Tag Archives: Research

On Tuesday, the scientists John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton received the Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries that helped drive the development of artificial neural networks — a technology that is now essential to the operation of search engines like Google and online chatbots like ChatGPT from OpenAI. …

Comb jellies, the delicate bells that pulse their iridescent bodies through the ocean, are some of the strangest creatures on earth. “They are the aliens of the sea,” said Leonid Moroz, a neuroscientist at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine, Fla. The aliens belong to the oldest …

“Forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, are everywhere. They’re in our water, our soil and in everyday items like cookware, mascara or waterproof clothing. And there’s mounting evidence that this family of thousands of synthetic chemicals can increase the risk of some types of cancer, developmental and fertility issues, and …

The soil beneath our feet, home to fungi, bacteria, beetles and worms, may not seem like the most jazzy environment. But if you stuck a powerful enough microphone in the soil, you’d be surprised at how hopping it is, acoustically speaking. That has led some microbiologists to wonder: Are there …

Last month, Michele Francis, an environmental scientist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, relocated to central Connecticut only to discover that her new home showed signs of termite damage. When an exterminator suggested setting out traps, Dr. Francis demurred. “I wondered if I could persuade the termites to eat the …

It may seem like a hopeless place, but locusts find a way to breed in the scorching heat of the Sahara at midday. The biblical voracity of these insects make them among the world’s most destructive pests. They devour agricultural crops in swarms that number in the billions and stretch …

Mount Everest is many things. It’s called Chomolungma in Tibetan, and Sagarmatha in Nepali. It’s an iconic part of Earth’s topography, a potentially lethal climbing challenge and a geologic marvel. It’s also staggeringly tall — and, with a peak 29,032 feet above sea level, it easily achieves the status of …

Baobabs are arboreal icons that have punctuated Africa’s landscapes for around 12 million years. With crowns that can grow as large as three tennis courts, they are important for more than their role in ecosystems. The trees are featured in cultural traditions across Africa, and they also support the livelihoods …

The sea robin has fascinated scientists for decades. It has the body of a fish, the wings of a bird and the legs of a crab. “Legs on a fish sound like, um, well, that’s one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen,” said David Kingsley, a developmental biologist at …

Q: I keep seeing TikToks calling green tea “nature’s Ozempic.” Is there any truth to that? Green tea has been bandied about as a diet hack for centuries: In ancient China 2,000 years ago, people touted the beverage as a weight loss tool. In modern times, the drink has been …