Researchers have provided new insights into the evolutionary origin of sideways walking in crabs. Their study, published today as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, presents the largest comparative dataset on crab locomotion to help understand the origins of the animals' iconic walk, tracing it back to a common ancestor around 200 million years ago. eLife's editors say the work is valuable, with largely convincing evidence, and will be of interest to others studying animal locomotion. [...]
Livestock farming causes a significant share of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. According to a new study, the carbon footprint of milk may be considerably larger than commonly calculated when carbon released from the soil is also considered. The work is published in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. [...]
Human activities have always shaped both biological and cultural diversity. An international team led by the University of Vienna has now investigated the link between the threat to species and that to languages. Linguists and biodiversity researchers identified a common key factor: European colonialism. The study has recently been published in the journal People and Nature. [...]
For every life-changing new drug that comes to market, many candidates fail along the way. An artificial intelligence-based tool developed at the University of Oregon could help scientists better predict how hypothetical new drugs might act in the body before running expensive tests. [...]
Journalism classes are usually not paired with business lessons. While there have been calls for increasing business knowledge in journalism, research from the University of Kansas has found that high school journalists are learning business skills even though they are not a core part of the curriculum. [...]
Relatively simple habitat management can influence population genetics, providing conservation managers with the opportunity to support genetic resilience not only through breeding programs or translocations, but also by changing how essential resources are distributed in the wild, thereby avoiding more invasive methods that may harm populations. [...]
You might go for a walk in the forest to disconnect from work and calm your nerves after a busy week. The chirping and calls of birds in the canopy above might be exactly what allows you to relax. [...]
What culinary practices prevailed in the South Caucasus during the Bronze Age? A new study shows that the cuisine was remarkably diverse. The evidence highlights a multi-ingredient cuisine alongside the central role of dairy products, fruit and grape-based beverages in Kura-Araxes communities. [...]
Researchers at DTU have found that a particular type of lactic acid bacteria displays considerable potential for producing plant-based yogurt alternatives. The bacteria can inhibit potentially harmful bacteria and break down sugars that cause stomach discomfort. [...]
A study published in Science Advances shows that, in moss and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, commonly known as thale cress, leaf formation relies on very similar cellular dynamics, with growth concentrated at their base. Led by scientists at Université de Montréal, the study also reveals that auxin, a key hormone in plant development, controls cell division and elongation in both cases, but through distinct transport mechanisms. [...]
Following NASA's Artemis II mission successfully splashing down on Earth, engineers started diving into detailed analysis of data to assess how key systems and subsystems on the Orion spacecraft, SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, and systems at the launch pad at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida performed. The Artemis II test flight successfully began a new era of exploration, laying the groundwork for the third Artemis mission next year, lunar surface missions, a moon base, and future missions to Mars. [...]
The telltale V-formations of migrating Canada geese each spring are usually welcome harbingers of warmer weather. They are also a visible warning that your chances of stepping on something unpleasant in a local park, sports field or greenspace have dramatically increased. The iconic migratory birds are big poopers, and their waste is not just off-putting, but can seriously damage local ecosystems. [...]
A study investigating microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in agricultural settings has found they reduced plant growth and entered plant tissues through the soil, raising new concerns about food safety and human exposure. The study, led by Griffith University, tested how micro- and nanoplastics behaved in soil using realistic conditions using particle types, surface properties, sizes and concentrations representative of those found in agricultural systems. The research is published in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research. [...]
This observation from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, released on March 23, 2026, gives an unparalleled, detailed look at the aftermath of a supernova and how it has evolved over the telescope's long lifetime. [...]
Red-leaf lettuce is red due to anthocyanins, a class of polyphenolic pigments widely studied for their antioxidant properties. In plants, anthocyanins are synthesized through enzymatic reactions originating from the amino acid phenylalanine. Along this biosynthetic pathway, multiple flavonoids—an umbrella term for diverse plant secondary metabolites—are produced as intermediates and ultimately converted into anthocyanins. [...]
Tens of kilometers above Earth's surface, high-energy particles from outer space constantly strike the atmosphere, creating showers of energetic secondary particles that rain down from the sky. Approximately one of these particles passes through your head every second, but the "cosmic rays" that produce them are still not fully understood. In a recent paper posted to the arXiv preprint server, the ATLAS Collaboration describes how its first measurement of proton–oxygen collisions at the LHC could help us learn more about them. [...]
Scientists from the Laboratory of Dermatological Photobiology of the University of Malaga, in collaboration with Cantabria Labs España, have carried out a study in which, for the first time, they have demonstrated how a natural extract—the Aspalathus linearis, the rooibos plant—could improve the effectiveness of traditional sunscreens, enhancing their absorption capacity, increasing their antioxidant levels, and providing longer-lasting protection against the risks of radiation. [...]
Young children who spend more time on screen-based activities and less time talking with adults tend to have weaker language skills, according to a recent study from the University of Tartu. The findings highlight that daily interaction—rather than screen limits alone—plays a key role in early language development. The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Developmental Psychology. [...]
A comprehensive new study extending the U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) record back to 1899 finds that both hot and cold temperature extremes across the contiguous United States have declined over the past 127 years. The research, performed by Dr. John R. Christy, Alabama State Climatologist (retired) and professor of atmospheric and Earth science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, analyzed more than 40 million daily temperature observations to provide the most complete long-term view to date of U.S. extreme heat and cold. The paper is published in Theoretical and Applied Climatology. [...]
New research has revealed dairy calves that are fed less complete tasks faster and remember more in pursuit of milk, but miss out on play. Calves that were given more food were more inclined to play. The study, led by the University of Bristol and published in Scientific Reports, sheds new light on how hungry animals sacrifice play and put finding food first. [...]
Bruce the kea is missing his entire upper beak. Yet he is the alpha bird of his circus (the apt collective noun for a group of New Zealand's famously playful alpine parrots). [...]
A new species of coelacanth has been identified from a 150-year-old fossil housed at London's Natural History Museum. Former University of Portsmouth paleontology student Jack L. Norton located the coelacanth, which provides a crucial missing piece in the evolutionary history of one of the world's most iconic fish lineages. [...]
About 30% of plastics consumed are made to last forever but are discarded after a single use. Researchers at Virginia Tech are working to change that with a new approach that could make environmentally responsible packaging more practical at scale. [...]
Think of how many surfaces you touch every day, from your kitchen bench to the handrail on the bus or train, your work desk and your phone screen. [...]
Millions of people around the world will pause Wednesday, at least for a moment, to mark Earth Day. It's an annual event founded by people who hoped to stir activism to clean up and preserve a planet that is now home to some 8 billion humans and assorted trillions of other organisms. [...]
Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a global burden in human health and food production, so affordable new materials are needed to overcome this growing problem. To answer the call, a multidisciplinary research team led by Flinders University with U.K. experts has discovered a novel solution for safe and effective use in antimicrobial and antifungal applications. [...]
The loss of our forests is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. Forests are key to curbing carbon emissions and protecting the plants, animals, and humans that call Earth home. [...]
How far the Milky Way's disk extends has long been difficult to define—it doesn't end sharply, but fades away gradually at its outer edges. Now, for the first time, an international team of astronomers has identified the edge of the Milky Way's star-forming disk by studying the ages of stars, revealing that the bulk of our galaxy's star formation occurs within 40,000 light-years of the Galactic Center. [...]
An Iranian propaganda video depicts Donald Trump, Netanyahu and Satan as Lego figurines, the White House combines real footage of airstrikes with clips from films and video games, and the American president shares AI-generated videos of himself as a fighter pilot. It sounds like satire, but it is the new reality of political manipulation. Researchers call this phenomenon "slopaganda." [...]
When supermarkets choose the right strategy for surplus food, they can both reduce food waste and improve their bottom line. An analysis from the University of Copenhagen shows that it is often more profitable to donate surplus food than to throw it away. In many cases, doing so leads to a direct financial gain. [...]