Wintertime outbreaks of COVID-19 have been largely driven by whether people adhere to control measures such as mask wearing and social distancing, according to a new study. Climate and a lack of population immunity are playing smaller roles during the pandemic phase of the virus, but will become more impactful as infections slow.

Scientists introduce a new catalyst to reduce oxygen to widely used hydrogen peroxide. The process sidesteps complex and expensive processes that generate toxic organic byproducts and large amounts of wastewater.

A study of women who were new mothers in the late 1970s found that those who were given longer, paid maternity leave lived healthier lives as they entered middle age.

The drug is effective at treating pancreatic cancer and prolonging survival in mice, according to a new study. A second study shows the drug is also effective against triple-negative breast cancer, a fast-growing and hard-to-treat type of breast cancer that carries a poor prognosis. Clinical trials are set to begin in 2021.

Rice bioengineers harness the CRISPR/Cas9 system to program histones, the support proteins that wrap up and control human DNA, to manipulate gene activation and phosphorylation. The new technology enables innovative ways to find and manipulate genes and pathways responsible for diseases.

A new study shows that the ocean acidification predicted under continuing high CO2 emissions may make cooler, temperate waters less welcoming.

Researchers report that climate change is a chronic mental health stressor, and promotes a variety of mental health problems. The 2018 Camp Fire is a case study.

Researchers found that emission levels dropped dramatically over the course of the pandemic. They measured downtown air quality monitoring station data from eight Canadian cities and compared their concentration levels of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide between February and August 2020 to the figures recorded over the same period in 2018 and 2019. They also used satellite...

Love them or hate them, there's no doubt the European Starling is a wildly successful bird. A new study examines this non-native species from the inside out to learn what exactly happened at the genetic level as the starling population exploded across North America?

A ruler and scale can tell archaeologists the size and weight of a fragment of pottery - but identifying its precise color can depend on individual perception. So, when a handheld color-matching gadget came on the market, scientists hoped it offered a consistent way of determining color, free of human bias.

Astronomers have found that some dwarf galaxies may today appear to be dark-matter free even though they formed as galaxies dominated by dark matter in the past.

The construction of a major railway through Kenya will have long-term environmental impacts on the area, suggesting more work needs to be done to limit the damage on future infrastructure projects, a major study reveals.

A multi-institutional team became the first to generate accurate results from materials science simulations on a quantum computer that can be verified with neutron scattering experiments and other practical techniques.

Researchers show that wolves have evolved ambush hunting tactics specifically tailored for catching and killing beavers. The study challenges the classic concept that wolves are solely cursorial predators. Instead, wolf-hunting strategies appear highly flexible, and they are able to switch between hunting modes (cursorial and ambush hunting) depending on their prey.

Utility companies have worried that solar panels drive up electric costs for the people who don't have panels. Renewable energy researchers show the opposite is actually true -- grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) owners are actually subsidizing their non-PV neighbors.

Ancient Amazonian communities fortified valuable land they had spent years making fertile to protect it from conflict, excavations show.

Researchers report an underlying cause of COVID brain: the presence of inflammatory molecules in the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (called the cerebrospinal fluid). The findings suggest that anti-inflammatory drugs, such as steroids, may be useful for treating the condition, but more research is needed.

Using a new research model containing human lung tissue, scientists showed that the broad spectrum, experimental drug EIDD-2801 proved effective at preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Scientists detail a system allowing them to sculpt, in a biocompatible material, the exact structure of the bone tissue, with features smaller than the size of a single protein -- a billion times smaller than a meter.

DNA sequences that can fold into shapes other than the classic double helix tend to have higher mutation rates than other regions in the human genome. New research shows that the elevated mutation rate in these sequences plays a major role in determining regional variation in mutation rates across the genome.

A 'biological age' score predicts that being male, overweight, a smoker and having depression all contribute to biological aging, a new study reports.

People are able to approach social conflicts more wisely if they have trained themselves in advance by practicing a distanced self-talk technique, referring to themselves with third-person pronouns such as 'she' or 'they' rather than the first-person pronouns of 'me' or 'I.'

Researchers have found that a computer algorithm developed using echocardiogram videos of the heart can predict mortality within a year. The algorithm -- an example of what is known as machine learning, or artificial intelligence (AI) -- outperformed other clinically used predictors, including pooled cohort equations and the Seattle Heart Failure score.

School closures, the loss of public spaces, and having to work remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic have caused major disruptions in people's lives all over the world. After running thousands of simulations of the pandemic response in New York City with variations in social distancing behavior, researchers suggest a reduction in fatal coronavirus cases can be achieved without the need for so...