Biology
Threatened bumblebee populations in England and Wales face severe genetic declines
A new study reveals that an important pollinator is rapidly losing genetic diversity in Britain. Moss carder bumblebees were once widespread across the UK, living in flower-rich m…
Virtual biotech company puts thousands of AI scientist agents to work on drug discovery
The latest company to spin out of a Stanford Medicine lab is a biotech undertaking with 37,000 employees—and none of them are human. There's no lab space, no lunch breaks and no p…
Sixteen new fungus species found hiding in Thailand's flowers
Researchers have discovered 16 new species of fungus living unnoticed inside garden flowers and wildflowers across northern Thailand, more than quintupling the number of such fung…
Climate change is making it easier for invasive species to succeed
In 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds of 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph). It devastated communities and infrastructure, was associat…
Capybaras in the desert? Fossil casts doubt on Atacama as world's oldest continuously dry region
Ask any zoo-goer and they will tell you that capybaras are adorable. Ask a scientist specializing in the rodents, which resemble oversized guinea pigs, and they will tell you they…
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents may be a hot spot for pregnant Antarctic krill
Antarctic krill are tiny shrimp-like creatures that were previously thought to mostly inhabit the upper layer of the Southern Ocean. Although they had occasionally been observed a…
European ash pangenome could help researchers breed a generation of trees resistant to ash dieback
In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Forest Research and collaborating organizations present the first-ever …
Wild honeybee populations in the EU are on the Red List for the first time
Populations of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) are under immense pressure in the wild in Europe. New research published in Conservation Science and Practice from the Univers…
Endurance running or endurance diving—which came first?
A new study combines paleoanthropology and diving physiology to address a fundamental question in human evolution: Why did humans evolve their exceptional aerobic endurance? Did o…
Deep-sea crustaceans caught hitching rides on giant sea spiders
Some types of marine life appear to have it easy. While exploring thousands of meters below the waves in the Chilean Margin in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, scientists observed …
Beaver reintroduction improves peatland water storage and drought resilience
A study led by a doctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool has found that beavers may help restore degraded peatlands by keeping landscapes wetter and making them more re…
Genome assembly of rice stink bug offers new data-informed tool in fight against costly pest
Scientists are getting a leg up on the rice stink bug, one of the most significant threats to rice, a staple food for nearly half the world's population and a major crop in Arkans…
Birds basking in natural 'saunas'
New research led by the University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka shows some bird species may be taking advantage of natural geothermal "health spas."
New livestream brings remote Australian arid zone waterhole to the world
A new livestream from a remote waterhole in the Northern Territory is giving people around the world the opportunity to observe wildlife in real time.
Cuttlefish suckers reveal how they grip rough prey—and could inspire better technology
Cephalopods are a group of soft-bodied marine mollusks that include cuttlefish, octopuses, squid and nautiluses. Many of these mollusks have muscular suckers on their arms that al…
Study challenges estimates used to guide Atlantic menhaden fishing
Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), which supports a major commercial fishery along the U.S. East Coast and serves as essential prey for fish, seabirds and marine mammals, ma…
Take good care of your tailbone. I didn’t – and my derriere has never been the same since | Adrian Chiles
My coccyx still hurts from an extreme cycling challenge almost two decades ago. Is there anything it’s good for?‘Welcome to middle age.” This is what my GP said to me 10 years ago…
‘Very messy eaters’: scientists solve the mystery of when black holes ‘burp’
The astronomical bodies fire off powerful jets in two distinct phases in their feeding cycle, researchers discoverScientists have solved the mystery of when black holes “burp” – w…
The week that changed maths for ever – podcast
In early September, OpenAI announced it had solved a major mathematics problem that has stumped humans for nearly a century. The news left mathematicians reeling, and many express…
Why Melbourne makes you sneeze in spring
When most Australians say 'spring is in the air,' they're speaking metaphorically, as the days become longer and warmer.
Sharks on the move expose the need for international conservation efforts
Understanding the migration pathways of sharks and rays is key to conserving some of the world's most endangered marine species, according to new University of Queensland research.
Forest structure matters more than topography in shaping plant diversity in Southern Apennine old-growth forests
A study in Pollino National Park shows that large trees, complex canopies and deadwood diversity play a major role in shaping vascular plant communities, highlighting the ecologic…
Long-term oyster reef restoration shows clear success in murky waters
Large-scale oyster reef restoration in the Chesapeake Bay is successfully creating three-dimensional habitats that support larger, more diverse fish communities, according to new …
Device simulates natural conditions to grow biofilms and test their antibiotic susceptibility more accurately
Biofilms are complex microbial communities that adhere to a surface and encase themselves in a viscous matrix they produce. This structure protects bacteria from antibiotics and t…