Cocoa farmers in West Africa cannot stop intense downpours from damaging their crops. But they may be able to anticipate the risk and prepare, protecting both their livelihoods and their plants, the source of one of the world's most beloved foods.
A new 3D structure of a cancer-linked protein bound to its cellular partner reveals details of how the protein binds to chromosomes and could offer insights for future disease treatments. The protein—BRD4—plays a critical role in how cells read, copy and repair DNA and helps determine how different kinds of cells are made; it has been linked to many types of cancer and is considered a promising target for future therapies. The study, led by scientists at Penn State and published in the journal Molecular Cell, found that BRD4 can attach to DNA-packaging structures in cells even without a molecular signal long believed to be necessary for the interaction.
A "mixing" phenomenon between plastic layers that had been predicted only in theory for 40 years has now been experimentally confirmed.
Microplastics are a modern environmental menace and a potential threat to human health. These tiny pieces of plastic, measuring from 1 to 5,000 micrometers, come mainly from larger plastics as well as sources such as paints and cosmetics. They are found in almost every corner of the planet, and a new study published in Science suggests rivers may be carrying far more of them into the ocean than previously thought.
Before there was Earth, there was chemistry. In the unimaginable cold, dark clouds where stars and planets are born, carbon molecules assemble into more complex forms—starting a chemical journey that could eventually deliver some of life's basic ingredients to young planets. There's only one problem: These molecules need heat to form. At least that's what scientists have long believed. But new research from FIU chemist Alexander Mebel reveals such chemistry can actually happen at temperatures nearing absolute zero, which is -460°F (-273°C).
A University of Newcastle-led global study has produced the most complete genetic picture yet of a salt-loving plant with the potential to help grow food in some of the world's harshest environments.
The pressure to be perfect may intensify for kids once they get into high school—especially for those labeled as "gifted," according to a new University of Georgia study published in Gifted Child Quarterly.
In a study recently published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, a research team from National Taiwan University and international collaborators have developed a straightforward solvent-mixing strategy to significantly boost the performance of next-generation all-polymer organic solar cells. By adding a small fraction of a cosolvent during fabrication, the team successfully resolved a long-standing challenge in controlling film quality, opening new possibilities for commercializing flexible, efficient and sustainable clean energy technology.
Kindergarten is an important time in a child's life, during which children acquire and strengthen the skills needed to participate and learn in a school environment. Going to school regularly is an important part of this.
If you live in Los Angeles and own a Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima or one of 18 other models from these vehicle lines, UCLA anthropologist Jeffrey Brantingham has some advice: Get a steering wheel locking device, take advantage of manufacturer recalls or trade your car in for one with an engine immobilizer.
Australians are becoming increasingly lonely and socially isolated, according to new University of Sydney research that found rates of social isolation nearly doubled over the past 23 years. Loneliness rates also increased over time, though more gradually than social isolation, with the sharpest impacts observed among vulnerable populations.
When public health researchers want to know whether diseases such as COVID-19 or polio are circulating in a community, they can look for genetic evidence in wastewater.
Extremely short, intense light flashes are in high demand to investigate atoms, molecules and new materials. Free-electron lasers (FELs) produce these flashes. But around the world, beam time available at large-scale user facilities is in short supply, and waiting times are long.
Although public schools in Baltimore City are predominantly Black, the district is doing a better job of reducing segregation among its student body than suburban systems that are able to draw from more diverse populations, according to a new report from Johns Hopkins University.
Artificial intelligence systems, particularly those powered by large language models and designed to communicate with users on a one-to-one basis, are increasingly used worldwide. Some of these systems, such as Replika, are also marketed as "AI companions" that can engage socially with humans and use emotional language.
Researchers have shown how dramatic sea-level rise over a 5,000-year period profoundly changed the coasts of northern Italy, Slovenia and northern Croatia. Successive shaping and reshaping of coastal features influenced the lives of Mesolithic and Neolithic people and the development of local communities. Land that hunter-gatherers once roamed and farmers later tended now lies deep beneath the sea.
Women make up about half the U.S. population, yet remain a minority in many professions, such as politics, technology, science and academia.
When people discuss architecture in Ghana, attention often focuses on modern buildings: concrete houses, glass offices, shopping malls and ambitious urban developments. Yet across the country, another architectural tradition continues to offer lessons about how people have built and lived for generations.
The vast majority of modern quantum technologies—from quantum cryptography to the quantum internet to the quantum computer—rely on one essential element: the transmission of photons. Two qubits (two atoms, for example) exchange information: One qubit emits a photon, and the other qubit absorbs it.
In May 2024, Earth experienced its most intense geomagnetic storm since the Halloween storms of 2003. This "superstorm" filled night skies in many parts of the world with colorful aurorae, and it disrupted some infrastructure, such as GPS signals used by agricultural equipment.