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.

424

The gear meant to protect firefighters may carry hidden dangers

Firefighter turnout gear is designed to shield first responders from extreme heat and danger, but new research suggests it may also introduce chemical exposures. A U.S. study found that brominated flame retardants are present across multiple layers of firefighter gear, including newer equipment mark…

422

From biting flies to feathered dinosaurs, scientists reveal 70 new species

Researchers announced over 70 new species in a single year, including bizarre insects, ancient dinosaurs, rare mammals, and deep-river fish. Many were found not in the wild, but in museum collections, proving that major discoveries can still be hiding in plain sight.

325

Ancient oceans were ruled by super predators unlike anything today

Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found predators operating at a food-chain level higher than any seen today. The ancient seas were bursting with l…

329

Vine-inspired robotic gripper gently lifts heavy and fragile objects

The new design could be adapted to assist the elderly, sort warehouse products, or unload heavy cargo.

320

Scalable method enables ultrahigh-resolution quantum dot displays without damaging performance

Over the past decade, colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as promising materials for next-generation displays due to their tunable emission, high brightness, and compatibility with low-cost solution processing. However, a major challenge is achieving ultrahigh-resolution patterning without dam…

319

18,000 years ago, ice age humans built dwellings out of mammoth bones in Ukraine

Some people in Ukraine weathered the harshest moments of the last ice age by creating shelters made partly of mammoth bones and tusks.

320

A new tool is revealing the invisible networks inside cancer

Spanish researchers have created a powerful new open-source tool that helps uncover the hidden genetic networks driving cancer. Called RNACOREX, the software can analyze thousands of molecular interactions at once, revealing how genes communicate inside tumors and how those signals relate to patient…

232

Oldest evidence of fire-lighting comes from early humans in Britain

An excavation in Suffolk, UK, has uncovered pyrite and flint that appear to have been used by ancient humans to light fires some 400,000 years ago

220

This fish-inspired filter removes over 99% of microplastics

Washing machines release massive amounts of microplastics into the environment, mostly from worn clothing fibers. Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed a new, fish-inspired filter that removes over 99% of these particles without clogging. The design mimics the funnel-shaped gill syste…

218

Gravitational waves may reveal hidden dark matter around black holes

Gravitational waves from black holes may soon reveal where dark matter is hiding. A new model shows how dark matter surrounding massive black holes leaves detectable fingerprints in the waves recorded by future space observatories.

218

A quantum mystery that stumped scientists for decades is solved

A long-standing physics mystery has been solved with the discovery of emergent photon-like behavior inside a strange quantum material. The finding confirms a true 3D quantum spin liquid and unlocks a new way to study deeply entangled matter.

218

The 98% mystery: Scientists just cracked the code on “junk DNA” linked to Alzheimer’s

Researchers have revealed that so-called “junk DNA” contains powerful switches that help control brain cells linked to Alzheimer’s disease. By experimentally testing nearly 1,000 DNA switches in human astrocytes, scientists identified around 150 that truly influence gene activity—many tied to known …

221

Scientists Found the Deepest Known Arctic Vent—and It’s Teeming With Life

The deepest recorded cold Arctic vent is a living surprise, researchers say.

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

221

Emphasizing immigrants' deservingness can shift attitudes

A study conducted during the 2024 French elections finds that information about immigrants' efforts to overcome poverty and learn French reduces negative beliefs about immigration and modestly decreases opposition to immigration among voters. The study is published in the journal PNAS Nexus.

220

A molecular switch for green hydrogen: Catalyst changes function based on how it's assembled

Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, but it relies on efficient and stable catalysts that work under acidic conditions—currently dominated by precious metals like iridium and platinum.