UC San Diego–led research shows that understanding where rain comes from could reshape drought planning and land management across the globe.
Contaminated Bathing Water Easier to Detect
Urbanisation and a warmer climate means that more people want to swim in canals, harbours, and urban beaches.
Carbon Nanotubes Could Power a New Generation of Flexible Solar Panels
Perovskite solar cells can be made not only more robust but also more efficient, scalable and cheaper to manufacture by replacing the indium tin oxide (ITO) in the device, according to research led by the University of Surrey.
The Alps to Lose a Record Number of Glaciers in the Next Decade
How much longer will glaciers survive?
Scientists Search for Ancient Climate Clues Beneath Antarctic Ice
The vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough ice to raise global sea level by 4 to 5 meters if it melts completely.
Pacific Moisture Drenches the U.S. Northwest
Waves of heavy rainfall in early December 2025 spurred landslides and flooding in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
Why consciousness exists at all
Consciousness evolved in stages, starting with basic survival responses like pain and alarm, then expanding into focused awareness and self-reflection. These layers help organisms avoid danger, learn from the environment, and coordinate socially. Surprisingly, birds show many of these same traits, from subjective perception to basic self-awareness. This suggests consciousness...
Scientists finally uncovered why the Indus Valley Civilization collapsed
A series of century-scale droughts may have quietly reshaped one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations. New climate reconstructions show that the Indus Valley Civilization endured repeated long dry periods that gradually pushed its people toward the Indus River as rainfall diminished. These environmental stresses coincided with shrinking cities, shifting...
Male bonobos use hidden clues to boost mating success
Male bonobos have an impressive ability to detect when females are most fertile, even though the usual visual cues are unreliable. Researchers tracking wild bonobos in the Congo discovered that males skillfully interpret a mix of swelling timing and a female’s reproductive history to pinpoint the optimal moment for mating....
A grad student’s wild idea triggers a major aging breakthrough
Senescent “zombie” cells are linked to aging and multiple diseases, but spotting them in living tissue has been notoriously difficult. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have now taken an inventive leap by using aptamers—tiny, shape-shifting DNA molecules—to selectively tag these elusive cells. The project began as an offbeat conversation between two...