A major evolutionary theory says most genetic changes don’t really matter, but new evidence suggests that’s not true. Researchers found that helpful mutations happen surprisingly often. The twist is that changing environments prevent these mutations from spreading widely before they become useless or harmful. Evolution, it turns out, is less...
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What you eat could decide the planet’s future
What we put on our plates may matter more for the climate than we realize. Researchers found that most people, especially in wealthy countries, are exceeding a “food emissions budget” needed to keep global warming below 2°C. Beef alone accounts for nearly half of food-related emissions in Canada. Small changes—less...
We are living in a golden age of species discovery
The search for life on Earth is speeding up, not slowing down. Scientists are now identifying more than 16,000 new species each year, revealing far more biodiversity than expected across animals, plants, fungi, and beyond. Many species remain undiscovered, especially insects and microbes, and future advances could unlock millions more....
Thinning Ice in Antarctica Could Boost Oceanic Carbon Absorption
Research involving scientists from the University of Plymouth has shed new light on natural processes in East Antarctica that could, over long timescales, help the Southern Ocean absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Gold Particles and Sunlight Can Help Purify Water
Industrial waste, dyes and chemicals all potentially pollute our waters.
Researchers Tackle AI’s Energy Problem With a Greener Fix
Artificial intelligence is getting more powerful – but it’s also racking up a massive energy bill.
Earth’s Growing Heat Imbalance Driven More by Clouds Than Air Pollution, Study Finds
Earth is taking in more energy than it releases back to space—a growing “energy imbalance” that is fueling global warming.
Spray-on Antibacterial Coating Offers New Protection for Plants Against Disease and Drought
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a spray-on polymer coating that could help plants resist harmful bacterial infections and survive drought.
How Climate Policies that Incentivize and Penalize Can Drive the Clean Energy Transition
A new study from a team of researchers that includes faculty from the University of California San Diego and Princeton University shows how a mix of subsidies for clean energy and taxes on pollution can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
Why evolution rewarded ants that sacrificed protection
Some ants thrive by choosing numbers over strength. Instead of heavily protecting each worker, they invest fewer resources in individual armor and produce far more ants. Larger colonies then compensate with collective behaviors like group defense and coordinated foraging. The strategy has been linked to evolutionary success and greater species...