The Genetic Net: Tracking Insects — and Biodiversity — with eDNA
Few tools measure biodiversity on a grand scale, and there’s still much scientists don’t know despite the intrinsic role that insects, particularly pollinators, play in the ecosystem. Most of those...
View ArticleA Polluted Peruvian City Prevails in International Court
A landmark ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ordered the government of Peru to provide free medical care and compensation to 80 people impacted by a smelting and refining plant....
View ArticleThe Quest to Find and Identify Missing Persons
Scientists are testing environmental DNA as a tool to help search for, locate, and repatriate lost soldiers’ remains. The research is still in the fledgling stages, but if the findings prove promising,...
View ArticleCan a ‘Net-Zero’ World Lead to True Sustainability?
Ambitious plans to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions across the economy focus on engineering solutions such as carbon capture. But to achieve true sustainability, society must look beyond...
View ArticleWhen Dementia Strikes a Beloved Writer
Beloved Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriel García Márquez wanted his last book — which he wrote as dementia set in — to be destroyed. But “Until August” was posthumously published last month, providing...
View ArticleLow-frequency Noise Is Pervasive. Does That Matter?
Unlike high-frequency sounds, low-frequency waves can penetrate walls and carry farther distances. The research on low-frequencies is also thinner, but some experts say they can be a health hazard,...
View ArticleIn Two States, Transforming the Model for Palliative Care
Palliative care provides a constellation of services to people with serious or chronic illness, not just end-of-life care. As two states pioneer was to expand access, a growing body of research shows...
View ArticleBrushing with Bacteria: The Debate Over a GMO Tooth Microbe
One startup has said a genetically modified microbe could prevent cavities. Experts, though, have safety and ethical concerns: The treatment has never been tested on humans in a clinical study. There’s...
View ArticleAI Won’t Fix Animal Agriculture
Precision livestock farming tools that make use of artificial intelligence offer a way to continuously and precisely monitor animals in real time. But to a group of scientists who advocate for a move...
View ArticleBook Review: A New Chapter in the Quest for a Longer Life
Can scientists unlock the keys to a longer life? The field is flush with hope and hype. In “Why We Die,” biologist and Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan explores the science of aging, and helps readers...
View ArticleProtecting the Darkness in Chile’s Atacama Desert
The Atacama boasts high altitudes and clear skies, making it a haven for stargazing. And by 2030, Chile will be home to almost 70 percent of the world’s astronomical infrastructure. Light pollution,...
View ArticleAmid Water Crisis, Mexico City’s Metro System Is Sinking Unevenly
Propelled by the draining of local aquifers, Mexico City’s land is sinking fast. New research surveys how uneven changes in the landscape are impacting the sprawling transportation system — a problem...
View ArticleThe Lasting Impact of Exposure to Gun Violence
The long-term effects of firearm violence in urban communities — and among young people in particular — are understudied, researchers say. But several recent papers use new methods and datasets to...
View ArticleAre Academic Publishers Ignoring the Theft of Ukrainian Fossils?
Russian scientists publish extensively on fossils taken from Taurida Cave in occupied Crimea. The editorial boards and publishers of international journals, as well as the scientific community, appear...
View ArticleBook Review: The Enduring Allure of Alien Worlds
In her new book, “Alien Worlds: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos,” astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger, who founded the Carl Sagan Institute, explores how scientists might find life elsewhere in...
View ArticleTesting the Waters: Scotland Surges Ahead on Ocean Power
There is no question that the planet’s oceans contain enormous amounts of energy. But can that energy be harnessed economically — or is the idea of pulling watts from the water doomed to be a sideshow...
View ArticleTo Protect Livestock From Predators, Some Look to the Skies
In Oregon and Montana, researchers and landowners have been experimenting with drones to scare off predators who might otherwise prey on livestock. The approach is promising, but is limited by expense,...
View ArticleIndigenous Forest Gardens Help Bolster Land Rights Arguments
For one First Nation, the Nuchatlaht First Nation, researchers’ work regarding forest gardens is being used to support a legal land claim against the province of British Columbia and the Attorney...
View ArticleYouth Transgender Care Policies Should Be Driven by Science
In the U.S., some states guarantee minors full access to gender-affirming medical care while others ban such care outright. Instead, states should follow Europe’s example by adjusting policies based on...
View ArticleBook Review: The Hidden Extinction Crisis of Natural Historians
In “Unrooted,” science writer Erin Zimmerman uses historical examples to show how her experience as a former 21st-century botanist is still influenced by structural sexism, at the same time that...
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