Rising trade frictions over the past decade have sparked urgent questions about their long-term impact on global economies. The U.S. now applies tariffs of 66.4% on Chinese exports, which is higher compared to the average rate of 19.3%, while China retaliates with a 58.3% import tariff on U.S. exports, higher than the average rate of 21.1%.
For more than three decades, DHS provided vital demographic and health data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition in over 90 countries. Its termination leaves major gaps in tracking the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Enzymes are the molecular machines that power life; they build and break down molecules, copy DNA, digest food, and drive virtually every chemical reaction in our cells. For decades, scientists have designed drugs to slow down or block enzymes, stopping infections or the growth of cancer by jamming these tiny machines. But what if tackling some diseases requires the opposite approach?
The production of clean hydrogen through water electrolysis is a promising route toward emission-free and sustainable energy technologies. However, its efficiency is still constrained by the kinetically sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This reaction requires high potential energy input and operates under highly oxidative conditions, which often force a trade-off between catalytic activity and long-term stability.
An international group of researchers says that biodiversity conservation and scientific research are not benefiting from the vast knowledge about the world's plants held by botanic gardens, because of fragmented data systems and a lack of standardization.
The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), a joint mission between the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, launched on Sept. 7th, 2023. Its advanced imaging filters and spectrometers were designed to study black holes and neutron stars and detect the hot plasma in the intergalactic medium. Alongside the European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission Newton (XMM-Newton) and NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), XRISM has provided the sharpest-ever X-ray spectrum of the iconic MCG–6-30-15.
The Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers, located in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), are among the fastest-melting glaciers on Earth. Together, they are losing ice more rapidly than any other part of Antarctica, raising serious concerns about the long-term stability of the ice sheet and its contribution to future sea-level rise.
At temperatures where most molecular movement ceases, certain organic crystals begin their self-healing journey.
Air pollution regulations in the United States are intended to protect public health, but a new study has found that they also carry an unexpected cost: higher interest rates on the bonds used by counties to fund schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. When a county falls out of compliance with the ozone standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), borrowing becomes costly. As a result, the municipality faces higher costs to fund public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, and roads.
Happy new year! If you're a redhead, the pigments in your hair are protecting you from cellular damage. A post-stroke injection comprising regenerative nanomaterial can protect the brain. And researchers have developed a method to extract rare earth elements from coal tailings.
