Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Holding out or holding back? Kindergarten redshirting and retention shifted sharply during the pandemic
By the time a child reaches the age of 4 or 5, most parents and caregivers have heard about "kindergarten readiness." But what if a 5-year-old still struggles t...
New optogenetic tool inhibits activity in neurons and heart muscle cells
Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum have partnered with colleagues in Göttingen, Berlin, Paris and Essen to develop new optogenetic tools that can selective...
U.K. exam board science specifications reveal gender gap that may influence girls' STEM choices
An absence of women scientists in U.K. exam board specifications for science could be a factor in the disproportionate number of girls dropping STEM subjects at...
Candida auris: A harbinger of further dangerous fungal species?
Why has the yeast Candida auris become a dangerous pathogen worldwide in just a few years? This question is on the minds of many researchers. Carla Schuh and Ch...
Data vital in holding militaries accountable for the environmental toll of war
Ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP31) meeting in Antalya, Turkiye, held in Nov. 2026, an expert writing in The BMJ's climate issue argues that acc...
Rising military spending could worsen climate change and undermine security, experts warn
Investing more in the military is not a solution to climate change and may cost us our security, warn experts in The BMJ's climate issue. In the first article,...
Laser-made lattice reveals discrete light solitons in tunable atomic vapor
Scientists from the Quantum Technologies Group at the Institute of Physics Zagreb, in collaboration with a colleague from the Physics Department at the Faculty...
How rice coordinates signals to partner with beneficial soil fungi
Most plants do not gather nutrients from the soil entirely on their own. Many form partnerships with microscopic fungi that grow inside their roots and extend i...
Study finds air quality warnings had only a modest impact on Montrealers' movements during wildfires
When Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) urged Montrealers to limit outdoor activity during Canada's worst wildfire smoke episodes, the city's travel p...
Perovskite laser maintains stable performance over 400 million pulses
In a study published in Advanced Optical Materials, researchers at Vilnius University (VU) demonstrated perovskite-based laser structures that maintained stable...
Not all rattlesnakes are alike: Research suggests personality influences how rattlesnakes use their venom
Imagine encountering a rattlesnake in your backyard or while on a hike. It will most likely "freeze" to avoid attracting attention, but if it feels especially t...
How a massive ice shelf buttressed the last ice age's glaciers—and what it could mean for Antarctica today
About 20,000 years ago, an enormous, floating ice shelf more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) thick helped lock in three of the largest ice sheets in northern Canad...