A peatland complex in the Congo Basin which is known to be a globally important carbon store is twice as old as previously thought, according to a new scientific study.
Research Reveals Increasing Surface Meltwater in East Antarctica
Research conducted at the University of Leeds has helped to uncover a trend of increasing surface meltwater in East Antarctica, raising questions about future ice sheet behaviour.
Coolness Hits Different; Now Scientists Know Why
Researchers discover a complete skin-to-brain neural circuit for temperature sensing, a finding that could help spur medical innovations such as new treatments for temperature-associated pain.
VR Nature Scenes Reduce Sensitivity to Pain – Especially for Those Who Feel Present During the Experience
Immersing in virtual reality (VR) nature scenes helped relieve symptoms that are often seen in people living with long-term pain, with those who felt more present experiencing the strongest effects.
Research Improves Accuracy of Climate Models – Particularly for Compound Extreme Events
Researchers have devised a new machine learning method to improve large-scale climate model projections and demonstrated that the new tool makes the models more accurate at both the global and regional level.
Clockwork from scratch: How scientists made timekeeping cells
Scientists at UC Merced have engineered artificial cells that can keep perfect time—mimicking the 24-hour biological clocks found in living organisms. By reconstructing circadian machinery inside tiny vesicles, the researchers showed that even simplified synthetic systems can glow with a daily rhythm—if they have enough of the right proteins.
400-million-year-old fish exposes big mistake in how we understood evolution
A fish thought to be evolution’s time capsule just surprised scientists. A detailed dissection of the coelacanth — a 400-million-year-old species often called a “living fossil” — revealed that key muscles believed to be part of early vertebrate evolution were actually misidentified ligaments. This means foundational assumptions about how vertebrates,...
Digital twins are reinventing clean energy — but there’s a catch
Researchers are exploring AI-powered digital twins as a game-changing tool to accelerate the clean energy transition. These digital models simulate and optimize real-world energy systems like wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. But while they hold immense promise for improving efficiency and sustainability, the technology is still riddled with challenges—from...
Did humans learn to walk in trees?
In the quest to understand how and why early humans started walking on two legs, scientists are now looking to chimpanzees living in dry, open savannah-like environments for clues. A new study reveals that these chimpanzees, despite the open terrain, still frequently climb trees to gather fruit and other foods...
How NASA Is Testing AI to Make Earth-observing Satellites Smarter
A technology called Dynamic Targeting could enable spacecraft to decide, autonomously and within seconds, where to best make science observations from orbit.