Conservation
Behind New Zealand's Wild Plan to Purge All Pests
The country is gearing up to get rid of rats, possums, stoats and other invasive predators by 2050. Is it a pipe dream?
Stories by Brian Owens
Conservation
Trump's Border Wall Pledge Threatens Delicate Desert Ecosystems
Ecologists fear plan to seal off the U.S. from Mexico would put wildlife at risk
Computing
"Ransomware" Cyber Attack Exposes Vulnerability of Universities
Security expert warns that schools’ “Frankensteined” networks open doors for hackers
Sustainability
Can Winter De-Icers Go Completely Green?
Additives to road salt designed to make it more environmentally friendly might still have tradeoffs
The Sciences
Multiple "Promiscuous" Gene Transfers Found to Occur in Complex Cells
Multiple independent gene transfers are now documented to occur in the evolutionary history of eukaryotic life, not just among prokaryotes
Mind
You Don't Know What You're Saying
Our awareness of our own speech often comes after the words have left our mouth, not before
Health
Dietary Fiber Acts on Brain to Suppress Appetite
A study suggests that brain activity, not gut hormones, account for fiber's weight-control action
Health
New Contender for "Fat Gene" Found
Researchers may have been focusing on the wrong gene
Wellness
Storm Brewing over Proposal to Halve Recommended Sugar Intake
An industry backlash is expected over the World Health Organization's suggested cut in intake
The Sciences
Smelly Microbes Help Hyenas to Communicate with Each Other
Bacteria in scent glands give information about hosts' species, sex and reproductive state
The Sciences
Bats Use Ear Trumpets for Social Calls
A species of flying mammals roosts in megaphone-shaped leaves that amplify their calls from "friends"
Evolution
Amorous Insects Predict the Weather
Changes in atmospheric pressure are found to reduce mating in beetles, moths and aphids
Health
Bacteria from Lean Mice Prevent Obesity in Peers
Direct evidence now shows that gut bacteria play a role in obesity, but the effect depends on a healthy diet
Health
Silver Makes Antibiotics Thousands of Times More Effective
The antimicrobial treatment could help to solve modern bacterial resistance
Sustainability
Mercury in Seafood Diet Linked to Fox Die-Off
Mercury pollution in marine animals might be behind a population crash of foxes on a Russian island
