Science News

1. Tiny Poops in the Ocean Could Help Fight Climate Change

   Utilizing zooplankton’s feeding habits, researchers aim to boost oceanic carbon sequestration by introducing clay particles to their diet, significantly speeding up the biological carbon pump. A study led by Dartmouth introduces a new method for recruiting trillions of microscopic sea creatures known as zooplankton to combat climate change. The approach involves converting carbon into food [...]

2. Astronauts Prepare for Christmas With Work and Wonder

   Expedition 72 crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) wrapped up their week with key science hardware installations. Meanwhile, the cosmonauts enjoyed a well-deserved late start on Friday, recovering from a spacewalk the day before. Science Hardware Updates NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Nick Hague completed work on the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise [...]

3. AI-Powered Breakthroughs Illuminate Earth’s Core Mysteries

   New simulation methods reveal insights into the Earth’s core and promise advances in neuromorphic computing for artificial intelligence. How Does Earth Generate Its Magnetic Field? While scientists understand the basic process behind Earth’s magnetic field, many details remain unclear. A team of researchers from the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), [...]

4. 47-Million-Year-Old “Alien Plant” Baffles Scientists With Strange Features

   The discovery indicates a greater diversity in the fossil record of flowering plants than was previously acknowledged. In 1969, fossilized leaves of Othniophyton elongatum—a name meaning “alien plant”—were discovered in eastern Utah. Initially, scientists speculated that this extinct species might have been part of the ginseng family (Araliaceae). However, this assumption is now being reconsidered [...]

5. Light Uncovers Hidden Physics in Superconductors

   New light-based studies of Bi2212 superconductors reveal key insights into high-temperature superconductivity, advancing the quest for room-temperature applications. Copper-oxide (CuO2) superconductors, including Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212), are notable for their unusually high critical temperatures. Previous studies using optical reflectivity measurements revealed that Bi2212 exhibits strong optical anisotropy, meaning its optical properties change depending on the direction of [...]