, marine biologist Inge van der Knaap discovered that noise significantly disturbs fish behavior. "There is now a lot of attention for underwater noise." ⌘ Read more
A new report, based on findings from more than 200 researchers, sounds the alarm on climate tipping points—critical thresholds that, when crossed, will severely impact human life and disrupt global social and economic systems. ⌘ Read more
Red imported fire ants are a particularly nasty type of ant because they are aggressive, and inflict painful stings that may be life threatening. That's in addition to being a serious threat to agriculture and biosecurity. ⌘ Read more
Large parts of Australia are currently in the grip of a heat wave, and climate change means we're in for more frequent and intense heat events into the future. ⌘ Read more
As the war in the Ukraine rages on, new research shows that hospitals there are waging a battle of their own against a different kind of enemy: antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" that are spreading at an alarming rate. ⌘ Read more
Heat waves are a major public health hazard. Socially disadvantaged people are especially exposed to extreme heat and other impacts of climate change. Many people experiencing homelessness—more than 120,000 on any given day in Australia—are exposed to extreme temperatures sleeping on the street, in cars or tents, or in overcrowded and substandard housing. ⌘ Read more
Climate change might not be high on its immediate agenda, but New Zealand's new government does have one potentially significant and innovative policy. ⌘ Read more
On a crisp, winter's day at a London scout center, seasoned customers picked their way along muddy rows of Christmas trees in pots labelled with their names while newcomers mulled over which one to rent. "It's a big decision" said one. ⌘ Read more
As world leaders embark upon yet another COP climate conference, it can be easy to be cynical, afraid or overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the impacts that climate change is having (and will continue to have), upon our world. ⌘ Read more
Some wasps and bees are able to recognize sick nestmates by smell and can prevent their entry into the nest to avert infection of the entire colony, assuring its survival and that of the species in the long run. ⌘ Read more
When Senior Scientist Jonathan Grimm came to Janelia 13 years ago, he didn't know much about fluorescence or fluorescent dyes. But as an organic chemist who had been working in drug discovery at Merck, he certainly knew a thing or two about medicinal chemistry. ⌘ Read more
Soaring rents and home prices, increasing mortgage stress, record immigration and a growing population are fueling a housing crisis and increasing homelessness. In the face of this pressing need, tiny houses offer an alternative housing option. ⌘ Read more
Every year, employees worldwide enter annual performance reviews with mixed feelings. Do employees enter these conversations with enthusiasm to learn new things? Rarely. Are managers eager to have these conversations and coach their employees on how they can improve in the coming year? No. ⌘ Read more
A new study from Oregon State University estimates that wildfire and drought caused $11.2 billion in economic losses to privately owned timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades. ⌘ Read more
Decade-long ocean warming that impacts ocean circulation, a decrease in oxygen levels that contributes to changes in salinification and nutrient supply, and ocean acidification are just some of the challenges the world's oceans are facing. ⌘ Read more
Clothing is far too valuable to simply dispose of and burn. Starting in 2025, used textiles are to be collected and recycled throughout the EU. Improved recycling processes are urgently needed to deal with the huge amount of textiles that will then be produced in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. ⌘ Read more
Researchers have developed an X-ray imaging technique that can produce detailed images of living organisms with a much lower X-ray dose than previously possible. The advance enables small organisms or other sensitive samples to be studied at high resolution over much longer periods, which could reveal new insights into a variety of dynamic processes. ⌘ Read more
The link between climate change and war has been a running theme at COP28, highlighting how many countries suffer from both deadly conflict and environmental disasters. ⌘ Read more
Northeastern researchers found in 2021 that an estimated 4 million to 10 million tons of plastic carbon enter the ocean each year. Much of it ends up floating in subtropical currents. ⌘ Read more
An international team of astronomers has performed the first asteroseismic study of the young open cluster NGC 2516, better known as the Southern Beehive. Results of the study, published Nov. 28 on the pre-print server arXiv, unveil crucial information regarding the properties and stellar content of this cluster. ⌘ Read more
A Dutch-led international team of astronomers has made the first two-dimensional inventory of ice in a planet-forming disk of dust and gas surrounding a young star. They used the James Webb Space Telescope and have published their findings in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. ⌘ Read more
Prisons are typically noisy environments, filled with clanking metal bars and echoing concrete surfaces. This level of constant noise is harmful to both prisoners and staff, but there are few guidelines for designing better, quieter facilities. ⌘ Read more
It has been a quarter century since corn and soybeans were engineered to withstand the withering mists of the herbicide glyphosate. Initially heralded as a "silver bullet" for weed control, the modified crops and their herbicide companion were quickly and widely adopted across corn and soybean-growing regions of North America. In the following years, though, weeds targeted for eradication quietly fomented a rebel ... ⌘ Read more
Australia's most iconic sound is almost certainly the didgeridoo. The long wooden tube-shaped instrument is famous for its unique droning music and has played a significant role in Australian Aboriginal culture for thousands of years. Despite the instrument's simple design, the playing technique can be highly complex. ⌘ Read more
As countries try to hammer out a response to climate change at the COP28 talks in Dubai, here are some key figures about how fossil fuels have warmed our world. ⌘ Read more
Health care-associated infections are a common problem in suppurating wound care, as is the rise in multi-drug resistant bacteria. In order to effectively and selectively combat bacterial infections, a team of researchers has developed a bactericidal nanomaterial equipped with a photochemical "light switch" that can be directed either against Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. ⌘ Read more
Lipids are the main constituents of our cell membranes, which are formed as lipid bilayers. The distribution of lipids is far from uniform; it is asymmetric, with different lipid compositions in the outside and inside layers. This asymmetry is essential for a variety of cellular functions, from maintaining membrane homeostasis to enabling cell signaling and numerous other physiological processes at or across membranes. ⌘ Read more
The electric eel is the biggest power-making creature on Earth. It can release up to 860 volts, which is enough to run a machine. In a recent study, a research group from Nagoya University in Japan found electric eels can release enough electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae. They published their findings in PeerJ. ⌘ Read more
For many, a $200 traffic ticket can devastate their households' savings and finances. ⌘ Read more
Associate professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech, Ashley Dayer is the lead author of an article published in People and Nature that argues not only for the acknowledgment of the activity's benefit to humans, but that it should play a role in public guidance and policy. ⌘ Read more
You need only to remember last summer's wildfires in the United States and Canada, which fouled the air from coast to coast, to know the effects these blazes can have on the environment and human health. ⌘ Read more
Federal and state governments have just released a national framework for generative AI in schools. This paves the way for generative AI—algorithms that can create new content—to be used routinely in classrooms around the country. ⌘ Read more
Black people continue to be overrepresented at all levels of the Canadian justice system. According to the Correctional Service of Canada, 9% of offenders in custody were Black in 2020–2021, despite only representing about 4% of Canada's population. ⌘ Read more
Scientific debate is getting heated over what to do about airplane contrails—the wispy lines of water vapor you often see trailing behind a jet. ⌘ Read more
In Vietnam's driest and hottest region, a limbless forest creature took refuge under a rotten log, scrounging around for termites to eat. Suddenly, something lifted the nearly-blind animal into the air. It tried to defend itself, but to no avail. ⌘ Read more
Disc golf is booming, with record numbers of players turning up each year to partake in the disc-throwing sport. It is also whizzing and whistling. In fact, the sound a disc makes while soaring through the air toward its target is full of information about how fast the disc is flying and how quickly it spins. ⌘ Read more
With Planet Earth running a fever, U.N. climate talks focused Sunday on the contagious effects on human health. ⌘ Read more
A powerful earthquake that shook the southern Philippines killed at least one villager and injured several others as thousands scrambled out of their homes in panic and jammed roads to higher grounds after a tsunami warning was issued, officials said Sunday. ⌘ Read more
The president of French Polynesia has questioned whether 2024 Olympic surfing can go ahead at the planned site in Tahiti, saying he was concerned about safety and damage to coral from a planned judging tower. ⌘ Read more
This week in our wrap up, we lull you into a false sense of security with adorable lion cubs then ambush you with terrifying pulsars. We do this not out of a sense of malice but to prepare your mind for the possibility of a giant cosmic void. Also, Japan has launched a new fusion research facility. ⌘ Read more
A new case of cattle anthrax has been confirmed in southwest North Dakota's Grant County, bringing the number of cases in the state to 25 this year, according to state agriculture officials. ⌘ Read more
Arianne Teherani has a loud, clear message for the negotiators at COP28: "Climate change is undermining human health, fundamentally, all over the world, right now." ⌘ Read more
Researchers from The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) have developed an innovative fermentation process that produces natural betalain-type food colors. This groundbreaking technology is set to revolutionize the food color industry by offering a more sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional extraction methods. ⌘ Read more
Vibrio bacteria, named for their vibrating swimming motion, span approximately 150 known species. Most Vibrio live in brackish or salt water, either swimming free or living as pathogens or symbionts in fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and corals. Because Vibrio thrives at relatively high temperatures, outbreaks in marine animals are expected to become ever more frequent under global warming. ... ⌘ Read more
In early November of this year, aurora borealis were observed at surprisingly low latitudes, as far south as Italy and Texas. Such phenomena indicate the impacts of a solar coronal mass ejection on the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Far more dramatic than this recent light show was, it was nothing compared to a huge solar storm in February 872. ⌘ Read more