AI-powered optical detection to thwart counterfeit chips
The semiconductor industry has grown into a $500 billion global market over the last 60 years. However, it is grappling with dual challenges: a profound shortage of new chips and a surge of counterfeit chips, introducing substantial risks of malfunction and unwanted surveillance. In particular, the latter inadvertently gives rise to a $75 billion counterfeit chip market that jeopardizes safety and security across multiple sectors dependent … ⌘ Read more

Smallholder farmers, efficient ranching practices critical to meet restoration targets in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest
A new study led by King’s College London simulated the effects of various restoration policies to assess their impact on biodiversity and agricultural production. ⌘ Read more

New nanoparticle delivery method targets sickle cell mutations in bone marrow
Current gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease are complex, time-consuming, and are sometimes linked to serious side effects like infertility or blood cancer. To address these challenges, Johns Hopkins researchers have developed special nanoparticles that can send gene treatment directly to various types of cells in bone marrow to correct the disease-causing mutations. ⌘ Read more

The winner in China’s panda diplomacy: the pandas themselves
China’s panda diplomacy may have one true winner: the pandas themselves. Decades after Beijing began working with zoos in the U.S. and Europe to protect the species, the number of giant pandas in the wild has risen to 1,900, up from about 1,100 in the 1980s, and they are no longer considered “at risk” of extinction but have been given the safer status of “vulnerable.” ⌘ Read more

Early riser: The sun is already starting its next solar cycle—despite being halfway through its current one
The first rumblings of the sun’s next 11-year solar cycle have been detected in sound waves inside our home star—even though it is only halfway through its current one. ⌘ Read more

Bursting of underwater oil drops: How pollution may remain in water after oil spill cleanups
Oil drops from underwater oil spills can break into tinier droplets at the surface that remain suspended in the water, according to research from the University of Illinois Chicago. That means cleanups after disasters like the Deepwater Horizon spill may be removing less oil from the environment than was thought. ⌘ Read more

Scientists uncover the molecular mechanism behind pineapple peel coloration
Pineapple peel coloration, especially the red hue, significantly enhances its commercial and aesthetic value. However, the genetic mechanisms driving this trait are not well understood, complicating breeding efforts for red-skinned varieties. ⌘ Read more

Nature’s gender reveal: Key gene controls female flowers in Cucurbita pepo
Sex determination in cucurbits such as squash is influenced by a complex interplay of environmental, hormonal, and genetic factors, with ethylene being the primary hormone promoting female flower development. ⌘ Read more

Mathematicians team up with geophysicists to improve models that predict changes in sea ice
Dartmouth researchers are using computational mathematics and machine learning to develop models that better predict sea ice thickness in regions of the Arctic. ⌘ Read more

Observations detect a nearby hypervelocity stellar/substellar object
Using the Keck II telescope, astronomers have detected an object that may be a brown dwarf or a low-mass star, exhibiting a very high radial velocity. The object, designated CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 is located some 400 light years away. The finding was reported July 11 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ Read more

‘Saint or devil’: return of wolf stirs debate in Europe
Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Well, quite a few European governments, it seems. ⌘ Read more

Pompeii skeleton discovery shows another natural disaster may have made Vesuvius eruption even more deadly
Almost 2,000 years ago, Pliny the Younger wrote letters describing the shaking ground as Vesuvius erupted. Now, a collaborative study led by researchers from the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and Pompeii Archaeological Park has shed light on the effects of seismicity associated with the 79 CE eruption. ⌘ Read more

Wildfires in South Africa are set to increase: How legal action can help the country adapt better to climate change
As climate change drives temperature increases and lower precipitation in southern Africa, research has found that there is likely to be an increase in the number of wildfires in regions that are already hot, dry and water scarce. ⌘ Read more

Ten years of data preceding a rockfall in the French Alps suggest the need for more comprehensive monitoring systems
In August 2023, 14,000 cubic meters of sandstone and shale detached from a slope in the French Alps. This rockslide at La Praz closed a road and a major railway between France and Italy at least until the end of 2024. ⌘ Read more

AI method radically speeds predictions of materials’ thermal properties
It is estimated that about 70% of the energy generated worldwide ends up as waste heat. ⌘ Read more

Astronomers detect dozens of new pulsating white dwarfs
Using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have detected 32 new bright pulsating DA white dwarfs of the ZZ Ceti subclass. The finding was reported in a research paper published July 9 on the pre-print server arXiv. ⌘ Read more

Japanese honeybees slap nest-invading ants with their wings to knock them away
A trio of environmental specialists at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, in Japan, has found that Japanese honeybees sometimes resort to slapping ants with their wings to prevent their entry into their nest. ⌘ Read more

Elon Musk says he’s moving SpaceX, X headquarters from California to Texas
Billionaire Elon Musk says he’s moving the headquarters of SpaceX and social media company X to Texas from California. ⌘ Read more

Brazilian researchers discover dinosaur fossil after heavy rains in Rio Grande do Sul
A team of Brazilian scientists has discovered a fossilized skeleton of what they believe is one of the world’s oldest dinosaurs after heavy rains in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul accelerated the natural process of erosion. ⌘ Read more

Webcam monitors hundreds of rattlesnakes at a Colorado ‘mega den’ for citizen science
They creep, slither and slide over and around each other by the dozen and now there’s a webcam so that anybody can watch them online at any time, even at night. ⌘ Read more

Intensive farming could raise risk of new pandemics, researchers warn
Industrialized farming is often thought to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases (those transmitted from animals to humans) because of better control, biosecurity and separation of livestock. ⌘ Read more

Additional taxes vs. water quotas: Study compares systems to manage water consumption in agriculture
Based on a mathematical programming model, a study finds that the proportional allocation of water, and not additional taxes on the resource, is more effective from the point of view of those engaged in agriculture. ⌘ Read more

Metamaterials for the data highway: New concept offers potential for more efficient data storage
Researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), TU Chemnitz, TU Dresden and Forschungszentrum Jülich have been the first to demonstrate that not just individual bits, but entire bit sequences can be stored in cylindrical domains: tiny, cylindrical areas measuring just around 100 nanometers. ⌘ Read more

Neutrino interaction rates measured at unprecedented energies
A team including researchers from the Laboratory for High Energy Physics at the University of Bern has successfully measured the interaction rates of neutrinos at unprecedented energies using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The study was published in the journal Physical Review Letters. ⌘ Read more

Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon that could be used to shelter future explorers
Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. ⌘ Read more

Weather experts discover new effect of storm—in a teacup
Britain, prepare for deep depression: Storms ruin tea. A new study reveals that Storm Ciaran cut an invisible path of mayhem across southern Britain last autumn, destroying any possibility that 20 million people could have a proper cup of tea at breakfast. ⌘ Read more

How a ‘social good’ firm is defined can impact its value creation and value capital
Ventures that pursue both commercial and social value creation have grown in popularity in recent years, but a study published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal better defines four distinct types of social ventures. By training a business model lens on these social good ventures, the study offers insight on how the model choices impact a firm’s value creation and value capture potential. ⌘ Read more

Can rattlesnakes really climb trees in California? Swim? Here’s what experts say
You’re enjoying the evening breeze in your California backyard when you notice something dark and scaly slithering up a tree branch. ⌘ Read more

Wildlife tracking technology that adheres to fur delivers promising results from trials on wild polar bears
Studying polar bears just became a lot easier with new “burr on fur” trackers which confirmed scientists’ belief that subadult and adult males spend most of their time on land lazing around, conserving energy until the ice returns. ⌘ Read more

Greece fears water shortages after warmest winter ever
After Greece’s warmest winter and earliest heat wave on record, authorities are sounding the alarm over the risk of dire water shortages in the heat of the Mediterranean summer. ⌘ Read more

Big boost for new epigenetics paradigm: CoRSIVs, first discovered in humans, now found in cattle
A study published in Genome Biology opens new possibilities to improve production efficiency in the cattle industry and potentially animal agriculture more broadly. A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Cornell University and the USDA discovered that, like humans, cattle have CoRSIVs. ⌘ Read more

Gnatalie is the only green-boned dinosaur found on the planet. She will be on display in LA
The latest dinosaur being mounted at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles is not only a member of a new species—it’s also the only one found on the planet whose bones are green, according to museum officials. ⌘ Read more

3D genome extracted from ‘freeze-dried’ woolly mammoth
About 52,000 years ago, the skinned hide of a Siberian woolly mammoth was exposed to conditions so frigid that it spontaneously freeze-dried, locking its DNA fragments into place. ⌘ Read more

Along shifting coastlines, scientists bring the future into focus
In the wet, muddy places where America’s rivers and lands meet the sea, scientists from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are unearthing clues to better understand how these vital landscapes are evolving under climate change. ⌘ Read more

AI makes writing easier, but stories sound alike
Books and movies of the future could all start to feel the same if creative industries embrace artificial intelligence to help write stories, a study published on Friday warned. ⌘ Read more

Scientists demonstrate chemical reservoir computation using the formose reaction
Researchers from the Institute for Molecules and Materials at Radboud University, Netherlands, have demonstrated that a complex self-organizing chemical reaction network can perform various computational tasks, such as nonlinear classification and complex dynamics prediction. ⌘ Read more

Research shows gamified investment sites have risks for novice investors
What happens when online investment trading platforms start to resemble games that keep people playing for hours, with badges and exploding confetti to reward investors for their engagement? ⌘ Read more

Study examines urban forests across the United States
In recent years, tree-planting campaigns have been underway in the United States, especially in cities, as part of climate mitigation efforts. ⌘ Read more

AI model harnesses physics to autocorrect remote sensing data
Turbulence, temperature changes, water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and other gases absorb, reflect, and scatter sunlight as it passes through the atmosphere, bounces off the Earth’s surface, and is collected by a sensor on a remote sensing satellite. As a result, the spectral data received at the sensor is distorted. ⌘ Read more

Bridging culture, cuisine, and urban planning: New book explores the connections between food and urban spaces
Agriculture, fishing, hunting, and gathering—through thousands of years of urbanization, these ways of acquiring food, which were deciding factors in settlement landscape patterns in the primitive society, have gradually been replaced by the manufacturing, financial, and service industry. Nowadays, urban planning seems to have lost its connection with food. ⌘ Read more

Hubble measures the distance to a supernova
Measuring the distance to truly remote objects like galaxies, quasars, and galaxy clusters is a crucial task in astrophysics, particularly when it comes to studying the early universe, but it’s a difficult one to complete. ⌘ Read more

Scientists create computer program that ‘paints’ the structure of molecules in the style of famous Dutch artist
Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have created a computer program that “paints” the structure of molecules in the style of famous Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian, whose beautiful artworks will be instantly recognizable to many. ⌘ Read more

Securely propagating entanglement at the push of a button
Entanglement, Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance,” today is THE tool of quantum information science. It is the essential resource for quantum computers and used to transmit quantum information in a future quantum network. But it is highly sensitive. It is therefore an enormous challenge to entangle resting quantum bits (qubits) with flying qubits in the form of photons “at the push of a button.” ⌘ Read more

‘We can’t wait another year’: disaster-hit nations call for climate aid
Countries on the frontlines of climate change have warned they cannot wait another year for long-sought aid to recover from disasters as floods and hurricanes wreak havoc across the globe. ⌘ Read more

Dust in the air eased slightly in 2023: UN
The amount of dust in the air eased slightly in 2023, the United Nations said Friday, warning that poor environmental management was fueling sand and dust storms. ⌘ Read more

In Cuba, a haven for the world’s tiniest bird
The wings of the world’s tiniest birds are a near-invisible blur as they whizz around tourists visiting a private Cuban garden that has become a haven for the declining species. ⌘ Read more

Real-life ‘stillsuit’: Dune-inspired upgrade for spacesuits allow astronauts to recycle urine into water
Astronauts on spacewalks famously have to relieve themselves inside their spacesuits. Not only is this uncomfortable for the wearer and unhygienic, it is also wasteful, as—unlike wastewater on board the International Space Station (ISS)—the water in urine from spacewalks is not recycled. ⌘ Read more

Study: Targeted home systems to remove PFAS more cost-effective than system-wide solutions
PFAS, the potentially cancer-causing chemicals known as “forever chemicals,” have become an increasing concern in home drinking water. Solutions to reduce the risk of exposure range from mandated municipal-level water treatment to under-the-sink home treatment systems. ⌘ Read more

Why is Congress filled with old people?
It’s not just presidential candidates who are old. ⌘ Read more

Zero-field NMR spectroscopy measures quadrupolar nuclei for the first time
Researchers at Mainz University and the University of California, Berkeley, have achieved a breakthrough in zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, paving the way towards benchmarking quantum chemistry calculations. ⌘ Read more