Fungi’s evolutionary roots stretch far deeper than once believed — up to 1.4 billion years ago, long before plants or animals appeared. Using advanced molecular dating and gene transfer analysis, researchers reconstructed fungi’s ancient lineage, revealing they were crucial in shaping Earth’s first soils and ecosystems.
Earth’s “boring billion” set the stage for complex life
Scientists have traced the origins of complex life to the breakup of the supercontinent Nuna 1.5 billion years ago. This tectonic shift reduced volcanic carbon emissions, expanded shallow seas, and boosted oxygen availability. Far from a stagnant era, Earth’s “Boring Billion” was a time of crucial transformation that made the...
Rebalancing the Gut: How AI Solved a 25-year Crohn’s Disease Mystery
UC San Diego researchers have settled a decades-long debate surrounding the role of the first Crohn’s disease gene to be associated with a heightened risk for developing the auto-immune condition.
Generative AI Can Help Athletes Avoid Injuries
Researchers developed an AI model that generates the best motions for athletes to train and to rehab after injury.
Destined to Melt
Glaciers are fighting back against climate change by cooling the air that touches their surfaces.
Wolves at the Coast: Marine Diets, Ecosystem Impacts
On Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, gray wolves are doing something unexpected: hunting sea otters.
New ‘Liquid Metal’ Composite Material Enables Recyclable, Flexible and Reconfigurable Electronics
Electronic waste is piling up around the world at a rate that far outpaces recycling efforts, partly because it’s so costly and time-consuming to recover useful materials from discarded gadgets.
Making Yeast More Efficient ‘Cell Factories’ for Producing Valuable Plant Compounds
A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has discovered a new way to make yeast cells more efficient “factories” for producing valuable plant compounds.
Ancient tides may have sparked humanity’s first urban civilization
New research shows that the rise of Sumer was deeply tied to the tidal and sedimentary dynamics of ancient Mesopotamia. Early communities harnessed predictable tides for irrigation, but when deltas cut off the Gulf’s tides, they faced crisis and reinvented their society. This interplay of environment and culture shaped Sumer’s...
Hidden 5-mile wide asteroid crater beneath the Atlantic revealed in stunning 3D
A massive crater hidden beneath the Atlantic seafloor has been confirmed as the result of an asteroid strike from 66 million years ago. The new 3D seismic data reveals astonishing details about the violent minutes following impact—towering tsunamis, liquefied rock, and shifting seabeds. Researchers call it a once-in-a-lifetime look at...