Science & Technology
Major fires an increasing risk as the air gets thirstier, research shows
Greater atmospheric demand for water means a dramatic increase in the risk of major fires in global forests unless we take urgent and effective climate action, new research finds. Researchers have examined global climate and fire records in all of the …
Fertilizing the ocean to store carbon dioxide
Iron-based fertilizer may stimulate plankton to pull carbon dioxide from the ocean, driving a carbon-negative process.
Making ‘transport’ robots smarter
Imagine a team of humans and robots working together to process online orders — real-life workers strategically positioned among their automated coworkers who are moving intelligently back and forth in a warehouse space, picking items for shipping to …
Engineers use quantum computing to develop transparent window coating that blocks heat, saves energy
Scientists have devised a transparent coating for windows that could help cool the room, use no energy and preserve the view.
Do voluntary corporate pledges help reduce plastic pollution?
A new analysis finds that while 72 percent of the top 300 companies on the Fortune 500 list have made voluntary pledges to reduce their plastic footprints, most are overwhelmingly focused on downstream waste-reduction strategies centered on recycling a…
Tropical wildlife follow the same daily patterns worldwide
A massive study of rainforest species across three regions of the world finds striking similarities in how animals spend their days.
Strongest Arctic cyclone on record led to surprising loss of sea ice
The strongest Arctic cyclone ever observed struck in January 2022. A new analysis shows that while forecasts accurately predicted the massive storm, models seriously underestimated its effect on sea ice. Results suggest where forecast models for a chan…
Bats use death metal ‘growls’ to make social calls
Bats use distinct structures in the larynx to produce high-frequency echolocation calls and lower-frequency social calls, according to a new study. The structures used to make the low-pitched calls are analogous to those used by death metal vocalists i…
Increasing crop yields by breeding plants to cooperate
A simple breeding experiment, combined with genetic analysis, can rapidly uncover genes that promote cooperation and higher yields of plant populations, according to a new study. The results have the potential to quickly increase crop productivity thro…
Scientists discover secret to waking up alert and refreshed
If you’re blaming your genes for morning sluggishness, think again. A new study finds that genetics plays a minor role in morning alertness. Instead, test subjects were most alert after sleeping longer and later than typical for them, exercising the pr…
1930s Dust Bowl led to extreme heat around Northern Hemisphere
The 1930s Dust Bowl affected heat extremes across much of North America and as far away as Europe and East Asia, according to new research. The study found that the extreme heating of the Great Plains triggered motions of air around the Northern Hemisp…
Too many — or too few — job demands can spoil a good night’s sleep
A new study reveals that the relationship between work demands and a good night’s rest is nuanced. Conventional wisdom that suggests that people with the most demanding jobs would have the most trouble sleeping isn’t necessarily true.
Retinal cells may have the potential to protect themselves from diabetic retinopathy
About one third of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) develop diabetic retinopathy (DR), a leading cause of blindness in working-age individuals. DR typically develops after many years of DM, and some patients do not develop DR for more than 50 years…
Sex roles in the animal kingdom are driven by the ratio of females to males
How picky should females and males be when they choose a mate? How fiercely should they compete for mates? And how much should they engage in raising their offspring? The answers to these questions largely depend on the ratio of adult females to males …
Machine learning model builds on imaging methods to better detect ovarian lesions
New research yields a novel method to use ultrasound to enhance machine learning’s ability to accurately diagnose — or rule out — ovarian cancer.
To track disease-carrying mosquitoes, researchers tag them with DNA barcodes
Researchers are introducing a better way to perform mosquito-tracking for disease applications. Their new method, which involves getting larval mosquitoes to eat harmless particles made entirely of DNA and proteins, has the potential to revolutionize h…
New method of spinal cord tissue repair
Unique new material has shown significant promise in the treatment of spinal cord injury. The new hybrid biomaterials, in the form of nanoparticles and building on existing practice in the tissue engineering field, were successfully synthesized to prom…
Hunting brain cancer cells
Understanding how cancer cells evolve from healthy brain cells and evade treatment could open up potential new drug therapies for glioblastomas, one of the most common and lethal brain cancers, new research has revealed. By bringing together neuroscien…