Researchers used multiple sampling techniques to determine which microorganisms lived inside Ötzi during his lifetime and which arrived after his death. The later microbes could have colonized the body while it remained frozen in the glacier or during more than 30 years of modern conservation.
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Typhoons pose significant threats, with sudden, dangerous waves that endanger ships, offshore platforms and coastal infrastructure in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Current typhoon forecasting methods sometimes underestimate the largest waves during typhoons, but researchers in China have designed a new model that may offer improvements. Their new study, published in Ocean Engineering, describes how the model combines physics guidance with data-driven learning to improve typhoon forecasting.
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High-energy particles in Earth's radiation belt can appear to spread out randomly, even when they are moving in a "predictable" way. This is because spacecraft observations naturally blur the fine-scale structure of the particle population, a new study reveals.
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Zoos offer people the opportunity to experience animals and engage with the natural world. Alongside recreation, they also play important roles in species conservation and scientific research. Education is another core mission of modern zoos, with many programs designed to foster a stronger sense of connection to nature. But how effective are these initiatives? And which visitors benefit most from guided tours, workshops or multi-day educational programs?
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Inspired by naturally occurring mats and balls of seaweed, researchers have created highly porous, superadhesive meshes capable of capturing both large and small microplastic particles—a longstanding challenge in the field. The mesh can clean microplastics from both saltwater and freshwater and is made from sustainable, widely available biopolymers.
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There may be a new way to treat peanut allergy Valentyn Volkov/Alamy
Six adults with peanut allergy have become more tolerant of peanuts after swallowing capsules containing the faeces of someone with no food allergies. The finding from the small clinical trial adds to growing evidence that food allergy is related to the mix of microbes in a person’s gut, and may be relieved by altering this mix.
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Watersheds that are flatter, drier and warmer are generally more vulnerable to increases in flooding after trees are harvested. Those with greater variation in elevation spread runoff out over time, reducing flood peaks.
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My family tree doubles at every past ancestor generation, branching back into the past. At what point does it decrease to reflect the size of the smaller historical population?
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As climate change causes water scarcity and temperatures to rise, crops around the world are feeling the heat. How can we prevent severe crop losses in these relentlessly sweltering conditions? An international research team led by Tohoku University has identified a new class of small molecules that enhances plant drought tolerance without any major negative impact on plant growth.
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After tropical cyclones, communities are often left in upheaval. Those that had few resources to begin with tend to be especially vulnerable to external stresses, and people often experience homelessness, health problems and other forms of insecurity as a result. But once the disaster response gets underway, communities recover and tend to become less socially vulnerable than they were before the disaster, new research by Jiang and team suggests. The findings are published in the journal GeoHealth.
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