Japanese snow monkeys don’t just soak in hot springs to escape the winter chill — their steamy spa sessions may also be reshaping their invisible world. Researchers in Japan found that macaques who regularly bathe show subtle but intriguing differences in lice patterns and gut bacteria compared to those who...
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Blasted off Mars and still alive
A famously resilient bacterium may be tough enough to survive one of the most violent events imaginable on Mars. In laboratory experiments designed to mimic the crushing shock of a massive asteroid impact, researchers squeezed Deinococcus radiodurans between steel plates and blasted it with pressures reaching 3 GPa (30,000 times...
The hidden technology that could unlock commercial fusion power
Fusion energy may be one of the most promising clean power sources of the future—but only if scientists can precisely measure the extreme, fast-moving plasmas that make it possible. A new U.S. Department of Energy–sponsored report urges major investment in advanced diagnostic tools—the high-tech “sensors” that track plasma temperature, density,...
For every known vertebrate species, two more may be hiding in plain sight
Earth’s vertebrate diversity may be far richer than anyone realized. A sweeping analysis of more than 300 studies suggests that for every known fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, or mammal species, there are about two nearly identical “cryptic” species hiding in plain sight—genetically distinct but visually almost impossible to tell apart....
Teeth smaller than a fingertip reveal the first primate ancestor
Tiny, tooth-sized fossils have just reshaped the story of our deepest ancestry. Paleontologists have discovered the southernmost remains ever found of Purgatorius—the earliest-known relative of all primates, including humans—in Colorado’s Denver Basin. Previously thought to be confined to Montana and parts of Canada, this shrew-sized, tree-dwelling mammal now appears to...
Mapping the Future of Wildfires in a Warming World
How can scientists better assess the effects of a warming climate on wildfire behavior, fire risk, and long-term fire trends?
A study in Stardust: Massive Binary Stars Emit Tiny Carbon Particles
It’s fitting that Yale junior Donglin Wu’s first major scientific journal article as lead author focuses on stardust — tiny solid grains that form from stellar winds, drift into interstellar space, and may eventually become parts of new planets.
New Approach to Qualifying Nuclear Reactor Components Rolling Out This Year
A thousand times faster than conventional testing, an ion beam approach to qualifying materials for use in the cores of advanced nuclear reactors is advancing through stages of approval by the industry standards organization ASTM.
Atacama surprise: The world’s driest desert is teeming with hidden life
Even in the ultra-dry Atacama Desert, tiny soil-dwelling nematodes are thriving in surprising diversity. Scientists found that biodiversity increases with moisture and altitude shapes which species survive. In the most extreme zones, many nematodes reproduce asexually — a possible survival advantage. The discovery suggests that life in arid regions may...
Ancient mystery on K’gari: World’s largest sand island lakes dried up during rainy era
K’gari’s iconic lakes have existed for tens of thousands of years—but they haven’t always been full. New research shows that about 7,500 years ago, during a time of high rainfall, several of the island’s deepest lakes mysteriously vanished. Scientists believe changing wind patterns may have redirected rain away from the...