Researchers have sequenced the oldest RNA ever recovered, taken from a woolly mammoth frozen for nearly 40,000 years. The RNA reveals which genes were active in its tissues, offering a rare glimpse into its biology and final moments. Surprisingly, the team also identified ancient microRNAs and rare mutations that confirm...
Extreme floods are slashing global rice yields faster than expected
Scientists discovered that a week of full submergence is enough to kill most rice plants, making flooding a far greater threat than previously understood. Intensifying extreme rainfall events may amplify these losses unless vulnerable regions adopt more resilient rice varieties.
Ancient Chinese tombs reveal a hidden 4,000-year pattern
Researchers digitally mapped ancient Chinese tombs and discovered that their distribution mirrors shifts in political stability, population movements, and natural geography. Peaceful, prosperous eras produced more elaborate and numerous burial sites, while wartime periods saw far fewer. Tomb clusters also tended to form in fertile, humid regions that supported thriving...
Floating device turns raindrops into electricity
A new floating droplet electricity generator is redefining how rain can be harvested as a clean power source by using water itself as both structural support and an electrode. This nature-integrated design dramatically reduces weight and cost compared to traditional solid-based generators while still producing high-voltage outputs from each falling...
UK Prawn Farms Could Spark Sustainable Seafood Revolution
Farming king prawns indoors in tanks on UK farmland could create a thriving, sustainable seafood industry, researchers say.
Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Life, Food Webs in the Ocean’s Dim ‘Twilight Zone’
Deep-sea mining poses significant risks for a vital, hidden part of the ocean. That’s the message from a new University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa study, the first to truly look at the impact of mining waste.
In a Death Valley Shrub, Scientists See a Blueprint for Heat-Proof Crops
In the searing heat of Death Valley, California, a small desert shrub, Tidestromia oblongifolia, is able to thrive in temperatures upwards of 120 degrees F (roughly 50 degrees C).
Science finally solves a 700-year-old royal murder
Genetic, isotopic, and forensic evidence has conclusively identified the remains of Duke Béla of Macsó and uncovered remarkable details about his life, ancestry, and violent death. The study reveals a young nobleman with Scandinavian-Rurik roots who was killed in a coordinated, emotionally charged attack in 1272.
Massive hidden waves are rapidly melting Greenland’s glaciers
Researchers in Greenland used a 10-kilometer fiber-optic cable to track how iceberg calving stirs up warm seawater. The resulting surface tsunamis and massive hidden underwater waves intensify melting at the glacier face. This powerful mixing effect accelerates ice loss far more than previously understood. The work highlights how fragile the...
Scientists uncover a massive hidden crater in China that rewrites Earth’s recent history
A massive, well-preserved impact crater has been uncovered in Guangdong, revealing the signature of a powerful meteorite strike during the Holocene. Measuring 900 meters across, it dwarfs other known craters from the same era. Shock-damaged quartz confirms the intense forces involved. Its survival in a high-erosion environment makes it a...