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Replanting forests can help cool the planet even more than some scientists once believed, especially in the tropics. But even if every tree lost since the mid-19th century is replanted, the total effect won't cancel out human-generated warming.
How does coffee affect a sleeping brain? (link is external)
Coffee can help you stay awake. But what does caffeine actually do to your brain once you're asleep? Using AI, a team of researchers has an answer: it affects the brain's 'criticality'.
Waste to foundation: Transforming construction waste into high-performance material (link is external)
In a major advancement for sustainable construction, scientists have created a cement-free soil solidifier from industrial waste. By combining Siding Cut Powder and activated by Earth Silica, an alkaline stimulant from recycled glass, scientists produced a high-performance material that meets compressive strength standards exceeding the 160 kN/m construction-grade threshold and eliminates arsenic leaching through calcium hydroxide stabilization. The technology reduces landfill volumes and carbon emissions, offering a circular solution for infrastructure development worldwide.
Portable sensor enables community lead detection in tap water (link is external)
Lead contamination in municipal water sources is a consistent threat to public health. Ingesting even tiny amounts of lead can harm the human brain and nervous system -- especially in young children. To empower people to detect lead contamination in their own homes, a team of researchers developed an accessible, handheld water-testing system called the E-Tongue. This device was tested through a citizen science project across four Massachusetts towns.
Amphibian road mortality drops by over 80% with wildlife underpasses, study shows (link is external)
A new study shows that wildlife underpass tunnels dramatically reduce deaths of frog, salamanders, and other amphibians migrating across roads.
HIV discovery could open door to long-sought cure (link is external)
New HIV research shows that small changes in the virus affect how quickly or slowly it replicates and how easily it can reawaken in the body. These insights bring researchers closer to finding ways to flush out the dormant virus and eliminate it for good.
Genetic basis of purring in cats (link is external)
Whether you are lucky enough to have a cat companion or must merely live this experience vicariously through cat videos, Felis catus is a familiar and comforting presence in our daily lives. Unlike most other feline species, cats exhibit sociality, can live in groups, and communicate both with other cats and humans, which is why they have been humans' trusted accomplices for millennia. Despite this intimacy, there is still much that we don't know about our feline friends.
Discovery of a new marine flagellate (link is external)
Researchers have identified a previously unknown species of unicellular organism in seawater collected near Hachijojima Island. The newly discovered species, named Viscidocauda repens, belongs to the protist group Endomyxa and is notable for possessing a persistent flagellum -- marking the first recorded instance of such a flagellate within this group.
Cotton virus circulated undetected for nearly 20 years, study finds (link is external)
A virus responsible for damaging cotton crops across the southern United States has been lurking in U.S. fields for nearly 20 years -- undetected. According to new research, cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV), long believed to be a recent arrival, was infecting plants in cotton-growing states as early as 2006.
Cannabis pangenome reveals potential for medicinal and industrial use (link is external)
Scientists analyzed almost 200 cannabis genomes to create the most comprehensive, high-quality, detailed genetic atlas of the plant to date. The atlas reveals unprecedented diversity and complexity within the species, sets the stage for advances in cannabis-based agriculture, medicine, and industry, and builds on a 10,000-year long relationship between humans and cannabis, showing that cannabis can be as important as other crops like corn or wheat.
Thousands of sensors reveal 3D structure of earthquake-triggered sound waves (link is external)
Earthquakes create ripple effects in Earth's upper atmosphere that can disrupt satellite communications and navigation systems we rely on. Scientists have now used Japan's extensive network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers to create the first 3D images of atmospheric disturbances caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Their results show sound wave disturbance patterns in unique 3D detail and provide new insights into how earthquakes generate these waves.
When climate disasters hit, they often leave long-term health care access shortages (link is external)
Immediate recovery efforts receive the most attention after severe natural disasters, yet new data from researchers at Drexel University and the University of Maryland suggests these climate events often also leave a critical long-term -- and often unaddressed -- problem in declines in access to health care.
A cheap and easy potential solution for lowering carbon emissions in maritime shipping (link is external)
Reducing travel speeds and using an intelligent queuing system at busy ports can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oceangoing container vessels by 16-24%, according to researchers. Not only would those relatively simple interventions reduce emissions from a major, direct source of greenhouse gases, the technology to implement these measures already exists.
Trees vs. disease: Tree cover reduces mosquito-borne health risk (link is external)
A study finds small-scale tree cover in Costa Rica boosts biodiversity while limiting dangerous mosquito species.
Horses 'mane' inspiration for new generation of social robots (link is external)
Interactive robots should not just be passive companions, but active partners -- like therapy horses who respond to human emotion -- say researchers.
Study deepens understanding of cell migration, important for potential medical advances (link is external)
A new study integrated mathematical modeling with advanced imaging to discover that the physical shape of the fruit fly egg chamber, combined with chemical signals, significantly influences how cells move. Cell migration is critical in wound healing, immune responses, and cancer metastasis, so the work has potential to advance a range of medical treatments.
Too much of a good thing: Consequences of overplanting Bt corn in the US (link is external)
A new study shows that planting too much genetically modified corn designed to fight off a tough insect -- the corn rootworm -- especially in the eastern U.S. Corn Belt states may be causing more harm than good.
Kinetic coupling -- breakthrough in understanding biochemical networks (link is external)
A new concept of kinetic modules in biochemical networks could revolutionize the understanding of how these networks function. Scientists succeeded in linking the structure and dynamics of biochemical networks via kinetic modules, thus clarifying a systems biology question that has been open for longtime.
New method provides the key to accessing proteins in ancient human remains (link is external)
A new method could soon unlock the vast repository of biological information held in the proteins of ancient soft tissues. The findings could open up a new era for palaeobiological discovery.
A sweeping study of 7,000 years of monuments in South Arabia (link is external)
New research brings together 7,000 years of history in South Arabia to show how ancient pastoralists changed placement and construction of monuments over time in the face of environmental and cultural forces.
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