Veins of phase-change material can turn cementitious construction materials into passive contributors to heating and cooling in buildings.
New Study Reveals How Corals Teach Their Offspring to Beat the Heat
Plunge into the shallows off the Florida Keys, Hawaiʻi or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and you are likely to meet a startling sight.
Unprecedented Acidification Ahead for Corals in Hawaiʻi Waters
Across the globe, oceans are acidifying as they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, threatening coral reefs and many other marine organisms.
Study Suggests Natural Areas May Acquire too Little Nitrogen to Repair Climate
A new study indicates that forests, prairies and other natural areas around the globe acquire less nitrogen than previously estimated.
Toxic Algae Releases Chemicals to Suppress Competitors
An alga that threatens freshwater ecosystems and is toxic to vertebrates has a sneaky way of ensuring its success: It suppresses the growth of algal competitors by releasing chemicals that deprive them of a vital vitamin.
Dogs can detect Parkinson’s years before symptoms—with 98% accuracy
Dogs trained to detect Parkinson’s disease using scent have shown remarkable accuracy in new research. In a double-blind trial, they identified skin swabs from people with Parkinson’s with up to 80% sensitivity and 98% specificity, even when other health conditions were present. The findings offer hope for a simple, non-invasive...
Scholars just solved a 130-year literary mystery—and it all hinged on one word
After baffling scholars for over a century, Cambridge researchers have reinterpreted the long-lost Song of Wade, revealing it to be a chivalric romance rather than a monster-filled myth. The twist came when “elves” in a medieval sermon were correctly identified as “wolves,” dramatically altering the legend’s tone and context.
25 years, 1 coastline report card: The shocking wins and misses
Twenty-five years after first warning that oil spills would wane while invasive species and climate impacts would surge, an international team revisits its coastal forecasts and finds many bull's-eyes, alongside surprising misses. Plastic pollution, ocean acidification, and sensory pollution have risen faster than imagined, even as strong treaties curbed chemicals...
The secret motor protein that slams leaf pores shut—and saves crops
Scientists have discovered that a protein once thought to be just a cellular "courier" actually helps plants survive drought. This motor protein, myosin XI, plays a critical role in helping leaves close their pores to conserve water. When it's missing, plants lose water faster, respond poorly to drought, and activate...
New study cracks the “tissue code” — just five rules shape organs
Scientists have uncovered a surprisingly simple “tissue code”: five rules that choreograph when, where, and how cells divide, move, and die, allowing organs like the colon to remain flawlessly organized even as they renew every few days. Mathematical models showed that manipulating just these parameters faithfully recreates real tissue architecture,...