Headlines

Airborne imaging explores a mosaic of thawing permafrost

Permafrost in many of Earth's northern regions is thawing, a process that unlocks greenhouse gases, threatens infrastructure, and could alter landscapes and ecosystems. The Arctic and subarctic are vast, and gaining a comprehensive picture of permafrost distribution is

Reef biodiversity accounting to help scale up restoration

To encourage new investments in more effective reef restoration activities, Australian scientists are recommending a new way of measuring biodiversity on coral reefs. A team of Australian environmental scientists led by James Cook University's distinguished professor Morgan

Mathematical method sharpens X-ray images at the nanoscale

In an international collaboration, researchers have developed a method that produces significantly higher-quality three-dimensional X-ray images than previously possible. The technique is used for 3D imaging with so-called X-ray nanotomography. The researchers' approach draws

Cool adaptations: How fish survive in the Antarctic Ocean

With water temperatures as low as -1.9°C (28.6°F), the Southern Ocean is a place of extreme living conditions. A new study led by Senckenberg researchers shows how fish have adapted to Antarctic temperatures. The researchers used the Antarctic spiny plunderfish (Harpagifer

Laser-driven magnetic state defies equilibrium rules

Researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and their collaborators used lasers and neutrons to observe a long-lived quantum state in a magnetic material, opening a new way to study materials systems driven far from their equilibrium.

The Case for a Bubble at Life’s Start

Is self-enclosure life’s greatest trick? According to the lipid-first theory, a cell membrane enabled life by giving chemistry a place to gather. The post The Case for a Bubble at Life’s Start first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A catalyst that protects itself while producing hydrogen

Cobalt phosphide (CoP) is a promising alternative to platinum for producing hydrogen from water. However, scientists have struggled to explain why it performs so well. Computer models have suggested that CoP should become unstable under the conditions used to produce hydrogen,