Animals of the same species don't always look the same. From birds with different beak shapes to mammals that vary in size or color, populations living in different places can often look very different.
In this age of Mars rovers, questions about the planet's ancient past have shifted. A growing body of evidence supports the idea that Mars was once warm and wet. Now researchers are focused on the timeline of the red planet's watery past. Research efforts all come down to the
During hibernation, brown bears spend up to six months lying almost completely still, without eating, drinking or exercising. When spring arrives, they leave their dens with their muscles largely intact.
For the first time ever, scientists have uncovered a vast field of tektites in Brazil — mysterious glassy fragments forged when a powerful extraterrestrial object slammed into Earth about 6.3 million years ago. Named “geraisites” after Minas Gerais, where they were first found,
Scientists in Brazil have transformed cocoa waste into a functional chocolate-infused honey packed with antioxidants and natural stimulants. Using ultrasound waves, they enhanced honey’s ability to pull beneficial compounds from cocoa shells—no synthetic solvents required. The
Many biological functions are regulated by the switching on and off of mechanisms triggered by the matching of a keyhole (receptor) formed by a protein's three-dimensional structure and a molecule (ligand) that fits perfectly into it. If this keyhole deforms (protein mutation)
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed CellScope, a high-performance single-cell analysis framework that uses manifold fitting to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. This framework helps build detailed "cell atlases" that map
Scientists at Rice University have produced the first full, dye-free molecular atlas of an Alzheimer’s brain. By combining laser-based imaging with machine learning, they uncovered chemical changes that spread unevenly across the brain and extend beyond amyloid plaques. Key
How much will heat, flooding, drought and storms increase as a result of human-induced climate change? In a groundbreaking study, climate researcher Gottfried Kirchengast and his team at the University of Graz have developed a new method for computing the hazards from extreme
Most countries will not achieve climate neutrality through greenhouse gas emission reductions alone; carbon sinks are also needed to offset unavoidable emissions. Researchers are discussing technical solutions, such as applying silicate-rock powder to arable land. This process,
That photogenic cup of bubble tea may come with hidden downsides. Tapioca pearls made from cassava can absorb heavy metals like lead, and in large amounts they may slow digestion or even cause blockages. The drink is often loaded with sugar—sometimes more than soda—raising
Scientists at Oregon State University have engineered a powerful new nanomaterial that zeroes in on cancer cells and destroys them from the inside out. Designed to exploit cancer’s unique chemistry—its acidity and high hydrogen peroxide levels—the tiny iron-based structure
Fruit flies, mice, zebrafish, yeast and the tiny worm C. elegans are model organisms that have carried modern biology on their backs.
Scientists have pulled off a feat long considered out of reach: getting light to mimic the famous quantum Hall effect. In their experiment, photons drift sideways in perfectly defined, quantized steps—just like electrons do in powerful magnetic fields. Because these steps
Where are you at most risk when a flood or bushfire strikes? You might think it's at home. But in reality, the most dangerous time is when you leave and jump in your car. Many flood and bushfire deaths are linked to vehicles, often driven by people evacuating late.
Research on preventing type 1 diabetes often focuses on limiting the autoimmune response that destroys the body's ability to produce its own insulin. A new technology developed by scientists at the University of Chicago takes a different approach, centered on preserving
This Oscar-winning classic set a surprisingly simple mathematical challenge
Astronomers have long known the universe is expanding—but exactly how fast remains one of the biggest mysteries in cosmology. Different techniques for measuring the Hubble constant stubbornly disagree, creating the so-called “Hubble tension.” Now researchers at the University
Jupiter’s icy moons may have been seeded with the chemical ingredients for life from the very beginning. An international team of scientists modeled how complex organic molecules—essential building blocks for biology—could have formed in the swirling disk of gas and dust around
Struggling to fall asleep and stopping breathing at night may be a far riskier combo than previously thought. In a study of nearly a million veterans, researchers found that having both insomnia and sleep apnea dramatically raises the risk of hypertension and heart disease. The
Scientists are taking a closer look at the pill forms of Wegovy and Ozempic. In an animal study, the ingredient SNAC, which helps semaglutide survive the stomach and enter the bloodstream, was associated with changes in gut bacteria, inflammation markers, and a brain linked
During an archaeological survey conducted in February, researchers from the Maritime Encounters program at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, identified six previously unregistered Bronze Age mines in Extremadura, southwestern Spain. The discoveries may represent a crucial
Even though farmers have been dealing with rice stink bugs as pests since the 1880s, entomologists are still getting to know them at the genetic level. A first-of-its-kind study published on the genetics of rice stink bugs offers clues that could shape the battlefront on
New research profiles mitochondrial circular RNAs in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) from young and old human cohorts and probes how mitochondrial circRNAs and the mitochondrial RNA-binding protein GRSF1 relate to mitochondrial metabolism and cellular senescence. The
A yellow disk with rays of white—an icon of childhood drawings and a flower with healing properties. We have picnics on it, play football on it and make daisy chains out of it.
The extreme weather events and resulting destruction that have hit New Zealand this summer are not only signs of a changing climate. They also highlight the now indispensable role of remote sensing satellite technology.
Decades of research has shown promise for using microbiome science to solve several problems facing agriculture, but these findings have not yet been translated to practical recommendations for growers, according to a team of scientists in Penn State's College of Agricultural
It is a double-edged sword. As the planet heats up, more of us are turning up and turning to air conditioning to keep us cool. The trouble is that, as well as consuming vast amounts of electricity, AC also leads to significant greenhouse gas emissions and worsens the climate
Researchers at the University of Granada have revealed that the Nutri-Score labeling system, commonly used in Europe to assess food quality, is unable to adequately reflect the nutritional and metabolic complexity of soluble cocoa sold in Spain. The study, which integrates
Scientists might have just found Earth's icy, distant cousin a few hundred million light-years away. HD 137010 b is one of thousands of exoplanets, or planets that orbit other stars, and is potentially the first Earth-like one that also orbits a sun-like star. Initially
The Microbiology Society's Microbiology Outlooks, launched in 2025, has published its inaugural article: "When Theory Meets Genomics: Reconciling Game Dynamics and Within-Host Evolution." The new commentary explores how theoretical models and genomic data can be integrated to
Their icy hunting grounds are rapidly shrinking, but polar bears in Norway's remote Svalbard archipelago have defied the odds by bulking up instead of wasting away, a study said Thursday.
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced uncertainty, fear, and an unparalleled economic shock, resulting in the most extensive government stimulus package—totaling $2.9 trillion—in U.S. history. According to a new study, those stimulus checks more often went to the corporations that
Ehime University investigators measured 34 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in 100 commercial dog and cat foods sold in Japan and detected PFAS across many products, with higher concentrations in fish-based foods and dry products, and higher estimated intake from wet products.
Air travel is famously one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, and the number of air passengers keeps increasing. Electric planes and "sustainable" aviation fuels are still a long way off making a dent in the industry's emissions—if they ever will.
The amount of greenhouse gases produced by the wastewater sector may be higher than reports suggest. According to a paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change, countries are missing out on reporting a significant portion of their emissions.
