NASA is working to resume science operations of the agency's Hubble Space Telescope after it entered safe mode Nov. 23 due to an ongoing gyroscope (gyro) issue. Hubble's instruments are stable, and the telescope is in good health. | Continue reading
Over the past 100 years, global water use has increased sixfold, and increased drought has led to substantial declines in crop production in recent decades. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], originally domesticated in China about 5,000 years ago and subsequently spread worldwide, … | Continue reading
A new study suggests that universities have an essential role to fulfill in the continued growth and success of any modern high-tech industry, and especially the nascent fusion industry; however, the importance of that role is not reflected in the number of fusion-oriented facult … | Continue reading
This past summer, staff at the Louisville Zoo noticed their three-year-old African elephant, Fitz, was less active than usual. A blood test confirmed that he had elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which can cause a deadly hemorrhagic disease. The staff in Louisville an … | Continue reading
The shaky pause in fighting agreed between Hamas and Israel is bringing much needed relief to the civilians of Gaza. With its future still uncertain, aid workers are rushing to deliver food, water and other vital supplies. However, it is clear that resources are insufficient to m … | Continue reading
Environmental nonprofit organizations that have diverse leadership and work in equity-deserving communities receive considerably less philanthropic support than conventional, mainstream nonprofits, according to new research published in the journal Energy Research & Social Scienc … | Continue reading
High doses of X-rays and other kinds of ionizing radiation can damage the DNA present in the cell nucleus, a phenomenon which can both lead to the development of cancer in humans and be used to kill cancer cells. This damage to DNA occurs through two mechanisms: one involves the … | Continue reading
Climate disasters are now costing the United States US$150 billion per year, and the economic harm is rising. | Continue reading
A team of U of T Scarborough researchers have discovered that the waxy protective barrier around plants might play a role in sending chemical signals to other plants and insects. | Continue reading
There are thousands of mountains scattered across the seafloor, many of which are thousands of meters tall. These seamounts may have significant impacts on seismicity when the portion of the ocean floor they are on is subducted beneath another tectonic plate. | Continue reading
Winter hasn't arrived yet, but French ski resorts are already resorting to snowmaking. Milder temperatures as a result of climate change have effectively led to its use becoming entrenched in recent years, with 29% of French ski slopes area equipped with snowmaking machines, such … | Continue reading
Plastic pollution has spread to Earth's farthest reaches, with widespread effects on wildlife, the environment and human health. To curb this problem, U.N. member countries are negotiating a global treaty to reduce plastic pollution, which they aim to complete by the end of 2024. | Continue reading
An international team of astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to provide the first observation of water and other molecules in the inner, rocky-planet-forming regions of a disk in one of the most extreme environments in our galaxy. These results sugge … | Continue reading
Ana Mateos and Jesús Rodríguez, scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), have published a paper in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology showing that large herbivore carrion, a resource that had formerly been a … | Continue reading
There are young children celebrating the holidays this year with their families, thanks to the 3D-printed medical devices created in the lab of Georgia Tech researcher Scott Hollister. For more than 10 years, Hollister and his collaborators have developed lifesaving, patient-spec … | Continue reading
In today's medical landscape, antibiotics are pivotal in combating bacterial infections. These potent compounds, produced by bacteria and fungi, act as natural defenses against microbial attacks. A team of researchers delved into the intricate world of glycopeptide antibiotics—a … | Continue reading
There's a species of ant that is so rare, only a handful of records exist from across the entire eastern United States. North Carolina State University researcher Michelle Kirchner not only found these ants in the Triangle region of North Carolina, she is the first to document an … | Continue reading
While many people want to achieve major long-term goals—such as improving their diet, quitting smoking or adopting a more sustainable lifestyle—they often find it difficult to do so. Is it all down to a lack of self-discipline? No, it's not, according to social psychologist Profe … | Continue reading
Biomolecular condensates transport RNA molecules inside of cells for functions such as cell signaling and regulating cell processes, but little is known about how they form distinct compositional identities, similar to how oil and water stay separated. | Continue reading
Scientists should seek answers hidden in the dirt using proven and state-of-the-art archaeological science techniques to support new discoveries about human evolution following recent controversies at a cave site in Africa, says a group of international experts. | Continue reading
The Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí (PCJ) River Basin comprises 76 municipalities in São Paulo state, Brazil, with more than 5.8 million inhabitants and a drainage area of more than 14,000 square kilometers. These three rivers and their tributaries are essential sources of drink … | Continue reading
The United Nations Environment Programme recently published a report with an unusually strong title for a UN body: "Emissions Gap Report 2023: Broken Record—Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again)". Yet again, it highlights how far countries are off t … | Continue reading
Over the past decades, environmental scientists and engineers have been trying to devise effective solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. This has led to the creation of various energy models, frameworks that can be used t … | Continue reading
No one ever sets out to join a cult. At the beginning it looks like the group will meet some need or ideal. For most people it seems to work initially—at least somewhat. | Continue reading
Basic oxide catalysts contain oxygen ions with unpaired electrons that can be shared with other species to facilitate a chemical reaction. These catalysts are widely used in the synthesis of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals. There have been efforts to improve the ca … | Continue reading
The Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago, and life less than a billion years after that. Although life as we know it is dependent on four major macromolecules—DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids—only one is thought to have been present at the beginning of life: RNA. | Continue reading
For all the attention on flashy new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, the challenges of regulating AI, and doomsday scenarios of superintelligent machines, AI is a useful tool in many fields. In fact, it has enormous potential to benefit humanity. | Continue reading
A new study, published in PLOS ONE, has uncovered a remarkable connection between individuals' musical preferences and their moral values, shedding new light on the profound influence that music can have on our moral compass. | Continue reading
With the world projected to be highly urbanized by 2050, cities are encouraged to take urgent climate actions to mitigate and adapt to the threats of climate change. As climate change intensifies and urbanization increases rapidly, local governments are expected now more than eve … | Continue reading
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are hot springs on the ocean floor. Sea water penetrates into the ocean crust, becomes heated, and rises to the seafloor surface carrying dissolved nutrients. Around these vents, far from any sunlight, vibrant biological communities are found. Here, mi … | Continue reading
Spatial transcriptomics (ST) emerges as a pivotal technique for cataloging gene expression across tissue sections while retaining crucial locational data. | Continue reading
Microgels form a thin protective shell around a droplet until the temperature rises above 32°C. Then the microgels shrink and the droplet dissolves in the surrounding liquid. A study by researchers from the University of Gothenburg now reveals the underlying mechanism behind this … | Continue reading
MIT geologists have found that a clay mineral on the seafloor, called smectite, has a surprisingly powerful ability to sequester carbon over millions of years. | Continue reading
A new study led by the University of Oxford has shed light on why certain species of bacteria carry astonishing arsenals of weapons. The findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, could help us to engineer microbes that can destroy deadly pathogens, reducing o … | Continue reading
Plants regulate their development with a distinct group of molecular players. ROP proteins, a group of plant-specific proteins, are known to control plant tissue formation. Now, Hugh Mulvey and Liam Dolan at the GMI show that ROP proteins evolved at the transition between unicell … | Continue reading
Three astronomers from the Netherlands have proven that gas that was previously heated near a supermassive black hole flowed to the outskirts of the galaxy and cooled down, moving back towards the black hole. While there had been indirect evidence for this theory, this is the fir … | Continue reading
Many people are familiar with the haunting images of wildlife—including sea turtles, dolphins and seals—tangled in abandoned fishing nets. | Continue reading
Melting of glaciers, rising sea levels, extreme heat waves: the consequences of climate change are more visible than ever, and the scientific community has confirmed that humans are responsible. Yet studies show that a third of the population still doubts or disputes these facts. | Continue reading
A cornerstone but surprising prediction arising from Einstein's theory of general relativity is the existence of black holes, which astronomers later found to be widespread throughout the universe. Key characteristics of black holes include their masses and their "spin"—they rota … | Continue reading
From houses to hearing aids, three-dimensional (3D) printing is revolutionizing how we create complex structures at scale. Zooming down to the micro and nano levels, a process known as two-photon polymerization lithography (TPL) allows scientists and engineers to construct object … | Continue reading
As the latest UN climate change summit (COP28) gets underway in Dubai, conversations around limiting global warming to 1.5°C will confront a harsh reality. Global temperatures have surged over the past year, with the monthly global average surpassing 1.5°C above pre-industrial le … | Continue reading
To ensure that vaccines provide strong and lasting immunization, it is often necessary to supplement the actual vaccine (antigen) with additives that stimulate the immune system: adjuvants. Today, only a few substances have been approved for use as adjuvants. | Continue reading
In a recent review of more than 180 peer-reviewed articles—which I conducted with fellow researcher Richard Parncutt—we found that a scientific consensus has formed around the so-called 1,000-ton rule. | Continue reading
An international team of researchers including Prof. Badri Krishnan at Radboud University has verified an important property of black holes known as the no-hair theorem using gravitational wave observations. Their research is published in the journal Physical Review Letters. | Continue reading
Electron-trapping materials (ETMs) with persistent luminescence (PersL) or photostimulated luminescence (PSL) hold great promise for versatile applications, due to their distinctive characteristics of energy harvesting and controllable release. | Continue reading
Coral reefs, among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth, are under threat due to the changing climate. In a new study, an international research team found that if reefs were to disappear entirely, it may take millions of years—even after environmental conditions imp … | Continue reading
China's Zhurong rover was equipped with a ground-penetrating radar system, allowing it to peer beneath Mars's surface. Researchers have announced new results from the scans of Zhurong's landing site in Utopia Planitia, saying they identified irregular polygonal wedges located at … | Continue reading
A future quantum network may become less of a stretch thanks to researchers at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and Cambridge University. | Continue reading