Clownfish have been shown to shrink in order to survive heat stress and avoid social conflict, Newcastle University research reveals. The fish, recognisable from the starring role in the film ‘Finding Nemo’, were studied by academics from the universities of Newcastle, Leeds and Boston, USA. The work was conducted in collaboration with

In 2022 a team led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry discovered that high levels of OH radicals can be generated indoors, simply due to the presence of people and ozone. This means: People generate their own oxidation field and change the indoor air chemistry around them within their own personal space. Now, in […]

Plants that reproduce exclusively by self-pollination arise from populations with extremely low diversity to begin with. The Kobe University research not only adds a facet to possible evolutionary strategies, but also lends weight to Darwin’s suspicion that this strategy might be a path to extinction. Charles Darwin once remarked, “It i

Billions of years ago, water flowed on the surface of Mars. But scientists have an incomplete picture of how the Red Planet’s water cycle worked. That could soon change after two graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin filled a large gap in knowledge about Mars’ water cycle — specifically, the part between […

The largest sample of galaxy groups ever detected has been presented by a team of international astronomers using data from the James Webb Space telescope (JWST) in an area of the sky called COSMOS Web. The study marks a major milestone in extragalactic astronomy, providing unprecedented insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies and [&h

Astronomers have discovered nearly 100 examples of massive black holes shredding and devouring stars, almost all of them where you’d expect to find massive black holes: in the star-dense cores of massive galaxies. University of California, Berkeley, astronomers have now discovered the first instance of a massive black hole tearing apart a sta

New research suggests that the negative effects of the ozone hole on the carbon uptake of the Southern Ocean are reversible, but only if greenhouse gas emissions rapidly decrease. The study, led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), finds that as the ozone hole heals, its influence on the ocean carbon sink of the […]

A new study published in the journal Coral Reefs reveals that heat-tolerant symbiotic algae may be essential to saving elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) — a foundational species in Caribbean reef ecosystems — from the devastating impacts of marine heatwaves and coral bleaching. The research, conducted by scientists at the University of M

Wearable technologies are revolutionizing health care, but design limitations in adhesive-based personal monitors have kept them from meeting their full potential. A new University of Arizona study, published in Nature Communications, describes a longer-lasting, 3D-printed, adhesive-free wearable capable of providing a more comprehensive picture of

Every living creature on Earth needs to protect itself from things that would do it harm. Bacteria are no different. And despite their relative simplicity, they deploy remarkably savvy defensive strategies against viral invaders. The most well-known is CRISPR-Cas9, adapted for human use as the first FDA-approved genetic editing technique. In the pa

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have upended decades-old dogma of how connections between brain cells are rearranged during states of heightened vigilance or attention. The team found that a brain chemical associated with alertness, attention and learning alters brain connectivity and function not by acting dire

Did you know that more than 75% of new infectious diseases affecting humans originally come from animals? Bats, in particular, are natural hosts to some of the world’s most dangerous viruses, including those responsible for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), MERS-CoV, influenza A, and hantavirus outbreaks. Yet, despite their importance, scientists have l

An often-ignored type of cell in the brain plays a dynamic and surprisingly complex role in our ability to process information, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University. The study, published today in the journal Science, provides direct evidence for the real-time action of a star-shaped type of glial cell, known as [&he

It started as a low, haunting roar building in the distance. It grew into a deafening thunder that drowned out all else. The sky turned an unnatural shade of green, then black. The wind lashed at trees and buildings with brutal force. Sirens wailed. Windows and buildings exploded. In spring 2011, Joplin, Missouri, was devastated […]

A transient ischemic attack, also known as a mini-stroke, is typically defined as a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain that causes symptoms that go away within a day, but a new study finds that people who have this type of stroke may also have prolonged fatigue lasting up to one year. The […]

The United States population is older than it has ever been. Today, the country’s median age is 38.9, which is nearly a decade older than it was in 1980. And the number of adults older than 65 is expected to balloon from 58 million to 82 million by 2050. The challenge of caring for the […]

Biologists and chemists have a new programming language to uncover previously unknown environmental pollutants at breakneck speed — without requiring them to code. By making it easier to search massive chemical datasets, the tool has already identified toxic compounds hidden in plain sight. Mass spectrometry data is like a chemical fingerprin