Headlines

Porpoises can 'turn down the volume' to withstand ship noise

Porpoises are entirely dependent on their hearing for survival. They navigate, hunt, and communicate by emitting rapid click sounds and listening to the returning echoes. However, with increasingly noisy oceans, it is getting harder for porpoises to "hear their way." Noise from

New 2D membrane reactor improves photocatalytic synthesis

Chinese researchers have developed a photocatalytic membrane reactor that dramatically improves the synthesis of imines—a class of compounds essential to the production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and advanced synthetic materials. Characterized by their C=N bond, imines

How flatworms keep their regeneration powers on track

Scientists have discovered a key biological safeguard that helps one of nature's most impressive regenerators, the planarian flatworm, correctly rebuild its organs. The new research, published in Nature Communications, illuminates how these animals prevent their powerful stem

How to weigh a killer asteroid at 22 kilometers per second

Estimating a mass for a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) is perhaps the single most important thing to understand about it, after its trajectory. Actually doing so isn't easy though, as the mass for objects in the tens to hundreds of kilometers in size are too small to have

On-demand pay access spurs savings for low-wage workers

Research recently published in the journal Information Systems Research finds that giving low-wage workers access to their earned wages before payday can significantly increase saving behavior, financial monitoring and long-term planning. The study found that On-demand Wage

Dense, dark forests in Europe are a modern phenomenon

For over 20 million years, the landscape of Europe has been a tree-rich mosaic of grasslands, scrubs and more or less open woodlands with an abundance of wildflowers. This is the conclusion of a new and comprehensive study of Europe's vegetation history—a study that suggests

Biodiversity at risk in Colombia's tropical dry forests

A study of changes to the habitats of more than 700 species reveals massive biodiversity loss—but also possibilities for restoration. "There is a lot of talk about deforestation and biodiversity loss in the Amazon, but even here in Colombia there is much less said about the

Eye-tracking study explores fear of spiders

Whether it's a sudden dash across the garage or silhouette in a backyard web, spiders evoke fear in many people. But researchers don't have a clear picture of why, exactly, this phobia is so common. An interdisciplinary team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is using