New research shows that many wildlife species in the U.S., like the endangered giant kangaroo rat, will face much more frequent and severe droughts in the future. By 2050-2080, year-long droughts could happen almost five times as often, and three-year droughts almost seven times as often compared to past decades....
Scientists can now predict how climate change will alter plant growth cycles
On February 2, 1887, residents of Punxsutawney Pennsylvania consulted a large rodent regarding the arrival of spring, marking the first official celebration of Groundhog Day. Our ability to predict the timing of seasons hasn't improved much since then, but a new study is set to make seasonal forecasting a lot...
New device produces critical fertilizer ingredient from thin air, cutting carbon emissions
A new prototype device demonstrates an innovative approach to producing ammonia -- a key component of fertilizer -- that could transform an industry responsible for about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
A new twist: The molecular machines that loop our chromosomes also twist DNA
Scientists have discovered a new property of the molecular motors that shape our chromosomes. While six years ago they found that these so-called SMC motor proteins make long loops in our DNA, they now discovered that these motors also put significant twists into the loops that they form. These findings...
A low omega-6, omega-3 rich diet and fish oil may slow prostate cancer growth
A new study offers new evidence that dietary changes may help reduce cancer cell growth in patients undergoing active surveillance, a treatment approach that involves regular monitoring of the cancer without immediate intervention. Men on active surveillance who followed a low omega-6, high omega-3 diet with fish oil supplements had...
Buried landforms reveal North Sea’s ancient glacial past
Glaciologists used sound waves to reveal Ice Age landforms buried beneath almost 1 km of mud in the North Sea. The results suggest that the landforms were produced about 1 million years ago, when an ice sheet centered over Norway extended towards the British Isles.
The great ripple: How a tsunami can disrupt global trade
Tsunamis can cause immense physical damage to ports, but the economic cost does not stop there. The resultant disruptions of shipping lanes result in billions of dollars in losses every day, as was seen in the 2011 tsunami that hit the Tohoku Region. To better assess the ripple effect a...
Climate and land use change threaten traditional food sources in Russia’s Far East
The distribution of traditional wild food sources in the Republic of Sakha could change significantly, affecting the diets and incomes of Indigenous rural communities who depend on them.
Ligand-engineered copper nanoclusters could help combat CO2 emissions
We might all be able to breathe a bit easier thanks to copper nanoclusters that can help us reduce carbon emissions through an electrochemical reaction.
How fighting female flies focus on their foes
New research uses pioneering tools to show how aggressive female fruit flies' vision is regulated to focus on what's important.