The scorching heat waves of 2023's summer and autumn shook the world, raising a pertinent question: Will this lead to the warmest winter the globe has ever witnessed? | Continue reading
The world's biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in operation was inaugurated in Japan on Friday, a technology in its infancy but billed by some as the answer to humanity's future energy needs. | Continue reading
A humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle dazzled onlookers Thursday morning with several breaches in the bay just beyond the city's downtown area. | Continue reading
A busy hurricane season that saw the National Hurricane Center in Miami issue the first-ever tropical storm warning for the coast of California and hurricane warnings as far north as Nova Scotia is coming to a close Thursday night. | Continue reading
Vibrio bacteria, named for their vibrating swimming motion, span approximately 150 known species. Most Vibrio live in brackish or salt water, either swimming free or living as pathogens or symbionts in fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and corals. Because Vibrio thrives at relatively … | Continue reading
In 2015, more than 140 countries signed up to the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. For countries in the global south this is a huge task. On the one hand, they have committed to low emissions. On the other their economic survival depends on using resources that produ … | Continue reading
Global environmental stakeholders will converge in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, from 30 November to 12 December 2023 for the UN Climate conference known as COP28. The conference aims to continue negotiations to address the global climate crisis. Nigeria's main agenda in the c … | Continue reading
In early November of this year, aurora borealis were observed at surprisingly low latitudes, as far south as Italy and Texas. Such phenomena indicate the impacts of a solar coronal mass ejection on the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Far more dramatic than this recent ligh … | Continue reading
A series of 'bone biographies' created by a major research project tell the stories of medieval Cambridge residents as recorded on their skeletons, illuminating everyday lives during the era of Black Death and its aftermath. | Continue reading
Born tail first, bottlenose dolphin calves emerge equipped with two slender rows of whiskers along their beak-like snouts—much like the touch-sensitive whiskers of seals. But the whiskers fall out soon after birth, leaving the youngster with a series of dimples known as vibrissal … | Continue reading
Choosing to be child-free is more common than ever before in some countries, including the US. Many people see not having children an ethical and ecological choice, made to protect the environment, people and other species. Being child-free is about being "green". Consequently, m … | Continue reading
Commonly associated with longer days and slower paces, this summer's record-smashing heat in Arizona demonstrated a concerning future for the planet's warmest season. From power outages endangering entire neighborhoods and heat-related deaths rising among some of the state's most … | Continue reading
New research from Northern Arizona University has explained coast redwood's remarkable ability to recover from very severe fire, a rare sign of optimism amid a landscape increasingly scarred by severe fires. | Continue reading
Researchers are realizing that animal communication is more complicated than previously thought, and that the information animals share in their vocalizations can be complex. For example, some animals produce calls that warn of specific dangers in the environment, such as a preda … | Continue reading
With winter approaching, birds are migrating south to escape the cold and take advantage of more abundant food sources. | Continue reading
The summer of 2023 was the hottest on record. Climate change fueled destructive hurricanes in Florida, more intense monsoons in India, and melted sea ice to historically low levels in the Arctic and Antarctic. | Continue reading
Hemlocks [Tsuga (Endl.) Carrière] are foundational, climax coniferous evergreen trees in forested ecosystems and are also iconic in cultivated landscapes. In the United States, the eastern hemlock, T. canadensis (L.) Carr., is a well-known and economically significant species for … | Continue reading
Integrated optical signal distributing, processing, and sensing networks require the miniaturization of basic optical elements, such as waveguides, splitters, gratings, and optical switches. To achieve this, fabrication approaches that allow for high-resolution manufacturing are … | Continue reading
Liquid-crystal (LC) phase modulators are widely used in optical systems because of their advantages of low power consumption, lightweight, flexible bandwidth adjustment, and non-mechanical movements. However, most LC phase modulators are polarization-sensitive, meaning that they … | Continue reading
Scientists are working to protect the unique qualities of cacao beans grown in the Buenaventura region on the Pacific coast of Colombia. | Continue reading
A new study published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation evaluates the employment outcomes and ongoing support needs among graduates of Project SEARCH in Michigan, a one-year school-to-work transitional program. Replicated at more than 500 sites across the United States … | Continue reading
The rapid diversification of animals over 500 million years ago—often referred to as the Cambrian Explosion—saw the appearance of the first large swimming predators in our oceans. Amplectobelua symbrachiata, a member of the group Radiodonta, which are relatives of modern arthropo … | Continue reading
AFAC, the National Council for fire and emergency services, has released the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Summer 2023. | Continue reading
A recent study demonstrates how dripstones can be crucial for reconstructing past climates. The new approach can provide a detailed picture of the climate around early human occupations in South Africa. | Continue reading
A tiny but prolific world of microbes encompasses everything around us, both inside and out. Microbiomes, which are comprised of diverse communities of microbes, play a pivotal role in shaping human health, yet the intricacies of how different microbial compositions influence our … | Continue reading
While the impacts of climate change vary across the globe, most scientists agree that, overall, a warming environment is increasing both the frequency and intensity of severe weather events such as tornados and intense thunderstorms. | Continue reading
A team of scientists found that carbon dioxide becomes a more potent greenhouse gas as more is released into the atmosphere. | Continue reading
A new study develops a theory of how magnetic switchbacks are formed around the sun. This quantitative model can be used to predict magnetic field variations and potentially explain the heating and acceleration of the solar wind. | Continue reading
The international climate change negotiations began almost three decades ago when many were still hesitant to accept that human activities were changing the planet. Now the scientific evidence is unequivocal. Climate change is a major threat to our well-being, the health of the p … | Continue reading
By studying the skull shapes of dipsadine snakes, researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington have found how these species of snakes in Central and South America have evolved and adapted to meet the demands of their habitats and food sources. | Continue reading
There is an ever-present struggle to reduce carbon-based energy sources and replace them with low or no-carbon alternatives. The process of splitting water could be the resolution. | Continue reading
Nearly 200 nations agreed Thursday to launch a fund to support countries hit by global warming, in a "historic" moment at the start of UN climate talks in the oil-rich UAE. | Continue reading
Animals often use vocalizations to warn of nearby danger to others. While this information is generally intended for members of the same species, other species can eavesdrop on the warnings to use the information for their own benefit. Sentinels are animals that have warning call … | Continue reading
Emerging technologies for non-line-of-sight imaging can detect objects even if they are around a corner or behind a wall. In new work, researchers use a new type of detector to extend this method from visible light into near and mid-infrared wavelengths, an advance that could be … | Continue reading
Fans around the globe have been celebrating 60 years of Doctor Who—the world's longest-running science fiction series. It may at times seem silly and childish, but people's ideas of how the world works, could work and should work are informed and shaped by popular culture—and Doc … | Continue reading
In humans, nodding off for a few seconds is a clear sign of insufficient sleep—and can be dangerous in some situations, such as when driving a car. | Continue reading
Four in five primary caregivers of nine-month-old babies reported cuddling, talking and playing with their little one several times a day, in England's first national long-term study of babies in over two decades, led by UCL (University College London). | Continue reading
In their 60-year's history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had to go through several radical organizational changes. New research by ESMT Berlin and Warwick Business School shows what NASA's history can teach organizations about strategic agility, and ho … | Continue reading
Long before the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment takes its first measurements in an effort to expand our understanding of the universe, a prototype for one of the experiment's detectors is blazing new trails in neutrino detection technology. | Continue reading
A new species of stalked puffball, a gasteroid fungus, has been named after the "Shai-Hulud" sandworms of Frank Herbert's iconic science fiction novel series "Dune." | Continue reading
As California, the U.S. and the world work to make good on commitments to conserve 30% of oceans and lands by 2030, all strategies are on the table—and under the microscope. When it comes to the ocean, one valuable tool is marine protected areas (MPAs), regions that are defined, … | Continue reading
New research on tree reproduction is helping solve a puzzle that has stumped tree scientists for decades. Many tree species exhibit a reproductive phenomenon known as "masting," where individual trees have very low seed production in most years, followed by a sudden burst of seed … | Continue reading
New ideas in space exploration come from all corners, and, by and large, the community welcomes anybody interested in the field. Having just read "A City on Mars," it seems that even people who disagree with the idea that the age of space settlement is imminent will be accepted i … | Continue reading
In around six months, ESA's Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer mission will take to the skies to advance our understanding of the interactions between clouds, aerosols and radiation in Earth's atmosphere. But how will it do that exactly? | Continue reading
School students experience a wide range of achievement emotions during the years they spend attending school. Some of those emotions, such as joy and pride, are positive. Yet students also experience boredom and anger when they find achievement activities too difficult or too eas … | Continue reading
A new study has made a compelling case for significantly expanding rail infrastructure in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs), in order to reach climate goals and provide economic benefits. | Continue reading
Artificial helical microswimmers with shape-morphing capabilities and adaptive locomotion are promising for precision medicine and noninvasive surgery. However, current fabrication methods are slow and limited. | Continue reading
Increasingly, more people worldwide are living in cities. By the year 2050, it is projected that two-thirds of the global population will reside in urban areas. Living closely together in relatively small spaces offers advantages such as good infrastructure, job opportunities, an … | Continue reading