GPT detectors wrongfully flagged a majority of submissions by non-native English speakers as AI-generated content, raising concerns about their use. For better or worse, generative AI models have sparked a revolution. Their…
Canada’s Crawford Lake could mark the beginning of the Anthropocene
Scientists are one step closer to defining a new chapter in geology, one in which humans have become the dominant driver of Earth’s climate and environment. Out of 12 locations around the…
This seagrass is taking over the Chesapeake Bay. That’s good and bad news
On the U.S. mid-Atlantic seaboard, efforts to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay over the last 10 years have faced a mysterious challenge — massive booms and busts of the seagrass…
This ancient, Lovecraftian apex predator chased and pierced soft prey
One of the earliest apex predators, and perhaps the freakiest to ever haunt the sea, may have also been a delicate eater. For decades, paleontologists have assumed that the long-extinct Anomalocaris canadensis…
Tear-resistant rubbery materials could pave the way for tougher tires
A new material design could reduce pollution where the rubber meets the road. Strategically adding weak points along microscopic chains called polymers actually makes them harder to tear, researchers report in the…
Dust from a shrinking Great Salt Lake may be accelerating Utah’s snowmelt
Utah’s trademarked “greatest snow on earth” may be getting dirtier — and melting faster — due in part to dust blowing off newly exposed lakebed from the shrinking Great Salt Lake. Snow…
Tracing life’s origins with early Earth chemistry
Billions of years ago, Earth was a vastly different planet characterized by a harsh environment that could not support life. Volcanic eruptions, lightning storms, and the constant bombardment of meteorites and comets…
Micromachines destroy bacterial biofilms in hard-to-reach places
Magnetic hydrogel micromachines break up biofilms and release antibiotics, combating biofilm infections associated with medical devices. Biofilms are slimy films made up of microorganisms and other substances that can grow on a…
The snow forest of North America may be about to shrink
One of nature’s woody behemoths — the North American snow forest — may soon begin shrinking. The continent’s boreal forest reposes in subarctic latitudes, spanning much of Alaska and Canada. Scientists had…
Nobel Laureate John B. Goodenough dies at 100
Goodenough’s visionary efforts in developing lithium ion batteries played an instrumental role in revolutionizing the way we generate, store, and use energy. Renowned scientist and Nobel Laureate, John B. Goodenough, passed away…