Historically, most human mpox infections have resulted from zoonotic transmission --m eaning from animals to humans -- and these spillovers have rarely led to human-to-human transmission. But during the 2022 global outbreak, mpox began spreading readily between people. A new study now shows the virus was circulating long before then.
Glaciers will take centuries to recover even if global warming is reversed, scientists warn
New research reveals mountain glaciers across the globe will not recover for centuries -- even if human intervention cools the planet back to the 1.5 C limit, having exceeded it.
Nimble dimples: Agile underwater vehicles inspired by golf balls
Underwater or aerial vehicles with dimples like golf balls could be more efficient and maneuverable, a new prototype has demonstrated.
How to swim without a brain
A team was able to show that swimming movements are possible even without a central control unit. This not only explains the behavior of microorganisms, it could also enable nanobots to move in a targeted manner, for example to transport drugs to the right place in the body.
Capuchin monkeys develop bizarre ‘fad’ of abducting baby howlers
Animal abduction: Biologists documented five male capuchin monkeys carrying at least eleven different infant howler monkeys -- a behavior never before seen in wild primates. Rise and spread: The sightings were remotely recorded by over 85 camera traps, which allowed scientists to pinpoint the origin and subsequent spread of this...
Mice use chemical cues such as odors to sense social hierarchy
Researchers have shown that mice use chemical cues, including odors, to detect the social rank of an unfamiliar mouse and compare it to their own, using this information to determine their behavior.
Study reveals healing the ozone hole helps the Southern Ocean take up carbon
New research suggests that the negative effects of the ozone hole on the carbon uptake of the Southern Ocean are reversible, but only if greenhouse gas emissions rapidly decrease. The study finds that as the ozone hole heals, its influence on the ocean carbon sink of the Southern Ocean will...
Heat-tolerant symbionts a critical key to protecting Florida’s elkhorn coral from bleaching during marine heatwaves
A new study reveals that heat-tolerant symbiotic algae may be essential to saving elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) -- a foundational species in Caribbean reef ecosystems -- from the devastating impacts of marine heatwaves and coral bleaching.
Researchers find CRISPR is capable of even more than we thought
Newly discovered weapons of bacterial self-defense take different approaches to achieving the same goal: preventing a virus from spreading through the bacterial population.
Overlooked cell type orchestrates brain rewiring
Researchers have shown in mice that brain cells known as astrocytes are required for a signaling chemical called norepinephrine to modify brain activity, changing the textbook understanding that norepinephrine acts directly on neurons.