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Much like caviar, shark fins are a luxury product and delicacy in parts of the world. And like wild caviar, demand for shark fins has posed an incredible threat to species that can't reproduce quickly enough to keep up.

New wildfires fed by strong winds broke out in Greece on Friday, giving firefighters little respite and forcing Civil Protection officials to order the partial evacuation of part of a suburb west of Athens.

Researchers at the University of Tartu have discovered a mechanism in bacteria that helps them adapt to fluoride, which is toxic to most organisms above relatively low threshold concentrations. Their discovery may represent a significant milestone in bioindustry, as it could help reduce the use of petrochemical products.

Two organisms inhabiting a common environment can sometimes mutually influence each other, either benefiting or, in some cases, damaging one another. This mutually beneficial or ambivalent biological relationship is known as symbiosis.

The high frequency of RNA virus mutations and outbreaks of emerging RNA viral infections are challenging public health issues. Developing a drug that can overcome viral mutations with broad-spectrum antiviral activity is an unmet need.

AFPA has echoed serious concerns raised by Forestry Australia over the federal government's controversial new carbon credit method, warning it undermines the integrity and credibility of Australia's carbon market.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are generating data at an unprecedented rate. Every internet search, AI-generated image, recommendation, scientific simulation and large language model creates and processes enormous amounts of information that must be stored, transferred and analyzed. As AI continues to expand across every sector of society, global demand for data storage and computing is rising dramatically.

Before any major telescope commissioning, there are dozens of papers that attempt to define what we can expect from it. We're starting to see some come through for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which hopefully will get a more imaginative name when the 39 m (128-foot) behemoth is officially commissioned in Chile in the 2030s.

A map showing the distribution of isotopes in Amazonian tree wood can help identify illegally harvested timber. By analyzing the ratio of different isotopes of elements such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and strontium, researchers can pinpoint the region where the wood was harvested more precisely. This helps combat the illegal timber trade.

The German eROSITA consortium (eROSITA-DE), which includes the University of Bonn and is led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), has released its second major public data set, the "eROSITA Data Release 2" (DR2).

Scientists have discovered a remarkably well-preserved 100-million-year-old beetle fossil that provides a rare glimpse into the evolution of the intricate sensory and communication systems used by fireflies and their relatives today. Fireflies belong to the order Coleoptera, which includes all beetles.

Climate change, land-use change and socioeconomic pressures are turning wildfires from a primarily ecological process into a complex, systemic risk that cuts across ecosystems, infrastructure, public health, water resources, cultural heritage and rural livelihoods. Despite substantial investments in firefighting capacity, wildfires are projected to become more frequent, extreme and devastating, underscoring the need for cross-cutting solutions.

Every time a cell divides, it must accurately copy and distribute its DNA between two new cells. However, in some cases, chromosomes do not fully separate, leaving behind thin strands of DNA known as DNA bridges that connect the two newly formed cells.

A study by researchers in the UAB Department of Mathematics and the Center for Mathematical Research (CRM) presents a model describing the behavior of encapsulated bacteriophages within the gastrointestinal tract. Its objective is to better understand the advantages and limitations of encapsulation and determine under what conditions this strategy can contribute to improving treatment efficacy.

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are attracting growing attention as a sustainable aquaculture technology that can reduce water use, control rearing conditions and lower environmental impacts by filtering and reusing water. At the same time, RAS facilities rely on pumps, filters, aerators and other equipment that are often operated continuously or according to conservative fixed schedules, resulting in substantial electricity consumption to maintain stable rearing conditions.

The human genome contains more than 20,000 genes. However, at any given time and in a given cell, only a fraction are active. Researchers from EMBL Heidelberg's Krebs Group have developed an innovative experimental approach to understand how cells determine which genes to turn on and when.

Grounding intermittent art festivals such as the Setouchi Triennale within the resource capacities and social thresholds of the island communities that host them is a path to the sustainable, long-term revitalization of these communities.

We know Mars has water ice in its polar regions, but astronauts (and their solar-powered equipment!) would much rather experience life closer to Mars' equator. As NASA looks toward landing humans on the red planet, the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) is mapping where water should and shouldn't be found and using statistics to quantify its certainty. Two new papers, led by PSI's Hanna Sizemore and Samuel Courville, highlight new global maps of subsurface water ice and identify the missions and

A study led by Marc Guinjoan, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the UAB, with researchers Toni Rodon of the UPF and Joel Ardiaca of the UB, reveals that citizen support for climate policies depends largely on how the costs, benefits and redistributive effects are communicated. The research, published in the journal West European Politics and based on two experiments using representative samples of the Spanish population, explains why specific climate

Finding water on the moon may only be a matter of detecting the right vibrations.

The performance of many next-generation devices depends on controlling how energy flows at extremely small scales. In the field of microelectronics—where devices continue to shrink and new materials are introduced—small imperfections in solids can strongly influence how a material stores, transfers or loses energy. Those processes can either be used to improve device performance or create problems such as energy loss, information loss, signal disruption or reduced reliability.

Facing wind and cold, with only half as much oxygen to breathe as in the valley, a German-Turkish research team surveyed the glacier on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey for the first time in July, at more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level. For two weeks, the team explored the ice field, which until then had been a blank page for researchers. Their goal was to find out whether the ice on Turkey's highest mountain preserves a unique archive of climate and cultural history.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted severe consequences of unchecked respiratory disease, including cytokine storms. This phenomenon affected many COVID-19 patients and is a potential side effect of many other diseases involving significant inflammation, but approaches to treating these symptoms remain unclear.

Adorning the walls of San Ildefonso College in Mexico City is artist Diego Rivera's masterpiece, rendered in fresco and gold leaf, The Creation, or La Creacioń. It depicts a man standing with his arms outstretched beneath a deep blue celestial disk studded with stars and constellations, while figures seated on clouds watch from either side. The work catalyzed the revival of the encaustic painting technique in the 1920s.

A new Concordia study has demonstrated a greener way to produce an important class of catalytic materials with promising potential for cleaner energy technologies that rely more on acoustic energy than water and chemicals. The work is published in the journal Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis.

For the first time in Brazil, scientists have identified the presence of bacteria that cause columnaris disease, a serious disease in farmed fish intended for human consumption. Previously, different species of the genus Flavobacterium had only been detected in fish farms in Asia and the United States.

PFAS, otherwise known as forever chemicals, have become commonplace in numerous everyday and industrial products. At the same time, they are some of the most problematic pollutants of our times: They are extremely durable, accumulate in the environment and in organisms and can only be removed from water with difficulty.

Scorching summer temperatures have disrupted life for millions of Europeans, but for winegrowers in Italy and France who are harvesting their grapes unusually early, the hot weather offers pros as well as cons.

An international team of volcanologists working on Carlingford Mountain has found that liquid "magma chambers" do not always exist beneath volcanoes. The team instead demonstrated that magma "plumbing systems" beneath Earth's surface can fluctuate between solid- and liquid-dominated states, providing an improved view of how active volcanoes evolve through time.

A drifting SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers more than a year ago.

A strengthening El Niño that could shatter all-time records is "adding fuel to a planet already on fire" and pushing the world into "uncharted territory," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Friday.

Hungary's sole nuclear power plant will be shut down next week because of low water levels in the Danube, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Friday as central Europe slogs through the latest in a series of heat waves.

They're wriggly black grubs more commonly tossed to backyard hens than served at the dinner table, but black soldier fly larvae could soon play a key role in building a more sustainable food system, according to new research from Adelaide University.

The UK is bouncing from one type of extreme weather to another this year. This is climate whiplash. Caused by changes in the fast-moving body of air high in the atmosphere called the jet stream, climate whiplash has become more likely with climate change. These constant shifts in extreme weather make it challenging to build resilience.

Our sun constantly releases a stream of high-speed charged particles, known as the solar wind. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a strong global magnetic field to shield its atmosphere from this flow. As a result, the solar wind can interact directly with Mars' upper atmosphere and gradually strip atmospheric particles into space.

Consumer sentiment confirmed its early-July reading, landing almost 12% above June, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

Ancient Rome's greatest threat to food security wasn't the weather but the challenge of getting grain to the capital, according to a new study. By comparing hundreds of years of historical records with reconstructions of past climate, researchers found that periods of unusual heat, cold, drought or heavy rainfall rarely lined up with reported food shortages.

Curiosity spent the week continuing to climb her way through the layers of Mount Sharp, exploring the sedimentary rock strip chart of Martian history. The rover has reached a layer where the science team had spotted a possible "erosional supersurface" by analyzing orbital data alongside images of the layers in the buttes above us.

Researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have discovered a new type of quantum light emitter in diamonds that could help overcome a number of challenges facing quantum technologies.

Just 34% of people arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during President Donald Trump's second term have a criminal conviction, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. That's a near-historic low, the authors note.

A Japanese probe flew 400 meters (1,312 feet) from a near-Earth asteroid this month, marking the closest approach ever recorded for such a mission, the space agency said.

Two plants that cause neurotoxicity and paralysis in the tiniest doses are also known to counter pain, malaria, cancer and pests. For the first time, researchers discovered a way to recreate these powerful compounds in the lab, helping lead the way to improved, naturally sourced therapeutics.

Ripley, a medium-sized dog with a strong prey drive, curiously approached Brian, a large western diamondback rattlesnake, until she got a quick zap on the neck meant to simulate a venomous viper's bite.

The rapid intensification of a hurricane ranks among the most dangerous weather events on Earth. Storms such as Hurricane Michael, which crashed ashore in the Florida Panhandle with winds of 160 mph (about 257 km/h), and Hurricane Otis, the costliest hurricane to strike Mexico's Pacific coast, caught communities unawares when they intensified at a rate that computer models failed to anticipate.

The modern workday unfolds largely indoors. Long hours spent commuting, sitting in meetings and staring at screens can make time outdoors feel like a luxury. Finding time for nature in an already packed workday can feel impossible, especially if you think nature only "counts" when it involves hiking boots and camping gear.

The majority of California's roughly 300,000 teachers don't have access to the state-funded paid leave program that most new parents in the private sector do. Instead, many local school districts deduct the cost of a substitute teacher from educators' pay during parental leave.

A team of Brazilian researchers discovered the first direct evidence that goethite—the mineral responsible for the brown color of soils—can withstand extreme pressures and temperatures all the way to the planet's interior inside a diamond just 3 millimeters (0.1 inch) long, within a microscopic impurity. Goethite forms in soil and on the ocean floor from iron-rich minerals in the presence of water. It incorporates some of these water molecules into its mineral structure. The study suggests that

The energy system of the future will require sustainable catalysts that, for example, enable the efficient production of green hydrogen. Materials consisting of mixtures of five chemical elements show great promise for enabling ideal catalysts in the future.

Alcohols are among the most abundant building blocks in chemistry. Fluorinated compounds, meanwhile, are essential for many modern medicines, crop protection products and advanced materials. Converting one into the other, however, has traditionally relied on toxic, thermally unstable reagents such as DAST (diethylaminosulfur trifluoride) that make large-scale manufacturing operationally demanding.

Every night, astronomers must carefully assess changing weather, the intensity of moonlight and shifting atmospheric conditions before deciding where to point a telescope. It's a constant balancing act designed to squeeze as much science as possible from every precious hour beneath dark skies. Now, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and Fermilab scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that automatically determines where a telescope should point.