Federal health officials are urging the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to loosen its restrictions on marijuana—a move that could make it easier for researchers to study the drug’s potential medical benefits and harms. Following a review initiated by the White House in 2022 , the U.S. Department of Human Health and Services (HHS) this...

NASA’s citizen science program reaches more than two million volunteers in more than 167 countries—and it’s growing even larger! NASA is funding nine new awards across the U.S. to develop or support citizen science projects. Nine new awards for citizen science will enable scientists and volunteers to study the Sun, the Moon, exoplanets, white dwarfs and distant galaxies. (credit:...

In 2012, when the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) arrived in the U.S. from its home in China, scientists, land managers, and growers were understandably concerned that the sap-feeding insect would damage native and commercial trees. New long-term research led by Penn State has discovered that hardwood trees, such as maple, willow and birch, may be less vulnerable than initially thought.

A panel’s recommendations earlier this year to tighten U.S. rules for funding research on dangerous pathogens sparked concerns that some of the changes would hamper routine studies important to public health. Now, the White House is looking at ways to narrow the swath of federally funded research that would undergo the heightened reviews proposed in a final...

Polysiloxanes, the scientific name for silicones, possess exceptional properties, and are used in numerous fields ranging from cosmetics to aerospace. They are absolutely everywhere.

The mid-infrared spectral region has attracted great research interest over the past decade, as it is important for many biomedical and sensing applications. However, there is still a major challenge to develop compact and tunable fiber-based light sources that operate at wavelengths beyond 2 μm.

A breakthrough in satellite observations has allowed scientists to obtain high spatial resolution ozone profiles, enhancing our understanding of ozone distribution and its impact on the atmosphere. The research, conducted by the research team led by Cheng Liu and Fei Zhao at the University of Science and Technology of China, utilized data from the Environmental Trace Gases Monitoring Instrument...

New research by an international team of scientists explains what's behind a stalled trend in Arctic Ocean sea ice loss since 2007. The findings indicate that stronger declines in sea ice will occur when an atmospheric feature known as the Arctic dipole reverses itself in its recurring cycle.

A new study finds that farmers in India have adapted to warming temperatures by intensifying the withdrawal of groundwater used for irrigation. If the trend continues, the rate of groundwater loss could triple by 2080, further threatening India's food and water security. Reduced water availability in India due to groundwater depletion and climate change could threaten the livelihoods of more than...

New research by an international team of scientists explains what's behind a stalled trend in Arctic Ocean sea ice loss since 2007. The findings indicate that stronger declines in sea ice will occur when an atmospheric feature known as the Arctic dipole reverses itself in its recurring cycle. The many environmental responses to the Arctic dipole are described in a recent article. This analysis...

A new large-scale research facility allows the complex behavior of animal groups to be studied in unprecedented detail.

When fighting disease, our immune cells need to reach their target quickly. Researchers have now discovered that immune cells actively generate their own guidance system to navigate through complex environments. This challenges earlier notions about these movements. The researchers' findings enhance our knowledge of the immune system and offer potential new approaches to improve human immune...

The Pentagon has opened up a new portal for professionals to submit reports about UFOs—now officially known as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs—and for the rest of us to find out about the reports that have been released.

Through a nuanced balance of electrical and hydrophobic forces, biological molecules self-assemble into the large functional structures that maintain life's vital functions. Understanding how proteins self-assemble requires knowledge of both forces. But while predicting the electrical interactions of individual proteins is simple, deriving their hydrophobic ones is less straightforward.

In a study published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced a landscape-oriented framework to assess ecological stability in China's Qingzang Plateau (QP). The QP demonstrated a medium-high stability level with minimal changes in recent years.

The average critical load for nitrogen deposition in the Netherlands is lower than previously assumed, according to new research by Wageningen Environmental Research, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Research Centre B-WARE. The value that indicates how much nitrogen nature can tolerate without decline has decreased by an average of 1.3 kilograms per hectare per year. This means...

A new University of Michigan-led study finds that farmers in India have adapted to warming temperatures by intensifying the withdrawal of groundwater used for irrigation. If the trend continues, the rate of groundwater loss could triple by 2080, further threatening India's food and water security.

Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior (CASCB) and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior have converted a former barn into a cutting-edge technology lab for complex behavioral analysis. In it, they can now study the intricate behavior of animal groups. The barn also served as a prototype for the largest swarm behavior lab at the...

In a collaboration led by Aarhus University, researchers have measured nitrous oxide emissions during two years at four different locations in Denmark, where representative crop rotations had been established to provide a realistic context for the measurements.