Science & Technology

Researchers have developed and demonstrated an efficient and scalable technique that allows them to manufacture soft polymer materials in a dozen different structures, or ‘morphologies,’ from ribbons and nanoscale sheets to rods and branched particles….

Exercising too much and not getting enough rest is likely bad for your health. A new study shows that the same is true for migratory birds. They need to rest not only to renew their energy levels but also in order to boost their immune system.

In our modern society huge amounts of data are transmitted every day, mainly as short optical pulses propagating through glass fibers. With the steadily increasing density of such optical signals, their interaction grows, which can lead to data loss. P…

In the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, southern resident orcas have experienced no net population growth since the 1970s, with just 73 left at the most recent count. But northern resident orcas, which have a similar diet, territory and social s…

Strong electric fields can be used to create pores in biomembranes. The method is known as electroporation. Inducing such defects in membranes in a targeted manner is an important technique in medicine and biotechnology, but also in the treatment of fo…

A micro-architected material made from tiny knots proves tougher and more durable than unknotted counterparts.

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. In this case, the ‘job’ is the breakdown of lignin, the structural biopolymer that gives stems, bark and branches their signature woodiness. One of the most abundant terrestrial polymers on Earth, lignin su…

Researchers find that 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide may need to be pulled from Earth’s atmosphere and oceans annually to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. A diverse suite of carbon dioxide removal methods will be key.

Atmospheric rivers, which are long, narrow bands of water vapor, are becoming more intense and frequent with climate change. A new study demonstrates that a recently developed scale for atmospheric river intensity (akin to the hurricane scale) can be u…

Researchers have discovered early social learning in insects. They found signaling communicated by honey bees about food sources — transmitted through a ‘waggle dance’ — is an intricate form of social learning and one of the most complex known exampl…

Researchers have completed the most advanced brain map to date, that of an insect, a landmark achievement in neuroscience that brings scientists closer to true understanding of the mechanism of thought.

As almost 200 countries agree a legally-binding treaty to protect the High Seas, a collaboration of experts in ocean plastic pollution and satellite technology has urged world leaders to learn lessons from the management of the High Seas and act now to…

Researchers use UK Biobank data to uncover new information about rare diseases of the eye.

Researchers have examined how patient characteristics and COVID-19 infection may affect the antibody responses of people with HIV — including responses against SARS-CoV-2 proteins as well as proteins from other viruses.

Tens of thousands of thunderstorms may rumble around the world each day, but accurately predicting the time and location where they will form remains a grand challenge of computer weather modeling. A new technique combining underused satellite and rada…

A team of international researchers have found that the rivers in Arctic Canada and Alaska are not behaving as expected in response to the warming climate. The study focused on large rivers in the region and their movement through permafrost terrain. T…

A team of investigators has identified metabolic strategies used by Clostridioides difficile to rapidly colonize the gut. The findings identify methods to better prevent and treat the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and healthcare-a…

Disconnected from the energy of the sun, the permanently ice-covered Arctic deep sea receives miniscule amounts of organic matter that sustains life. Bacteria which can harvest the energy released from submarine hydrothermal sources could thus have an …

Most cells in the bodies of living things duplicate their contents and physically separate into new cells through the process of cell division. But across many species, germ cells, those that become eggs or sperm, don’t fully separate. They remain inte…

Engineers have developed a soft material with metal-like conductivity and self-healing properties that is the first to maintain enough electrical adhesion to support digital electronics and motors. This marks a breakthrough in softbotics and the fields…