Science

Representative Image of marbled ducks and their chicks thriving in a lush wetland with restored natural habitat (AI-generated image) Spain recorded 172 breeding females and 1,427 chicks in 2025, a marked improvement from the 20 breeding pairs recorded in the country in 2009. The figures follow years of conservation work focused on wetland restoration, captive…

PC: Case report: observations on expulsionsfrom 20 years of radiotransmitter implantationin adult Burmese pythons Scientists tracking invasive Burmese pythons in southern Florida recorded four cases of implanted tracking devices being expelled during a study spanning 2005 to 2024. The study examined 305 transmitters implanted in 142 adult snakes across Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades…

Quote of the day by Stephen Hawking Look up at the night sky and it’s hard not to feel a little small. Earth is one planet. It goes around a star that, honestly, isn’t anything unusual, and that star isn’t even near the middle of our galaxy. Past our solar system there are billions more…

PC: Nasa Earth Observatory Satellite images from 2025 show dozens of circular mounds exposed by falling water levels. Satellite images revealed these features across Farmington Bay, Ogden Bay and Bear River Bay. The mounds stood out from the surrounding dry lakebed, with dense reeds growing at their centres. Researchers traced this unusual vegetation to freshwater…

For children who are nervous about needles, a routine visit to the doctor can bring an uncomfortable wait before an injection. Kailyn Brown, a schoolgirl from Columbia, South Carolina, knows the feeling herself. Rather than simply putting up with it, she began thinking about something that might make the experience easier for other children. Her…

PC: NC State news release Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a laser-powered plasma antenna that transmits radio signals without a conventional metal radiating element. Resembling a lightsaber, the device uses a laser to ionise air and create a thin plasma filament that transmitted a 30 MHz radio signal during laboratory tests. According…

Representative Image of a vibrant underground river flowing through marble passages, with fluorescent dye tracing its path through the water (AI-generated image) At Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve in southwestern Oregon, a river flows beneath visitors’ feet through a network of marble passages, disappearing into parts of the cave that people cannot access. Known…

Natural materials can provide shelter for aquatic life (Kentucky Fish and Wildlife photo) Thousands of Christmas trees that decorated homes during the holiday season have found a new purpose at the bottom of lakes in Kentucky. Around 5,000 trees were donated to a state-run recycling programme this year, with approximately 1,700 placed in Boltz Lake…

PC: Frontiers in Fungal Biology A fungus discovered in the forests of southwestern China has drawn attention for its extraordinary size and ancient evolutionary history. The newly identified fungus, Dianjunus rex, produces massive, fleshy structures that can reach 50 centimetres in total height, including a buried stalk, with the heaviest specimen weighing 2.2 kilograms.Its unusual…

Representative Image of a green anaconda concealed among dense vegetation and riverbanks in the western Amazon rainforest (AI-generated image) In the western Amazon, finding a green anaconda can depend on more than knowing which river it inhabits. Dense vegetation, submerged debris and concealed riverbanks can make the giant reptile difficult to observe, even when researchers…