The wildfire season of 2023 was the most destructive ever recorded in Canada and a new study suggests the impact was unprecedented. It found that four of the year's wildfires in mine-impacted areas around Yellowknife, Northwest Territories potentially contributed up to half of the arsenic that wildfires emit globally each...
Chimpanzees gesture back and forth quickly like in human conversations
When people are having a conversation, they rapidly take turns speaking and sometimes even interrupt. Now, researchers who have collected the largest ever dataset of chimpanzee 'conversations' have found that they communicate back and forth using gestures following the same rapid-fire pattern.
Birds need entertainment during avian flu lockdowns
Birds need varied activities during avian flu lockdowns, new research shows.
Male elephants signal ‘let’s go’ with deep rumbles
Male elephants use infrasonic rumbles to signal group departures, revealing complex vocal coordination and strong social bonds.
Waste Styrofoam can now be converted into polymers for electronics
A new study describes a chemical reaction that can convert Styrofoam into a high-value conducting polymer known as PEDOT:PSS. Researchers also noted that the upgraded plastic waste can be successfully incorporated into functional electronic devices, including silicon-based hybrid solar cells and organic electrochemical transistors.
New snake discovery rewrites history, points to North America’s role in snake evolution
A new species of fossil snake unearthed in Wyoming is rewriting our understanding of snake evolution. The discovery, based on four remarkably well-preserved specimens found curled together in a burrow, reveals a new species named Hibernophis breithaupti. This snake lived in North America 34 million years ago and sheds light...
Fish adjust reproduction in response to predators
Some species of fish can evolve their egg-laying habits in response to predators in the area in order to survive, according to new research.
New dawn for space storm alerts could help shield Earth’s tech
Space storms could soon be forecasted with greater accuracy than ever before thanks to a big leap forward in our understanding of exactly when a violent solar eruption may hit Earth. Scientists say it is now possible to predict the precise speed a coronal mass ejection (CME) is travelling at...
Chemists design novel method for generating sustainable fuel
Chemists have been working to synthesize high-value materials from waste molecules for years.
Converting wastewater to fertilizer with fungal treatment
Creating fertilizers from organic waste can help reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and promote sustainable production. One way of doing this is through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), which converts biomass into biocrude oil through a high-temperature, high-pressure process. Two studies explore the use of a fungal treatment to convert the...