Belugas are even harder to study than most whales: it’s difficult to observe a species that vanishes under the Arctic ice. But now DNA analysis has given scientists a precious glimpse into the social life of a beluga population living in Bristol Bay, Alaska. They found that males and females mate with many different partners over the years, which could be keeping this small, isolated population genetically viable.  “We still know very little about beluga whales, despite their immense popularity,” said Dr Greg O’Corry-Crowe of Florida Atlantic University, lead author of the paper ...

In the icy waters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay, a new study reveals how a small population of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) survive the long haul through a surprising strategy: they mate with multiple partners over several years. The combination of long-term genetics, observation and careful analysis is starting to reveal some of the most intimate insights into one of the Arctic’s most elusive whales. Beluga whales live in a world that’s difficult for scientists to observe, so surprisingly little is known about how they choose mates, compete for partners, ...

Modern cells are complex chemical entities with cytoskeletons, finely regulated internal and external molecules, and genetic material that determines nearly every aspect of their functioning. This complexity allows cells to survive in a wide variety of environments and compete based on their fitness. However, the earliest primordial cells were little more than small compartments where a membrane of lipids enclosed simple organic molecules. Bridging the divide between simple protocells and complex modern cells is a major ...

A new study led by Boston College School of Social Work Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins found that recreational cannabis legalization in the United States is driving increases in cannabis use among adults with historically lower consumption, as opposed to increasing use among those who already consumed cannabis. The research, titled “The Impact of Recreational Cannabis Legalization on Cannabis Use in US Adults from 2016-2023: A Quasi-experimental Study” and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, contributes evidence that cannabis use—the most frequently consumed illicit drug in the U.S.—is spreading to new populations. Despite ...

As global demand for sustainable energy surges, the performance ceiling of current battery technologies is increasingly tied to how efficiently ions and electrons move through the cell. Now, a multinational team led by Dr. Yuntong Sun (Nanyang Technological University), Dr. Zhendong Hao (Nanjing Institute of Technology) and Prof. Jong-Min Lee (DGIST) has delivered a panoramic review in Nano-Micro Letters showing how molecular and ionic dipole interactions can push that ceiling higher. The work provides a design playbook for next-generation high-energy batteries that are safer, longer-lasting and wide-temperature-capable. Why ...

As spacecraft venture deeper into extreme environments (−270 °C to 1650 °C, 10-6 g, 5000 mSv), conventional solar, battery and nuclear sources reveal weight, radiation and eclipse limitations. Now researchers from Luleå University of Technology, Khalifa University and the University of Cambridge—led by Rayyan Ali Shaukat, Yarjan Abdul Samad and Yijun Shi—deliver the first panoramic review on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as lightweight, self-powered energy and sensing solutions for next-generation space systems. Why TENGs Matter • Energy everywhere – convert launch vibration, micrometeoroid impacts, ...

As global energy demands surge and fossil-fuel reserves shrink, next-generation 2D materials are racing to deliver ultrahigh capacity, ultrafast kinetics and rock-solid stability. Now, researchers from Henan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences—led by Dr Jai Kumar, Dr Zhuanpei Wang and Prof Xiaowei Yang—have published a panoramic review on MBene, the boron-based sibling of MXene, that charts a direct route from wet-lab synthesis to AI-guided device deployment. The work offers a one-stop roadmap ...

As maritime electrification and blue-energy harvesting accelerate, conventional Pt/C cathodes collapse in natural seawater because chloride ions poison active sites and shift the oxygen-reduction pathway from the desired 4 e⁻ route to the parasitic 2 e⁻ peroxide route. Now, researchers from Central South University and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, led by Professor Jun Wu and Professor Danlei Li, have unveiled a universal oxidative-polymerization route that axially clamps Fe–N₄ single-atom sites with heteroatoms ...

Precision alignment in semiconductor lithography demands nanometer-scale accuracy, as even minor misalignments between the mask and wafer can drastically impact chip yield. However, existing optical measurement techniques, which rely on coherent light sources and grating structures, face significant limitations. These methods require the detection of a vast number of photons to achieve sufficient signal-to-noise ratio through statistical averaging, leading to prolonged measurement times and constraints in real-time, high-speed applications such as multi-patterning lithography. Additionally, the physical size and complexity of conventional optical systems hinder their ...

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare but aggressive malignancy with high postoperative recurrence rates and poor prognosis. Mitotane remains the only approved agent for ACC, exerting antitumor effects by disrupting mitochondrial integrity, inhibiting steroidogenic enzymes, and interfering with cholesterol metabolism. Clinical evidence supports maintaining plasma concentrations between 14–20 mg/L to maximize efficacy while minimizing toxicity. This comprehensive review outlines mitotane’s mechanisms of action, clinical applications in adjuvant and advanced settings, dosage strategies, ...

Intense Laser and Nuclear Fusion In a collaborative study, Assistant Professor Jintao Qi (Shenzhen Technology University), Professor Zhaoyan Zhou (National University of Defense Technology), and Professor Xu Wang (Graduate School of China Academy of Engineering Physics) investigated the theoretical processes of nuclear fusion in the presence of intense laser fields. The study addresses a central challenge in controlled fusion research: overcoming the strong Coulomb repulsion between positively charged nuclei, which conventionally necessitates heating fusion fuel to temperatures exceeding tens of ...

Researchers tested what factors improve or worsen the quality of sleep in mice. A team including researchers from the University of Tokyo placed mice in two environments, one where they could see and sense other mice without physical contact, and one in complete isolation. They found that mice higher in their social hierarchy likely benefited from isolation, while those lower did not. However, the specific impact on the amount of REM sleep varied depending on the genetic background of the mice. The team hopes to investigate the relationship between social connections ...

Ammonia (NH₃) is an indispensable chemical in modern industry, serving as a core feedstock for fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and numerous industrial products. However, the dominant industrial ammonia synthesis method, the Haber-Bosch process, relies on harsh high-temperature and high-pressure conditions and contributes over 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, posing urgent environmental challenges. In contrast, the electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR) emerges as a sustainable alternative: it converts environmentally abundant ...

A new scientific review outlines how a little understood class of battery materials could help deliver safer, higher energy lithium ion batteries while reducing reliance on critical metals such as cobalt and nickel. Researchers have synthesized and analyzed recent global advances in cation disordered rocksalt cathode materials, a promising alternative to today’s dominant lithium ion battery cathodes used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and grid storage. The study provides a clear framework for overcoming long standing performance challenges that have so far limited commercial adoption. Cation disordered rocksalt ...

For social animals, encounters between rival groups can often lead to conflict. While some species avoid this by maintaining fixed territories, others, like the feral horses, live in a "multilevel society" where multiple family groups (units) aggregate to form higher level group. Aggregating is considered to offer protection against predators and bachelor males, but it also brings rival males into close contact. The horses face a dilemma: they want to group together for safety but need to maintain distance to avoid fighting. How ...

Researchers from the University of St Andrews have developed an AI tool that reads animal movement from video and turns it into clear, human-readable descriptions, making behavioural analysis faster, cheaper, and scalable across species.  Published on Wednesday 21 January by The Royal Society, the PoseR plug has been developed to remove a major bottleneck in neuroscience, psychology and biology to enable larger faster, and more reproducible studies.  Animal behaviour ...

New research from the University of St Andrews has found that the social spread of group bubble-net feeding amongst humpback whales is crucial to the success of the population’s ongoing recovery.    Bubble-net feeding is when a group of whales work together to blow clouds of bubbles that corral their small fish prey schools into higher densities that they can then engulf together. It is a cooperative and highly social behaviour that requires whales to learn how to work in a group. The study published today (Wednesday ...

A long-standing mystery about how wild bats navigate complex environments in complete darkness with remarkable precision, has been solved in a new University of Bristol-led study. The findings are published today [21 January] in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. While it is well known that bats hunting at night use biosonar (also known as echolocation) to map their surroundings, the question of how they process thousands of overlapping echoes in real time when navigating more complex habitats like forests ...

A new study reveals that urban tributaries flowing through Wuhan are significant sources of phthalate esters, a widely used class of plastic chemicals, to the Yangtze River, highlighting previously underestimated risks to aquatic ecosystems in one of the world’s largest river systems. Phthalate esters, often abbreviated as PAEs, are chemicals commonly added to plastics to make them flexible and durable. They are found in everyday products ranging from packaging and construction materials to personal care items and medical devices. Because these chemicals are not chemically ...

The number of people over 40 in the UK living with glaucoma—the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide—is already higher than expected and is projected to surge to more than 1.6 million by 2060, finds research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.   This is equivalent to a rise of 60% on 2025 figures, and outpaces the projected 28% population increase in the over 40s over the same period, say the researchers.   This trend will be driven by an increasingly ageing population and growth in the proportion of higher risk ethnically diverse groups, prompting the need for an expansion in eye health services ...

Preventing high blood glucose (pre-diabetes) from turning into type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes could more than halve the carbon footprint associated with treating the complications of the disease, suggests a modelling study, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.   And effective management of the disease could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 21%, the calculations indicate.   In 2021, 537 million adults around the globe were living with diabetes, a number that is expected to rise to 783 million by 2045, 4.41 million of whom will be in the UK, note the researchers.    Diabetes ...

Over one million people are estimated to currently have glaucoma in the UK, a figure projected to reach more than 1.6 million by 2060, according to a study led by UCL and Moorfields researchers. The new figures, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology and commissioned by Glaucoma UK, are nearly 50% higher than previous estimates of glaucoma prevalence. The researchers say there could be more than half a million people with undiagnosed glaucoma - a common eye condition in which the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged - in the ...

Treating people who are at high risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can delay the onset of the disease for several years, with benefits also continuing well after treatment has stopped. The trial showed that one year of treatment with the drug abatacept, a biologic therapy that targets immune cell activation, reduced progression to rheumatoid arthritis in people at high risk. The new King’s College London study, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, builds on results from a trial led reported by King’s researchers ...

A landmark UK study involving tens of thousands of families has shown that childhood screening for type 1 diabetes is effective, laying the groundwork for a UK-wide childhood screening programme.  Results from the first phase of the ELSA (Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes) study, co-funded by charities Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D, are published today in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.   The findings mark a major step towards a future in which ...

Regularly doing a mix of different types of physical activity may be best for prolonging the lifespan, but the associations aren’t linear, pointing to a possible optimal threshold effect, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.   Variety rather than simply doing more of the same, is linked to a lower risk of death irrespective of total quantity, the findings show, although an active lifestyle is still important in its own right, emphasise the researchers.   While physical activity has consistently been associated with better physical and mental health and a lower risk of death, ...