Science & Technology

Scientists are pursuing a new strategy in the protracted fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus by engineering nanobodies that can neutralize virus variants in two different ways.

Cancer immunotherapy involving drugs that inhibit CTLA-4 also activates an unwanted response that may self-limit its efficacy in fighting tumors, according to a new study.

Millions of liters of primary municipal wastewater can be treated sustainably using fast-growing willow trees while also producing renewable bioenergy and ‘green’ chemicals, researchers find.

ETH researchers examined chemicals in plastics worldwide. They found an unexpectedly high number of substances of potential concern intentionally used in everyday plastic products. A lack of transparency limits management of these chemicals.

Amazon rain forests could be at far higher risk of extreme drought than previously thought, according to new research.

An observational study found that out of more than 2,400 pollinator visits to flowers at urban and rural farms in in Western Washington about 35% of were made by flies — most of which were the black-and-yellow-striped syrphid flies. For a few plants, …

New research is showing that some tiny catalysts being considered for industrial-scaled environmental remediation efforts may be unstable during operation.

A team has reviewed the literature on the internal and external mechanisms that lead to a volcanic eruption. Analyzing the thermo-mechanics of deep volcanic processes and magma propagation to the surface, together with magma chemistry, the geologists d…

Warming seas are driving many species of marine life to shift their geographic ranges out of the tropics to higher latitudes where the water is cooler. Florida’s reefs will not be able to make that northward move, however, as they will be caught betwee…

Researchers have shown why people with mental health disorders, including anorexia and panic disorders, experience physical signals differently.

Although the emissions targets for aviation are in line with the overall goals of the Paris Agreement, there is a high likelihood that the climate impact of aviation will not meet these goals, according to a new study.

Recent studies show that, in the future, the mercury concentration of fish in Finnish Lapland can shift closer to the level found in lakes located below the Arctic Circle. According to researchers, mercury content should be increasingly carefully inves…

By identifying one of the mechanisms regulating the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a research team is proposing a new strategy to combat this bacterium, which is resistant to many common antibiotics.

A new study suggests that mundane items like spoons and grinding stones were kept by Iron Age people as an emotional reminder and a ‘continuing bond’ with the deceased — a practice which is replicated in societies across the globe today.

Combining atomic-scale sample analysis and models simulating likely conditions in the nascent solar system, the study revealed clues about the origin of crystals that formed more than 4.5 billion years ago. The findings provide insights into the fundam…

Wetter conditions in Sub-Saharan and North Africa at certain times of year can result in hundreds of times more Painted Lady butterflies making the 14,000 km round trip to Europe. Findings improve understanding of how insects move to other countries, i…

New research develops a framework to understand the choices an electronic waste recycler has to make and the role that digital fraud prevention could have in preventing dishonest recycling practices.

A new position statement emphasizes that sleep is a biological necessity, and insufficient sleep and untreated sleep disorders are detrimental for health, well-being, and public safety.

Researchers used a Computational Fluid Dynamics model to find ways to decrease cost and increase usage of cooler surfaces. The paper examined the possibility of applying cooler surfaces to just half the surfaces in a city.

Field trials investigating healthy compounds in agronomically important brassica crops have underlined the ‘immense potential’ of gene editing technology, say researchers.