Science & Technology

Glaciers and ice caps in two archipelagos in the Russian Arctic are losing enough meltwater to fill nearly five million Olympic-size swimming pools each year, research shows.

A research team has analyzed the three-dimensional structure of a protein that suppresses the development of colorectal polyposis, MUTYH, at the atomic level and clarified the repair mechanism for DNA mispairings. Since mutations in the MUTYH gene caus…

A common farm weed could make a ‘greener’ jet fuel with fewer production-related environmental impacts than other biofuels, a new study indicates.

Six weeks of physical exercise led to changes in the epigenetic information of skeletal muscle cells in young men. These changes took place in areas of the genome that have been linked to disease. Scientists say their research shows how exercise remode…

A new study points to a strong ‘edge effect’ in marine protected areas (MPAs), sharply reducing by 60 percent the fish population living up to 1 – 1.5 km within the MPA. This significantly diminishes the effectiveness of the MPA. Most of the damage ste…

Not every gene that’s essential in tuberculosis is also vulnerable to attack. A new study ranks essential genes by vulnerability, allowing researchers to better prioritize future drug targets.

The adsorption of ions from the electrolyte at an electrode surface is a ubiquitous process, of use for both existing and emerging electrochemical energy technologies. But what happens when these ions penetrate very small spaces? To address this questi…

Scientists have demonstrated a high-performing thermoelectric material in a practical form that can be used in device development. The material — purified tin selenide in polycrystalline form — outperforms the single-crystal form in converting heat t…

The rise of oxygen levels early in Earth’s history paved the way for the spectacular diversity of animal life. But for decades, scientists have struggled to explain the factors that controlled this gradual and stepwise process, which unfolded over near…

The dangers of neonicotinoid insecticides likely can’t be watered down. That’s the conclusion of a new study showing an insecticide made for commercial plant nurseries is harmful to a typical bee even when applied well below the label rate and the plan…

The introduction of invasive species leads to a decline in certain native species: a team of researchers has managed to show that 11% of the global phylogenetic diversity of birds and mammals, in other words their accumulated evolutionary history, is t…

Several proteins have been identified in hosts that interact with Ebola virus and primarily function to inhibit the production of viral genetic material in cells and prevent Ebola virus infection, according to a new study.

Tree-ring scientists have mined rare old-growth timbers from demolition at an iconic Manhattan building to produce historical and climate data. Ongoing salvage efforts at other buildings promise to expand on these findings.

Plastic pollution creates an ‘evolutionary trap’ for young sea turtles, new research shows. After hatching on beaches, sea turtles travel on currents and spend their early years in the open ocean. But these currents now accumulate vast quantities of pl…

New research has found that two types of weevils, common yet invasive beetles in many parts of the world, have been using epigenetic changes to adapt and respond to different toxins in the plants they eat. The findings have implications for how we cons…

Astronomers have developed a new way to capture all the exquisite ‘layer-cake’ details of a brown dwarf’s cloud structure. Because brown dwarfs are similar to super-Jupiters, this innovative technique can help deepen scientists’ understanding of the at…