Ward: Education

444

Diversifying US Midwest farming for stability and resilience

Researchers find that diversifying crops and integrating livestock improves farm efficiencies and ecosystem services in the US Midwest. The work is published in PNAS Nexus.

334

Why gold went through the roof this year—and why its price may have been permanently raised

New research from Duke University suggests that the introduction of gold exchange-traded funds permanently pushed up the price of gold.

323

Children face punishment because of unaffordable school uniforms, new poll reveals

Thousands of children are being unfairly punished and excluded from education activities because their families cannot afford expensive school uniforms, according to new research conducted by Dr. Matt Barnes, senior lecturer in sociology at City St George's, University of London for The Children's S…

218

New tests could nearly halve the rate of late-stage cancers, some scientists say — is that true?

Blood tests that look for over a dozen cancers are being developed. But how soon will they help patients?

222

We are living in a golden age of species discovery

The search for life on Earth is speeding up, not slowing down. Scientists are now identifying more than 16,000 new species each year, revealing far more biodiversity than expected across animals, plants, fungi, and beyond. Many species remain undiscovered, especially insects and microbes, and future…

232

The medieval Oxford friar who worked out the makeup of planets and stars

Richard Fishacre used his knowledge of light and colour to argue against ‘fifth element’ theories of the dayAbout 800 years ago, Richard Fishacre, a Dominican friar at the University of Oxford, challenged the scientific thinking of the day, using his understanding of the behaviour of light to show t…

220

These nanoparticles kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones

Researchers have created tiny metal-based particles that push cancer cells over the edge while leaving healthy cells mostly unharmed. The particles work by increasing internal stress in cancer cells until they trigger their own shutdown process. In lab tests, they killed cancer cells far more effect…

200

This tiny peptide could help stop brain damage after injury

A four–amino acid peptide called CAQK has shown powerful brain-protective effects in animal models of traumatic brain injury. Delivered through a standard IV, it zeroes in on injured brain tissue, calming inflammation and reducing cell death while improving recovery. The peptide worked in both mice …

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Correspondence Between Don Knuth and Peter van Emde Boas on Priority Deques 1977 [pdf]

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231

Hagfish olfactory genes hint at ancient origins of vertebrate sense of smell

Researchers at University of Tsukuba and their collaborators have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the olfactory receptor repertoire of the hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri), a jawless vertebrate. This organism retains many primitive features yet possesses a highly developed olfactory system.

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Single-image method can accurately evaluate fibrous material porosity

Researchers from Skoltech Engineering Center's Hierarchically Structured Materials Laboratory have developed a new method to determine the porosity of fibrous materials using a single image taken with a standard optical microscope.

220

Anything-goes “anyons” may be at the root of surprising quantum experiments

MIT physicists say these quasiparticles may explain how superconductivity and magnetism can coexist in certain materials.

220

Roman soldiers defending Hadrian’s Wall had intestinal parasites

Excavations of sewer drains at a Roman fort in northern England have revealed the presence of several parasites that can cause debilitating illness in humans

221

High-achieving adults rarely began as child prodigies

It's easy to assume that the most talented adults among us were once gifted children, but it turns out that talent during childhood is no guide to later success

221

De-extinction was big news in 2025 – but didn't live up to the hype

Biologists poured cold water on Colossal Biosciences’ claim to have brought the dire wolf back from extinction, and some worry the overblown headlines will undermine conservation work

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Best acronym? Best use of AI? We present our end-of-year awards

Feedback has spent some time sifting through 2025's key scientific achievements to come up with a range of weird and wonderful (and less wonderful) winners for our inaugural Backsies awards

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Earth's seasons vary wildly, even at the same latitude, new research finds

Earth's seasons look very different at locations not far from each other, 20 years' worth of satellite data reveals.

200

What’s the best way to expand the US electricity grid?

A study by MIT researchers illuminates choices about reliability, cost, and emissions.

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Why consciousness can’t be reduced to code

The familiar fight between “mind as software” and “mind as biology” may be a false choice. This work proposes biological computationalism: the idea that brains compute, but not in the abstract, symbol-shuffling way we usually imagine. Instead, computation is inseparable from the brain’s physical str…

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Google 2025 recap: Research breakthroughs of the year

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