A study suggests that severe pollinator losses may have sharply slowed plant adaptation. A morning glory facing a warmer climate may benefit from blooming earlier. But if pollinators are becoming harder to attract, producing larger flowers may matter more. New research suggests that these competing pressures have become linked in a way that sharply limits [...]

Antarctica’s first ice sheet may have begun with a geological head start hidden deep beneath the continent. Millions of years before thick ice spread across the Northern Hemisphere, forces inside Earth lifted East Antarctica into a vast region of mountains and plateaus. The higher terrain became cold enough to preserve snow even when the planet [...]

A new study shows how changes in ocean circulation could reshape global rainfall patterns. A storm reaching California can begin with changes thousands of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean. Climate modeling suggests that as one of the planet’s major ocean circulation systems weakens, more moisture could be directed toward the West Coast while snowfall [...]

Researchers have found that the natural compound spermidine can help improve vaccine responses in older adults by reducing molecular markers of immune system aging. A vaccine shot can look the same from one arm to the next, but the immune system beneath the skin may not respond with the same force. In older adults, that [...]

BU virologist Nancy Sullivan says the Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo underscores the need for broader outbreak preparedness. The death of a nurse marked the moment health officials recognized that something dangerous was spreading. The illness was Bundibugyo virus, a rare but potentially deadly infection now driving a growing outbreak in [...]

Alcohol risk appears to increase beyond one drink per day, even at levels often described as moderate. Alcohol is often treated as a routine part of social life, but a new analysis suggests that even levels many Americans consider moderate carry measurable health risks. The study links drinking with a higher chance of death, disability, [...]

Breast cancer patterns are shifting rapidly in several Asian American communities. Breast cancer has long been considered less common among Asian American women than among white women in the United States. A new UC San Francisco-led study suggests that this pattern is changing quickly, especially among younger women and in some aggressive forms of the [...]

A newly identified protein pathway may link blood-brain barrier deterioration to age-related cognitive decline. The aging brain depends on a microscopic border that works every second to keep danger out and support the nerve cells inside. When that barrier begins to fail, memory, mood, and thinking may suffer. Andrew A. Pieper, MD, PhD, and colleagues [...]

Struggling to sleep in the heat? The good news is that a handful of easy cooling tricks can help your body stay comfortable and make hot nights far more bearable. When temperatures rise, sleep often suffers. Hot nights can make it harder to fall asleep, increase waking during the night, and leave people feeling less [...]

Men and women performed similarly on most multitasking measures, but a difference in conversational engagement may shape how their overall ability is perceived. A person can keep cooking, search for information, and track a visual task without appearing overwhelmed. But if they stop responding during a conversation, others may quickly assume they are losing control. [...]

Homo erectus may have left a detectable genetic trace in living humans through ancient interbreeding with Denisovans. For much of the 20th century, human evolution was often pictured as a branching tree. One trunk split into separate limbs, and each ancient human relative, or hominin, occupied its own tidy branch. That was the version many [...]

A large longitudinal study examined whether hormone exposure from combined oral contraceptives is associated with changes in emotional eating. Hormonal birth control is widely used, but its effects can extend beyond pregnancy prevention. New research suggests that, for some women, the active hormone pills in combined oral contraceptives may also influence eating behavior. In a [...]

NASA is teaming up with 37 companies to develop the next generation of technologies that could make long-term exploration of the Moon and Mars possible. NASA has chosen 41 proposals from 37 U.S. companies to help develop technologies needed for a sustained human presence on the Moon and eventual crewed missions to Mars. The companies [...]

NASA is taking another major step toward a permanent Moon base with four new commercial missions that will test technology, deliver science, and help prepare for humanity’s future beyond Earth. NASA has selected three commercial space companies to carry out four new lunar missions in late 2028 through the agency’s Moon Base Program. Astrobotic, Firefly [...]

A new NASA orbital image captures Perseverance after completing a marathon across the surface of Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover has completed the equivalent of a full marathon on Mars, reaching 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers) after five years and four months of driving across the Red Planet. The milestone came on the 1,890th Martian day, or [...]

The story of Earth’s first animals may need rewriting after ancient fossils revealed an earlier start to complex life. From butterflies to blue whales, corals, and worms, Earth is home to an incredible diversity of animals. How all of these animals evolved from earlier, simpler ancestors is one of the most exciting stories in the [...]

A deep ocean whale graveyard is revealing new clues about whale evolution and the ecosystems that form around their remains. When a whale dies, its body can become the beginning of an entire deep ocean ecosystem. For a time, the carcass may drift at the surface, drawing sharks and other predators. Eventually, after weathering and [...]

Ancient DNA from Shimao reveals local origins, broad prehistoric connections, a patrilineal social structure, and gender-specific patterns of human sacrifice. At Shimao, a vast stone-walled settlement in northern China, ancient DNA is filling in details that archaeology alone could not fully resolve. The genetic evidence is helping trace where the people of this late Neolithic [...]

Researchers have uncovered compelling evidence about the elusive structure of a high-pressure phase of solid nitrogen. Nitrogen makes up most of Earth’s atmosphere, but under intense pressure and low temperatures, it can form solid phases with unexpectedly complex structures. One of these phases, γ-N2, remained poorly understood for more than 50 years despite repeated experimental [...]

Titan’s resources could one day make Saturn’s largest moon a major outpost for deep space exploration. Titan is one of the few places in the Solar System where the landscape can feel strangely familiar and completely alien at the same time. Saturn’s largest moon has weather, clouds, rain, lakes, and seas, but its cycle is [...]