Fungi. They grow between toes, on bread and in the shower. But the organisms also produce food and medicine and act as ecosystem maids by decomposing dead matter — benefits that are…
Emperor penguins lost thousands of chicks to melting ice last year
Thousands of emperor penguins in western Antarctica lost their chicks last year, largely due to receding sea ice, satellite data suggest. Over the last two years, sea ice has reached record lows…
In a ‘perfect comeback,’ some birds use antibird spikes to build their nests
It’s the Mad Max dream of a bird’s nest: A menacing composite of metal, clay, twig and plastic. Spotted in a sugar maple tree in Antwerp, Belgium, the gnarly architecture brims with…
No more needles, an oral insulin medication could be on the horizon
Insulin is a life-saving medication, helping to control blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. Although not a cure, this breakthrough has saved millions of lives, providing treatment for a disease that was…
How thunderstorms can spawn damaging ‘downbursts’
In July, a fierce thunderstorm raged through Washington, D.C., damaging homes, felling trees, producing blinding rain and leaving thousands without power. The storm was the District’s worst since a derecho swept through…
Arctic sea ice may melt faster in coming years due to shifting winds
A flip-flopping, yearslong pattern of winds helps control the fate of the Arctic’s sea ice — by regulating how much of the Atlantic Ocean’s relatively warm, salty water sneaks northward into the…
Chemists turned plastic waste into tiny bars of soap
The time may be coming to wash our hands of plastic trash. Literally. About 60 percent of all plastic ever made ends up in landfills or littering the environment. Only about one-tenth…
Repairing broken circuits in the brain could help treat Parkinson’s disease
Scientists delve into how repairing dysfunctional brain circuits in Parkinson’s can offer another path forward for new treatment strategies. Parkinson’s is a debilitating disease marked by loss of brain cells that produce…
Magnetic ‘rusty’ nanoparticles pull estrogen out of water
A new “smart rust” could one day help pull pollutants out of waterways, leaving cleaner water behind. Researchers adorned tiny particles of iron oxide, better known as rust, with “sticky” molecules that…
The fastest-evolving moss in the world may not adapt to climate change
The world’s oldest moss has seen four mass extinctions — but may not survive climate change. The genus Takakia has the highest number of fast-evolving genes of any moss, researchers report August…