Headlines

Scientists uncover RNA's hidden role as protein chaperone

Proteins are how cells get work done. They carry out nearly every important cellular task, from ferrying messages to controlling which genes are turned on or off. And in order for proteins to perform their various roles, the strings of amino acids that make them up need to be

eDNA metabarcoding evaluated for fish diversity assessment

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has emerged as a powerful tool for monitoring aquatic biodiversity, enabling researchers to identify fish species from traces of DNA found in water without using invasive techniques on fish. Although this technique is gaining traction, it

Wild bird eggs reveal pollutants' environmental footprints

Monitoring the eggs of wild birds like the bearded vulture and the imperial eagle over a decade reveals the accumulation and persistence of environmental pollutants in ecosystems. At first glance, a wild bird's egg represents the continuity of the species. However, it can also

Farmed oysters may boost New York's dwindling wild populations

Farmed oysters are mixing with and potentially adding to populations of wild oysters—a once-abundant species in New York's estuaries and rivers that has declined drastically over the last century. A new study, published in the journal Molecular Ecology, offers genetic evidence

How climate shapes the meanings of words across languages

When English speakers say "rose" and Chinese speakers say "玫瑰," do they mean the same thing? A Peking University team led by Professor Bi Yanchao explored this question using word embeddings from 53 languages, behavioral ratings from speakers of eight languages and exploratory

Why are sloths slow? It's in their DNA

Sloths are the slowest mammals on the planet, but living in dense jungles has made them notoriously difficult to study. For the first time, scientists have now sequenced and analyzed the two-toed sloth genome and revealed the genetics behind its extremely slow metabolism.