Around 80 million years ago, a stretch of tropical coastline in what is now northeastern Italy was lashed by monsoon rains and tropical cyclones. Those storms swept dinosaur carcasses, crocodiles, plants and river mud onto a tidal flat, where the tides and a film of microbes sealed everything away with extraordinary preservation.
Mandatory curbside collection of soft plastic (chip bags, bread bags, plastic wrap) has just been pushed back from 2027 to 2030.
Greece is expected to experience its hottest day of the year Wednesday, with temperatures reaching up to 43°C (109°F), according to meteorologists. Several regions have been placed on alert because of the risk of wildfires.
The EU's food safety agency said Wednesday it has dramatically reduced the acceptable daily intake level of the so-called forever chemical TFA, following new evidence of its effect on a key hormone that regulates the body's metabolism.
NASA's Juno mission has provided the first measurements of the temperature below the surface of Jupiter's moon Io, revealing significant heating within the shallow subsurface of the most volcanically active world in the solar system. Collected during two close flybys, the data also show that most of Io's surface is remarkably smooth and composed of material with very low density.
For some survivors of intimate partner violence, leaving an abusive relationship might mean facing a difficult choice between prioritizing their own safety and that of a beloved pet.
According to United Nations projections, global food demand could increase by around 60% by 2050, while only about 2% of additional agricultural land is expected to become available. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are therefore exploring new approaches to safeguard food security.
A biotech company called Revel Pharmaceuticals is looking into ways to reverse aging, and the company's science team, along with researchers from the company Calico and the University of Colorado, may be a step closer to realizing the so-called fountain of youth. The team recently published their study in Nature Communications detailing how they engineered an enzyme capable of reversing a particular form of age-related damage and demonstrated its competence with test results.
In precision agriculture, where data is used to automate and optimize agricultural tasks for maximum yield, large-scale mapping and digital modeling of the land of interest are essential. This digital backbone enables tasks such as yield estimation, targeted spraying and phenotyping while also providing the foundation for autonomous navigation, perception and robotic operation. However, in modern commercial orchards, with their large scale, high tree density and structured layouts, achieving consistent mapping and accurate 3D modeling remains challenging.
From microplastics clogging up our oceans to landfills leaching dangerous chemicals, plastic waste is a serious and growing problem for human health and the environment. We need to recycle more and, crucially, recycle better.
