Research from the University of Warwick has revealed that butterfly caterpillars use sophisticated rhythmic signals to communicate with ants, helping them gain protection, food, and access to ant nests. The work appears in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. [...]
Bottlenose dolphins usually live in small to medium-sized groups in coastal and open-sea waters, but every once in a while, a dolphin might leave its pod behind, flock to coastal areas and approach human settlements. While this is a relatively rare occurrence, cases of dolphins entering coastal or urban areas are well documented. [...]
All animals need to eat to survive, grow and reproduce. To do so, they also need to avoid being eaten. This is a big challenge for many of Australia's native mammals, because when they search for food, they must also escape the attention of introduced predators, namely, feral cats and red foxes. [...]
We know Aotearoa New Zealand is home to many geographically and biologically special features. Yet few of us know it also has its very own measure of "deep time." Known as the New Zealand Geological Timescale, it has just undergone its most comprehensive revision in 20 years. [...]
Nearly 6.5 million people in Somalia are facing severe hunger as worsening drought, conflict and global aid cuts intensify the country's humanitarian crisis, the federal government and U.N. agencies said Tuesday. [...]
Biologists have long wondered why caribou are the only deer in the world in which females—like males—have antlers. A study of shed antlers collected from calving grounds in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge provides a new answer. The study is published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. [...]
A team of scientists from around the world has created the first system that can predict when and where extremely powerful solar storms, called superflares, are most likely to happen. These storms can disrupt power grids, communications, and satellites, and even pose dangers to astronauts in space. [...]
A new study has revealed how tiny imperfections and vibrations inside a promising quantum material could be used to control an unusual quantum effect, opening new possibilities for smaller, faster, and more efficient energy-harvesting devices. [...]
Aleksey Maro knows far more than he cares to know about the urination habits of chimpanzees. But if you want to measure the alcohol intake of chimps in a Ugandan rain forest, where a breathalyzer is impractical, collecting urine for analysis is your only choice. [...]
Climate change is having a profound impact on the Arctic. We know that the region is warming significantly faster than the global average, resulting in the melting of sea ice and disrupted habitats. [...]
Depending on others for something you need may feel like a risky proposition—and perhaps a human one. It is actually a survival strategy found in the microbial world, and far more frequently than one might expect. Discovering why is key to understanding how microbes form stable communities across medical, industrial, and ecological settings. [...]
One of the best forms of heat relief is pretty simple: trees. In cities, as studies have documented, more tree cover lowers surface temperatures and heat-related health risks. However, as a new study led by MIT researchers shows, the amount of tree cover varies widely within cities, and is generally connected to wealth levels. After examining a cross-section of cities on four continents at different latitudes, the research finds a consistent link between wealth and neighborhood tree abundance within a city, with better-off residents usually enjoying much more shade on nearby sidewalks. [...]
Researchers at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB) have found a new way to organize molecules inside living cells, opening possibilities for more controlled and efficient biomanufacturing. The team has published a paper in Nature Communications demonstrating that engineered RNA molecules can self-assemble into membraneless organelles inside Escherichia coli (E. coli). [...]
Eastern Canada has seen a rise in the number of hurricane- and near-hurricane strength events battering its maritime areas, with particularly violent storms in 2003 (Hurricane Juan), 2019 (Dorian) and 2022 (Fiona). While this seems to be a recent phenomenon, the region has experienced this kind of surge in activity before, according to a new Concordia University study. [...]
Integrating AI with advanced robotics to create self-driving labs (SDL) is a promising approach to tackling molecular discovery. A new SDL system, called LUMI-lab, combines large-scale molecular pretraining, active learning, and robotics, and has discovered that brominated lipids, not previously linked to mRNA delivery, enhance the efficiency of getting mRNA inside human cells. The study, led by researchers at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, is published in Cell. [...]
Beaver dams are critical to river health and a source of biodiversity. They create wetlands, slow water and improve water quality. They also reduce flood peaks and delay runoff. But beaver dams are often blamed when extreme rainstorms cause flooding—especially when they fail. [...]
Whether it's redfin pickerel in the Kennebec River or sturgeon in the Great Lakes, nearly one-third of freshwater fish species are facing possible extinction, threatening food supplies, ecosystems and outdoor recreation. As conservationists work to preserve these species, the University of Maine assistant professor Christina Murphy asked herself if there was an easier way to identify threats to fish before they become endangered. [...]
A study published in Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology reveals a surprising link between cellular aging markers and survival in black-legged kittiwakes (members of the gull family). In the work titled "Who's coming home? Shorter early-life telomeres predict return to the natal colony in an Arctic seabird," researchers have found that kittiwake chicks with shorter telomeres were more likely to return to their birthplace as adults, contradicting predictions that longer telomeres would indicate better survival prospects. [...]
Antibiotics are medical marvels that have transformed once deadly bacterial infections into manageable conditions. But with a rise in antibiotic resistance that renders existing treatments ineffective, new agents are urgently needed. Scientists at Caltech and Princeton University have now shed fresh light on why antibiotics that work well in laboratory tests often fail against real infections in humans. [...]
A key characteristic of modern human society is rapid urbanization, a process that can reshape natural environments and disrupt the habitats of many organisms. One widespread byproduct of urbanization is artificial light at night (ALAN), which has become one of the most pervasive human-made environmental disturbances. ALAN can affect animals by changing their physiology, behavior, and geographic distribution. In particular, it disrupts natural day-night cycles, circadian rhythms, predator-prey interactions, and reproduction across a wide range of species. [...]
An international study has revealed a surprising connection between quantum physics and the theoretical models underlying artificial intelligence. The study results from a collaboration between the Institute of Nanotechnology of the National Research Council (Cnr-Nanotec), the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), and Sapienza University of Rome, together with international research institutions. The research paper was published recently in the journal Physical Review Letters. [...]
A new study has identified a distinct climate precursor in the Mediterranean Sea that can predict winter precipitation levels in the Levant months in advance. The study, published in Weather and Climate Dynamics, is titled "Mediterranean Sea heat uptake variability as a precursor to winter precipitation in the Levant." [...]
A new study sheds light on the behavior of yeast cells in the gut, paving the way for new lines of yeast that more efficiently produce therapeutic drugs tailored to address specific diseases. The research is published in the journal BMC Genomics. [...]
A new study from NYU Abu Dhabi has found that small coral reef fish in the Arabian Gulf are facing a hidden but growing source of stress. When oxygen levels drop at night, a common occurrence on some of the world's hottest reefs, these fish must use extra energy just to recover the next day. Over time, this additional strain could impact their growth, survival, and the overall balance of reef ecosystems. [...]
Countries with stricter and better-targeted climate policies cut carbon emissions faster, according to a major new study by researchers in the UK and EU. The study draws on the most comprehensive climate policy dataset ever assembled, using over 3,900 policies adopted since 2000 in 43 leading economies responsible for well over three quarters of global emissions. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. [...]
We have known for several decades that the universe is expanding. Scientists use multiple techniques to measure the present-day expansion rate of the universe, known as the Hubble constant. These methods are internally consistent and based on the same physics, so all observed values of the Hubble constant should agree. But those that come from early-universe datasets disagree with those that come from late-universe datasets. This problem is known as the Hubble tension and is considered to be one of the most significant open questions in cosmology. [...]
Hike north on the Appalachian Trail and the scenery slowly transforms. Rugged, steep ridgelines in Tennessee and Virginia soften into the broad summits and smooth peaks of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. According to new research from William & Mary Assistant Professor of Geology Joanmarie Del Vecchio, this contrast speaks to an ancient past. [...]
The Great Unconformity is a major gap in Earth's geologic record. The missing layer between Precambrian and Cambrian rocks represents a gap of around a billion years of history. Among much debate surrounding the cause of the gap, a new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that the timing of the erosion leading to the Great Unconformity aligns with the assembly of the Columbia supercontinent, and that glaciation only contributed minimally. [...]
Whether people follow a general trend when choosing a partner or consciously decide against it has a noticeable impact on the diversity of phenotypes to choose from. This is shown by a new study by the University of Würzburg. [...]
Mexico stands at a critical security crossroads following the confirmed death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, the founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. [...]