The deliberate destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian war unleashed a hidden environmental crisis, destroying ecosystems and releasing polluted sediments into downstream water systems. The study found that the collapse triggered substantial erosion, soil loss, and vegetation uprooting, driving extensive h...
The NIH's flat 15% funding policy is misguided, as it disregards essential indirect costs that enable scientific research. Cutting F&A funding will ultimately weaken research capacity, stifle scientific competitiveness, and impose financial strain on institutions.
Early mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs were likely covered in dark and dusky greyish-brown fur, hinting at their ecological niche as nocturnal animals. Their pelage coloration played an important role in communication, camouflage, thermoregulation, and protection.
Researchers found that quantum annealing processors achieve computational advantage in simulating complex problems involving quantum spin dynamics and the transverse-field Ising model. The results demonstrate severe limitations of classical simulation methods, which require impractically large computational resources and time.
A genome-wide association study of Labrador retrievers identified the DENND1B gene as a key factor in canine obesity, with strong genetic similarities to its human counterpart. The study highlights the value of using dogs as a model for studying human obesity and reveals potential targets for future research.
A genomic study found that traditional manioc farming practices have maintained high genetic diversity in the crop. The research analyzed 573 manioc genomes and discovered vast regions of identical DNA among cultivated varieties worldwide.
A new study reveals a 22% decline in US butterfly populations over 20 years, with all regions affected. The decline is driven by sharp losses in individual species, with 33% experiencing significant declines and only 3% gaining population.
The Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST) aims to reduce barriers hindering progress, build a stronger workforce, and advance global competitiveness while addressing societal challenges. The VAST Task Force's recommendations will unlock the US science and technology sector's full potential and secure economic prosperity.
A comprehensive phylogeny of living Mollusca resolves complicated relationships among eight classes, including bivalves and cephalopods. The study supports a Cambrian origin for Mollusca, with key clades Aculifera and Conchifera emerging rapidly.
A new study finds that precession initiates deglaciation while obliquity triggers interglacial conditions. The researchers used benthic oxygen isotope records to quantify glacial transitions and estimate the next glacial period will begin in 11,000 years.
A recent VR study on locusts' navigation challenges classical models of collective swarming behavior, revealing internal cognitive decision-making processes. The findings suggest that locusts do not follow fixed interaction rules as previously thought, but instead respond to their sensory environment with probabilistic decision-making.
A new study estimates that overuse of Bt maize has led to significant economic losses for US farmers, with a total cost of $1.6 billion. The findings highlight the need for improved seed diversity, transparency, and farmer decision-making to sustain transgenic crop benefits.
A new study introduces Mal-ID, a machine learning framework that analyzes immune receptor datasets to identify disease signatures. It achieved high classification accuracy in distinguishing six distinct disease states with a multiclass AUROC score of 0.986.
Researchers have developed a new approach to break down commercial plastics like Plexiglass into their original monomers. This process uses violet light irradiation in dichlorobenzene solvent, enabling thorough purification and repolymerization of the plastic material.
The global high-performance computing landscape is shifting due to the use of lower-precision chips and increasing power consumption, posing a threat to its future. To address these challenges, a multiagency effort is needed to reenergize R&D and promote international collaboration.
Researchers developed robotic collectives inspired by cell-cell interaction mechanisms in living tissues. The system can dynamically adjust rigidity and fluidity, exhibiting self-healing, object manipulation, and adaptability to support loads exceeding individual unit weight.
Researchers designed functional serine hydrolase enzymes using a novel machine learning network, predicting precise atomic structures of enzyme active sites. The approach successfully created enzymes capable of efficiently catalyzing complex reactions, yielding five distinct enzyme folds.
Researchers found northern elephant seals serve as sentinels for northeast Pacific Ocean twilight zone ecosystem health, providing insights into prey dynamics and food webs. The study reveals rapid fluctuations in fish populations every three to five years, patterns impossible to measure through direct observation.
Researchers used seismic noise data to track groundwater storage changes in the Greater Los Angeles region. The study found that only 25% of groundwater lost over two decades was replenished by 2023 storms, highlighting substantial long-term depletion and slow recovery of deep aquifers.
Stream networks in the US increase significantly with seasonal rainfall and snowmelt, influencing sediment transport and aquatic habitats. The study provides a framework for forecasting climate-driven changes in stream networks across the continental US.
Research on Earth's frozen places reveals severe changes due to climate change, including ice-free Arctic Oceans and quadrupled melt zones in Greenland.
A new study reveals that whale song can be as efficient as human communication, with 11 out of 16 species displaying Menzerath's law. Humpback whales also follow Zipf's law, exhibiting statistically coherent subsequences that conform to a power law, similar to human language.
Researchers identify adrenomedullin as a key contributor to insulin resistance in blood vessels, a major factor in type 2 diabetes and obesity. Blocking adrenomedullin's effects restores insulin function and improves glucose control in a mouse model.
Researchers have uncovered a neural mechanism in mice that enables them to override instinctive fear responses, which may contribute to inappropriate or excessive fear responses. Targeting these circuits could offer new therapeutic avenues for treating fear-related disorders.
A new study reveals that India's successful tiger recovery is driven by factors such as protection, prey availability, peace, and prosperity. The country has managed to double its tiger population since 2010, thanks in part to the establishment of protected areas and conservation efforts.
A new bioenergetic model reveals that sea ice loss and feeding limitations are the primary drivers of a ~50% polar bear population decline since the mid-1990s. The study's findings have implications for conservation efforts, suggesting that individual energetic constraints can shape population-level outcomes.
The 2023 Sikkim flood was triggered by a landslide into South Lhonak Lake, releasing massive amounts of water and sediment that caused widespread devastation. Climate warming intensified the event, with heavy rainfall priming the landscape for landslides that compounded sediment transport and downstream destruction.
New research reveals that scratching an itch can boost immune defenses against bacterial infections at the injury site, while also triggering inflammation. The study found that scratching activates pain-sensing neurons that release substance P, which stimulates mast cells to increase inflammation.
The partnership aims to strengthen ProRata's search engine, Gist.ai, by incorporating AAAS's open-access journal Science Advances and award-winning news stories. This will provide a more informed relationship between readers, AI tools, and original sources of scientific information.
The AAAS + ASU Collaborative aims to elevate strategies for advancing scientific excellence and enabling a boldly inclusive scientific enterprise. The partnership includes a joint prize on transformational research with clear impacts on policy.
Researchers introduce CASTER, a tool that uses site patterns to infer species trees from whole-genome alignments. The new approach offers transformative potential for evolutionary research, outperforming traditional methods in accuracy and scalability.
A new study reveals that a single gene, HSD17B2, underlies the variations in male ruff sandpiper mating morphs. This gene influences testosterone levels, which drive physical traits and social behaviors, including courtship.
A year-long study in Antarctica found that krill's vertical migrations contribute less than 10% to deep ocean carbon sequestration, challenging conventional assumptions. The study suggests that traditional models overestimate the role of krill in carbon export, resulting in a 200% overestimation.
A new study models habitat and climate needs of over 14,234 globally distributed vertebrate species to evaluate land-based climate mitigation strategies. Reforestation offers a clear net benefit to global biodiversity by mitigating climate change and expanding habitats.
Researchers analyzed fossil specimens and tooth enamel to determine Australopithecus diet; found herbivorous hominins with low animal protein intake, challenging previous theories on human evolution
A new study reveals that global land is affected by increasingly widespread and severe multiyear droughts, with temperate grasslands exhibiting significant declines in greenness. The findings suggest a need for comprehensive knowledge of these events' impacts on ecosystems and human systems.
A novel field experiment in Austria reveals that compounding climate conditions can fundamentally reshape how water moves through soils in temperate grasslands. Elevated atmospheric CO2 and warming disrupt post-drought soil water flow and grassland vegetation water use.
Researchers developed an AI model that simulates 500 million years of protein evolution to design a previously unknown bright fluorescent protein. The model uses a multimodal generative language model called ESM3 to generate and synthesize proteins.
Research by Anqi Wei and colleagues found that neural circuits in mice are sex-specific, influencing socio-sexual preferences. Under survival stress, female mice switch to preferring males due to altered neuronal firing patterns.
Researchers estimate that replacing conventional building materials with CO2-sequestering alternatives could store up to 16.6 gigatons of CO2 annually, equivalent to about 50% of 2021's anthropogenic emissions. This shift in construction materials could provide a substantial carbon reservoir and help slow global climate warming.
The EPA finalized rule aims to lower carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by 61-81% below 2005 levels by 2040. The rules also reduce co-pollutant emissions, potentially improving public health in environmental justice communities.
The 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston will feature expert discussions on trust in science and science diplomacy. Researchers such as Holden Thorp and Ruth Morgan will examine how to demonstrate trustworthiness and put a new framework into practice.
Close examination of kangaroo tooth microwear reveals a generalist diet among Australian species during the Late Pleistocene. The findings support the idea that human hunting, rather than climate adaptation, drove megafaunal extinction in Australia.
Researchers tracked 71 female common noctule bats on their spring migration across central Europe, finding they align journeys with warm nights and incoming storm fronts. The bats' ability to surf wind currents allows them to reduce energy demands, but flexibility in migration timing is also crucial for survival.
A new study finds that fuel aridity is the most significant driver of forest fire burn severity in Canadian forests, particularly over the last two decades. Burn severity has increased significantly, especially in northern Canada, where changing climate and vegetation type play a critical role.
Researchers found 84 rare, large chromosomal abnormalities associated with pediatric solid tumors, primarily inherited from unaffected parents. Smaller gene-disruptive germline SVs also identified as risk factors for childhood cancers.
A new study in mice reveals that early life contingency amplifies minor differences into lifelong disparities in fitness among males. The findings highlight the role of chance events in shaping outcomes and demonstrate how competitive social dynamics drive divergent paths.
Researchers identified a crucial protein called GAME15 that helps plants produce steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) for defense. Silencing this protein makes plants more vulnerable to pests, paving the way for engineering SGAs production in other plants.
A recent study found that host genetics, particularly major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-II polymorphisms, drives individual differences in influenza vaccine response. The research also presents a novel vaccine platform that broadens antibody and T cell responses against diverse influenza subtypes.
A new study has uncovered the diversity of Proterozoic eukaryotes, showing that severe Cryogenian glaciations drove a pivotal shift in their evolution. The research provides valuable insights into the relationship between environmental changes and the evolutionary history of life on Earth.