The frequency of downpours of heavy rain—which can lead to flash floods, devastation, and outbreaks of waterborne disease—has increased across the globe in the past 50 years.

We’ve learned bees can understand zero and do basic maths, and now a new study shows their tiny insect brains may be capable of connecting symbols to numbers.

A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego have discovered what’s responsible for making the teeth of the deep-sea dragonfish transparent. 

Earth’s outer layer is composed of giant plates that grind together, sliding past or dipping beneath one another, giving rise to earthquakes and volcanoes. These plates also separate at undersea mountain ridges, where molten rock spreads from the centers of ocean basins.

A new study led by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Swansea University Medical School furthers our knowledge of viruses—in the sea and on land— and their potential to cause life-threatening illnesses. 

The researchers say the new sensors could help detect spoilage and reduce food waste for supermarkets and consumers.

Since the mass production of plastics began in the 1940s, the versatile polymers have spread rapidly across the globe. 

Privately owned, fragmented forests in Costa Rica can support as many vulnerable bird species as can nearby nature reserves, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. 

Organisms can grow on microplastics in freshwater ecosystems.

A research team at Dartmouth College has developed a new strategy for drug discovery and development that can be used to produce targeted therapies against diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration, according to a study published in Nature Communications.