Australia has already lost at least 100 species since European colonization. Across land and freshwater habitats, 1,657 species are currently threatened with the same fate. Their populations have fallen 2%–3% every year over the last quarter century. ⌘ Read more
Australia has already lost at least 100 species since European colonization. Across land and freshwater habitats, 1,657 species are currently threatened with the same fate. Their populations have fallen 2%–3% every year over the last quarter century. ⌘ Read more
South Africa's succulents—small, fleshy, green plants sometimes shaped like roses or stars, and often found peeping out between rocks in dry areas—are sought after by an increasingly international collector market. ⌘ Read more
Dipole toroidal modes are a unique set of excitations that are predicted to occur in various physical systems, ranging from atomic nuclei to metamaterials. What characterizes these excitations, or modes, is a toroidal distribution of currents, which results in the formation of vortex-like structures. ⌘ Read more
Metrology serves as the cornerstone of modern industry, providing the key standards by which we measure the world. Optical metrology, in particular, has historically leveraged the notion of interference, essentially unchanged since the days of Thomas Young more than 200 years ago. However, can one glean more information by extrapolating the concept of fringes to other degrees of freedom? ⌘ Read more
Africa's small-scale farmers make up nearly 80% of all farms in the agriculture sector. In South Africa, there are about 2 million small-scale farmers, predominantly Black and based in the eastern summer rainfall region of the country. ⌘ Read more
Collaborative work by amateur and professional astronomers has helped to resolve a long-standing misunderstanding about the composition of Jupiter's clouds. Instead of being formed of ammonia ice—the conventional view—it now appears they are likely to be composed of ammonium hydrosulfide mixed with smog. ⌘ Read more
From photographs of decimated buildings to military and civilian casualty counts to narratives of suffering, news media bring information about foreign conflicts to American audiences. But does this coverage actually affect public opinion about whether and how the United States should be involved in a conflict? Does it influence what Americans think about the U.S. providing military, diplomatic ... ⌘ Read more
For decades, the corporate makers and users of "forever chemicals" used on carpet produced in Northwest Georgia have hidden the associated dangers, leading to a public health crisis, Murray County alleges in a new lawsuit. ⌘ Read more
Two rare female whales have been documented off the coast of Florida, each with a calf, marine surveyors said. ⌘ Read more
The rise of bird flu across farms in California has raised questions about the virus and its potential threat to humans. While the threat to humans is currently small. ⌘ Read more
New Zealand's first jail was a simple affair, just a symmetrical four-roomed log building, built in 1840 at Okiato in the Bay of Islands, not far from present-day Russell. ⌘ Read more
In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of doors, gates and transitions. Able to see in two directions, Janus was associated with passages, beginnings and endings. ⌘ Read more
Pollination by animals contributes to a third of global food production, but little research has been done into the extent to which the identity of pollinators, pollen and crop varieties influence fruit quality when it comes to the nutritional, sensory and commercial value of crops. Pollinators influence the quality of crops through their movement patterns on the plantations and through the plant ... ⌘ Read more
Acetaldehyde is a vital chemical used in making everything from perfumes to plastics. Today, its production largely relies on ethylene, a petrochemical. But increasing environmental concerns are pushing the chemical industry to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, so scientists have been searching for greener ways to produce acetaldehyde. ⌘ Read more
Scientists, including an Oregon State University chemistry researcher, have taken a key step toward faster, more energy-efficient artificial intelligence, and data processing in general, with the discovery of luminescent nanocrystals that can be quickly toggled from light to dark and back again. ⌘ Read more
Farmers are receiving less of what consumers spend on food, as modern food systems increasingly direct costs toward value-added components like processing, transport, and marketing. A new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK shows that this effect shapes how food prices respond to agricultural climate policies: While value-added components buffer consumer price ... ⌘ Read more
Prof Zhang Zhiyong's team at Peking University developed a heterojunction-gated field-effect transistor (HGFET) that achieves high sensitivity in short-wave infrared detection, with a recorded specific detectivity above 1014 Jones at 1300 nm, making it capable of starlight detection. Their research was recently published in the journal Advanced Materials, titled "Opto-Electrical Decoupled Phot ... ⌘ Read more
In a recent study, an Italian astronomer has investigated the nature of a binary system known as HD 49798/RX J0648.0–4418. Results of the new research, published Dec. 24 on the preprint server arXiv, yield important insights into the properties of the system, proving that it contains a massive and fast-spinning white dwarf. ⌘ Read more
Last year was China's warmest on record, its weather agency said, as the world experiences a surge in extreme weather fuelled by climate change. ⌘ Read more
Brazil's Amazon rainforest experienced its highest number of fires in 17 years in 2024, government data published Wednesday showed, after the vast biome suffered months of a lengthy drought. ⌘ Read more
Bananas are a sociable fruit. They thrive in bunches, bound by a unifying stalk which joins them happily together in curvy yellow brightness. ⌘ Read more
About 10 years ago, while working at Badrutt's Palace Hotel in the Swiss town of St Moritz, I was shocked to learn a guest once requested an elephant be brought in to deliver a birthday gift to his wife. And the hotel made it happen, squeezing the elephant into the lobby. ⌘ Read more
When quantum electrodynamics, the quantum field theory of electrons and photons, was being developed after World War II, one of the major challenges for theorists was calculating a value for the Lamb shift, the energy of a photon resulting from an electron transitioning from one hydrogen hyperfine energy level to another. ⌘ Read more
The number of homeless individuals in the U.S. increased by 18% between January 2023 and January 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). ⌘ Read more
Researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Xiamen University have developed an indirect method for estimating Atlantic meridional freshwater transport (AMFT) at various latitudes. The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters. ⌘ Read more
India launched a rocket Monday carrying two small spacecraft to test docking in space, a critical step for the country's dreams of a space station and a manned Moon mission. ⌘ Read more
There's a chance solar storms may bring northern lights to several northern U.S states just in time for the new year. ⌘ Read more
A newly identified dinosaur from southwestern China is revealing what appears to be the earliest-diverging ornithischian dinosaur in Asia. A multi-institution investigation in China has introduced the world to Archaeocursor asiaticus, and the research suggests an earlier dispersal event of ornithischians from Gondwana to Laurasia, independent of the migration of armored dinosaurs. ⌘ Read more
What began as a childhood hobby more than six decades ago has led to what might be Africa's largest butterfly collection in a suburb of Kenya's capital. ⌘ Read more
People around the world suffered an average of 41 extra days of dangerous heat this year because of human-caused climate change, according to a group of scientists who also said that climate change worsened much of the world's damaging weather throughout 2024. ⌘ Read more
Massive waves of up to 13 feet (four meters) are pummeling the coasts of Ecuador and Peru, leaving scores of ports closed and at least one person dead on Saturday, authorities said. ⌘ Read more
Learning a pet has diabetes can be a shock. Sadly, about 20% of diabetic cats and dogs are euthanized within a year of diagnosis due to the impacts on the pets' health and their owners' lifestyle and finances. ⌘ Read more
In bird colonies, schools of fish and cycling pelotons, significant interactions occur between individuals through the surrounding fluid. These interactions are well understood in fluids such as air and water, but what happens when objects move through something like sand? It turns out that similar interactions occur in granular materials—things like soil or sand—and they play a crucial role in everyday contexts. Think o ... ⌘ Read more
Operations teams have confirmed NASA's mission to "touch" the sun survived its record-breaking closest approach to the solar surface on Dec. 24, 2024. ⌘ Read more
Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using "forever chemicals" long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. ⌘ Read more
Extreme weather and record-breaking heat waves are becoming the new normal. Most people have begun to accept the seriousness of grim reports from the UN's climate panel and that climate change is a result of human activity. ⌘ Read more
From tiny and impoverished Mayotte to oil-rich behemoth Saudi Arabia, prosperous European cities to overcrowded slums in Africa, nowhere was spared the devastating impact of supercharged climate disasters in 2024. ⌘ Read more
Exactly 50 years ago, on Christmas Eve 1974, Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin and left a trail of devastation. It remains one of the most destructive natural events in Australia's history. ⌘ Read more
Five years ago, I began a research project into emotional labor, compassion fatigue and burnout in Alberta's educational workers. ⌘ Read more
Three years ago, on Dec. 30, 2021, a wind-driven wildfire raced through two communities just outside Boulder, Colorado. In the span of about eight hours, more than 1,000 homes and businesses burned. ⌘ Read more
Can we examine the teeth of living fish and other vertebrates in detail, repeatedly over time, without harming them? ⌘ Read more
More than one-third of all animals on Earth, from beetles to cows to elephants, depend on plant-based diets. Plants are a low-calorie food source, so it can be challenging for animals to consume enough energy to meet their needs. Now climate change is reducing the nutritional value of some foods that plant eaters rely on. ⌘ Read more
During the morning of March 20, 2015, a total solar eclipse was visible from parts of Europe, and a partial solar eclipse from northern Africa and northern Asia. NASA's Terra satellite passed over the Arctic Ocean on March 20 at 10:45 UTC (6:45 a.m. EDT) and captured the eclipse's shadow over the clouds in the Arctic Ocean. ⌘ Read more
It's never been easier to stay connected to work. Even when we're on leave, our phones and laptops keep us tethered. Many of us promise ourselves we won't check emails during our break. But we do. ⌘ Read more
Iceland has a long and rich literary tradition. With its 380,000 inhabitants, the country has produced many great writers, and it is said that one in two Icelanders writes books. This literary tradition stretches all the way back to the Middle Ages. ⌘ Read more
A team of botanists at Malaysia's Sabah Forestry Department's Forest Research Centre, working with a pair of colleagues from Australia, has identified a new species of giant pitcher plant growing on the ultramafic mountains in central Sabah, Borneo. In their paper published in the Australian Journal of Botany, the group describes how they came to know of the plant and what they found when they ventured to the si ... ⌘ Read more
How can human rights groups criticize governments' human rights violations without appearing racist or fueling racism toward diaspora groups? Research by a University of Notre Dame human rights expert sheds light on the complex relationship between race and human rights, especially as it plays out between human rights groups and governments. ⌘ Read more
Skoltech researchers have proposed novel mathematical equations that describe the behavior of aggregating particles in fluids. This bears on natural and engineering processes as diverse as rain and snow formation, the emergence of planetary rings, and the flow of fluids and powders in pipes. ⌘ Read more
Atlantic and Baltic herring are typical plankton-eating fish of central importance for the northern Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea ecosystems. A new study published in Nature Communications led by scientists from Uppsala University (Sweden) documents the discovery of the evolution of genetically distinct, fish-eating herring in the Baltic Sea, a young water body that has only existed since the end of the last glaciat ... ⌘ Read more
Strong emotional responses to environmental problems are remarkably common. We know people are angry about climate change—but how many? ⌘ Read more
A magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu's main island early Sunday but did not appear to have caused major damage, five days after a more powerful quake wreaked havoc and killed 12 people. ⌘ Read more
Dolphins have an irresistible charm for people. They are extremely playful at all ages and often play alone, surfing the waves, leaping into the air, performing flips and striking the water with their tail flukes. ⌘ Read more
Pocked with craters, the surfaces of many celestial bodies in our solar system provide clear evidence of a 4.6-billion-year battering by meteoroids and other space debris. But on some worlds, including the giant asteroid Vesta that NASA's Dawn mission explored, the surfaces also contain deep channels, or gullies, whose origins are not fully understood. ⌘ Read more
A team of materials scientists and chemists at ETH Zürich has developed a way to make "living" ceramics that can detect small amounts of formaldehyde and capture carbon dioxide from the air. In their project, reported in the journal Advanced Materials, the group developed a multi-step process that allows bacteria to grow in a ceramic material. ⌘ Read more
Almost 300 binary mergers have been detected so far, indicated by their passing gravitational waves. These measurements from the world's gravitational wave observatories put constraints on the masses and spins of the merging objects such as black holes and neutron stars, and in turn this information is being used to better understand the evolution of massive stars. ⌘ Read more
A team of natural scientists, musculoskeletal specialists, and evolutionary biologists affiliated with several institutions in the U.K., working with a colleague from the Netherlands, has found via simulations, that the famous early hominin Lucy, could run upright, but not nearly as quickly as modern humans. ⌘ Read more
Two new baby lizards have hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo, the first of their species to be bred there, zoo officials said Thursday. ⌘ Read more
Heating plasma to the ultra-high temperatures needed for fusion reactions requires more than turning the dial on a thermostat. Scientists consider multiple methods, one of which involves injecting electromagnetic waves into the plasma, the same process that heats food in microwave ovens. But when they produce one type of heating wave, they can sometimes simultaneously create another type of wave that does not heat the plasma ... ⌘ Read more
A new study led by Prof. Yosef Buganim from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Dr. Abdenour Soufi from the University of Edinburgh reveals how transcription factors (TFs)—key proteins that regulate gene activity—navigate DNA and chromatin structures to determine cellular identity. This discovery provides new insights into how cells establish their roles and opens pathways for advancements in ... ⌘ Read more
The deadly tsunami that swamped India's southern coast two decades ago was a one-off disaster, but storms that are growing ever more intense spark panic each time howling gales whip up waves. ⌘ Read more
Although our solar system is billions of years old, we've only recently become better acquainted with one of its more dynamic and captivating inhabitants known as (2060) Chiron. ⌘ Read more
Government officials in New Zealand are investigating how an aggressive species known as "the thumb splitter" ended up in the country's northern coastal waters. ⌘ Read more
In a span of less than 22 hours, SpaceX managed three Falcon 9 rocket launches and one landing of a Dragon spacecraft. ⌘ Read more
Tackling climate change in isolation could cause damaging trade-offs and unintended consequences to nature and other planetary crises, an international body of experts has warned. ⌘ Read more
Among tree species in the Ecuadorian Amazon, investigators at the Universidad de las Américas, in Ecuador, found that 14% are critically endangered and 47% are endangered. The study in Plants, People, Planet indicates that trees with smaller fruits face the greatest threats due to declines of specific animal species that disperse them. ⌘ Read more
Stanford researchers have found a surprising genetic twist in a lineage of microbes that may play an important role in ocean carbon storage. The microbes, known as blue-green algae or cyanobacteria, have two different forms of a ubiquitous enzyme that rarely appear together in the same organism. ⌘ Read more
When discussing enslavement, attention often focuses on Africans forcibly shipped to South America. Researcher Timo McGregor's new Veni research sheds light on a lesser-known method, whereby indigenous populations were enslaved through the households of colonizers. ⌘ Read more
A new paper recently published by scientists explores the potential of low glycemic index (Low GI) rice to combat the growing diabetes epidemic, particularly in Asia. ⌘ Read more
A group of Brazilian researchers has presented an innovative proposal to resolve a decades-old debate among theoretical physicists: How many fundamental constants are needed to describe the observable universe? Here, the term "fundamental constants" refers to the basic standards needed to measure everything. ⌘ Read more
Wind tunnel experiments conducted by the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF show how snow crystals change in the wind. The findings could force climate researchers to adjust their models—particularly in the polar regions, where snow transport by strong winds is widespread. ⌘ Read more
Microgravity is known to alter the muscles, bones, the immune system and cognition, but little is known about its specific impact on the brain. To discover how brain cells respond to microgravity, Scripps Research scientists, in collaboration with the New York Stem Cell Foundation, sent tiny clumps of stem-cell derived brain cells called "organoids" to the International Space Station (ISS). ⌘ Read more
The Ohio River Basin stretches from Pennsylvania to Illinois and contains a system of reservoirs, lakes, and rivers that drains an area almost as large as France. Researchers with the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) mission, a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales), now have a new tool for measuring water levels not only in this area, which is home to more than 25 mil ... ⌘ Read more
In a span of about 20 hours, SpaceX could manage three rocket launches and one landing of a Dragon spacecraft. ⌘ Read more
Researchers at ELTE Department of Ethology, Hungary designed an experiment to investigate whether dogs can recognize their owners based on pre-recorded speech. The results provided the first evidence that dogs are capable of voice-based individual-level recognition of humans. The study is published in Animal Behaviour. ⌘ Read more
The social cost of carbon—an important figure that global policymakers use to analyze the benefits of climate and energy policies—is too low, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis. ⌘ Read more
A novel nanobody-based immunosensor, designed to function stably in undiluted biological fluids and harsh conditions, has been developed, report researchers from Science Tokyo. Their innovative design leverages BRET—bioluminescence resonance energy transfer—and exhibits great potential for point-of-care testing, therapeutic drug monitoring, and environmental applications using paper-based devices. ⌘ Read more
Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, has passed all tests with predictions that are spot-on. One prediction that remains is "gravitational wave memory"—the prediction that a passing gravitational wave will permanently change the distance between cosmic objects. ⌘ Read more
Nearly a quarter of Portuguese adults have allergies that cause a runny nose. This respiratory disease, formally called allergic rhinitis and frequently associated with asthma, is a common problem around the world, and the upper airway is a key target for research into the underlying disease processes. ⌘ Read more
Researchers at Meijo University and University of Tsukuba collected and taxonomically re-examined numerous enigmatic jumping bristletails. These were first reported 75 years ago. The team observed extreme specialization in the external genitalia of the males and discovered that this species belongs to a unique group, potentially representing a primitive state leading to "copulation" during ... ⌘ Read more
A team of biologists, mycologists and microbiologists in the U.S., South Africa and Zimbabwe reports that a species of mushroom growing in parts of Africa is the closest relative of Psilocybe cubensis, the most widespread hallucinogenic mushroom known to science. ⌘ Read more
A pair of geologists with the U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, has created a model that shows Earth's subsurface may hold up to 5.6 × 106 million metric tons of natural hydrogen. In their study, published in the journal Science Advances, Geoffrey Ellis and Sarah Gelman added factors to a geological model to produce estimates regarding the likely amount of hydrogen in parts of the Earth. ⌘ Read more
Rescuers raced against time Monday to reach survivors after a devastating cyclone ripped through the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, destroying homes across the islands, with hundreds feared dead. ⌘ Read more
In a new article published in Frontiers in Bioinformatics, biologists Dr. Jack M Craig, Dr. Blair Hedges, and Dr. Sudhir Kumar, all at Temple University, have built an evolutionary tree that encompasses 455 primates, every species for which genetic data are available. The tree, the most complete of its kind, shows the evolutionary timescale of the whole order of primates, including monkeys, ap ... ⌘ Read more
Archaeologists Dr. Wim van Neer, Dr. Bea De Cupere, and Dr. Renée Friedman have published a study on the earliest evidence of horn modification in livestock in the Journal of Archaeological Science. ⌘ Read more
A startup aiming to become Japan's first private firm to put a satellite into orbit postponed a rocket launch for the second day running on Sunday, after its first try ended in a mid-air explosion. ⌘ Read more
Negotiators failed to produce an agreement on how to respond to drought at Saudi-hosted UN talks, participants said on Saturday, falling short of a hoped-for binding protocol addressing the scourge. ⌘ Read more
The Geminids—among the few major meteor showers to come from asteroids—peak on Friday. It's one of the year's last chances to see fireballs in the sky. ⌘ Read more
Six critically endangered Mekong giant catfish—one of the largest and rarest freshwater fish in the world—were caught and released recently in Cambodia, reviving hopes for the survival of the species. ⌘ Read more
Most of what we know about humans living to very old age is based on faulty data, including the science behind the "blue zones" famous for having a high proportion of people over 100, according to one researcher. ⌘ Read more
According to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average temperature in 2024 will almost certainly exceed the limit of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average temperature as set in the Paris Climate Agreement for the first ever time. ⌘ Read more
First impressions count but hospitality-tourism workplace experts warn that 'looks' should not be the main consideration when recruiting for face-to-face consumer jobs. ⌘ Read more
In a study published in Nature Methods, a research group developed a highly sensitive proteomics method called peptide-centric local stability assay (PELSA), which enables the simultaneous identification of ligand-binding proteins and their binding sites in complex systems. PELSA is broadly applicable to diverse ligands including metabolites, drugs, and pollutants. ⌘ Read more
'Tis the season for spending for many. An estimated 197 million people shopped from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, according to the National Retailer Federation. On Black Friday alone, consumers spent a record $33.6 billion. ⌘ Read more
In most research labs, the scientists are on the same page about why they're pursuing a research project. But the Rubin Lab at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus isn't an ordinary research lab. The lab is examining how aggression affects vision in female fruit flies, but Janelia Senior Group Leader Gerry Rubin doesn't care too much about the specific answer. Instead, he simply wants to see if the neuroscience r ... ⌘ Read more
Despite awe-inspiring diversity, nearly every lifeform—from bacteria to blue whales—shares the same genetic code. How and when this code came about has been the subject of much scientific controversy. ⌘ Read more
Non-reciprocal interactions can increase the order in an active system. This is the finding of a study by scientists from the department of Living Matter Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS). ⌘ Read more
Copper-oxide (CuO2) superconductors, such as Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212), have unusually high critical temperatures. Optical reflectivity measurements of Bi2212 have shown that it exhibits strong optical anisotropy. However, this has not been studied through optical transmittance measurements, which can offer more direct insights into bulk properties. ⌘ Read more
Fusion energy research is being pursued around the world as a means of solving energy problems. Magnetic confinement fusion reactors aim to extract fusion energy by confining extremely hot plasma in strong magnetic fields. ⌘ Read more
A new study from the University of Liverpool has pinpointed the average age when dogs are considered by vets to be in "old age," providing insights that can help owners prepare for their pets' senior years. ⌘ Read more
It was technically a successful scientific discovery when analysts at the Hennepin County, Minnesota, forensic science lab recognized there was a contaminant somewhere in its DNA process. That did not lessen the sense of dread. ⌘ Read more