Oceans
A Historic Deal to Protect the High Seas Makes Researchers ‘Ecstatic’
The historic High Seas Treaty aims to preserve marine biodiversity in what has been considered the “Wild West” of the oceans while still encouraging research
Stories by Nicola Jones
Neuroscience
Color Is in the Eye, and Brain, of the Beholder
The way we see and describe hues varies widely for many reasons: from our individual eye structure, to how our brain processes images, to what language we speak, or even if we live near a body of water...
Public Health
How COVID Is Changing the Cold and Flu Season
Measures meant to tame the coronavirus pandemic are quashing influenza and most other respiratory diseases, which could have wide-ranging implications
Climate Change
How Machine Learning Could Help to Improve Climate Forecasts
Mixing artificial intelligence with climate science helps researchers to identify previously unknown atmospheric processes and rank climate models
Computing
New AI-Based Search Engines are a “Game Changer” for Science Research
Products such as Semantic Scholar and Microsoft Academic could be a boon for scholars
Natural Disasters
Canadian Earthquake Detector Has Deep-Sea Edge over U.S. Rival
Seafloor instruments will monitor seismic activity very close to the Cascadia fault
Space & Physics
Tiny "Chipsat" Spacecraft Set for First Flight
Launch in July will test new way to explore the solar system—and beyond
Environment
CO2 Makes Growing Seasons Longer
Elevated greenhouse gas levels, not just rising temperatures, are extending annual plants' life cycles
Environment
NSF Pulls Support for Quake Observatory
The troubled project sought to observe tremors from deep within the San Andreas fault
Ecology
Canadian Grizzly Bears Face Expanded Hunt
Researchers protest that British Columbia's hunting quotas are not based on science
Environment
Westerly Winds Could Counteract Nearly Half of Antarctic Sea Level Rise Expected by 2100
The wind belt that encircles Antarctica has been speeding up and creeping southward since the 1950. Now it might slow Southern Ocean sea level rise and lower the risk of glacial collapse...
Environment
What Big Questions Remain about Sea Level Rise?
Researchers are still struggling to project how fast, how high and how far the oceans will rise
Environment
Evidence Found for Planet-Cooling Asteroid 12,900 Years Ago
A clue to an impact in Quebec fuels an ongoing debate about the cause of one of Earth's big freezes, called the Younger Dryas
Environment
Fish Farms Cause Rapid Local Sea-Level Rise
Groundwater extraction for aquaculture is making the land at China's Yellow River delta sink, and that subsidence is causing local sea levels to rise incredibly rapidly
The Sciences
D-Wave's Quantum Computer Courts Controversy
A brash company pioneers a new approach to quantum computing, but many skeptics remain
Technology
Google and NASA Snap Up Quantum Computer D-Wave Two
The machine will help the agencies work on artificial intelligence problems
Biology
Gut-Microbe Swap Helps with Weight Loss
A bacterial transplant in mice has been shown to provide some of the benefits of gastric bypass surgery without putting the animals under the knife
Environment
Oil Exploration Ramps Up in U.S. Arctic
Shell is preparing to lead a new oil rush in the American north this summer despite spill risks
Environment
Drilling Ship to Probe Fault Zone that Caused Fukushima Quake
The fast-tracked expedition will measure the fault's residual heat
Biology
Friendly Bacteria Cheer Up Anxious Mice
Probiotics affect behaviour and brain chemistry
