NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission has uncovered surprising behavior of pickup ions drifting through the solar wind near Earth. These particles, once thought to be minor players, appear capable of generating waves and influencing how the solar wind heats and evolves. If true, it could force scientists to revise models of...
Tiny skaters beneath the arctic ice rewrite the limits of life
Hidden within Arctic ice, diatoms are proving to be anything but dormant. New Stanford research shows these glass-walled algae glide through frozen channels at record-breaking subzero temperatures, powered by mucus-like ropes and molecular motors. Their astonishing resilience raises questions about how life adapts in extreme conditions and highlights the urgency...
Decades-Old Barrels of Industrial Waste Still Impacting Ocean Floor Off LA
Initially thought to contain the pesticide DDT, study reveals some barrels contained caustic alkaline waste.
Cloudy Cluster
This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week features a cloudy starscape from an impressive star cluster.
Scientists Uncover Extreme Life Inside the Arctic Ice
For the first time, researchers report that Arctic algae can hustle along in -15 C – the lowest-temperature movement ever recorded in complex, living cells.
AI to Spark New Recyclable Plastics Design
Imagine a world in which all types of plastic containers, packaging, carbon-fiber composite bikes and knee implants could be recycled together as a single processing stream.
Invasive Plants are Rapidly Changing the Tropics
Invasive species are reshaping ecosystems and local people’s relationship with nature in the tropics, a study led by Danish researchers Ninad Avinash Mungi and Jens Christian Svenning from Aarhus University shows.
How Harmful Bacteria Hijack Crops
Aphids, grasshoppers and other bugs aren’t the only pests that can quickly wipe out a crop. Many harmful bacteria have evolved ways to bypass a plant’s defenses.
Who were the mystery humans behind Indonesia’s million-year-old tools?
A groundbreaking discovery on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi reveals that early hominins crossed treacherous seas over a million years ago, leaving behind stone tools that reshape our understanding of ancient migration. These findings, older than previous evidence in the region, highlight Sulawesi as a critical piece of the puzzle...
Dragonflies Survived Asteroids—But Wildfires and Climate Change May Push Them to Extinction According to CU Denver Study
A new study led by University of Colorado Denver has uncovered how climate change and intensifying wildfires are disrupting dragonfly mating traits—threatening to push some species toward local extinction.