Biology
Genetic analysis reveals new species of endangered baobab tree in Madagascar
Madison researchers recognize a new species of baobab tree, Adansonia bozy, unique to Madagascar, according to a study published in the journal Taxon. Previously, members of A. bo…
US could exhaust domestic phosphorus within 40 years, but waste offers reserves
The United States could exhaust its domestic phosphorus supply within 40 years. Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia already depend on imports from China and Morocco to meet t…
Scientists hope to shed light on young universe by using dark side of the moon
UK team seeking to put suitcase-sized satellite in orbit around moon in search for 21cm line radio frequency signalLittle is known about what was happening shortly after the big b…
Cells use a little-known molecule to protect themselves from iron overload
Iron is essential. Our cells need it to produce energy, carry oxygen throughout the body and power countless chemical reactions that sustain life. But this metal has a dark side. …
Tiny DNA rotor lets microscopes track gene transcription one base pair at a time
Scientists often describe life as a series of chemical reactions. Pallav Kosuri, Ph.D., describes life as movement. Chemical reactions are how you drive the movement of atoms, pro…
Pacific farmers are reviving traditional knowledge to tackle a changing climate
For thousands of years, farmers in the Pacific have lived in harmony with their environment. But rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and tired soils are testing even the m…
I’m a neuroscientist. Here’s why our brains need pop concerts | Bala Subramaniam
Attending a Nick Jonas show with my kids was an invitation to ‘collective effervescence’. We need these shared experiences now more than everThree years ago, I agreed to accompany…
Scholar's work in South America helps fight Chagas disease in the U.S.
A three-month Fulbright U.S. Scholar trip to Argentina wasn't just about bringing Texas know-how to South America for Gabriel Hamer, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomolog…
Crocodiles can't fly. Birds can. Scientists have finally figured out why
The closest living relatives of crocodiles and alligators are, perhaps surprisingly, birds. Both are archosauriforms, a group of species that originated about 250 million years ag…
From toxic blooms to dead zones, how wildfires transform oceans and lakes
Wildfire smoke and ash can reshape aquatic ecosystems long after the flames have been extinguishedWildfires are an increasing problem in Europe and elsewhere. While their immediat…
Experience: I found my long-lost twin aged 49
The joy, disbelief and shock of discovering I had a brother the same age as me came with a million questions. How were we separated and why?In 1975, my parents saw an advert in th…
Why has Britain's grass turned yellow? A plant scientist explains what happens next
Fields, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to straw this summer. Landscapes thousands of years old have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds, where an…
Two oceans, one country—and 20 times more sharks in the prehistoric Pacific
How many sharks should a coral reef have? It sounds like a simple question, but almost nowhere on Earth is there a reef that has not at some time been fished or otherwise affected…
Butterfly effects of climate change
The Australian National Insect Collection at CSIRO holds 2,000 drawers of butterfly specimens, including some that were collected more than a century ago.
Mutation hotspots help 'friendly' viruses outmaneuver the bacteria in your gut
Every 15 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a drug-resistant superbug. A few decades from now, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections threaten to become the leading cause o…
How a mystery kept in London led to the discovery of a new Ecuadorian frog
Scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador officially described Pristimantis milpe, an abundant and widely distributed species that had been confused with ano…
Safe havens protect Australian mammals from invasive predators. Why aren't they working for other animal groups?
Feral cats and foxes now roam across almost all of Australia. These predators are a major reason why many species have been driven to extinction.
How 'pioneering pairs' of ospreys drive population recovery
A new study by Bournemouth University (BU) has found that faster recovery of osprey populations relies on a small number of ospreys that, unlike most, prefer to nest away from oth…
One in four cocoa farm audits contain data manipulated to meet sustainability targets, researchers find
ETH researchers have used a sustainability program for cocoa cultivation in Côte d'Ivoire to demonstrate that, in one in four cases, data was manipulated to meet the program's req…
Paleontologists reconstruct forests of 56 million years ago with chilling parallels for our warming planet
If you want to know how rapidly pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will affect future forest ecosystems, you have to look into the distant past. The researchers behind a n…
The Guardian view on solar eclipses: moments of wonder that bring us together | Editorial
Wednesday’s eerie spectacle united crowds beneath the sky, continuing a human fascination that stretches from ancient myth to modern physics“I’d describe it as a magical eeriness.…
Climate change decided who ruled as top predator 35 million years ago
An international team of researchers from Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain and the U.S. has reconstructed the evolution of body mass in carnivorous mammals during the Paleogene…
GPS tracking study reveals why invasive barred owls are winning the battle for California's old-growth forests
Newly published research offers some of the clearest evidence yet of why the invasive barred owl has become one of the greatest threats to the northern spotted owl and delivers en…
Soft-bodied sea slug reconfigures anatomy to simplify feeding control
Made entirely of muscle, with no rigid skeleton, muscular hydrostats like octopus arms, elephant trunks and human tongues can move in ways traditional mechanical systems cannot. B…