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Recent research suggests the immeasurable majority of animals known as ‘wild dogs’ in Australia are literally pure canines or dingoes that are mostly dingo when it comes to their genetic makeup. Researchers gathered the outcomes from DNA tests of more than 5,000 wild canids across Australia and discovered that only about 1% were really dog-dominant

Visitors look at a scale model of the Thirty Meter Telescope at India’s Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum in Bangalore.Credit: Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty We are heartened to see a chapter on public engagement in science and technology in India’s draft Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2020 (see go.nature.com/3k7g6hf). We sincerely hope there is the

My work focuses on a side of Ireland that few visitors ever see: the temperate rainforest of Killarney National Park, a 10,200-hectare reserve near the southwest coast. The climate here — usually damp and, by Irish standards, relatively warm, with temperatures in autumn afternoons typically edging beyond 10 °C — creates ideal growing conditions for all

Masks and gloves are used to protect everyone from the coronavirus pandemic.  However, a new study showed how big a threat they are to animals when thrown away irresponsibly. PPE Pollution (Photo : Brian Yurasits on Unsplash) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a new generation of litter:

A farmer in Ethiopia harvests teff, a cereal. Small farms tend to have more-diverse landscapes than do sprawling industrial operations. Credit: Andia/Universal Images Group/Getty Environmental sciences 29 March 2021 Small farms outdo big ones on biodiversity — and crop yields Large-scale farms account for most of the global food supply, but smallholdings protect species and

Cuddly koalas, quokkas, kangaroos, and wombats are native to Australia. But if that’s what you think of when planning your Australian escapades, you might want to take a moment. In Australia you might not come across any deadly animals, but by chance, during your stay, you might hear about them. Here’s the list of deadliest animals

Ballet dancers and researchers alike need critical feedback to polish their performance.Credit: Javier Torres/AFP/Getty When I was 15, I was selected to dance a solo in my ballet school’s annual recital performance. I was ecstatic: this was the culmination of years of hard work. I memorized the dance my teacher had choreographed, and spent the

On a plethora of environmental concerns, the Biden administration is poised to take significant steps. (Photo : (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images))WILMINGTON, DE – DECEMBER 19: President-elect Joe Biden announces members of his climate and energy appointments, including Congresswoman Deb Haaland, at the Queen theater on December 19, 2020 in Wilmington, DE. Secretary of Interior nominee

The U.S is home to almost 2,000 active landfills. Day by day, these massive piles of waste can discharge more than 2 million liters of liquid per spot into the ground, contaminating local water with potentially toxic substances. Liquid-based pollutants are an immediate threat to both nature and human health, but knowing which chemicals are the

Back when marsupial lions, mega wombats, and sheep-sized echidnas walked the ancient lands of Australia, there lived also an enormous flightless bird called the ‘demon duck of doom’ by some, paleontologist Trevor Worthy describes the Dromornis stirtoni as an “extreme evolutionary experiment.” “It would seem these large birds were likely what evolution created when it

Levine was confirmed by the US Senate on 24 March in a 52–48 vote.Credit: Daniel Shanken/Reuters/Alamy Rachel Levine has been sworn in as one of the top health officials in the United States, following her confirmation by the Senate earlier this week. Although she has made headlines for becoming the highest-ranking openly transgender official in

Former Peruvian president Martín Vizcarra was the first prominent person identified by local media to have received a COVID-19 vaccine in violation of clinical-trial standards.Credit: Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty A clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccines in Peru has sparked outrage and triggered a series of high-profile resignations at universities and in government. Politicians, researchers and some of

Having knowledge of what is and isn’t risky when you’re in unknown territory is tricky, but there are certain clues you can watch out for, such as bright, teeth coloration, or the similarity to a bear on a ton of cocaine. Footage that went viral lately on TikTok showed how simple it is to underrate

Noah Baker and Ewen Callaway discuss the latest on teh Oxford, Astra-Zeneca COVID vaccine. Your browser does not support the audio element. Download MP3 Since the beginning of the pandemic the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been plagued by confusion and controversy. The vaccine has been authorised in over 100 countries, tens of millions of doses have

It’s possible that the Coronavirus spread between species on farms that supply live civets, snakes, and bamboo rats. Exotic Farm Experiences (Photo : Wikimedia Commons) Peter Li describes a pre-pandemic visit to one of China’s many small businesses specialized in breeding wild animals for meat as “a transformed pigsty.” According to Li, a China policy

Subjected to pressures found 4 kilometres below the ocean surface, bacteria fare better (bottom) when fed the compound trimethylamine than bacteria that go without (top). Credit: Q. L. Qin et al./Sci. Adv. Microbiology 26 March 2021 How deep-sea bacteria thrive under pressure Microbes that survive in the dark depths import and process a molecule in

The light of young galaxies has given astronomers a glimpse of some of the interwoven tendrils of gas (illustration) filling the Universe. Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/Science Photo Library Astronomy and astrophysics 26 March 2021 Faint galaxies light up the dark web filling the cosmos Dim, distant collections of stars hint at the early evolution of the Universe.

For everyone’s findings, perhaps one of the fun unfinished puzzles for zoologists and wildlife fanatics is the gaps in our knowledge of what animals the Earth shares with us. Biodiversity hotspots like Madagascar continue to spit out species not yet recognized by science, and discovery in South America delivers not one but two new species

In this 60-minute webinar, first broadcast live in May 2020 and now available to view on demand, Nature speaks to researchers who had their world turned upside down by the pandemic, and asks for some of their advice. Although many scientists are now used to working from home after a year of pandemic life, the

You can’t wrap the sun with a finger, however, maybe with science and technology then yes. According to Forbes, Bill Gates is financing a project that would dim sunlight to “cool” the Planet. The study is known as SCoPEx (Stratospheric Controlled Disturbance Experiment) undertaken by Harvard University scientists and has the goal of achieving that

The sauteur d’Alfort rabbit, which cannot hop, walks on its front paws when it needs to move quickly or cover long distances. Credit: M. Carneiro et al./PLOS Genet. (CC BY 4.0) Genetics 25 March 2021 Rabbits that do ‘handstands’ help to find a gene for hopping A rare breed of acrobatic bunny enables a giant

The Victoria Building at the University of Liverpool, UK.Credit: Getty A university in the United Kingdom is facing criticism over the responsible use of research metrics, after it used information about scientists’ research income and publication records to identify dozens of jobs that are ‘at risk’. Critics say that using metrics in such a decision

Fossils discovered in Newfoundland throwback evolution of cephalopods by tens of millions of years. But does the longevity of species speak about its intelligence? If we count our little-brained ancestors, we go back half a million years. If we go all the way back to the tree-living rat-like animal which is the oldest ancestor of

Storm clouds that spawn lightning are becoming more common in the warming Arctic, where such light shows have been rare. Credit: Ivan Kmit/Alamy Atmospheric science 25 March 2021 Rising temperatures spark boom in Arctic lightning Warming in the frozen north leads to more clouds that can produce electrical discharge. Share on Twitter Share on Twitter

Do you think humans are the smartest animals? Don’t be surprised to know that Raccoons pick locks, bees hold dance-offs and crows know physics. Get ready to be amazed at some of the intelligent animals on earth as some of these animals will surprise you. (Photo : Getty Images) Raccoons Pick Locks If you have a plan

An extinct kangaroo’s massive, curving ‘fingers’ would have helped it to grasp and climb. Credit: N. M. Warburton & G. J. Prideaux/R. Soc. Open Sci. (CC BY 4.0) Palaeontology 24 March 2021 A sight to see 40,000 years ago: a hefty kangaroo up a tree Flexible shoulders hint that a sizable and now-extinct marsupial could

1. Luyssaert, S. et al. Old-growth forests as global carbon sinks. Nature 455, 213–215 (2008). ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar  2. Odum, E. P. The strategy of ecosystem development. Science 164, 262–270 (1969). ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar  3. Pan, Y. D. et al. A large and persistent carbon sink in the world’s forests. Science

The arapaima is one of the earth’s biggest freshwater fish. The decaying corpse of a dead Amazon “river monster” lately washed ashore in Florida, bringing up questions about whether this massive killer fish has entered the Sunshine State’s ever-increasing catalog of invasive animals. The Arapaima Although it may grow in Florida’s warm waters, this fish, called

László Lovász (left) and Avi Wigderson were jointly awarded the 2021 Abel Prize.Credits: left, Hungarian Academy of Sciences/Laszlo Mudra/AbelPrize; right, Cliff Moore/Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton/AbelPrize Abel prize celebrates union of maths and computer science Two pioneers of the theory of computation have won the 2021 Abel Prize, one of the most prestigious honours in

Modern crocodiles live in rivers, streams, and forests, using their snouts and strong jaws to catch fish, snakes, birds, and mammals. (Photo : Judd Patterson on Wikimedia Commons) However, recent research published today in the Royal Society B journal Proceedings suggests that ancient crocodiles were once even more diverse due to accelerated evolution. Various Ancient Crocodile

A xenon atom’s electrons (grey circles; illustration) have been observed and even manipulated as they shifted their position. Credit: Carlos Clarivan/Science Photo Library Atomic and molecular physics 24 March 2021 An atom shuffles its electrons at ultrahigh speed — and is caught in the act Scientists capture the movement of electrons in a xenon atom,

An irrigation canal in the dry and intensively farmed San Joaquin Valley of California. Solar panels over such canals are more efficient than those on dry land. Credit: Citizens of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Renewable energy 23 March 2021 Solar panels that throw shade on canals are an environmental win–win Placing solar arrays over

The Great Plains ground snake (Sonora episcopa) will change its appearance and take on various colors and patterns. A single red stripe can be seen running the body’s length-alternatively, black and white bands. Alternatively, red and black bands. It can also be strong brown at times. (Photo : Peter Paplanus on Wikimedia Commons) To add

Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here Ron Levine/Getty Puppies are hardwired to understand us Nearly 400 adorable puppies have helped researchers to show that dogs’ ability to understand human pointing — a rarity in the animal kingdom — appears to be hardwired

The Mountain Fagradals volcano in southwest Iceland had been inactive for 6,000 years. Though on Friday night, with subsequent weeks of earthquakes in the region, the volcano became active. The eruption is the first that has been encountered by the Reykjanes Peninsula where the volcano is located in 781 years.  According to photos of the

Astronomer Vera Rubin studying photographic plates in 1974.Credit: Carnegie Institution for Science Vera Rubin: A Life Jacqueline Mitton & Simon Mitton Belknap Press (2021) The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, under construction in Chile, is scheduled to begin scientific operations in 2023. Its ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time hopes to “see more of the

In this photo, taken in December 2020, I am reviewing students’ progress in a computer networking course at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, where I teach electrical engineering and telecommunication policy. The students are learning to configure computers to accommodate Voice over Internet Protocol, or online telephony. We’ve also explored the programming language Python, and

When a massive iceberg last month calved off of Antarctica, it disclosed for the first time in decades an active community of sea life. About  two weeks ago, an iceberg enormous enough to hold New York City almost two times over splitted off of the Antarctic Ice layer and started swerving slowly through the Weddell

Air pollution is believed to have begun when humans first understood how to control fire’s power, which has since developed into the industrial curse of industry, cars, and power plants. (Photo : Foto-Rabe on Pixabay) Industries, cars, logging, irrigation, forest fires, cookstoves, volcanic eruptions, and wind erosion are both examples of human and environmental causes

The biggest creature In the world swims through the centers of the oceans, though 50 million years ago four legs whales walked the land. Northeast Ohio Medical University’s professor discloses that the enormous creatures are offspring of an old aged tiny deer called Indohyus. Through the study of cetaceans evolution, which involved hippopotamus to whales, Hans

Animals that inhabit thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean have grown unique adaptabilities to remain alive. While some of these creatures may look bizarre to us, they have grown these displays over thousands of years to enable them to survive in their intense environments. From attributes like bioluminescence, whereby creatures create their

An illustration of the spike proteins that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to break into human cell membranes.Credit: Design Cells/Science Photo Library Penny Moore was one of the first scientists to show that a coronavirus variant identified in South Africa could dodge the immune system. So the virologist was expecting more grim news when she tested

Joe Biden congratulates the team of scientists responsible for landing NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars during a virtual call on 4 March.Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty After winning the US presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden moved quickly to begin naming the experts who will advise him on a range of issues — including science. He

Australia’s disastrous wildfires released as much smoke into the atmosphere of the Earth as a powerful volcanic eruption, leading to cooling over the ocean regions with probably long-lasting effects, as reported by the authors of a recent study. (Photo : Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 31: Fire burns within sight of the

Rick Bright speaks at a congressional hearing on protecting scientific integrity during the pandemic in May 2020.Credit: Shawn Thew/Getty Rick Bright put his career on the line when he blew the whistle on how former president Donald Trump’s administration was handling the coronavirus pandemic last year. Bright — who was then director of the US

Scientists hope the experiment will give worthy data for submarine works, mining missions, and lengthy space travel, 21st century potential reality. The pandemic-related quarantines that have happened in the past years have educated billions of people all over the world what different phases of isolation feels like. (Photo : Robin) A Team of 15 Volunteers 

Noah Baker and Heidi Ledford discuss COVID-19 antibody treatments. Your browser does not support the audio element. Download MP3 In the early days of the pandemic, researchers raced to identify the most potent antibodies produced by the immune system in response to SAR-COV-2 infection and produce them in bulk. The resulting ‘monoclonal antibodies’ have since

The Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples (SING) Consortium hosts workshops to engage students and tribal members in genomics.Credit: Rene Begay In lamenting the “broken promise that undermines human genome research”, this journal implies that researchers have a right to access information across databases (see Nature 590, 198–201; 2021). In our view, this problematically frames ‘equity’