Biology
Long-term study reveals hidden threat of schistosomiasis in endangered chimpanzees
A 12-year study of rescued chimpanzees at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary (NICS) in Uganda has revealed persistent intestinal schistosomiasis infections, highlighting the n…
Dry landscapes and newly fallowed fields may raise California Valley fever risk
Researchers at UC San Diego and UC Berkeley have found that certain landscapes surrounding California communities are associated with differing rates of Valley fever, a fungal res…
How to CT scan a 400-pound crocodile
At 61, Bill had begun showing changes in his health—decreased appetite, weight loss and abdominal bloating. But his bloodwork was normal, leaving the cause of his symptoms unknown…
Australia's bird flu response: Too little, but it's not too late
When news broke over the weekend that Australia's first mainland case of bird flu in a mammal—the death of a long-nosed fur seal—had been detected, I felt deep sadness and dread f…
Why hundreds of scientists want more protection for Australia's oceans
Australia is one of the world's great ocean nations. It is home to more marine species than any other country, with ocean ecosystems spanning all five of the world's climate zones…
Recycling meat waste may help bring cultivated meat to market
Researchers found microalgae can be grown using waste from cultivated meat production, then processed and fed back into the system, replacing some of the expensive ingredients nee…
‘Cookies’ made from plastic may be on the menu for future astronauts
Nasa-funded project uses yeasts to recycle plastics and other waste into food shaped into biscuits by 3D printersCookies produced from upcycled plastic may sound like something st…
Engineered yeasts help turn PET plastic and crop waste into protein-rich cookies
Plastic might be the last ingredient you would ever add to a cookie recipe. But a team of researchers is looking to change that. They've programmed yeasts to turn plastic and agri…
Starwatch: Lunar eclipse to reward early risers in UK and Europe
Shadow of Earth likely to make moon glow red before dawn on 28 AugustThe early hours of Friday 28 August will reward very early risers in the UK, Europe and Africa with a fine lun…
Protein degradation rate helps explain why humans develop more slowly than mice
Humans develop at a slower rate than other mammalian species, like mice, but scientists are still trying to understand the molecular basis of these differences. Now, researchers f…
Oldest human brain cells grown in lab 'recorded passage of time'
Peppercorn-sized clumps of human brain cells grown in a lab for a record seven years aged similarly to those inside our heads, suggesting they "recorded the passage of time," scie…
Is this why close encounters with intelligent aliens have so far eluded us? | Letters
Readers offer their explanations for the absence of hard evidence for extraterrestrial civilisations, in response to an article by Adam KirschWhen thinking about why we have not e…
Hot temperatures can dull blue morpho butterflies' iridescent scales
Blue morpho butterflies have captivated the human eye for centuries. We even have one as an emoji on our phones. In a recent experiment, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Re…
Artemis II crew to receive top US space medal for historic lunar journey
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen broke record for farthest distance traveled from EarthThe crew of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission have ea…
How we found Haida Gwaii's first marbled murrelet nest in more than 30 years
Scrambling through dense salal in the dark, weaving between the majestic western red cedars of northern Haida Gwaii, I could barely imagine where we were just days before—crossing…
AI decodes DNA initiator sequence found in about 60% of human genes
Precise activation of tens of thousands of genes is critical for healthy development and growth. Specialized segments of our DNA are responsible for carefully orchestrating geneti…
Animal genomes follow irreversible 'evolutionary highways' across thousands of species
A human, an octopus, and a coral could hardly look more different—yet deep inside their cells, their chromosomes still carry recognizable pieces of a genome inherited from an anim…
Bipartisan majorities in US favor banning glyphosate
Two-thirds of Americans favor banning the use of the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular weedkiller Roundup, on crops grown in the United States, according …
Hydrogel platform uses vitamin B2 and blue light to simplify living tissue models
Researchers at Tampere University have developed a versatile hydrogel platform that makes it easier to create customized biomaterials for tissue engineering, disease modeling, dru…
Climate change could triple the price of wheat
Bread, pasta and breakfast cereals may seem far removed from dry fields in North America, Europe or Asia. Yet when water shortages hit several of the world's most important wheat-…
Scientists map hair follicle formation in spacetime, advancing understanding of how organs develop
In a new research report, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have developed a technology that allows them to capture a 3D molecular "snapshot" of hundreds of hair folli…
New ROOT method charts a path to reversing biological changes once thought irreversible
Once a cell has locked into an abnormal state—the way cancer cells do—can it ever be restored to normal? A KAIST research team led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho of the Department of…
Ocean plankton reveal sugar-for-nutrients partnership that sustains life in barren seas
In the vast, nutrient-poor regions of the world's oceans, there is a constant struggle for survival. Yet tiny organisms known as Collodaria have thrived there for millions of year…
First 15 days of egg development may determine survival for California's most endangered salmon
Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon are California's most endangered salmon, with a single surviving population and an average of a few thousand returning fish in recent de…