The best way to save giant sequoias may be more fire
Two devastating wildfires that swept through California's Sierra Nevada in 2020 and 2021 killed thousands of giant sequoias. A new University of California, Davis study suggests the losses would have been far worse without prescribed burns.
Cutting out the noise: How horseshoe bats adapt their echolocation behavior in colonies
Imagine searching for a gemstone in a dark cave: You use a flashlight, looking for a rainbow-colored glint in the darkness. Now, imagine 10 other people in the cave with you, using different-colored flashlights at the same time. Suddenly, you can no longer tell which light is coming from your gemstone, which light is from another flashlight or which light is coming from a reflection off another unknown object. That is what echolocation with multiple, overlapping frequencies would be like. But now, imagine if every person in the cave were using a flashlight of the same color. The glint from the gemstone would be much easier to see.
Unraveling the climate behind the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations
The most severe droughts in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean arose when multiple natural climate cycles coincided, according to a new study from Stockholm University published in Science Advances. The findings shed new light on the climate conditions surrounding the Late Bronze Age collapse and may help improve understanding of future drought risks in a warming world.
Sweden’s hidden rare earth deposits could help break China’s grip
Swedish researchers are exploring how the country's mineral resources could support cleaner production of rare earth elements (REE) and the powerful magnets made from them. As part of the Sustainable materials and material flows research area, Martin Sahlberg is studying whether Sweden's deposits could become the foundation for a more sustainable magnet industry.
China’s Tianwen-1 captures interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS near Mars
China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft has photographed the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it passed near Mars. According to the China National Space Agency (CNSA), the orbiter used its high-resolution camera to capture the comet from about 30 million km (18.6 million mi) away.
Researchers explore classroom applications of AI new learning platforms
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in classroom practice in Hong Kong, following the Education Bureau's release of the Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools and its commitment to supporting innovative technology in schools.
How an iceberg may have stopped emperor penguins from breeding on Coulman Island in 2025
The number of chicks in the Coulman Island emperor penguin colony decreased by about 69% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to research published in Communications Earth & Environment. The authors suggest that a large iceberg, which grounded off the island between July 2025 and January 2026, likely restricted the colony's access to important foraging areas, demonstrating that individual iceberg movements may affect breeding success even when overall sea ice conditions appear favorable.
Who holds power? Puerto Ricans' distrust runs deep
Puerto Ricans share deep skepticism toward elected officials and a widespread sense of limited self-governance, according to a new study from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras.
Mitochondrial mechanism links protein folding to heme production and cell energy
Researchers at the University of Cologne have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that links two fundamental processes in mitochondria. The team, led by Julia Racho and Dylan Stobbe under the supervision of Professor Dr. Jan Riemer from the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Cologne, demonstrated that the oxidative folding of proteins—that is, the process by which proteins acquire their functional three-dimensional structure and additional stabilizing disulfide bonds—is closely linked to the formation of heme. Heme is a vital component of the red blood pigment hemoglobin and is also required for energy production in cells, as well as for many other biological processes. The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.
Recoverable molecular helper guides synthesis of highly pure chiral rotaxanes
Chiral molecules can exist in left- and right-handed forms. Although these mirror-image forms may look almost identical, they can behave very differently in chemical reactions, biological systems and advanced materials. Preparing one mirror-image form in high purity is therefore an important goal in chemistry.