Science

...

Oxford University Press (OUP) will no longer publish a controversial academic journal sponsored by China’s Ministry of Justice after years of concerns that several papers in the publication did not meet ethical standards about DNA collection.

The appearance of thousands of formulaic biomedical studies has been linked to the rise of text-generating AI tools.

Researchers have been sneaking secret messages into their papers in an effort to trick artificial intelligence (AI) tools into giving them a positive peer-review report.

ETH Zurich researchers have developed a groundbreaking "living material" that actively captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through two mechanisms: biomass production and mineral formation[1][2].

A groundbreaking study published in July 2025 demonstrates that African savannah elephants use intentional gestures to communicate their goals, similar to great apes[^1]. The research team presented semi-captive elephants with desired and undesired items, recording their communication attempts when experimenters met, partially met, or failed to meet their goals[^1].

A university in France says nearly 300 American researchers have applied for a space in its "Safe Place for Science" program that was created to lure U.S. researchers seeking "scientific asylum" amid aggressive academic spending cuts and other actions against colleges by the Trump administration.

Rare blue proteins from cold-adapted microbes can serve as prototypes to design molecular on-off switches for cells.

Scientists at UC Davis discovered a small genetic difference that could explain why humans are more prone to certain cancers than our primate cousins. The change affects a protein used by immune cells to kill tumors—except in humans, it’s vulnerable to being shut down by an enzyme that tumors release. This flaw may be one reason treatments like CAR-T don’t work as well on solid tumors. The surprising twist? That mutation might have helped our brains grow larger over time. Now, researchers are exploring ways to block the enzyme and give our immune system its power back.

Just one month after the treatment, the majority of patients gained some hearing. Six months later, all 10 showed considerable hearing improvement, with the average volume of perceptible sound improving from 106 decibels (very loud) to 52 (much fainter). What’s more, the patients did not report any adverse side effects within the first 12 months post-treatment.

Jared Towers, executive director of Bay Cetology, a research nonprofit based in Alert Bay, British Columbia, was on a boat in waters at the northeastern end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, when a transient orca offered a freshly-killed harbor seal pup. “I did not have my phone out when T046C2 came over and dropped the seal,” Towers wrote in an email, “But I had time to get it when she left it there sinking before circling around to pick it up again.” He took a photo, showing the orca’s still-open, toothy mouth after just releasing the seal.

Previous studies on the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) in Poland present a complex and contentious picture, suggesting a chronological overlap of various Aurignacian variants and positing that Homo sapiens did not settle the region until after 35,000 [133–135]. This left the area uninhabited for millennia following Neanderthal extinction. This hypothesis raises a key question of whether the environmental conditions of southern Poland acted as barriers to migrating Homo sapiens, or if the region’s resources were simply too limited and dispersed compared to other parts of Europe. The scarcity of human remains and the limited stratigraphic and chronological detail of most EUP sites in Poland have left these questions unresolved [51]. In this context, interdisciplinary work at Obłazowa Cave, with its well-preserved stratigraphy, adds valuable evidence of sustained Homo sapiens presence in the region from the Early Aurignacian. This aligns with findings from Stajnia Cave [28], suggesting that human groups periodically moved in the tundra environments of southern Poland during the EUP.

Eight American researchers have arrived at a university in southern France, as the country pushes to offer "science asylum" to US academics hit by federal research spending cuts under Donald Trump.

National Public Radio coverage: https://www.npr.org/2025/06/27/1254874800/sleep-brain-rest-nap

A mix of iron, chlorine, and lithium is conductive, stores lithium, and self-heals.

The output of computer-vision research is overwhelmingly aimed towards monitoring humans. The potential ethical implications need more scrutiny.

Found out about this website from today's Geology Hub uploaded on YThttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v75f530yFOY This crystal doubles images, meaning that if you look through it that anything on the other side whether that be text, a person, or a photo of a volcano will appear to be doubled. But, why does this unusual optical property occur when utilizing a crystal of calcite? The answer is a fascinating phenomenon known as birefringence, which this video will explain through the expertise and analysis of a geologist. ::: This is the about-page of which text continues past the posted image on the left side: https://www.mindat.org/a/aboutmindat Here is the link to the discussion groups page pictured: https://www.mindat.org/discuss.php