Flapping frequency of birds, insects, bats and whales predicted with just body mass and wing area
A single universal equation can closely approximate the frequency of wingbeats and fin strokes made by birds, insects, bats and whales, despite their different body sizes and wing shapes, Jens Højgaard Jensen and colleagues from Roskilde University in Denmark report in a new study published in PLOS ONE on June 5. ⌘ Read more

Study finds US Islamist extremist co-offenders form close-knit groups driven by mutual contacts, homophily effects
The formation of relationships within violent US Islamist extremist groups is highly driven by mutual contacts and the tendency for people to bond with others similar to themselves, according to new research. ⌘ Read more

Study finds simple headlines attract more online news readers
The competition for online attention in today’s news environment is fierce. High-quality news from credible sources must compete for attention with misinformation and a rapidly increasing amount of partisan content. ⌘ Read more

AI-powered jet origin identification technology opens new horizons in high-energy physics research
A research team in China has initiated and successfully developed a jet origin identification technology which can significantly enhance the scientific discovery capabilities of high-energy collider experiments. ⌘ Read more

Key mechanism for maintaining proper telomere length identified
The length of telomeres that protect the ends of our chromosomes should be tightly regulated. Those that are too long predispose to cancer, and those that are too short lose their protective ability, resulting in telomere disorders with serious health consequences. ⌘ Read more

New study finds Earth warming at record rate, but no evidence of climate change accelerating
The rate Earth is warming hit an all-time high in 2023 with 92% of last year’s surprising record-shattering heat caused by humans, top scientists calculated. ⌘ Read more

Tiny tropical puddle frogs show that protecting genetic variation is essential for animals to survive the climate crisis
Scientists have studied puddle frogs to identify genetic variation hotspots and places where the climate crisis could wipe out populations too homogenous to adapt. ⌘ Read more

Rate of global warming caused by humans is at an all-time high, say scientists
The second annual Indicators of Global Climate Change report, which is led by the University of Leeds, reveals that human-induced warming has risen to 1.19 °C over the past decade (2014-2023)—an increase from the 1.14 °C seen in 2013-2022 (set out in last year’s report). ⌘ Read more

Investors underestimated risk, impact of hurricanes prior to feeling ‘Superstorm’ Sandy’s fury on Wall Street
Weather experts are warning that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began June 1, could be among the most active on record. Hurricanes annually cause millions of dollars in damage to households and public infrastructure, but also to businesses. ⌘ Read more

Researchers use tin to toughen bioimplant titanium alloys through the cocktail effect
Beta(β)-type titanium (Ti) alloys are renowned for their strength, formability and resistance to harsh environments. This, along with their excellent biocompatibility, has made them adequately suited for implants and prosthetics, from joint replacement to stents. ⌘ Read more

Mushroom stump waste could be inexpensive, healthy chicken feed supplement
Feed costs for producing broiler chickens accounts for 60% to 70% of total production costs, and stump waste from the production of button mushrooms comprises nearly 30% of total mushroom weight. Marrying the two has the potential to reduce both cost and waste, especially in Pennsylvania, which is a national leader in the production of broiler chickens and button mushrooms. ⌘ Read more

Training in formal classes proves the most effective way to prepare engineers to protect public welfare at work: Study
Engineers who received public welfare responsibility training in classes are more likely to consider the societal impact of technologies they design and to take action when concerns arise, according to a study by University of Michigan researchers published in The Journal of Engineering Education. ⌘ Read more

New model suggests partner anti-universe could explain accelerated expansion without the need for dark energy
The accelerated expansion of the present universe, believed to be driven by a mysterious dark energy, is one of the greatest puzzles in our understanding of the cosmos. The standard model of cosmology called Lambda-CDM, explains this expansion as a cosmological constant in Einstein’s field equations. However, the cosmological constant itself lacks a complete theoretical understanding, par … ⌘ Read more

Study uncovers a quantum acoustical Drude peak shift in strange metals
Researchers at Harvard University, Sabanci University, and Peking University recently gathered findings that could shed light on the origin of the high-temperature absorption peaks observed in strange metals, a class of materials exhibiting unusual electronic properties that do not conform to the conventional theory of metals. ⌘ Read more

Eight new millisecond pulsars discovered with FAST
Using the Five-Hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), astronomers from the Guizhou University in China and elsewhere have discovered eight new millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster NGC 6517. The finding was reported in a research paper published May 28 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ Read more

Informal water contracts could provide quicker, cheaper ways to reduce impact of droughts
Droughts continue to overburden the systems and infrastructure that bring water to citizens and businesses. This is especially true in places like the western United States, where water resources are scarce, and the rules that determine who gets water mean that farmers and other landowners who use water for irrigation often have first priority. ⌘ Read more

Three boys found a T. rex fossil in North Dakota. Now a Denver museum works to fully reveal it
Two young brothers and their cousin were wandering through a fossil-rich stretch of the North Dakota badlands when they made a discovery that left them “completely speechless”: a T. rex bone poking out of the ground. ⌘ Read more

New 3D-printed microscale photonic lantern opens opportunities for spatial mode multiplexing
Optical waves propagating through air or multi-mode fiber can be patterned or decomposed using orthogonal spatial modes, with far-ranging applications in imaging, communication, and directed energy. Yet the systems that perform these wavefront manipulations are cumbersome and large, restricting their utilization to high-end applications. ⌘ Read more

Australian study finds increased risk of homelessness for youth leaving out-of-home care
New research from the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Curtin University finds that up to 36% of young people leaving out-of-home care (OHC) in Australia wind up homeless—compared to less than 10% of the general youth population. ⌘ Read more

Gut microbes’ pathogen defense arsenal unveiled
A study conducted by researcher Juan Du’s research group at the Karolinska Institutet sheds light on the capabilities of our gut microbes and their metabolites. The findings reveal potent inhibitory effects on the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and suggest interactions and signaling between gut microbes and pathogens. ⌘ Read more

Human culture is changing too fast for evolution to catch up—here’s how it may affect you
Research is showing that many of our contemporary problems, such as the rising prevalence of mental health issues, are emerging from rapid technological advancement and modernisation. A theory that can help explain why we respond poorly to modern conditions, despite the choices, safety and other benefits they bring, is evolutionary mismatch. ⌘ Read more

Autophagic organelles restrict mouth size to regulate cellular clean-out, study reveals
Autophagy, which literally means “self-eating,” is a cellular cleaning-out process that maintains our bodies in good order, but excessive autophagy can be too much of a good thing. ⌘ Read more

Earthquakes in north-central Japan collapse 5 homes that were damaged in deadly January quake
Earthquakes early Monday again struck Japan’s north-central region of Ishikawa, still recovering from the destruction left by a powerful quake on Jan. 1, but the latest shaking caused no major damage. ⌘ Read more

Race still divides South Africa: Study shows little transformation in new suburbs in country’s economic hub
As South Africa reflects on 30 years of democracy, it’s important to ask whether its cities have changed for the better when it comes to racial mixing. ⌘ Read more

‘Innocuous-looking’ fern wins world record for largest genome
A small, seemingly unremarkable fern that only grows on a remote Pacific island was on Friday crowned the Guinness World Record holder for having the largest genome of any organism on Earth. ⌘ Read more

California firefighters battle wind-driven wildfire east of San Francisco
California firefighters aided by aircraft battled a wind-driven wildfire burning Saturday in an area straddling the San Francisco Bay Area and central California, authorities said. ⌘ Read more

Sri Lanka monsoon floods kill 14, schools shut
Flash floods, mudslides and falling trees have killed at least 14 people in Sri Lanka as the island nation is battered by monsoon storms, the country’s disaster center said Sunday. ⌘ Read more

Researchers report new solid contact, ion-selective electrodes
A research team led by Prof. Huang Xingjiu from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences constructed a highly stable solid contact calcium ion-selective electrode. They used synchrotron radiation technique to reveal the transduction mechanism by which the solid contact layer participated in the potential response. ⌘ Read more

The universe’s biggest explosions made elements we are composed of, but there’s another mystery source out there
After its “birth” in the Big Bang, the universe consisted mainly of hydrogen and a few helium atoms. These are the lightest elements in the periodic table. More-or-less all elements heavier than helium were produced in the 13.8 billion years between the Big Bang and the present day. ⌘ Read more

Boeing will try to launch its first crew on Starliner, again
Troubled aerospace giant Boeing will try once more to fly its first crew to the International Space Station aboard a Starliner spaceship on Saturday, after the last attempt was scrubbed hours before liftoff. ⌘ Read more

A pregnant stingray with no male companion now has a ‘reproductive disease,’ aquarium says
A North Carolina aquarium that said it had a pregnant stingray with no male companion now says the fish has a rare reproductive disease. ⌘ Read more

Plant that vanished from Vermont 108 years ago accidentally rediscovered, botanists say
A plant that hasn’t been seen in Vermont since 1916 was just rediscovered by accident, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Department said. ⌘ Read more

World’s biggest companies snap up ‘likely junk’ carbon offsets: analysis
Globally recognized companies—from oil and gas majors to the banking sector and tech—are contributing to greenwashing by snapping up vast quantities of “likely junk” carbon offsets, a watchdog warned Thursday. ⌘ Read more

Trout in mine-polluted rivers are genetically ‘isolated,’ new study shows
Trout living in rivers polluted by metal from old mines across the British Isles are genetically “isolated” from other trout, new research shows. The work appears in Diversity and Distributions. ⌘ Read more

The missing puzzle piece: A striking new snake species from the Arabian Peninsula
Researchers have discovered a new distinctive and secretive snake species in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. ⌘ Read more

Light-activated antitumor drug could inspire new cancer treatments that have minimal side effects
RIKEN chemists have demonstrated a gold-nanocluster system that carries two components of a drug in a controlled ratio for maximum cancer-cell killing effect. The active drug remains safely masked until red light triggers its release, minimizing collateral damage to healthy cells near the tumor. The study is published in Chemical Science. ⌘ Read more

Projection says 0% chance Lake Mead falls below 1K feet before 2028
Lake Mead’s five-year outlook is slightly better after two wet winters, according to projections released May 29 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. ⌘ Read more

Antibiotic pollution disrupts the gut microbiome and blocks memory in aquatic snails, study finds
Antibiotics prevent snails from forming new memories by disrupting their gut microbiome—the community of beneficial bacteria found in their guts. ⌘ Read more

Study indicates that as racial diversity and income rise, civilian injuries by police fall
An analysis of civilian injuries resulting from interactions with police in Illinois found that residents of all races and ethnicities are more likely to sustain injuries if they live in economically under-resourced areas. The risk of injury decreases as communities become more racially diverse, the researchers found. ⌘ Read more

Students say they’ve found an ‘eco-friendly’ way to trap and kill Japanese beetles
Aditya Prabhu loved eating the peaches off the tree in the backyard of his mom’s house. The only problem was the plant produced only a few fruits a year because Japanese beetles in the hundreds would eat at the leaves, depleting the plant’s energy to make peaches. ⌘ Read more

Scientists identify gene that could lead to resilient ‘pixie’ corn
A widely found gene in plants has been newly identified as a key transporter of a hormone that influences the size of corn. The discovery offers plant breeders a new tool to develop desirable dwarf varieties that could enhance the crop’s resilience and profitability. ⌘ Read more

New report shows perils of air pollution persist nationwide
The American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air report concludes that even though Americans have changed their ways significantly over the last 50-plus years, the struggle to provide cleaner air is far from being won. ⌘ Read more

Marine Protected Areas don’t line up with core habitats of rare migratory fish, finds new research
According to a new modeling study, 62% of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designated to protect rare migratory fish species are outside of their core habitats. The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. ⌘ Read more

‘Extraordinary’ 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull may show signs of attempts to treat cancer
From ancient texts we know that—for their times—the ancient Egyptians were exceptionally skilled at medicine. For example, they could identify, describe, and treat diseases and traumatic injuries, build protheses, and put in dental fillings. Other conditions, like cancer, they couldn’t treat—but they might have tried. ⌘ Read more

Paper proposes a unified account of Darwinism’s varieties
A new paper published in The Quarterly Review of Biology examines the question of what Darwinism is and how its nonscientific uses relate to the scientific theory of evolution. ⌘ Read more

New approach uses ‘cloaked’ proteins to deliver cancer-killing therapeutics into cells
An interdisciplinary collaboration has designed a way to “cloak” proteins so that they can be captured by lipid nanoparticles, which are akin to tiny bubbles of fat. These bubbles are small enough to sneak their hidden cargo into living cells, where the proteins uncloak and exert their therapeutic effect. ⌘ Read more

Key tiger habitat swamped by deadly Bangladesh cyclone
Bangladesh forest experts warned Tuesday a key tiger habitat hit by a deadly cyclone had been submerged by seawater deeper and longer than ever before, raising fears for endangered wildlife. ⌘ Read more

Unveiling the microscopic mechanism of superconducting metallic transistors
Transistors are the basis for microchips and the whole electronic industry. The invention of transistors, by Bardeen and Brattain in 1947, awarded with a Nobel prize, is regarded as one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. ⌘ Read more

Mystery of ‘slow’ solar wind unveiled by Solar Orbiter mission
Scientists have come a step closer to identifying the mysterious origins of the “slow” solar wind, using data collected during the Solar Orbiter spacecraft’s first close journey to the sun. ⌘ Read more

Porous materials and machine learning provide inexpensive microplastic monitoring method
Optical analysis and machine learning techniques can now readily detect microplastics in marine and freshwater environments using inexpensive porous metal substrates. Details of the method, developed by researchers at Nagoya University with collaborators at the National Institute for Materials Sciences in Japan and others, are published in the journal Nature Communications. ⌘ Read more