Generation of harmful slow electrons in water is a race between intermolecular energy decay and proton transfer
When high-energy radiation interacts with water in living organisms, it generates particles and slow-moving electrons that can subsequently damage critical molecules like DNA. Now, Professor Petr Slavíček and his bachelor’s student Jakub Dubský from UCT Prague (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague) have described in detail one of the key mechanisms for the creation … ⌘ Read more

Analysis of 4.4-million-year-old ankle exposes how earliest ancestors moved and evolved
For more than a century, scientists have been piecing together the puzzle of human evolution, examining fossil evidence to understand the transition from our earliest ancestors to modern humans. ⌘ Read more

A rare variety of wheat with three ovaries—gene discovery could triple production
University of Maryland researchers discovered the gene that makes a rare form of wheat grow three ovaries per flower instead of one. Since each ovary can potentially develop into a grain of wheat, the gene could help farmers grow much more wheat per acre. Their work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ⌘ Read more

Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano unleashes new burst of hot ash
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupted for a second straight day Wednesday, spewing towering columns of hot ash that later blanketed villages. No casualties were immediately reported. ⌘ Read more

World’s largest rays may be diving to extreme depths to build mental maps of vast oceans
Many marine species are no strangers to the depths of the oceans. Some animals, like certain sharks, tuna, or turtles, routinely perform extreme dives, whereas for other species, such behavior has been observed less frequently. ⌘ Read more

Can we hear gravitational-wave ‘beats’ in the rhythm of pulsars?
Pulsars suggest that ultra–low-frequency gravitational waves are rippling through the cosmos. The signal seen by international pulsar timing array collaborations in 2023 could come from a stochastic gravitational-wave background—the sum of many distant sources—or from a single nearby binary of supermassive black holes. ⌘ Read more

Poorer health linked to more votes for Reform UK, 2024 voting patterns suggest
Poorer health is linked to a higher proportion of votes for the populist right wing political party, Reform UK, indicates an analysis of the 2024 general election voting patterns in England, published online in the open access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research. ⌘ Read more

Almost 75,000 farmed salmon in Scotland escaped into the wild after Storm Amy. Why this may cause lasting damage
When Storm Amy battered the Scottish Highlands in early October, it tore through a salmon farm’s sea pens, releasing around 75,000 fish into open water in Loch Linnhe. The scale of the escape is alarming. It comes at a time when wild Atlantic salmon—already classified as “endangered” in Great Britain—are in decline. ⌘ Read more

Majestic wild horses are trampling Mono Lake’s otherworldly landscape: Feds plan a roundup
Several dozen horses calmly graze along the shores of Mono Lake, a sparkling saline expanse spread out before the jagged Sierra Nevada mountains. The September sun is blazing. A pair of brown horses come up side by side and stare intensely at an approaching visitor. ⌘ Read more

Greenland is shrinking slightly and drifting slowly toward the northwest, GNSS stations reveal
Greenland is being twisted, compressed, and stretched. This happens due to plate tectonics and movements in the bedrock, caused by the large ice sheets on top melting and reducing pressure on the subsurface. ⌘ Read more

SpaceX launches the 11th test flight of its mega Starship rocket with another win
SpaceX launched another of its mammoth Starship rockets on a test flight Monday, successfully making it halfway around the world while releasing mock satellites like last time. ⌘ Read more

Nobel economist warns of AI dangers
A winner of this year’s Nobel prize in economics warned Monday that artificial intelligence offers “amazing possibilities” but should be regulated because of its job-destroying potential. ⌘ Read more

Chemists reveal new insights into protein linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Using advanced techniques in biophysical chemistry, a team led by Meredith Jackrel, an associate professor of chemistry, has achieved unprecedented views of a protein that may play a pivotal role in some cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the related disorder frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Their work could open doors to new approaches for treatment and prevention. ⌘ Read more

States could be held accountable for private security actions
Governments which employ private military companies, such as Wagner and Africa Corps, can be held liable for any human rights violations committed by these firms, research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has highlighted. ⌘ Read more

Report shows action to improve gender equity linked to career gains and better business performance
A new report out today shows that companies taking action for gender equality see lower staff turnover, more women in leadership and better shareholder value. ⌘ Read more

The Nobel economics prize is set to be announced Monday
The final Nobel of this year’s prize season is being announced Monday morning when organizers reveal the winner or winners of the Nobel memorial prize in economics. ⌘ Read more

Satellite images reveal ancient hunting traps used by South American social groups
Satellite images have revealed an ancient system of elaborate, funnel-shaped mega traps likely built by hunters and pastoralists to catch prey in the high altitudes of northern Chile. ⌘ Read more

Sustainable practices could cut food-related emissions in half
Food systems make up roughly 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions globally. But transforming them could cut these emissions by more than half, according to a report released Oct. 3 from a commission of global experts from more than 35 countries across six continents. ⌘ Read more

At least 41 dead in Mexico floods
Floods caused by torrential rains have killed at least 41 people in Mexico in recent days and left behind a trail of destruction, the government said Saturday. ⌘ Read more

DNA repair mechanisms help explain why naked mole-rats live a long life
Naked mole-rats are one of nature’s most extraordinary creatures. These burrowing rodents can live for up to 37 years, around ten times longer than relatives of a similar size. But what is the secret to their extreme longevity? How are they able to delay the decay and decline that befalls other rodents? The answer, at least in part, is due to a switch in a common protein that boosts DNA repair, according to new research published i … ⌘ Read more

Labor is close to a deal on environmental law reforms, but there are troubling signs these will fall short
The Albanese government has hinted it is close to a deal with the Coalition over the long-awaited overhaul of Australia’s environment laws. Environment Minister Murray Watt plans to introduce new legislation to parliament in November. ⌘ Read more

DNA repair mechanisms help explain why naked mole-rats live a long life
Naked mole-rats are one of nature’s most extraordinary creatures. These burrowing rodents can live for up to 37 years, around ten times longer than relatives of a similar size. But what is the secret to their extreme longevity? How are they able to delay the decay and decline that befalls other rodents? The answer, at least in part, is due to a switch in a common protein that boosts DNA repair, according to new research published i … ⌘ Read more

Questions loom over Albania’s forests after devastating fires
As Albania recovers from a summer of devastating wildfires, locals and experts are eyeing a long road back to save its shrinking forests from intensifying disasters. ⌘ Read more

Destined to melt: Study warns glaciers’ ability to cool surrounding air faces imminent decline
Glaciers are fighting back against climate change by cooling the air that touches their surfaces. But for how long? The Pellicciotti group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has compiled and re-analyzed an unprecedented dataset of on-glacier observations worldwide. Their findings, published today in Nature Climate Change, demonstrate that glaciers will likely reach the peak of their … ⌘ Read more

LED light blasts cancer cells and spares healthy ones
A new cancer treatment combines LED light and tiny tin flakes to neutralize cancer cells while shielding healthy cells and avoiding the painful side effects associated with chemotherapy and other treatments. ⌘ Read more

Rare Jurassic ‘sword dragon’ prehistoric reptile discovered in the UK
A near-complete skeleton found on the UK’s Jurassic Coast has been identified as a new and rare species of ichthyosaur—a type of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the ancient oceans. ⌘ Read more

She saw a car-sized object above a Texas farm and found a wayward hunk of NASA equipment
When Ann Walter looked outside her rural West Texas home, she didn’t know what to make of the bulky object slowly drifting across the sky. ⌘ Read more

Lessons from Ascension Island’s shark troubles could help boost conservation
Understanding people’s attitudes to interactions with sharks could help halt the global decline of shark numbers, according to new research carried out on Ascension Island. ⌘ Read more

Fire provides long-lasting benefits to bird populations in Sierra Nevada National Parks
Researchers have found that low to moderate-severity fires not only benefit many bird species in the Sierra Nevada, but these benefits may persist for decades. In addition to a handful of bird species already known to be “post-fire specialists,” a broad variety of other more generalist species, like Dark-eyed Juncos and Mountain Chickadees, clearly benefited from wildfire. ⌘ Read more

Toxoplasmosis: How the pathogen exploits its own cell envelope
According to estimates, about a third of the world’s population is infected with the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the pathogen of toxoplasmosis. Although harmless for most people, the infection can be dangerous for unborn children and people with weakened immune systems. In these cases, the pathogen can propagate rapidly and destroy infected tissue. It obtains the energy it needs for propagation by tapping the ho … ⌘ Read more

Where fish feed ingredients come from key for sustainability, new study finds
A new study led by researchers from the University of Tasmania, in collaboration with international partners including The University of Manchester, has found that the environmental footprint of aquaculture feeds is influenced more by where ingredients are sourced than by the types of ingredients used. ⌘ Read more

How nature can make urban dwellers healthier
A study by Rutgers ecologist Myla Aronson and colleagues has found “overwhelming” evidence that increasing biodiversity in cities—establishing parks, installing native plants and encouraging sustainable landscaping—can significantly improve human health. ⌘ Read more

Top nature group to unveil new ‘red list’ of threatened species
The world’s top conservation body is holding its world congress starting Thursday in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and will unveil its updated “red list” of threatened species. ⌘ Read more

Open source mega-constellations could solve overcrowding
Duplicating expensive resources is expensive and wasteful, and most people would agree it’s unnecessary. However, the planned increase in major satellite constellations is currently causing a massive duplication of resources as individual companies and even countries try to set up their own infrastructure in space. ⌘ Read more

As ocean temperatures warm, fish in Western Australia are heading south
Colorful tropical fish are heading south along the WA coast, including around Rottnest. This sounds spectacular, but it’s not. ⌘ Read more

Every third school in Vilnius lies in a high air pollution zone, Lithuanian study reveals
A study carried out by researchers at the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) revealed that 37% of primary and secondary schools in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, are exposed to harmful air pollutants due to their proximity to major high-traffic roads. ⌘ Read more

AI advance helps astronomers spot cosmic events with just a handful of examples
A new study co-led by the University of Oxford and Google Cloud has shown how general-purpose AI can accurately classify real changes in the night sky—such as an exploding star, a black hole tearing apart a passing star, a fast-moving asteroid, or a brief stellar flare from a compact star system—and explain its reasoning, without the need for complex training. ⌘ Read more

The human cost of healthy eating: Some recommended US diets carry higher risk of forced labor in food supply chains
Many Americans choose food based on cost and nutrition, but personal values, such as animal welfare and environmental concerns, also shape what ends up on our plates. ⌘ Read more

Tree swallows thrive despite pollution from forever chemicals
A new paper in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry indicates high levels of exposure to “forever chemicals” in the environments of many tree swallow bird groups in the United States. Despite this, chemical exposure did not seem to affect the reproductive health of the birds. ⌘ Read more

High-speed onion mist: Cutting technique and blade sharpness affect droplet spray, study shows
A new discovery about how cutting onions ejects pungent aerosols up to two-thirds of a meter into the air has led to practical advice for reducing the spray: Cut onions slowly with a sharpened blade or coat an onion in oil before cutting. ⌘ Read more

The world’s chemical pollution: Current state of research
Two authors from ETH Zurich and RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau have concluded that the rapid production and distribution of chemicals in the environment means that regulatory risk assessment can no longer keep pace with their ever-increasing numbers. ⌘ Read more

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary
Work engagement is a positive and persistent state of mind related to one’s work. It is characterized by high energy and mental resilience (vigor), enthusiasm and involvement (dedication), and complete concentration in the task at hand (absorption). Engaged workers are not merely more productive; they are more likely to be proactive, creative, and less susceptible to burnout. Most importantly, work engagement has been consistently … ⌘ Read more

Hiring in high-growth firms: Exploring the timing of organizational changes
High-growth firms (HGFs) refer to businesses that achieve rapid growth in terms of employees or revenue. Based on the established definition, HGFs are businesses with at least 10 employees and annual growth rates of 20% or more, observed over a period of three years. This three-year span is considered the high-growth (HG) period of the company. Even though this growth is often short-lived and difficult to sustain, it plays … ⌘ Read more

Ancient Patagonian hunter-gatherers took care of their injured and disabled, study finds
In a study published in the International Journal of Paleopathology, Dr. Victoria Romano and her colleagues analyzed the bones of 189 hunter-gatherers who lived during the Late Holocene (~4000 to 250 BP) in Patagonia. ⌘ Read more

DNA nanospring that measures cellular motor power could yield improved disease diagnosis
Cells all require the transport of materials to maintain their function. In nerve cells, a tiny motor made of protein called KIF1A is responsible for that. Mutations in this protein can lead to neurological disorders, including difficulties in walking, intellectual impairment and nerve degradation. It’s known that mutations in KIF1A also result in weakened motor performance, but this has been difficult to meas … ⌘ Read more

Waste management workers have gone from hero to zero in the public’s eyes since the pandemic, UK research says
Dustmen and road sweepers have gone from hero to zero in the public’s eyes since the end of the COVID pandemic, new research says. ⌘ Read more

Lake Tahoe algae experiment suggests seasonal shifts ahead
As the climate warms and nutrient inputs shift, algal communities in cool, clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe will likely experience seasonal changes, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, published in Water Resources Research. ⌘ Read more

Mysterious signs on Teotihuacan murals may reveal an early form of Uto-Aztecan language
More than two millennia ago, Teotihuacan was a thriving metropolis in central Mexico with up to 125,000 inhabitants. The city had gigantic pyramids and was a cultural center in Mesoamerica at the time. ⌘ Read more

Chemists create red fluorescent dyes that may enable clearer biomedical imaging
MIT chemists have designed a new type of fluorescent molecule that they hope could be used for applications such as generating clearer images of tumors. ⌘ Read more

Wheat diversity discovery could provide an urgently-needed solution to global food security
Wheat has a very large and complex genome. Researchers have found that different varieties can use their genes in different ways. By studying RNA—the molecules that carry out instructions from DNA—researchers can see which genes are active and when. By mapping this gene activity for the first time, researchers are able to accelerate international wheat breeding programs, developing new varieties of … ⌘ Read more