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.

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

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.

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.

212

Diversifying US Midwest farming for stability and resilience

The gear meant to protect firefighters may carry hidden dangers

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

Vine-inspired robotic gripper gently lifts heavy and fragile objects

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

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

A new tool is revealing the invisible networks inside cancer

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

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

High-achieving adults rarely began as child prodigies

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

Emphasizing immigrants' deservingness can shift attitudes

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

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

Roman soldiers defending Hadrian’s Wall had intestinal parasites

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

A hidden T cell switch could make cancer immunotherapy work for more people

People saw a new colour for the first time in 2025

We’ve finally cracked how to make truly random numbers

Nuno Loureiro, professor and director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, dies at 47