Artificial turf football pitches are better than natural turf from a sustainability perspective – at least as long as the artificial turf material is recycled and the natural turf is cut using fossil fuel-powered lawn mowers.
New Ideas for Improving Photosynthesis in Agricultural Environments
Field trials show that applying T6P as a foliar spray can increase photosynthesis by adjusting the balance between supply (photosynthetic sugar production) and demand (growth processes requiring sugars).
Small root mutation could make crops fertilize themselves
Scientists discovered a small protein region that determines whether plants reject or welcome nitrogen-fixing bacteria. By tweaking only two amino acids, they converted a defensive receptor into one that supports symbiosis. Early success in barley hints that cereals may eventually be engineered to fix nitrogen on their own. Such crops...
Stunning blue pigment on a 13,000-year-old artifact surprises scientists
Researchers uncovered rare azurite traces on a Final Paleolithic artifact, overturning assumptions that early Europeans used only red and black pigments. The find suggests ancient people possessed deeper knowledge of minerals and colors than believed. It also hints at vanished forms of decoration or artistic practices. The discovery opens new...
Fossil brain scans show pterosaurs evolved flight in a flash
Ancient pterosaurs may have taken to the skies far earlier and more explosively than birds, evolving flight at their very origin despite having relatively small brains. Using advanced CT imaging, scientists reconstructed the brain cavities of pterosaur fossils and their close relatives, uncovering surprising clues—such as enlarged optic lobes—that hint...
This rare bone finally settles the Nanotyrannus mystery
Scientists have confirmed that Nanotyrannus was a mature species, not a young T. rex. A microscopic look at its hyoid bone provided the key evidence, matching growth signals seen in known T. rex specimens. This discovery suggests a richer, more competitive tyrannosaur ecosystem than previously believed. It also highlights how...
Seagrass Study Points to Promising Pathway for Ocean Restoration
A new study led by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies reveals the potential of a new hybrid seagrass to advance ocean restoration efforts in California and beyond.
Study Reveals Opportunity to Improve Blue Carbon Measurements in Coastal Wetlands
Coastal wetlands, like salt marshes, keep pace with sea-level rise by accumulating sediment and burying organic carbon in their soils, an important natural process that also helps sequester carbon.
Testing Drones for Mars in the Mojave Desert
Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory monitor a research drone in this September 2025 photo.
Gut molecule shows remarkable anti-diabetes power
Researchers revealed that the microbial metabolite TMA can directly block the immune protein IRAK4, reducing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity. The molecule counteracts damage caused by high-fat diets and even protects mice from sepsis. Since IRAK4 is a known drug target, this pathway could inspire new diabetes therapies. The study...