Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Record wildfire losses rocked 2025 even as global burned area neared all-time lows
A new analysis of global wildfire activity in 2025 reveals the world experienced some of the most destructive and deadly fire events in recent history, despite...
Parasitic fly 'sacrifices sight' after finding host, study shows
Deer keds—biting flies found across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas—use their eyes and flight to locate a host, typically deer, but occasionally humans or...
A natural chemistry laboratory in protostar shock waves
Life exists because elements combine to form complex organic molecules. Astrochemistry studies this process, trying to understand how nature creates carbon-base...
What 'biodegradable' packaging really means—and three key questions to ask about it
"Biodegradable" has become one of the most reassuring words in modern packaging. It appears on coffee cups, shopping bags and food containers, implying a promis...
Bacteria uncover distinct strategy to import rare sugar polymers, crystal structures show
Even though sugars are often framed as simple sources of energy, they also serve as structurally complex and functionally diverse molecules that mediate interac...
Supermassive black holes could be the universe's biggest planet nurseries
Supermassive black holes are the largest known black holes in the universe, sitting at the center of most large galaxies. They are sometimes described as cosmic...
In Senegal, a 2,000‑year‑old iron workshop sheds new light on the past
How was iron produced 2,000 years ago in Senegal? A recent study at the Didé West 1 archaeological site, in the Falémé Valley in eastern Senegal, sheds light on...
AI crosses catalyst boundaries to uncover new route for green hydrogen
Discovering new catalysts is one of the central challenges in developing clean-energy technologies such as green hydrogen production. Yet catalyst discovery has...
Legal reforms to stop abusive SLAPPs fail to stop chilling effect of the powerful, study warns
Legal reforms designed to curb the abusive use of "SLAPPs" are insufficient to stop the rich and powerful trying to block freedom of speech, a new study warns....
A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain
Ancient Egyptians are often depicted wearing black eyeliner, known as kohl, which was stored in small containers. While kohl containers are typically found thro...
Central Africa's wild meat dilemma: Why outright bans threaten food security for millions
Millions of people in central Africa rely on wild meat for their nutrition, especially in rural areas around the Congo rainforest, the second largest tropical r...
Why many fungicide-treated soybean seeds may boost harvests but not farm profits
Many soybean farmers use seeds treated with fungicides to ward off disease, but the profits from these increased yields might not offset the cost of the treatme...