Japan is an archipelago with diverse climate zones and complex topography that is prone to heavy rain and flooding.
MIT study finds Earth’s first animals were likely ancient sea sponges
Scientists at MIT have found compelling chemical evidence that Earth’s earliest animals were likely ancient sea sponges. Hidden inside rocks over 541 million years old are rare molecular “fingerprints” that match compounds made by modern demosponges. After testing rocks, living sponges, and lab-made molecules, researchers confirmed the signals came from...
Stunning 3D maps reveal DNA is structured before life “switches on”
For decades, scientists believed a fertilized egg’s DNA began as a shapeless mass, only organizing itself once the embryo switched on its genes. But new research reveals that the genome is already carefully arranged in three dimensions long before that critical activation step, known as Zygotic Genome Activation. Using a...
Scientists compared dinosaurs to mammals for decades but missed this key difference
Baby dinosaurs weren’t coddled like lion cubs or elephant calves—they were more like prehistoric latchkey kids. New research suggests that young dinosaurs quickly struck out on their own, forming kid-only groups and surviving without much parental help, while their massive parents lived entirely different lives. Because juveniles and adults ate...
$4.6M to Restore Coral Reef in American Samoa
A new $4.6–million multi-institute collaborative project to help grow coral restoration capacity in American Samoa will begin in early 2026, leveraging more than two decades of coral heat tolerance studies to inform a restoration with resilience approach.
UH Scientists Discover 10 New Species of Hawaiian Moths
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers identified 10 new species and seven new groups (genera) of Hawaiian leaf-roller moths.
A.I. Weather Models Fell Short in Predicting Northeastern Blizzard
While artificial intelligence has ushered in a new era of more accurate weather forecasting, A.I. models may still struggle to predict freak storms.
Ireland’s Old Irish Goat has survived 3,000 years
The Old Irish Goat isn’t just part of folklore — it’s genetically linked to goats that lived in Ireland 3,000 years ago. Scientists analyzed ancient remains and discovered that today’s rare breed shares its strongest DNA ties with Late Bronze Age animals. The finding suggests an unbroken Irish lineage stretching...
Antarctica just saw the fastest glacier collapse ever recorded
Antarctica’s Hektoria Glacier stunned scientists by retreating eight kilometers in just two months, with nearly half of it collapsing in record time. The rapid breakup was driven by a flat, underwater bedrock surface that allowed the glacier to suddenly float and fracture from below. Satellite and seismic data captured the...
Hidden architecture inside cellular droplets opens new targets for cancer and ALS
Biomolecular condensates were long believed to be simple liquid blobs inside cells. Researchers have now uncovered that some are actually supported by fine protein filaments forming an internal scaffold. When this structure is disrupted, cells fail to grow and divide properly. The discovery suggests scientists may one day design drugs...