Belgium flexes its new locally sourced mussels
It is a popular tradition to eat mussels in Brussels but what may surprise many is that none of the mollusks visitors enjoy are locally sourced in Belgium. ⌘ Read more

Drought in Sicily threatens grain fields, animal herds
A crushing drought in Sicily has withered fields of grain, deprived livestock of pasture land and fanned a spate of wildfires, causing damage already estimated at 2.7 billion euros this year. ⌘ Read more

Bosses are increasingly forcing workers back into the office—but evidence suggests it could backfire
Tesco, Boots and Barclays have joined the growing number of companies trying to force employees back to the office after several years of remote working that began with the pandemic. They’re likely to be in for a battle. ⌘ Read more

Old videos of chimpanzees suggest they are capable of speech
A small team of speech specialists and psychologists from Sweden, the U.K. and Switzerland has found, via study of old videos, that at least three chimpanzees had learned to speak human words, suggesting that the animals are capable of learning this ability given the right circumstances. The work is published in the journal Scientific Reports. ⌘ Read more

Wind, temperatures pick up as fire scorches northern California
Crews continued to fight a massive fire in northern California on Sunday, as authorities in the western US state warned of increasing winds and rising daytime temperatures. ⌘ Read more

The Galapagos Islands and many of their unique creatures are at risk from warming waters
Warm morning light reflects from the remains of a natural rock arch near Darwin Island, one of the most remote islands in the Galapagos. In clear, deep blue water, thousands of creatures—fish, hammerhead sharks, marine iguanas—move in search of food. ⌘ Read more

Two meteor showers will flash across the sky around the same time in late July
Get ready for a meteor shower doubleheader. ⌘ Read more

New research shows how global warming is messing with our rainfall
The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area—particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ⌘ Read more

Hubble images NGC 3430, a classic spiral galaxy
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image treats viewers to a wonderfully detailed snapshot of the spiral galaxy NGC 3430 that lies 100 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor. ⌘ Read more

Bearded fireworm stalks shallows as Mediterranean warms
The fish in Alfonso Barone’s net are hauled aboard off Sicily half- eaten, ravaged by bearded fireworms, a voracious predator flourishing in the increasingly warm Mediterranean sea. ⌘ Read more

Endangered gazelles find Libyan ‘safe haven’
Cocooned in white bags and nestled in the arms of volunteers, eight young rhim gazelles—an endangered species native to North Africa—have been transferred to an uninhabited Libyan island. ⌘ Read more

California fire rapidly reaches state’s top 10 biggest ever
A fire raging out of control in northern California has rapidly become among the biggest ever in the western US state, authorities said Saturday. ⌘ Read more

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey, researchers find
Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons’ teeth are tipped with iron. Led by researchers from King’s College London, the study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey. ⌘ Read more

Two shark species documented in Puget Sound for first time
Oregon State University researchers have made the first scientific confirmation in Puget Sound of two distinct shark species, one of them critically endangered. ⌘ Read more

Developing a nano-treatment to help save mangroves from deadly disease
Mangroves and palm trees are hallmarks of the Sunshine State not just for their beauty but for their immense importance to Florida’s coastlines. ⌘ Read more

Twisted carbon nanotubes could achieve significantly better energy storage than advanced lithium-ion batteries
An international team of scientists, including two researchers who now work in the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) at UMBC, has shown that twisted carbon nanotubes can store three times more energy per unit mass than advanced lithium-ion batteries. The finding may advance carbon nanotubes as a promising solution for storing energy in devices that need to be lightwei … ⌘ Read more

New nanoparticles boost immune system in mice to fight melanoma and breast cancer
Vanderbilt researchers have developed a set of nanoparticles that stimulate the immune system in mice to fight cancer and may eventually do the same in humans. ⌘ Read more

Thousands evacuated as record rains pound northern Japan
Record heavy rain forced the evacuation of thousands of people across parts of northern Japan as rivers burst their banks washing away bridges and cars, officials and media reports said Friday. ⌘ Read more

SpaceX cleared to launch Falcon 9 rocket again
SpaceX’s stalwart Falcon 9 rocket has been cleared for launch after experiencing a rare failure earlier this month, officials said Thursday. ⌘ Read more

Typhoon Gaemi displaces nearly 300,000 in eastern China
Authorities evacuated nearly 300,000 people and suspended public transport across eastern China on Friday, as Typhoon Gaemi brought torrential rains already responsible for five deaths in nearby Taiwan. ⌘ Read more

Shining light on similar crystals reveals photoreactions can differ
A rose by any other name is a rose, but what of a crystal? Osaka Metropolitan University-led researchers have found that single crystals of four anthracene derivatives with different substituents react differently when irradiated with light, perhaps holding clues to how we can use such materials in functional ways. ⌘ Read more

The road to food security through better plant disease management
The colorful history of plant pathology in Australia since colonization is the subject of a special edition of Historical Records of Australian Science, edited by QAAFI’s Associate Professor Andrew Geering. ⌘ Read more

Expert Q&A: NASA’s cancellation of VIPER is a frustrating setback for lunar exploration
In July 2024, NASA announced it canceled its plans to send the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the moon’s southern polar region. The rover was meant to search for water and other resources called volatiles, such as hydrogen, ammonia and carbon dioxide, which easily evaporate in warm temperatures. ⌘ Read more

Photocatalyst research uncovers better way to produce green hydrogen
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a material that shows a remarkable ability to convert sunlight and water into clean energy. ⌘ Read more

Typhoon Gaemi weakens as it leaves Taiwan for China
Typhoon Gaemi passed through Taiwan overnight and was headed towards eastern China on Thursday, leaving two dead as heavy rains and strong gusts continued to lash the island in its wake. ⌘ Read more

Forest fire reaches town in Canada’s Jasper National Park
A forest fire at a major national park in western Canada reached an evacuated town on Wednesday evening, with the army preparing to send in reinforcements. ⌘ Read more

Chemical analyses find hidden elements from renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe’s alchemy laboratory
In the Middle Ages, alchemists were notoriously secretive and didn’t share their knowledge with others. Danish Tycho Brahe was no exception. Consequently, we don’t know precisely what he did in the alchemical laboratory located beneath his combined residence and observatory, Uraniborg, on the now Swedish island of Ven. ⌘ Read more

Study shows chickens use flushed skin and feather fluffing to display different emotions, levels of excitement
Hens fluff their head feathers and blush to express different emotions and levels of excitement, according to a study published July 24, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Cécile Arnould and colleagues from INRAE and CNRS, France. ⌘ Read more

Southern Ocean absorbing more CO₂ than previously thought, study finds
New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) has found that the Southern Ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide (CO2) than previously thought. ⌘ Read more

New research underscores the close relationship between Saharan dust and hurricane rainfall
Giant plumes of Sahara Desert dust that gust across the Atlantic can suppress hurricane formation over the ocean and affect weather in North America. But thick dust plumes can also lead to heavier rainfall—and potentially more destruction—from landfalling storms, according to a study in Science Advances. ⌘ Read more

Weibo posts illuminate public response to China’s three-child policy measures
An analysis of comments on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo reveals trends in the public response to measures implemented to support China’s three-child policy, highlighting concerns about women’s rights and employment. Lijuan Peng of Zhejiang Gongshang University in Hangzhou, China, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on July 24, 2024. ⌘ Read more

Komodo dragons have teeth coated in iron to kill prey, study finds
The fearsome Komodo dragon, native to Indonesia and the world’s largest living lizard, has a coat of iron on its razor-like teeth to help it kill its prey, scientists found in a study published Wednesday. ⌘ Read more

The flickering glow of summer’s fireflies: too important to lose, too small to notice them gone
On a muggy July evening, Delaware state biologist Jason Davis is doing what kids have done for ages: Trying to catch a firefly. It’s nowhere near as easy as the summer evenings of his own childhood, with only a few in this large wetland between a bay and the Atlantic Ocean. ⌘ Read more

Surprise blast of rock, water and steam in Yellowstone sends dozens running for safety
A surprise eruption in Yellowstone National Park shot steam, water and dark-colored rock and dirt high into the sky Tuesday and sent sightseers running for safety. ⌘ Read more

Scientists try to replicate ancient butchering methods to learn how Neanderthals ate birds
It’s hard to know what Neanderthals ate: food preparation, especially when it comes to smaller items like birds, can leave few archaeological traces. But understanding their diets is critical to understanding these incredibly adaptable hominins, who thrived for hundreds of thousands of years in wildly varied environments. To learn what food preparation could look like in the archaeological record … ⌘ Read more

Systematic monitoring: Gray wolf autopsy findings since the species’ comeback to Germany
At the turn of the millennium, gray wolves returned to Germany after 150 years and subsequently established territories in many parts of the country. But coexistence harbors challenges—for both humans and animals. Since 2006, almost all gray wolves found dead in Germany have been examined at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in order to assess their health status and determine … ⌘ Read more

Machine learning method uses nonlinear optics and structured light to expand information network accuracy and capacity
Structured light can significantly enhance information capacity, due to its coupling of spatial dimensions and multiple degrees of freedom. In recent years, the combination of structured light patterns with image processing and machine intelligence has shown vigorous development potential in fields such as communication and detection. ⌘ Read more

Cocaine found in muscle and liver of sharpnose sharks off coast of Rio de Janeiro
A team of marine biologists and ecotoxicologists affiliated with several institutions in Brazil has found cocaine in muscle and liver samples collected from Brazilian Sharpnose sharks harvested off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Their study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, highlights the potential impact of the presence of illicit drugs in marine environments. ⌘ Read more

The experimental observation of a dissipative time crystal in a Rydberg gas
A dissipative time crystal is a phase of matter characterized by periodic oscillations over time, while a system is dissipating energy. In contrast with conventional time crystals, which can also occur in closed systems with no energy loss, dissipative time crystals are observed in open systems with energy freely flowing in and out of them. ⌘ Read more

Tunisia’s sandy beaches eaten away by coastal erosion
In Tunisia’s seaside town of Hammamet, bulldozers diligently shovel sand from a nearby desert onto a popular beach in an attempt to stop it from disappearing due to erosion. ⌘ Read more

Off Ecuador’s Galapagos, a former shark-poaching ship’s new mission
When Ecuador’s navy seized a Chinese-flagged ship off the Galapagos Islands in 2017, its hold brimmed with tons and tons of poached fish, many of them threatened species like hammerhead and thresher sharks. ⌘ Read more

Forging of joined-up approach at COP29 and COP16 vital for urgent action for climate and nature, say scientists
World leaders must take advantage of a pivotal window of opportunity for forging a much-needed joined-up approach to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, say scientists from ZSL and York University. Without this, work on tackling either crisis could inadvertently harm progress on the other. ⌘ Read more

Aluminum scandium nitride films: Enabling next-gen ferroelectric memory devices
Imagine a thin film, just nanometers thick, that could store gigabytes of data—enough for movies, video games, and videos. This is the exciting potential of ferroelectric materials for memory storage. These materials have a unique arrangement of ions, resulting in two distinct polarization states analogous to 0 and 1 in binary code, which can be used for digital memory storage. ⌘ Read more

Study investigates optical variability of blazar S5 0716+714
Using the TÜBİTAK National Observatory, astronomers from Turkey and India have observed a bright blazar known as S5 0716+714. Results of the observational campaign, published July 12 on the pre-print server arXiv, yield essential information regarding the optical variability of this blazar. ⌘ Read more

Giraffes bring peace to Kenyan communities once at odds
On a vast farm in Kenya’s Rift Valley, a veterinarian carefully takes aim before shooting a tranquiliser dart and sending another giraffe sinking slowly to the ground before it is roped and blindfolded. ⌘ Read more

New genetic test can help eliminate a form of inherited blindness in dogs
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a group of inherited diseases that causes progressive degeneration of the light sensitive cells at the back of the eye. Dogs with PRA have normal sight at birth, but by the age of four or five they will be totally blind. There is no treatment. ⌘ Read more

How racialized women can tackle backlash when advocating for change
Racialized women are often at the forefront in the struggle for social justice. Yet that advocacy often comes with significant backlash and threats. In the United States, congresswomen like Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have faced severe backlash for their outspoken stances on racial justice, police reform and foreign policy. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was censured by the House of Representatives for … ⌘ Read more

Insect infestation ravages North African prickly pear
Amor Nouira, a farmer in Tunisia’s Chebika village, has lost hope of saving his prickly pear cacti, ravaged by the cochineal insect spreading across North Africa. ⌘ Read more

Stepping stones for wildlife: How linking up isolated habitats can help nature thrive in our cities
Imagine you’re a fairywren living in a patch of scrub behind a schoolyard in the suburbs. It’s been pretty nice so far, but a recent increase in neighborhood cats and the council’s insect control tactics mean it’s time to look for somewhere safer to live. ⌘ Read more

Saturday Citations: Scientists study monkey faces and cat bellies; another intermediate black hole in the Milky Way
This is not a rerun of last week’s roundup; another group of astronomers found a second intermediate-mass black hole in the Milky Way and I can’t avoid highlighting it. They’re cool! They may have formed in the primordial universe, they comprise the seeds of supermassive black holes, and may be formed by the accretion of multiple stars in a cluster rather than through stellar co … ⌘ Read more