A new paper by evolutionary anthropologists Colin Shaw (University of Zurich) and Daniel Longman (Loughborough University) argues that modern life has outpaced human evolution. The study suggests that chronic stress and many modern health issues are the result of an evolutionary mismatch between our primarily nature-adapted biology and the industrialized environments we now inhabit. [...]
Optical quantum computers are gaining attention as a next-generation computing technology with high speed and scalability. However, accurately characterizing complex optical processes, where multiple optical modes interact to generate quantum entanglement, has been considered an extremely challenging task. [...]
A new paper by University of Rhode Island post-doctoral researchers Emily Sperou and Renato Borras-Chavez published in the journal Polar Biology discusses a unique phenomenon observed in a reclusive Antarctic animal: postmortem attentive behavior, or PAB, in the solitary leopard seal. The two are members of URI's CEAL Lab in the Department of Natural Resources Science. [...]
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, schools around the globe had to switch from regular, in-person classes to online learning overnight. This introduced numerous operational challenges, particularly in equipping students with quantitative skills essential for the labor market. [...]
Determining the least expensive path for a new subway line underneath a metropolis like New York City is a colossal planning challenge—involving thousands of potential routes through hundreds of city blocks, each with uncertain construction costs. Conventional wisdom suggests extensive field studies across many locations would be needed to determine the costs associated with digging below certain city blocks. [...]
Metabolic engineering has enabled the construction of efficient microbial cell factories, but cellular aging and the accumulation of toxic metabolites during prolonged fed-batch fermentation induce metabolic stress, which ultimately reduces cell productivity. Extending cellular lifespan represents an effective strategy to enhance biosynthetic capacity. [...]
Deep in the heart of the matter, some numbers don't add up. For example, while protons and neutrons are made of quarks, nature's fundamental building blocks bound together by gluons, their masses are much larger than the individual quarks from which they are formed. [...]
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new theoretical framework that could dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of predicting chemical reaction energetics without sacrificing accuracy. Led by chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Alexander V. Mironenko, the team introduces a method that may one day replace the current computational models used in quantum chemistry. [...]
In a world of 8 billion people, there's one thing that makes each of us unique: our fingerprints. A variety of genetic and environmental factors create tiny variations in the skin's ridges and whorls, such that no two prints are the same. [...]
A study published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution, used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze over 300,000 hours of vocal recordings of mammal species from Far North Queensland to southern New South Wales and discovered a new approach to mammal monitoring that will have a ground-breaking impact on conservation. [...]
In a Perspective, the authors suggest that the social and humanitarian impacts of overshooting the Paris Agreement's aspirational goal of a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in global mean temperature remain largely unknown, despite robust knowledge of physical climate impacts. [...]
Why do the world's most prestigious firms—such as McKinsey, Goldman Sachs and other elite consulting giants, investment banks, and law practices—hire the brightest talents, train them intensively, and then, after a few years, send many of them packing? A recent study in the American Economic Review concludes that so-called adverse selection is not a flaw but rather a sign that the system is working precisely as intended. [...]
Violations of national airspace by drones are on the rise in Europe. When European leaders discussed these events at a meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2025, they responded by announcing plans for a defensive "drone wall." [...]
On Christmas Day 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail scaled the walls of Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow. When confronted by police, he stated: "I'm here to kill the queen." [...]
Few diplomatic organizations punch above their weight quite like the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis). With no fixed budget, no permanent secretariat and no formal charter, it has still managed to shape some of the most important climate agreements of the past few decades—including the 1.5°C target that underpins the Paris agreement. [...]
Since fire ants first came to the United States in the early 20th century, researchers have searched for ways to control their destructive spread and eradicate them from areas where people live. [...]
NASA ER-2 pilot Kirt Stallings waits inside the transport vehicle moments before boarding the airborne science aircraft at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. Outside the window, the aircraft is being readied for a high-altitude mission supporting the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx), a multi-year NASA–U.S. Geological Survey campaign to map critical mineral resources across the Western United States. [...]
An international team of marine scientists has identified and assessed major threats to marine megafauna, which are needed to inform conservation strategies. [...]
Many animals have been observed using tools. For example, chimps tear leaves off of branches and stick them into holes to pull out termites, and wild dingoes have been observed moving objects to stand on to get to another area. However, despite being known as fairly intelligent animals, wolves have never been observed using tools. [...]
A new species of wolf snake was discovered from the Great Nicobar Islands, India. [...]
Have you ever wondered why a café opens in the next suburb, but not yours? Or found your favorite product available in one city but not another, even though it's the same supermarket? [...]
Gibbons, small apes closely related to humans, face severe threats to their survival. However, their evolutionary history has remained unclear due to their rapid diversification. A new, comprehensive genomic study of gibbons has resolved key debates about their evolutionary history, providing critical insights for conservation efforts. [...]
New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has highlighted the need for effective management and integration of new technologies in the workplace, in order to protect workers' psychosocial health. [...]
The gene editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 is changing what's possible for treating a wide range of diseases caused by genetic mutations. But so far, attempts to use the technology to address brain-based genetic disorders have proved challenging in the lab. [...]
In stunning new time-lapse videos, biological nanoparticles scoot and flit across a starry field of glowing dots. Guided by the invisible chemistry of attraction, these microscopic travelers eventually group together to form perfectly round, glowing circles on a black surface. [...]
A machine learning framework can distinguish molecules made by biological processes from those formed through non-biological processes and could be used to analyze samples returned by current and future planetary missions. The findings are published in the journal PNAS Nexus. [...]
Students who enroll in short-term, job-focused training through community college noncredit programs experience modest but meaningful earnings gains and a greater likelihood of being employed after training, according to a new study published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis titled "Labor Market Returns to Community College Noncredit Occupational Education." [...]
Over the past decades, a growing number of robotics teams have started developing modular robots inspired by the ancient paper-folding art of origami. More recently, some of these teams started experimenting with origami structures that are comprised of folded strands of DNA and that could enable the development of new nano-scale systems for medical applications. [...]
Researchers at the University of Adelaide, in collaboration with German tech company Compolytics, have developed a non-destructive leaf scanning method that can accurately predict the cannabinoid concentrations of cannabis plants. [...]
Venice has been charmed by a recent visitor: An acrobatic, wild dolphin. The feeling appears to be mutual—he so far refuses to leave—but proximity to humans has put him in danger. [...]
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