Researchers at Tel Aviv University examined the mechanical wear of digging valves located at the tip of the female locust's abdomen, used to dig pits for laying eggs 3 to 4 times during her lifetime. They found that, unlike organs with remarkably high wear resistance, such as the mandible (lower jaw), the valves wear down substantially due to the intensive digging.

During meiosis, the cell division process central to sexual reproduction, all chromosomes must figure out where to destroy the protein cohesin—the molecular glue holding chromosomes together—and where to protect it.

Researchers have successfully developed a supramolecular fluorophore nanocomposite fabrication technology using nanomaterials and constructed a sustainable solar organic biohydrogen production system.

For the first time, an international team has tracked at BESSY II how heavy molecules—in this case bromochloromethane—disintegrate into smaller fragments when they absorb X-ray light. Using a newly developed analytical method, they were able to visualize the ultrafast dynamics of this process. In this process, the X-ray photons trigger a "molecular catapult effect": light atomic groups are ejected first, similar to projectiles fired from a catapult, while the heavier atoms—bromine and chlorine—separate more slowly.

Just how far can grains of pollen travel and how much unintended damage can these miniscule particles inflict? For growers in the hemp industry, this has become a million-dollar question.

Seaweed is once again showing promise for making cattle farming more sustainable. A study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that feeding grazing beef cattle a seaweed supplement in pellet form reduced their methane emissions by almost 40% without affecting their health or weight.

Researchers have uncovered key insights about how liquid crystals, materials capable of forming complex ordered structures, transform between different phases. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study provides a clearer understanding of how these materials change their structures at the microscopic level. This research could provide a means to give a deeper insight into the transformation between different structures in a wider variety of materials.

Channels in plant cell walls, called plasmodesmata, provide molecules with a bridge to move between cells, an essential phenomenon for cellular growth and development. The mystery has long been how these important channels form.

A team of planetary scientists and oceanographers from NOAA, the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services, and the University of Zagreb, has found an example of an exception to Ekman's theory of wind-driven ocean currents—wind and surface flow in the Bay of Bengal.

Could the fungal apocalypse of The Last of Us have roots in reality? A new UBC study published in the journal PLOS Biology shows that climate warming can potentially make bacterial and fungal infections deadlier for cold-blooded animals like corals, insects, and fish, raising questions about the broader risks warming temperatures pose to ecosystems and biodiversity—and potentially humans.