Thinner Arctic sea ice may affect the AMOC, say scientists
One of the ocean currents in the Arctic Ocean is at risk of disappearing this century because of climate change, according to a new joint study from the University of Gothenburg and the German Alfred Wegener Institute. As a result, the North Atlantic could be flooded with freshwater, which would weaken the global ocean circulation. ⌘ Read more

Machine learning model uses host characteristics and virus genetics to predict potential reservoirs
A new artificial intelligence tool could aid in limiting or even prevent pandemics by identifying animal species that may harbor and spread viruses capable of infecting humans. ⌘ Read more

Seeping groundwater can be a hidden source of greenhouse gases
Scientists know that streams and rivers can contribute significant quantities of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. One way these bodies of water come to contain greenhouse gases is via groundwater, which picks up carbon and nitrogen as it seeps and flows through rock and sediment near rivers. ⌘ Read more

Dead trees keep surprisingly large amounts of carbon out of atmosphere
Living trees absorb carbon, aiding climate change mitigation. But what role do dead trees play in carbon storage? UVM researchers found that large, downed trees in streams tie up tremendous stores of carbon—and this pool of carbon storage is growing over time. Moreover, large trees in streamside forests proved important for recruiting carbon into streams over time—reflecting the environmental value of big, old trees. ⌘ Read more

New simulation of life on Earth reveals hidden diversity of undiscovered species
In a study published in Systematic Biology, researchers from Imperial College London, UCL, Dalhousie University and the United Nations Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center described how their new simulation methods improve understanding of how patterns of biodiversity emerge across the globe. ⌘ Read more

Plesiosaur discovery sheds light on early Jurassic evolution and plausible endemism
A newly described plesiosaur fossil from southern Germany is providing crucial evidence about the diversification of these ancient marine reptiles during the Early Jurassic. ⌘ Read more

Could convection in the crust explain Venus’s many volcanoes?
Venus—a hot planet pocked with tens of thousands of volcanoes—may be even more geologically active near its surface than previously thought. New calculations by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis suggest that the planet’s outer crust may be constantly churning, an unexpected phenomenon called convection that could help explain many of the volcanoes and other features of the Venusian landscape. ⌘ Read more

Melnick 39 is a colliding-wind binary system, observations find
Astronomers from the University of Sheffield and Pennsylvania State University have performed X-ray and optical observations of a massive star known as Melnick 39. As a result, they found that Melnick 39 is a colliding-wind binary system composed of two O-type supergiant stars. The finding was detailed on March 21 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ Read more

Oceanographers investigate southern Brazil’s catastrophic flooding
Devastating floods reshaped southern Brazil’s landscape in May 2024. Rio Grande do Sul—the fifth most populous state in Brazil—was hit with unprecedented rainfall, affecting 2.3 million people. A new study led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) published in Geophysical Research Letters uses satellite data to help uncover what caused the deluges and examine how it impacted some of the state’s most vulnerable … ⌘ Read more

‘She loves me, she loves me not’: Physical forces encouraged evolution of multicellular life, scientists propose
Humans like to think that being multicellular (and bigger) is a definite advantage, even though 80% of life on Earth consists of single-celled organisms—some thriving in conditions lethal to any beast. ⌘ Read more

The hidden superconducting state in NbSe₂: Shedding layers and gaining insights
Researchers have discovered an unexpected superconducting transition in extremely thin films of niobium diselenide (NbSe2). Publishing in Nature Communications, they found that when these films become thinner than six atomic layers, superconductivity no longer spreads evenly throughout the material, but instead becomes confined to its surface. ⌘ Read more

New modeling tool could help protect wildlife from offshore developments
Scientists have developed a new resource to better protect seabirds from the impacts of offshore wind farms. The innovative modeling tool has the potential to save wildlife, while ensuring the effective and sustainable development of renewable energy sources. ⌘ Read more

Stricter oversight needed as financial misconduct drives risk-taking in banking, says study
Banks facing regulatory sanctions for financial misconduct tend to adopt riskier business practices, according to new research. ⌘ Read more

Uganda’s lions in decline, hyenas thriving: New findings from country’s biggest ever carnivore count
For nearly 15 years, almost no information was available on the population status of Uganda’s large carnivores, including those in its largest national park, Murchison Falls. These species represent a critical part of Uganda’s growing tourism economy. The country is home to the famed tree-climbing lions, which are much sought after for this unique behavior. Together, lions and leopards generate ten … ⌘ Read more

Rocket carrying European orbital vehicle crashes after launch
The first orbital rocket launched from continental Europe crashed seconds after blast-off Sunday, dealing a blow to the continent’s bid to build a new space economy. ⌘ Read more

Scientists hope hungry weevils from Louisiana can tackle South Africa’s invasive water plants
Dozens of tiny black weevils cling onto a fern plant as it is tossed onto a leafy green mat coating the surface of South Africa’s Crocodile River. ⌘ Read more

Ants in your house? Here’s how they get everywhere—even high up in tall buildings
Ants are among nature’s greatest success stories, with an estimated 22,000 species worldwide. ⌘ Read more

Supernova archaeology: Finding clues in the ruins of an ancient dead star with Chandra
People often think about archaeology happening deep in jungles or inside ancient pyramids. However, a team of astronomers has shown that they can use stars and the remains they leave behind to conduct a special kind of archaeology in space. ⌘ Read more

Quantum entanglement reveals strange metals’ unique electron behavior at critical point
Scientists have long sought to unravel the mysteries of strange metals—materials that defy conventional rules of electricity and magnetism. Now, a team of physicists at Rice University has made a breakthrough in this area using a tool from quantum information science. Their study, published recently in Nature Communications, reveals that electrons in strange metals become more entangled at a crucial tip … ⌘ Read more

What to know about earthquakes like the one that hit Myanmar
Early Friday, a major 7.7 magnitude earthquake that originated near Mandalay, Myanmar, shook the Earth as far as Bangkok, about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) away. ⌘ Read more

Melsonby hoard: Iron-Age Yorkshire discovery reveals ancient Britons’ connections with Europe
The Melsonby hoard is a remarkable collection of more than 800 Iron-Age metal artifacts, which was found in a field near Melsonby, North Yorkshire, in December 2021. ⌘ Read more

How the failure of two dams amplified the Derna Flood tragedy
A new study reveals that the devastating 2023 flood in Derna, Libya, was not merely the result of extreme rainfall but was drastically intensified by a major design shortcoming and its resulting collapse of two embankment dams. ⌘ Read more

Physicist revisits the computational limits of life and Schrödinger’s essential question in the era of quantum computing
More than 80 years ago, Erwin Schrödinger, a theoretical physicist steeped in the philosophy of Schopenhauer and the Upanishads, delivered a series of public lectures at Trinity College, Dublin, which eventually came to be published in 1944 under the title “What is Life?” ⌘ Read more

Thermopower-based technique can detect fractional quantum Hall states
If one side of a conducting or semiconducting material is heated while the other remains cool, charge carriers move from the hot side to the cold side, generating an electrical voltage known as thermopower. ⌘ Read more

Arctic sea ice hits record low for its usual peak growth period
Arctic sea ice had its weakest winter buildup since record-keeping began 47 years ago, a symptom of climate change that will have repercussions globally, scientists said Thursday. ⌘ Read more

Mapping the future of metamaterials
Metamaterials are artificially-structured materials with extraordinary properties not easily found in nature. With engineered three-dimensional (3D) geometries at the micro- and nanoscale, these architected materials achieve unique mechanical and physical properties with capabilities beyond those of conventional materials—and have emerged over the past decade as a promising way to engineering challenges where all other existing materials have lacked success. ⌘ Read more

Newly developed waveguide device protects photonic quantum computers from errors
Together with an international team of researchers from the Universities of Southern California, Central Florida, Pennsylvania State and Saint Louis, physicists from the University of Rostock have developed a novel mechanism to safeguard a key resource in quantum photonics: optical entanglement. Their discovery is published in Science. ⌘ Read more

Physicists discover a copper-free high-temperature superconducting oxide
Professor Ariando and Dr. Stephen Lin Er Chow from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Physics have designed and synthesized a groundbreaking new material—a copper-free superconducting oxide—capable of superconducting at approximately 40 Kelvin (K), or about minus 233°C, under ambient pressure. ⌘ Read more

South Korea wildfires ‘largest on record’: disaster chief
Wildfires in South Korea are now the largest and deadliest on record, having burned more forest and killed more people than any previous blaze, officials said Thursday, as the death toll hit 27. ⌘ Read more

Ancient parasitic ‘Venus flytrap’ wasp preserved in amber reveals parasitoid strategies
An extinct lineage of parasitic wasps dating from the mid-Cretaceous period and preserved in amber may have used their Venus flytrap-like abdomen to capture and immobilize their prey. ⌘ Read more