MIT Experiments Show Plant Seeds Can “Hear” the Sound of Rain—And They Don’t Find It Calming

Over 5 million years ago, the Colorado River disappeared from the geological record, but now geologists have finally solved the mystery.

As conflict intensifies in the Middle East, energy markets swing wildly and the cost of living keeps climbing, a pressing question is emerging for anyone who is tied in to the fluctuating energy and food markets: how do we build resilience?

Researchers from Brown University and their collaborators have developed a new way to measure the properties of cells—an important development, they say, because accurate measurements of changes in cell elasticity can be used to better understand diseases, diagnose patient symptoms and provide more accurate prognoses.

Scientists at Keele University have created the first detailed map of the genetic “switches” that control reproduction in disease-carrying insects such as Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito species most responsible for malaria transmission, paving the way for more effective methods of genetically controlling these insects.

Unusual patches of black Amazonian soil rich in nutrients known as “dark earth,” which rapidly accelerates plant growth, remain one of the region’s greatest mysteries.

The strange quantum nature of time moves one step closer to being untangled, thanks to new research on optical ion clocks.