While the holiday season typically brings joy, cheer and celebration, a significant number of people feel lonely. | Continue reading
The holidays can put the eco-conscious in a tricky spot. On one hand, the holidays are synonymous with the gift giving: What would Christmas be without Santa and his overstuffed sleigh? And other faiths, of course, share in different traditions around the theme of surprising and … | Continue reading
Globally, food systems are unsustainable: 80% of the production of food is powered by fossil fuels. The food system is responsible for over one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. The COP28 climate change conference has issued … | Continue reading
Slow motion is a popular style tactic for short videos on social media. Marketing researcher Anika Stuppy of Tilburg University shows that slow motion increases the number of likes and views of videos and stimulates brands' preference, choice and willingness to pay. There are con … | Continue reading
Strong precipitation may cause natural disasters, such as floodings or landslides. Global climate models are required to forecast the frequency of these extreme events, which is expected to change as a result of climate change. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KI … | Continue reading
The Candida auris fungus is spreading across the globe at an "alarming" speed. This species of fungus, which can cause fatal infections in risk groups and was first discovered only 10 years ago, can now be found all over the world. In nearly all cases, infections are contracted i … | Continue reading
Online retailers have every reason to be concerned about negative reviews, as they severely reduce the appeal of a product. An extensive study by Marton Varga of Bocconi's Department of Marketing and Paulo Albuquerque (INSEAD), recently published in the Journal of Marketing Resea … | Continue reading
Podophyllotoxin (PPT), an aryltetralin-type lignan isolated from Podophyllum species, exhibits a wide range of biologic and pharmacologic activities, and mainly serves as an antiviral agent or antitumor drug in clinical applications. | Continue reading
Astrolabes serve two purposes. First, they are useful as an astronomical tool, especially for finding a ship's latitude. But second, they are works of art in themselves. Besides having to be precise, many are beautiful. They are even seeing a resurgence in popularity as collector … | Continue reading
What are the chances of going to and completing primary school for children in sub-Saharan countries? A current study by Professor Dr. Ilze Plavgo, Professor of Sociology at the University of Mannheim, shows that educational attainment in these countries is characterized by low s … | Continue reading
Wildfires pose an increasing threat to communities at the wildland-urban interface (WUI)—where dry, flammable vegetation borders backyards, often in remote locations. Despite the well-known danger, many communities at highest risk do not have a strong wildfire evacuation plan in … | Continue reading
In a Perspective, a biophysical chemist, Kenneth J. Breslauer, and his brother, a political scientist, George W. Breslauer, explore the parallelisms between the concept of stability as it is used in their respective fields. The Perspective is published in the journal PNAS Nexus. | Continue reading
Beef operations that keep cattle on lifelong grass-based diets may have an overall higher carbon footprint than those that switch cattle to grain-based diets partway through their lives. Daniel Blaustein-Rejto of the Breakthrough Institute, U.S., and colleagues present these find … | Continue reading
Vikings in Sweden suffered from painful dental issues and occasionally tried to treat them, according to a study published December 13, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Carolina Bertilsson of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and colleagues. | Continue reading
The high-altitude hero of the Himalayas, yak are among the few large animals that can survive the extremely cold, harsh and oxygen-poor conditions of the Tibetan Plateau. In the mountainous regions of Asia, yak and yak–cattle hybrids serve as vital sources of meat, milk, transpor … | Continue reading
From supply chain disruption to regulatory compliance pressure, companies experience bottom-line impacts of climate change every day. Accounting for environmental disruptions and transitions is essential to corporate risk management and resilience plans. | Continue reading
The world for the first time on Wednesday approved a call to transition away from fossil fuels as UN negotiations in Dubai tackled the top culprit behind climate change, but at-risk countries said far more action was needed. | Continue reading
On Sept. 16, the University of Colorado's football team was 3-0 and had secured the No. 19 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll. Under Head Coach Deion Sanders, the Buffaloes were enjoying one of their best starts in recent memory, fully embracing the iden … | Continue reading
During the all-out invasion of Ukraine, Russia has deliberately chosen civilian targets, such as apartment buildings, presumably with the goal of deterring Ukrainian resistance. But does such terror deter or, in contrast, motivate resistance among ordinary Ukrainians? | Continue reading
Shane Palacat-Nelsen's voice drops to a reverent tone as he tells the story of the snow goddess Poliahu who Native Hawaiians believe inhabits the summit of Mauna Kea, the highest point in Hawaii. | Continue reading
Recently, a research group led by Prof. Xie Pinhua from Hefei lnstitutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), revealed the source and transport mechanisms behind an episode of ozone pollution observed in Hefei, a city located in the Yangtze River Delta … | Continue reading
Thousands of salmon on the West Coast of North America are finding their way into new streams left behind as glaciers retreat. But a new study suggests mining companies are too keen on the newly exposed mineral deposits beneath the shrinking glaciers—and few policies are in place … | Continue reading
People depend on nature in a multitude of ways. Crop pollination, pest management, storm buffering, and carbon capturing are all part of nature's contributions to people (NCP). But these contributions are subject to change—species that make vital contributions may migrate or even … | Continue reading
Some of the same properties of light and optics that make the sky blue and cause rainbows can also help scientists unlock mysteries about cloud formation and the effects of tiny particles in our air. | Continue reading
For the first time, researchers have shown that 3D-printed polymer-based micro-optics can withstand the heat and power levels that occur inside a laser. The advance enables inexpensive, compact, and stable laser sources that would be useful in a variety of applications, including … | Continue reading
Brown dwarfs are sometimes called failed stars, since they form like stars through gravitational collapse, but never gain enough mass to ignite nuclear fusion. The smallest brown dwarfs can overlap in mass with giant planets. In a quest to find the smallest brown dwarf, astronome … | Continue reading
This holiday season brings surprising news about your Christmas tree. Scientists just discovered that globally, trees growing in wetter regions are more sensitive to drought. That means if your tree hails from a more humid clime, it's likely been spoiled for generations. | Continue reading
Beavers are influential animals in ecosystems. These dam-building, tree-chewing rodents change streamflow with their wooden barriers and create rich wetland habitats by diverting water into soils near rivers. They help conserve water and improve biodiversity. | Continue reading
Three in four people in Australia support an income boost for people on the lowest incomes, while less than a quarter think it's possible to live on the current JobSeeker rate, new research by ACOSS and UNSW Sydney shows. | Continue reading
University of Pittsburgh researchers have developed a new embryo-like model derived from adult cells that replicates key features of early human development, including the generation of blood cells. | Continue reading
Engineers are working to resolve an issue with one of Voyager 1's three onboard computers, called the flight data system (FDS). The spacecraft is receiving and executing commands sent from Earth; however, the FDS is not communicating properly with one of the probe's subsystems, c … | Continue reading
Some people look forward to the holidays all year—the decorations, the food, the get-togethers. Others find that stressful, and still others may not feel up to the festivities at all. Maybe you've felt all those emotions at times this season. | Continue reading
An appointed devil's advocate could be one of the many strategies to encourage people to share ideas in meetings, according to new research from the University of Sydney Business School and Lund University. | Continue reading
A new study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign advances fundamental knowledge about the role of solvation in ion binding and presents a new pathway for electrochemically controlling ion selectivity. The study was published in JACS Au. | Continue reading
Scientists have revealed a never-before-seen phenomenon in a protein: Alone, the enzyme processes DNA and RNA but, when bound to another protein as part of a defense system, interacts with a completely different type of compound to help bacteria commit suicide. | Continue reading
Peat bogs in the tropics store vast amounts of carbon, but logging, plantations, road building, and other activities have destroyed large swaths of these ecosystems in places like Indonesia and Malaysia. Peat formations are essentially permanently flooded forestlands, where dead … | Continue reading
The year's best meteor shower, the Geminids, peaks this week. Skygazers may see as many as one or even two a minute streaking across dark skies. | Continue reading
Liquid crystal is a state of matter that exhibits properties of both liquid and solid. It can flow like a liquid, while its constituent molecules are aligned as in a solid. Liquid crystal is widely used nowadays, for example, as a core element of LCD devices. | Continue reading
Manatees are endangered species volatile to the environment. Because of their voracious appetites, they often spend up to eight hours a day grazing for food within shallow waters, making them vulnerable to environmental changes and other risks. | Continue reading
A protein that helps generate the force needed for single cells to move works differently in cells moving in groups, a new study shows. | Continue reading
A NASA study expands the search for life beyond our solar system by indicating that 17 exoplanets (worlds outside our solar system) could have oceans of liquid water, an essential ingredient for life, beneath icy shells. Water from these oceans could occasionally erupt through th … | Continue reading
Imagine being the most qualified person for a job and not getting a call-back or not being selected for an interview. | Continue reading
Scientists have solved a decades-long puzzle and unveiled a near unbreakable substance that could rival diamond as the hardest material on Earth. The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials. | Continue reading
Did you know that when a group of robots or bacteria moves in a space where there are several free objects, they deflect these objects so they can pass? An international research team managed to show that the trail left by this movement contributes to the formation of groups, fun … | Continue reading
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Skoltech has discovered the resonance frequencies of diatom frustules. These intricately structured silicon dioxide shells of single-celled microalgae provide a promising model for nature-inspired electronic and optical devices, such a … | Continue reading
We know that war is bad for the environment, with toxic chemicals left polluting the soil and water for decades after fighting ceases. Much less obvious are the carbon emissions from armed conflicts and their long-term impacts on the climate. | Continue reading
China currently faces daunting challenges in its domestic economy. But weakness in the real estate market and consumer spending at home is unlikely to stem its rising influence abroad. | Continue reading
Perilously situated between rising sea levels and pressures from upstream lie coastal river deltas and their roughly half a billion inhabitants. These regions have played an important role in societal development since the last ice age, offering flat, fertile lands with abundant … | Continue reading