Infrared spectroscopy with machine learning detects early wood coating deterioration
From the Japanese cypress to the ponderosa pine, wood has been used in construction for millennia. Though materials like steel and concrete have largely taken over large building construction, wood is making a comeback, increasingly being used in public and multi-story buildings for its environmental benefits. ⌘ Read more

Tying light from lasers into stable ‘optical knots’
Knots are generally understood to form due to twists and turns of long, flexible materials that keep shoes on your feet or frustrate your attempts at hanging holiday decorations. A beam of light doesn’t sound like a material that can create a knot. ⌘ Read more

Record-high share of Americans now consider global warming to be a major concern, poll reveals
In the latest Gallup survey, 48% of respondents said global warming will pose a “serious threat” to them or their way of life during their lifetime—the highest share recorded since 1997, when the question was first asked. ⌘ Read more

A ‘fireball’ lights up Mexico City skies, sparking awe and plenty of memes
A bright object, initially appearing to be a meteorite, lit up the skies over Mexico’s capital around 3 a.m. Wednesday, stretching over plains, volcanoes and small towns. ⌘ Read more

The most metal-poor stars are living fossils from the beginning of the universe
Our sun, like all stars, is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. They are by far the most abundant elements, formed in the early moments of the universe. But our star is also rich in other elements astronomers call metals: carbon, nitrogen, iron, gold, and more. These elements were created through astrophysical processes, such as supernovas and neutron star collisions. ⌘ Read more

Citizen science could aid conservation efforts for turtle frogs in Western Australia
Two black beady eyes, a short rounded head, four stumpy legs, and a face only a mother (or a herpetologist) could love: Meet the turtle frog. ⌘ Read more

Q&A: What if we don’t find any life on exoplanets?
Scientists are currently planning two major space missions to search for life in space: NASA’s Project HWO and Project LIFE, led by ETH Zurich. If one of these missions were to discover life on an exoplanet, i.e., a planet outside of our solar system, this would be a sensational finding with implications far beyond science and would change our entire view of the world. ⌘ Read more

Marine radar can accurately monitor vessel speeds to protect whales, study finds
A new study by researchers at ProtectedSeas highlights the potential of marine radar technology to monitor speed of small vessels. The research, aimed at testing the accuracy of radar in assessing potential violations, found that the technology could detect speed violations with 95% confidence, offering a promising solution to help reduce the threat of vessel strikes on whale populations. The analysis was recently p … ⌘ Read more

No kidding: Goats prove brainier than sheep and alpacas
When we think about intelligent animals, farm species aren’t usually the first to spring to mind. We may picture tool-using primates or puzzle-solving crows. But my recent research suggests that sheep, goats and alpacas—staples of the barnyard—deserve more credit. ⌘ Read more

Adult pelicans are falling victim to toxic algae bloom
Brown pelicans across Southern California are filling up wildlife rehabilitation centers, either sick or starving—a dual crisis that wildlife experts believe could be linked to a massive toxic algae bloom. ⌘ Read more

Pupy the elephant heads to a vast Brazilian sanctuary after 30 years in an Argentine zoo
An unusual convoy neared Argentina’s lush border with Brazil on Tuesday, after snaking through traffic-snarled roads for hours. Inside the specialized iron crate strapped to a truck and flanked by vans full of caretakers and veterinarians was Pupy, a female African elephant. ⌘ Read more

Ancestors of today’s crocodilians survived two mass extinction events: Study uncovers secret to their longevity
Most people think of crocodilians as living fossils—stubbornly unchanged, prehistoric relics that have ruled the world’s swampiest corners for millions of years. But their evolutionary history tells a different story, according to new research led by the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and the University of Utah. ⌘ Read more

The bear in the (court)room: Who decides on removing grizzly bears from the endangered species list?
The Endangered Species Act (ESA), now 50 years old, was once a rare beacon of bipartisan unity, signed into law by President Richard Nixon with near-unanimous political support. Its purpose was clear: protect imperiled species and enable their recovery using the best available science to do so. ⌘ Read more

Foraging on the wing: How can ecologically similar birds live together?
A spat between birds at a backyard birdfeeder highlights the sometimes fierce competition for resources that animals face in the natural world, but some ecologically similar species appear to coexist peacefully. A classic study in songbirds by Robert MacArthur, one of the founders of modern ecology, suggested that similar wood warblers—insect-eating, colorful forest songbirds—can live in the same trees because they actual … ⌘ Read more

Simulations reveal microscopic hot-spot formation in high explosives
When high explosives are subjected to sudden shock waves, such as from an impact or detonation, tiny regions of intense heat—called hot spots—form at microstructural defects such as pores. These hot spots play a critical role in determining whether the explosive will initiate and fully detonate. Understanding how hot spots form and behave across length scales is key to developing predictive models for the safety and perf … ⌘ Read more

Men fall in love faster than women, study shows
Men fall in love slightly more often than women, but women obsess about their partner more than men, according to a first-of-its-kind study investigating the differences between sexes from The Australian National University (ANU). ⌘ Read more

Evidence of dark matter-free dwarf galaxy challenges conventional galaxy formation models
Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have found compelling evidence of a dark matter-deficient dwarf galaxy, FCC 224. This ultra-diffuse galaxy is located on the outskirts of the Fornax Cluster, approximately 60–65 million light-years from Earth. ⌘ Read more

Webb brings dying star’s energetic display into full focus
Gas and dust ejected by a dying star at the heart of NGC 1514 came into complete focus thanks to mid-infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Its rings, which are only detected in infrared light, now look like fuzzy clumps arranged in tangled patterns, and a network of clearer holes close to the central stars shows where faster material punched through. ⌘ Read more

US climate cuts hurting global science: Europe’s weather agency
Europe’s meteorological agency says cuts by US President Donald Trump’s administration to a key American science agency had hindered the sharing of crucial observations used around the globe to monitor the climate and forecast weather. ⌘ Read more

In science communication, realistic avatars may foster more trustworthiness than cartoon-like ones
On TikTok there are exceptional “testimonials” like Nikola Tesla or Marie Curie delivering short science-related messages that have garnered millions of views. This is just one of many examples where AI-generated avatars are used to communicate science—a strategy that might also have its drawbacks. ⌘ Read more

AI enables prediction of El Niño events in South Atlantic Ocean months in advance
The El Niño phenomenon in the South Atlantic and Benguela current, which flows along the west coast of southern Africa, have a significant impact on the tropical Atlantic region, leading to extensive effects on local marine ecosystems, African climates, and the El Niño Southern Oscillation. No one has been able to predict warm events in this region until now. ⌘ Read more

Ancient DNA research aids de-extinction efforts and reveals surprising dire wolf ancestry
Last week, Colossal Biosciences made global headlines when they announced that they had successfully brought the dire wolf back from extinction, or at least a version of one. Colossal’s team used pieces of the genetic code they uncovered in ancient dire wolf DNA samples to alter the genome of a common gray wolf to resemble that of its long-extinct cousin. The resulting pups are not exact replicas of their ancestor … ⌘ Read more

Comprehensive fruit fly behavior dataset maps genetic diversity to decode animal behavioral patterns
Years of research in the field of genetics have offered interesting insights spanning the origins and development of heredity and traits, offering valuable information on its influence on every aspect of life, right from eye color to susceptibility to certain diseases. But how do our genes influence the way we act, react to threats, and interact with others? ⌘ Read more

Fighting honey fraud with AI technology
McGill University researchers have developed an AI-powered method to verify the origin of honey, ensuring that what’s on the label matches what’s in the jar. The breakthrough, published in Analytical Chemistry, offers a potential solution to a long-standing problem. ⌘ Read more

Researchers investigate circular RNA’s influence on muscle development in cerebral palsy
University of Delaware’s Mona Batish is a molecular biologist. She studies circular RNAs formed as a result of so-called molecular mistakes that occur when a strand of RNA—the ribonucleic acid that tells the body how to use DNA—gets kinked and sort of does a backflip, producing a circular product. These circular anomalies were originally thought of as errors, but today circular RNAs are known to play a role in … ⌘ Read more

Research suggests new voter ID laws could ‘significantly reduce’ turnout
A new law which requires voters to show ID at polling stations in the U.K. may “significantly reduce” turnout, according to a new analysis published in Political Science Research and Methods authored by Dr. Tom Barton, a postdoctoral researcher with the Department of Political Economy at King’s. ⌘ Read more

Footprints of tail-clubbed armored dinosaurs found for the first time
For the first time, footprints of armored dinosaurs with tail clubs have been identified, following discoveries made in the Canadian Rockies. The 100-million-year-old fossilized footprints were found at sites at both Tumbler Ridge, BC, and northwestern Alberta. ⌘ Read more

Solar park boom threatens Spain’s centuries-old olive trees
At his farm in southern Spain, Francisco Campos looked worriedly at a green sea of centuries-old olive trees that he fears will face the ax to make way for a proposed solar park. ⌘ Read more

Katy Perry set to roar into space on all-female flight
Pop star Katy Perry will be the biggest name in an all-female group set to touch the edge of space Monday, roaring into the cosmos on one of billionaire Jeff Bezos’ rockets. ⌘ Read more

Maximal entanglement sheds new light on particle creation
Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University (SBU) have shown that particles produced in collimated sprays called jets retain information about their origins in subatomic particle smashups. The study was recently published as an Editor’s Suggestion in the journal Physical Review Letters. ⌘ Read more

Scottish rowing brothers aim for record-breaking Pacific crossing
Three Scottish brothers have embarked on a mammoth journey from Peru hoping to set a record time for rowing across the Pacific Ocean. ⌘ Read more

Warnings issued, flights cancelled as strong winds whip north China
Residents in some areas were warned not to go outside as strong winds swept Beijing and parts of northern China on Saturday, causing hundreds of flights to be canceled and rail services suspended, state media said. ⌘ Read more

Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks
“Out of sight, out of mind” is how we often treat what is flushed down our toilets. But the drugs we take, from anxiety medications to antibiotics, don’t simply vanish after leaving our bodies. Many are not fully removed by wastewater treatment systems and end up in rivers, lakes, and streams, where they can linger and affect wildlife in unexpected ways. ⌘ Read more

New research shows evidence of children’s gender biases reflected in their facial emotional expressions
New research recently published in Archives of Sexual Behavior suggests children’s gender biases can be reflected in their facial emotional expressions. ⌘ Read more

Automated speech recognition system shows promise for making language testing more accessible and scalable
In today’s increasingly interconnected world, language learning has become essential for education, business, and cultural exchange. However, accurately measuring proficiency in language learners is a complex matter. One particularly valuable approach involves asking learners to listen to sentences and then repeat them back as accurately as possible. ⌘ Read more

Researchers discover a new type of quantum entanglement
A study from Technion unveils a newly discovered form of quantum entanglement in the total angular momentum of photons confined in nanoscale structures. This discovery could play a key role in the future miniaturization of quantum communication and computing components. ⌘ Read more

Sweden drowns in discarded fast fashion items
Sweden’s recycling centers are overflowing with clothes after an EU-wide ban this year on throwing away textiles, leaving overwhelmed municipalities eager to have fast fashion giants take responsibility. ⌘ Read more

How many exoplanets are hiding in dust?
What can exozodiacal dust, also called exozodi, teach astronomers about identifying Earth-like exoplanets? This is what a recently submitted NASA white paper—which highlights key findings from the annual Architecture Concept Review—hopes to address as a team of researchers discussed how exozodi orbiting within a star’s habitable zone (HZ) could interfere with detecting Earth-like exoplanets. ⌘ Read more

Flocks of CubeSats can efficiently monitor farms
The widespread use of low Earth orbit (LEO), especially by thousands of CubeSats, has opened up many opportunities in research and business applications. One particular field that has benefited from the data that CubeSats provide is farming. ⌘ Read more

How a rainy day and finicky fish launched a Pennsylvania program dedicated to unpaved roads
Some unpaved roads reveal nature’s simple engineering, like the path deer chose in a forest centuries ago. Native Americans used the deer paths to travel, and those trails widened over time for horses and buggies to become dirt roads. ⌘ Read more

3D Raman imaging reveals CO₂ reduction inside living cells
Researchers from National Taiwan University and collaborators have developed a novel way to observe and monitor carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion into carbon monoxide (CO) inside living cells, using an advanced optical method called surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). ⌘ Read more

Papua New Guinea lifts ban on forest carbon credits
Papua New Guinea will “immediately” lift a ban on forest carbon credit schemes, the Pacific nation’s climate minister told AFP on Thursday, opening up its vast wilderness to offset global emissions. ⌘ Read more

Double parking, U-turns and more: Study finds risky driving runs rampant at elementary school drop-offs
Risky driving by parents and other motorists who do the school run is putting children in danger, according to a study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention. ⌘ Read more

Solvent-free method developed to destroy PFAS on spent sorbents
A research team at Clarkson University has developed a method to effectively destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on spent sorbents, addressing a critical environmental challenge. ⌘ Read more

Penguin feathers reveal mercury contamination in remote Southern Ocean
In 1962, when environmentalist and author Rachel Carson penned “Silent Spring,” alerting the world to the dangers of the pesticide DDT, it was the reproductive threat to birds—the bald eagle in particular—that spurred people to action. ⌘ Read more

Stealing credit for co-workers’ ideas and work hurts a critical organizational resource: Knowledge
If you’ve ever shared an idea only to hear it repeated by someone else or had someone take credit for your work, David Zweig knows exactly what you’re talking about. ⌘ Read more

Wild meat is eaten by millions, but puts billions at risk. How to manage the trade?
One of the most pressing issues of our time is the wild meat trade. Why? Because it’s consumed by millions and puts billions at risk from emerging diseases. It provides food and income for some of the poorest and most remote communities in Africa and Asia, yet over-exploitation makes ecosystems unstable and threatens the destruction of endangered species. ⌘ Read more

Even a sublethal insecticide dose may disrupt the pollinator mating process
Insecticides can help protect crops against troublesome pests, but they also pose a risk for beneficial insects such as pollinators. A study led by researchers at Penn State provides insight into how even sublethal doses of insecticides can negatively affect pollinators by disrupting the mating process. ⌘ Read more

Freeze-dried exosomes could transform drug delivery and storage
The Gourdie laboratory had a problem of its own making. The lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC has spent years exploring how microscopic containers naturally found in raw cow’s milk—called exosomes—can be used to carry medicine through the body. ⌘ Read more

Climate change causes longer pollen seasons in capital cities
A University of Queensland study has revealed Australian capital cities are experiencing longer pollen seasons due to climate change. ⌘ Read more