The Amazon rainforest is famous for storing massive amounts of carbon in its trees and soils, helping regulate the global climate. Yet a paper published in New Phytologist shows that one of South America's largest carbon-storing ecosystems exists in an often-overlooked grassy savanna: the Cerrado in Brazil. [...]
When winter sets in and food becomes scarce, some mammals hibernate, entering a state of deep rest that slashes their energy needs and allows them to fast for months. However, fasting deprives them of essential nutrients, including carbon. Carbon, the building block of all life, normally comes from food. But hibernating animals take in no carbon, while their bodies keep releasing it through respiration, mostly as carbon dioxide. [...]
In a study published in the journal Iran, researcher Gad Barnea has uncovered new evidence suggesting that Zoroastrian religious practices were more prevalent and left a deeper imprint on surrounding communities than previously recognized. The study complements the current body of knowledge on Achaemenid-era Zoroastrianism (AZ) with data gathered from Jewish sources outside Iran. These include documents referencing the building of a Zoroastrian-style temple, Zoroastrian magi priests, and a fire altar located in a Jewish temple. [...]
A new University of Utah-led study has discovered the mechanism behind a decades-old evolutionary mystery—how "selfish chromosomes" cheat the rules of genetic inheritance. The researchers found that rogue chromosomes hijack the Overdrive (Ovd) gene to destroy rival sperm. [...]
Before rain begins to fall, scientists and engineers can predict where a storm might cause flooding thanks to advanced modeling and digital simulations that help guide billion-dollar decisions involving infrastructure design, emergency response, land-use planning, insurance, agriculture, water quality, and public safety. [...]
A pioneering research-industry partnership has used advances in indoor farming technology to grow pea shoots fortified with vitamin B12, opening an exciting route to market for farmers and addressing a major public health need. The partnership between the John Innes Centre and the Quadram Institute, based at the Norwich Research Park, the University of Bristol, and indoor farm specialists LettUs Grow, harnessed the latest aeroponic techniques to successfully deliver the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin B12 within a 15-gram portion of pea shoots. [...]
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new way to alter complex drug molecules using light rather than toxic chemicals—a discovery that could accelerate and improve how medicines are designed and made. Published in Nature Synthesis, the study introduces what the team calls an "anti-Friedel–Crafts" reaction. [...]
A Kobe University study shows that small aquatic beetles survive catfish attacks by resisting ingestion inside the catfish's mouth and being spat out alive. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of size-dependent predator-prey relationships in aquatic insects and fish. [...]
An old NASA science satellite plunged uncontrolled from orbit and reentered over the Pacific on Wednesday. [...]
Researchers have uncovered evidence for our sun joining a mass migration of similar "twins" leaving the core regions of our galaxy, 4 to 6 billion years ago. The team created and studied an unprecedentedly accurate catalog of stars and their properties using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite. Their discovery sheds light on the evolution of our galaxy, particularly the development of the rotating bar-like structure at its center. [...]
More than 3 million years ago, when our ancient ancestors embodied by the iconic Lucy were roaming the African landscape, they would have feared a big, bad crocodile with a prominent lump on its head, patiently lurking in rivers and lakes to attack them. According to a research team led by the University of Iowa, that crocodile is a new species. [...]
We all know cats represent a major threat to native animals and birds. Australia's 5.3 million domestic cats kill a total of 546 million animals each year in Australia. What's less well known is allowing your domestic cat to roam outside exposes them to considerable danger—and the risk of a short life. [...]
In 1974, philosopher Thomas Nagel posed a deceptively simple question: "What is it like to be a bat?" His point wasn't really about bats. He was offering a provocative challenge about the limits of understanding another mind: no matter how much we try, we cannot access what it feels like to experience the world as another. [...]
The Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) has barely begun observations and is already wowing us. Images like its Cosmic Treasure Chest have us anticipating even more cosmic glory. And when the observatory sent out 800,000 alerts in one night in February, we got a taste of the scientific boost it will give astronomers. But while it's being lauded for its upcoming contributions to dark energy, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, and other distant and foundational subjects, it will also make important discoveries much closer to home. Its Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will find asteroids by the millions, and potentially dangerous Near-Earth Objects (NEO) by the tens of thousands. [...]
Scientists at the University of East Anglia (U.K.) have uncovered a hidden link between gut health and the immune system—all thanks to a tiny island bird. Researchers studied the Seychelles warbler, a small songbird found on Cousin Island in the Seychelles. They collected the birds' poo to analyze their gut bacteria—and found that their immune genes influence which gut microbes thrive. [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic brought messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to the forefront of global health care. After their clinical trial stages, the first COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was administered on 8 December 2020 and mathematical models suggest that mRNA vaccines prevented at least 14.4 million deaths from COVID-19 in the first year alone. [...]
Christine Dunham is a leading expert on the ribosome—an elaborate macro-molecular machine that operates like a factory within a cell to manufacture proteins. "The ribosome is really the most fascinating molecule in a cell," says Dunham, Emory Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry. "It's the hub of every activity. If you're not making proteins, you're not able to grow, function, or communicate." [...]
Melting glaciers and ice sheets are raising sea levels while the Arctic is poised to log one of its worst winters on record. [...]
Plants pause their growth during stress, then press play when conditions improve, helping them recover and live on to produce food, according to a new study published in New Phytologist. UBC researchers have pinpointed the genes and pathways responsible for recovery from the environmental stress of cold snaps in winter or overloads of salt when coastal fields flood. [...]
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming weather prediction, enabling forecasts that once required hours of supercomputing time to run in just minutes. But as AI tools play an expanding role in high-stakes hazard modeling, researchers at Rice University say an essential question remains: Do AI-generated storms behave realistically? [...]
It might date back to the ancient Greeks, but the concept of "everything in moderation" still holds true for today's users of goal-setting apps. In a paper in the Journal of Marketing Research, a team from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School, Deakin University and Technical University of Munich analyzed behavioral data from an Australian investment app to determine what keeps users motivated and engaged. [...]
An interdisciplinary research team from two working groups at the Center for Synthetic Biology at TU Darmstadt has developed the first RNA-based genetic switch that precisely replicates the logical behavior of a NAND gate, one of the most important building blocks of digital circuits. The results are published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research. [...]
A new study estimates that the Israel–Gaza war has generated around 33 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), highlighting the often-overlooked environmental impact of armed conflict. [...]
It is not uncommon for a body to be moved after a murder, usually to hide or eliminate evidence. And while the Arizona desert may seem like the perfect place to commit such a crime, a new study shows that a cadaver can still leave critical clues behind in that harsh environment. The study is published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. [...]
Thirteen million years ago, a group of medium-sized monkeys known for guarding their territory among the treetops with fearsome "howls" started doing something new. These monkeys, among the oldest known ancestors of the modern howler monkey, started eating leaves, causing them to evolve a larger body size and differentiate themselves from other primates, says a team of researchers led by a scientist at Johns Hopkins Medicine. [...]
With wildfires growing more destructive both in the United States and around the world, University at Buffalo researchers have conducted one of the most extensive evaluations to date of artificial intelligence-based deep learning models for predicting wildfire spread. Their findings show how AI can complement but not yet fully replace established physics-based fire modeling tools. [...]
In a paper published today in Nature Synthesis, a team from the lab of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and Chemistry Department Prof. Paul Alivisatos explores the role of cation exchange in one of chemistry and material science's central challenges: How covalent materials undergo structural change at the nanoscale. [...]
Ultrashort mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser pulses are essential for applications such as molecular spectroscopy, nonlinear microscopy, and biomedical imaging, but their generation often relies on complex and power-intensive systems that are difficult to implement outside of specialized laboratories. These systems usually require high pump powers, elaborate optical setups, and precise alignment, which can limit their widespread adoption and practical use in everyday research and clinical settings. [...]
A study led by William & Mary's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS and published in FEMS Microbiology Ecology reveals that microbial communities growing on microplastics in the Chesapeake Bay carry the genetic potential to remove nitrogen from the water and break down petroleum-related compounds. The manuscript was selected as the journal's best paper of 2025, which recognizes researchers who have pushed the boundaries of knowledge in the field of microbiology. [...]
A new study reveals that behavioral isolation between populations of Bahamas mosquitofish is driven primarily by the actions of females—not just through mating choice behaviors, but also through sometimes violent resistance. The work demonstrates the impact of the ecological environment on behavior and subsequently on speciation. The findings are published in the journal BMC Ecology and Evolution. [...]