Digital technology at food pantries helpful for many, study says
A study by researchers from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute and the West Side Campaign Against Hunger evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of a “Digital Choice” model at an urban food pantry in New York City. ⌘ Read more

Stronger together: Bilby conservation efforts enhanced by Indigenous knowledge
One of the nation’s most iconic and at-risk critters could benefit by combining Indigenous knowledge with western survey methods, according to a new study led by Charles Darwin University (CDU) in collaboration with the North Tanami Rangers and Traditional Owners from the community of Lajamanu. ⌘ Read more

Corpse flowers’ survival at risk due to spotty recordkeeping
Commonly called the “corpse flower,” Amorphophallus titanum is endangered for many reasons, including habitat destruction, climate change and encroachment from invasive species. ⌘ Read more

Monkeys are world’s best yodelers, ‘voice breaks’ analysis finds
A new study has found that the world’s finest yodelers aren’t from Austria or Switzerland, but the rainforests of Latin America. ⌘ Read more

Refugees define success on their own terms, study finds
Refugees resettled in the U.S. often define success in ways that go far beyond economic self-sufficiency, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. Published in Refugee Survey Quarterly, the study challenges long-held assumptions about what makes resettlement successful in the U.S. ⌘ Read more

Quantum computing predicts proton affinity with superior accuracy
Kenneth Merz, Ph.D., of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Computational Life Sciences, and a research team are testing quantum computing’s abilities in chemistry through integrating machine learning and quantum circuits. ⌘ Read more

Hunga volcano eruption’s unexpected Southern Hemisphere cooling effect challenges geoengineering assumptions
When Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, an underwater volcano near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean, erupted in 2022, scientists expected that it would spew enough water vapor into the stratosphere to push global temperatures past the 1.5 C threshold set by the Paris Accords. A new UCLA-led study shows that not only did the eruption not warm the planet, but it actually reduced temperatures o … ⌘ Read more

Study suggests a new way to curb social media’s body image toll
Reflecting on how fitness posts on social media make them feel may help young women reduce the harmful tendency to compare themselves to idealized influencers and content online. ⌘ Read more

A router for photons: Transducer could enable superconducting quantum networks
Applied physicists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a photon router that could plug into quantum networks to create robust optical interfaces for noise-sensitive microwave quantum computers. ⌘ Read more

Science ‘storytelling’ is desperately needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis, say researchers
Scientists should experiment with creative ways of communicating their work to inspire action to protect the natural world, researchers say. ⌘ Read more

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production
More than 150 million metric tons of propylene are produced annually, making it one of the most widespread chemicals used in the chemical industry. ⌘ Read more

What Britons and Europeans really think about immigration—new analysis
When we hear about immigration from politicians and media across Europe, the story is almost always negative. In some countries, this is old news. The UK tabloid press has printed thousands of anti-migrant articles over the last two decades. Anti-immigrant rhetoric has been a feature of Danish politics since the early 1990s. In contrast, Viktor Orban’s extreme, racist and Islamophobic rhetoric—adopted largely from 2015—marks … ⌘ Read more

$5 billion proposal for salmon restoration aimed at addressing tribal lawsuit
State lawmakers have revealed a proposal that would authorize special bonds to raise an additional $5 billion for salmon recovery projects stemming from the state’s long-running tribal fishing rights lawsuit. ⌘ Read more

‘Heartbreaking’ floods swamp Australia’s cattle country
Whole herds of cattle have drowned in vast inland floods sweeping across the Australian outback, officials said Tuesday, as the muddy tide drenched an area the size of France. ⌘ Read more

Bitcoin investor buys an entire SpaceX flight for the ultimate polar adventure
A bitcoin investor who bought a SpaceX flight for himself and three polar explorers blasted off Monday night on the first rocket ride to carry people over the North and South poles. ⌘ Read more

Scientists hope a newly discovered flower will return after rain in West Texas
Scientists who want to learn more about a tiny flower recently discovered in West Texas are hoping it will bloom again in a couple of weeks after rain finally fell in the area. ⌘ Read more

Fossil fuels drive climate, health and biodiversity crises, scientists warn
In a review published in the journal Oxford Open Climate Change, top scientists issued an urgent warning that fossil fuels and the fossil fuel industry are driving interlinked crises that threaten people, wildlife, and a livable future. ⌘ Read more

Nanomechanical gas sensor arrays: A step toward smarter, safer food and environments
Imagine walking into your kitchen and instantly knowing if the fish you bought yesterday is still fresh—or entering an industrial site with sensors that immediately alert you to hazardous gas leaks. This isn’t science fiction—it’s the promise behind our newly developed nanomechanical sensor array, a powerful tool we’ve created to detect and analyze complex gases in real-time. ⌘ Read more

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