Team plans 3D modeling project for France’s natural history collections
France’s natural history collections contain nearly 6% of the world’s total natural specimens across multiple institutions, and the e-COL+ project aims to capture and reconstruct these specimens in 3D for easy access and 3D printing around the world. ⌘ Read more

Artificial light is a deadly siren song for young fish
New research finds that artificial light at night (ALAN) attracts larval fish away from naturally lit habitats while dramatically lowering their chances of survival in an “ecological trap,” with serious consequences for fish conservation and fishing stock management. ⌘ Read more

Shark hatching success drops from 82% to 11% in climate change scenario
New experimental research shows that the combined effects of ocean warming and acidification could lead to a catastrophic decrease in embryonic shark survival by the year 2100. This research is also the first to demonstrate that monthly temperature variation plays a prominent role in shark embryo mortality. ⌘ Read more

Six dead as floods inundate vast swath of India, Bangladesh
Six people have been killed in floods precipitated by torrential rains across northeast India and neighboring Bangladesh that inundated the homes of more than a million others, officials said Wednesday. ⌘ Read more

Scientists pinpoint strategies that could stop cats from scratching your furniture
Many cat owners are familiar with torn cushions, carpets, and couches. The feline instinct to scratch is innate, but is often perceived as a behavioral problem by cat owners, and sometimes leads to interventions that are not cat-friendly. ⌘ Read more

Durian genome upgrade reveals the role of chromosome reshuffling
In a study published in the journal Science China Life Sciences, Jianing Yu’s group from Shaanxi Normal University and Yuxian Zhu’s group from Wuhan University assembled a reference durian genome of 777.8 Mb with 28 chromosomes and 38,728 protein-coding genes. ⌘ Read more

Study: More complaints, worse performance when AI monitors employees
Organizations using AI to monitor employees’ behavior and productivity can expect them to complain more, be less productive and want to quit more—unless the technology can be framed as supporting their development, Cornell research finds. ⌘ Read more

German scientists investigate supernova remnant SNR G309.8+00.0 at high energies
Using Spektr-RG and Fermi space observatories, German astronomers have investigated the supernova remnant SNR G309.8+00.0 in X-rays and gamma rays. Results of the new study, presented June 25 on the preprint server arXiv, deliver important insights into the properties of this supernova remnant. ⌘ Read more

Study reveals gut cells’ role in marine worm regeneration
The sea worm Platynereis dumerilii is only a few centimeters long, but has a remarkable ability: In just a few days, it can regenerate entire parts of its body after an injury or amputation. By focusing more specifically on the mechanisms at play in the regeneration of this worm’s tail, a research team led by a CNRS scientist has observed that gut cells play a role in the regeneration of the intestine as well as other tissues such as muscle and e … ⌘ Read more

Increased atmospheric moisture may dampen the ‘seeds’ of hurricanes
Increased atmospheric moisture may alter critical weather patterns over Africa, making it more difficult for the predecessors of many Atlantic hurricanes to form, according to a new study published this month. The work is published in the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems. ⌘ Read more

A novel way to save rhinos: Inserting radioisotopes into 20 live rhinoceros
After three years of meticulous and dedicated hard work, the Rhisotope Project at Wits University has successfully inserted low doses of radioisotopes into 20 live rhinoceros. ⌘ Read more

Is bird flu in cattle here to stay?
Despite assurances from the federal government that bird flu will be eradicated from the nation’s dairy cows, some experts worry the disease is here to stay. ⌘ Read more

Japan launches an advanced Earth observation satellite on its new flagship H3 rocket
Japan deployed an upgraded Earth observation satellite for disaster response and security after it was launched on a new flagship H3 rocket Monday. ⌘ Read more

Most marine protection measures are not working—a new, more flexible approach is needed
The radio crackles into life on a small boat off an idyllic beach in Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. Two recreational fishers are trying to catch prized spangled emperors in a sanctuary zone, where all fishing is supposed to be banned, to help protect this fish from overfishing. ⌘ Read more

Homestays can help refugee women adapt to life in a new country
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 117 million people are displaced worldwide. Many of those displaced from their homes are women and girls. In 2020, women and girls constituted about 46% of the refugees who were resettled in Canada. ⌘ Read more

Hurricane Beryl, first of 2024 season, bears down on Caribbean
Much of the southeast Caribbean was on alert Sunday as Beryl strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, with forecasters warning it will swiftly become a major storm. ⌘ Read more

Animal rescuers try to keep dozens of dolphins away from Cape Cod shallows after mass stranding
Animal rescuers were trying to keep dozens of dolphins away from shallow waters around Cape Cod on Saturday after 125 of the creatures stranded themselves a day earlier. ⌘ Read more

A ‘trilobite Pompeii’: Perfectly preserved fossils of ancient sea critters found buried in volcanic ash
If you’ve ever visited the fossil gallery of a natural history museum—or its gift shop, for that matter—you’ve probably seen the armored body remains (or exoskeletons) of an extinct group of animals called trilobites. These ancient marine arthropods lived in the world’s oceans from 521 million to 252 million years ago. ⌘ Read more

Fast fashion is harming our planet—these four tips can help you build a more sustainable wardrobe
As sunny summer days return in the northern hemisphere, you may be looking to refresh your wardrobe. The allure of a whole “new you” is pervasive, and the foundation of many a successful marketing campaign. ⌘ Read more

Planting giant cactus to stave off desertification in Brazil
Giant spiky cacti tower over farmer Alcides Peixinho Nascimento, 70, one of the residents of Brazil’s unique Caatinga biome who is on a mission to plant native vegetation in a bid to halt desertification. ⌘ Read more

NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting of Boeing capsule
Two NASA astronauts will stay longer at the International Space Station as engineers troubleshoot problems on Boeing’s new space capsule that cropped up on the trip there. ⌘ Read more

New computational microscopy technique provides more direct route to crisp images
For hundreds of years, the clarity and magnification of microscopes were ultimately limited by the physical properties of their optical lenses. Microscope makers pushed those boundaries by making increasingly complicated and expensive stacks of lens elements. Still, scientists had to decide between high resolution and a small field of view on the one hand or low resolution and a large field of view on the other. ⌘ Read more

LLNL gamma-ray sensor has the best resolution
It’s official. An instrument designed and built by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers is the highest-resolution gamma ray sensor that has ever flown in space. ⌘ Read more

Astronomers discover two new Milky Way satellite galaxy candidates
For years, astronomers have worried about how to explain why the Milky Way has fewer satellite galaxies than the standard dark matter model predicts. This is called the “missing satellites problem.” ⌘ Read more

New class of Mars quakes reveals daily meteorite strikes
An international team of researchers, co-led by ETH Zurich and Imperial College London, has derived the first estimate of global meteorite impacts on Mars using seismic data. Their findings indicate that between 280 to 360 meteorites strike the planet each year, forming impact craters greater than 8 meters (about 26 feet) across. ⌘ Read more

No evidence that England’s new ‘biodiversity boost’ planning policy will help birds or butterflies
A new legal requirement for developers to demonstrate a biodiversity boost in planning applications could make a more meaningful impact on nature recovery if improvements are made to the way nature’s value is calculated, say researchers at the University of Cambridge. ⌘ Read more

US states shape foreign policy amid national China unease, research shows
State-level officials such as governors, state legislators and attorneys general are shaping U.S.-China relations as the two countries navigate a strained geopolitical relationship, according to new research by political scientist Kyle Jaros. ⌘ Read more

World’s smallest living elephants listed as Endangered on Red List
A newly confirmed elephant subspecies is already at risk of extinction. ⌘ Read more

What’s really inside vapes? We pulled them apart to find out
While vapes or e-cigarettes first appeared around 20 years ago as an alternative to smoking, their prevalence and use have increasingly become problematic. ⌘ Read more

2024’s violent tornado season has been one of the most active on record
Spring 2024 was unnerving for people across large parts of the U.S. as tornado warnings and sirens sent them scrambling for safety. ⌘ Read more

NASA picks SpaceX to carry ISS to its watery graveyard after 2030
NASA on Tuesday said it had picked SpaceX to build a vessel to carry the International Space Station back through Earth’s atmosphere and on to a final resting place in the Pacific Ocean after it is retired in 2030. ⌘ Read more

Early childhood problems linked to persistent school absenteeism
Children who are not considered “school-ready” by their teachers are more than twice as likely to become persistently absent at some point in their education, according to a new study led by the University of Leeds. ⌘ Read more

Wolves reintroduced to Isle Royale temporarily affect other carnivores, humans have influence as well
In a rare opportunity to study carnivores before and after wolves were reintroduced to their ranges, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison found that the effects of wolves on Isle Royale have been only temporary. And even in the least-visited national park, humans had a more significant impact on carnivores’ lives. ⌘ Read more

Study identifies biting flies as reservoirs of bacteria that cause bovine mastitis on dairy farms
Bovine mastitis, which affects cows, leads to reduced milk production and can be fatal if left untreated. The USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System has reported cases in 99.7% of all dairy operations in the U.S., making it the most prevalent disease on dairy farms. ⌘ Read more

First radioactive rhino horns to curb poaching in S.Africa
South African scientists on Tuesday injected radioactive material into live rhino horns to make them easier to detect at border posts in a pioneering project aimed at curbing poaching. ⌘ Read more

The plants bees need to maintain a healthy diet have been revealed
As critical pollinators, bees keep our agricultural systems going—but human-caused changes to the planet heavily impact their foraging options. To help protect our food security, we need more information about bees’ own dietary requirements. Scientists writing in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems have studied the nutritional value of 57 types of pollen and found that bees need to forage from a variety of plants to balance their diet bet … ⌘ Read more

Dollars and scents: How the right smells can encourage shoppers to buy healthier foods
Imagine walking down the aisle of your local grocery store. The scent of mixed herbs catches your attention, mentally transporting you to a kitchen filled with the aroma of your favorite home-cooked meal. ⌘ Read more

Foregoing quantum chaos to achieve high-fidelity quantum state transfer
An international team of scientists from China and the U.S. has developed a scalable protocol for high-fidelity quantum state transfer (QST) in a 36-qubit superconducting quantum circuit. ⌘ Read more

New method to degrade PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ found effective in the lab
Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as “forever chemicals” because they are notoriously resistant to degradation. Due to their stable chemical structure, PFAS—which are found in thousands of variants—are used in oil and grease-resistant food packaging, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, clothing, and fire-fighting foams. ⌘ Read more

Researchers illuminate the evolution of firefly lights
The leading hypothesis for the origin of firefly lights has been overturned by a genomic analysis. It had been posited that the bright lights emitted by many species in the Lampyridae family of beetles—better known as fireflies—first evolved as a warning signal to predators, advertising the toxicity of fireflies, and were then repurposed as a mating signal. This explanation would account for why eggs, larvae, and pupae also glow. ⌘ Read more

Turning pine needles into energy to reduce wildfire risks
The increasing frequency of environmental fires is a serious issue around the world and one that is being exacerbated by climate change. Millions of hectares and thousands of homes are at risk. Recovery times will run to decades for much of the devastation in Australia, Greece, California, India, and elsewhere. ⌘ Read more

China lunar probe returns to Earth with samples
A Chinese probe carrying samples from the far side of the moon returned to Earth on Tuesday, capping a technically complex 53-day mission heralded as a world first. ⌘ Read more

Study: Teacher perceptions of chronically absent young students may add to the challenges of missing school
A new study finds that early elementary school teachers report feeling less close to chronically absent students and view them less positively, even when those students do not cause trouble in the classroom. This “cooling down” in the relationship between teachers and their chronically absent students may exacerbate the academic challenges these children face. ⌘ Read more

Secrets of salt drop stains unveiled: New research decodes chemical composition from simple photos
Imagine zooming in on a dried drop of salt solution—each pattern a unique masterpiece, reminiscent of abstract art, yet no larger than the size of a penny. ⌘ Read more

AI-based approach matches protein interaction partners
Proteins are the building blocks of life, involved in virtually every biological process. Understanding how proteins interact with each other is crucial for deciphering the complexities of cellular functions, and has significant implications for drug development and the treatment of diseases. ⌘ Read more

Dubai to build $8 bn stormwater runoff system after record floods
Dubai on Monday announced an $8 billion plan for a stormwater runoff system, two months after an unprecedented deluge and widespread flooding brought the desert state to a standstill. ⌘ Read more

Mashed up purple marine bacteria makes an excellent eco-friendly fertilizer
New research published in npj Sustainable Agriculture reports that biomass made from the purple photosynthetic marine bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum is an excellent nitrogen fertilizer. ⌘ Read more

Genetic switch in plants can turn simple spoon-shaped leaves into complex leaves with leaflets
The diversity of forms of living organisms is enormous. But how the individual cells together coordinate the formation of organs and tissues in complex organisms is still an open question. ⌘ Read more

Archaeologists find 18th century artifact at Colonial Michilimackinac
Archaeologists made an intriguing find this week at Michigan’s Colonial Michilimackinac, Mackinac State Historic Parks officials said, an 18th century brass trade ring. ⌘ Read more

Ethylene oxide emissions from two plants could have raised cancer risks for Illinois residents, report shows
People living near two Lake County industries could face significantly greater risks of developing certain cancers, according to a new federal study based on monitoring of ethylene oxide pollution in surrounding neighborhoods. ⌘ Read more