Avoiding blackouts with clean, renewable energy

Study analyzes grid stability under a scenario in which wind, water and solar energy sources plus storage power 100% of U.S. energy needs for all purposes. It finds that blackouts can be avoided with short-duration batteries while lowering energy costs…

Neurotoxin from a black widow spider examined

Although many people lose their nerve and panic when they see a spider, only very few of the creatures are actually dangerous. The black widow, however, is a force to be reckoned with: it catches its prey by means of nerve poison — to be precise, latr…

Terrain, weather can predict wild pig movements

Managing the United States’ growing wild pig population has become a significant challenge over the past few decades, but new research may help landowners and government agencies fine-tune their strategies for limiting crop and property damage caused b…

CRISPRing the microbiome is just around the corner

CRISPR is widely used to target specific cell types, but only one at a time. Researchers have now developed methods to edit genes in multiple organisms within a diverse community of microbes simultaneously, a first step toward editing microbiomes such …