For The Better

Researchers used supercomputers to run high-resolution climate simulations that show how historically-impactful storm events could look in a warmer world. The researchers simulated five of the most powerful storms that have hit the San Francisco Bay Ar…

Researchers created a portable desalination unit that can remove particles and salts simultaneously to generate drinking water. The user-friendly unit, which weighs less than 10 kilograms and does not require filters, can be powered by a small, portabl…

Researchers have identified a specific neuropeptide and a neural circuit that transmit pleasant touch from the skin to the brain. The findings eventually may help scientists better understand and treat disorders characterized by touch avoidance and imp…

In the quest to build smart skin that mimics the sensing capabilities of natural skin, ionic skins have shown significant advantages. They’re made of flexible, biocompatible hydrogels that use ions to carry an electrical charge. These hydrogels can gen…

Researchers have succeeded in amplifying the nonlinear response using artificial chiral metamaterial. The new technology enhances the possible applications of mirror symmetry by amplifying chiral nanoparticle signals.

Lithium-ion batteries power our everyday products, from laptops to vehicles, because of their safety, longevity, and charging speeds. Yet their production relies on rare metals such as cobalt and nickel. Now, a research group has unearthed a potential …

Scientists show that remnants of the roots of Earth’s first crust are still present in the terrestrial mantle and contribute to magmas erupted at the surface over Earth’s history.

Interactions between microbes and other organisms are mediated by a plethora of small molecules, also called natural products. Researchers have now performed a systematic analysis of biosynthetic ‘dark matter’ and biological functions, thus creating a …

Scientists have been able to demonstrate that nerve signals are exchanged between arteries and the brain in atherosclerosis.

Researchers using an ‘acoustic camera’ discover how individual songs in an amphibian chorus influence mating in wood frogs.

A new analysis of data from the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program has uncovered genetic links between COVID-19 severity and certain medical conditions that are known risk factors for severe COVID-19.

Modern day Patagonian sheepdogs are the closest living relative to now-extinct varieties of herding dogs of Victorian era Britain, according to a new study.

During the pre-Omicron phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, regions of the U.S. had markedly different mortality rates, primarily due to differences in mask use, school attendance, social distancing, and other behaviors. Had the entire country reacted to t…

An international group of experts says the production of new plastics should be capped to solve the plastic pollution problem. The authors argue that all other measures won’t suffice to keep up with the pace of plastic production and releases.

Glaciologists focus on what happens at the front of glaciers that terminate in the ocean as the key to whether a glacier will speed up or slow down. Yet with global warming, meltwater is becoming increasingly important, seeping underneath and lubricati…

As race season approaches, many runners have the same goal: go faster. But researchers now show that speeding up might require defying our natural biology. By combining data from runners monitored in a lab along with 37,000 runs recorded on wearable fi…

Scientists tracked the rise and fall of SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva and nasal cavities of people newly infected with the virus. The study was the first to follow acute COVID-19 infections over time through repeated sampling and to compare results from dif…

A new form of security identification could soon see the light of day and help us protect our data from hackers and cybercriminals. Quantum mathematicians have solved a mathematical riddle that allows for a person’s geographical location to be used as …

Seven hours is the ideal amount of sleep for people in their middle age and upwards, with too little or too much little sleep associated with poorer cognitive performance and mental health, say researchers.