Field notes: Life in the Eldorado National Forest after wildfire strikes
Charred trees punctuated the Eldorado National Forest like blackened skeletons of their former selves, victims of the Mosquito Fire. Two years earlier, in 2022, the Mosquito Fire started in Tahoe National Forest, moved north to the Eldorado and torch.....»»
Capturing the turbulence of landfalling hurricane winds
When Hurricane Milton roared onshore in Florida last month, its powerful winds shredded the roof of Tropicana Field in Tampa, which had originally been planned as a staging area for emergency responders. Other parts of the city, however, suffered muc.....»»
Ryugu asteroid sample rapidly colonized by terrestrial life despite strict contamination control
Panspermia is the hypothesis that life can survive the transfer between planetary bodies as a secondary path for life to get started on planets throughout a solar system. The discovery of extraterrestrial life on asteroids or within meteorites would.....»»
AI and genus-conditioned algorithms create precise simulation-ready models of 600,000 existing urban trees
The Irish philosopher George Berkely, best known for his theory of immaterialism, once famously mused, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" What about AI-generated trees? They probably wouldn't make a s.....»»
Gabon forest elephant forays into villages spark ire
In heavily forested Gabon, elephants are increasingly wandering into villages and destroying crops, angering the local population who demand the power to stop the critically endangered animals in their tracks......»»
Origin of life research finds RNA can favor both left- and right-handed proteins
The mystery of why life uses molecules with specific orientations has deepened with a discovery that RNA—a key molecule thought to have potentially held the instructions for life before DNA emerged—can favor making the building blocks of proteins.....»»
Urgent need to enable more farmers and contractors to revive England"s network of hedgerows
A new comprehensive survey has highlighted an urgent need to enable more farmers and contractors to revive England's hedgerows to meet national restoration targets. While agri-environment schemes (AES) have improved the condition of these iconic land.....»»
Indonesian social forestry often excludes women from decisions, risking greater inequality
Our analysis of Indonesia's social forestry permits shows that women remain underrepresented in forest management bodies despite efforts to boost their presence, leaving them out of decisions about their forests......»»
Scientists uncover cross-species neural mechanism for early detection of life motion in visual processing
Visual systems of both humans and animals can detect life motion from the environment at the earliest stage of visual processing, research by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) uncovered......»»
Mixed forests can reduce the risk of forest damage in a warmer climate
Forests with few tree species pose a considerably higher risk of being damaged, and the introduced lodgepole pine is especially vulnerable. This is the finding of a new study published in Ecosphere by researchers from Umeå University and the Swedish.....»»
Ultra-compact optical design enhances virtual and augmented reality device cameras
Researchers from Seoul National University College of Engineering announced they have developed an optical design technology that dramatically reduces the volume of cameras with a folded lens system utilizing "metasurfaces," a next-generation nano-op.....»»
Decontaminating toxic tires: Researchers show ability to remove toxic particles from end-of-life tires
Tires are an indispensable part of daily life. Without them, our vehicles would just be a bunch of assembled parts—convenient to sit in, but not effective for getting where you are going......»»
Apple’s best selling iPhone models aren’t what you’d expect, but there’s a good reason
Early in the iPhone’s life, Apple made only one model for everyone. Today, the company releases four flagships every year and also offers the iPhone SE and older models. It’s a lot to keep up with, but a new report gives us a good picture of whic.....»»
Australian women are still being paid almost $30,000 a year less than men and the gap widens with age
Australia's gender pay gap has been shrinking year by year, but is still over 20% among Australia's private companies, a new national report card shows......»»
Many physicists argue the universe is fine-tuned for life. Our findings question this idea
Physicists have long grappled with the question of why the universe was able to support the evolution of intelligent life. The values of the many forces and particles, represented by some 30 so-called fundamental constants, all seem to line up perfec.....»»
Life in the world"s deepest seas: The challenge of finding 1,000 new marine species by 2030
Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface, but despite their immense size and impact on the planet, we know very little about them. While many of us might associate the sea with relaxing holidays on tropical beaches, the ocean is nothing but cold, dark.....»»
Neither desolate nor empty: Deep-sea floor teems with life
The Arctic deep sea harbors significant oil and natural gas reserves along with valuable resources such as rare earths and metals. Climate change and melting ice are facilitating access to these resources, which presents economic opportunities but al.....»»
Invasive zebra mussels are associated with elevated mercury levels in fish, study finds
A study found that invasive zebra mussels significantly alter aquatic ecosystems, and are associated with elevated mercury concentrations in fish. Mercury, a potent neurotoxin, poses a serious threat to both aquatic life and human health......»»
20 years ago, Nicolas Cage took audiences on a globe-trotting adventure in this heist movie
National Treasure is celebrating its 20th anniversary. See why Nicolas Cage's action adventure film still holds up today......»»
Smoke changes over time and distance, but health risks remain
A study of air quality in New York City while it was heavily affected by Canadian wildfire smoke revealed that multi-day transport to the New York region significantly transformed the smoke, but serious health risks remained. The results are publishe.....»»
Dramatic decline in Tongariro"s native plants as invasive heather spreads
Native plants in the Tongariro National Park are being hit hard by the spread of invasive heather with a 40% to 50% drop in native species in some areas, a new study published in Oecologia has found......»»