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The totality of bacteria, viruses and fungi that exist in and on a multicellular organism forms its natural microbiome. The interactions between the body and these microorganisms significantly influence the host organism's functions and health. Among other things, researchers have shown that the microbiome plays an important role in defense against pathogens. On the other hand, they suspect that imbalances in the microbiome's composition are linked to the development of so-called environmental d

If your home isn't in a federally designated flood zone, flooding might seem like someone else's problem. No one requires you to buy flood insurance, and the map suggests you're in the clear. But reality may be very different.

A new study led by Dr. Shikma Zaarur of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Dr. Ran Erel of the Agricultural Research Organization–Volcani Institute, reveals that agricultural soils may contain a substantial unaccounted-for reservoir of potassium, an essential nutrient for plant growth, that is largely overlooked by conventional soil testing methods. The findings could pave the way for more precise fertilizer recommendations, potentially reducing unnecessary fertilizer use

While ammonia (NH₃) is best known for its role in fertilizer production, it is attracting attention as a carbon-free hydrogen carrier, potentially offering a practical way to store and transport clean fuel. Despite this promise, NH₃ synthesis still depends on high-temperature, high-pressure processes that are difficult to scale up sustainably. The reason behind this is the extremely strong bond between nitrogen atoms in nitrogen gas (N₂), which requires a lot of energy to break.

Human intelligence is still a bit of an enigma. Researchers have some ideas about why advanced intelligence evolved in humans, but they have not come to a conclusive answer. One prominent idea is that intelligence serves a social function. In their new study, a group of researchers led by Jonathan Egeland reports additional evidence supporting this idea. According to their research, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, greater intelligence seems to garner more respect, but only

What does a healthy river look like? For most of us, an obvious answer would involve two aspects: water flowing through a channel and green vegetation along its banks. However, in reality, a river's health depends on several factors, such as how much water flows through it, how water moves through the landscape, how that flow changes with the seasons, how sediment moves downstream, how often it spills into its floodplain and how these processes change with the seasons.

Scientists studying the neurology of tame foxes identified changes in a part of the brain that has previously been associated with aggression, according to a new paper that compared the brains of domesticated, aggressive and wild foxes. The changes occurred in an area at the base of the brain called the ventromedial hypothalamus, which is known to drive aggression, control decisions related to energy use and play an important role in maternal instincts and social behaviors in mice.

Working as a Christian minister years ago, Landon Schnabel noticed a paradox common to many U.S. churches: Men filled leadership roles, implying that religion is masculine and patriarchal, but many more women participated in services, Bible study and other activities.

Ruthenium (Ru) is a valuable metal used in catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in many industrial processes. It can help improve efficiency and reduce the energy needed for chemical production. However, because it is rare and expensive, scientists are looking for ways to make better use of it.

More than just a precious gemstone for jewelry, diamond has properties that make it attractive for several next-generation, high-performance technologies. Its high thermal conductivity can help move heat away from semiconductor devices, while its wide bandgap is promising for high-power electronics. Moreover, its transparency in the visible light range makes diamond useful for demanding optical applications.

A study co-led by a University of California, Riverside, biomedical scientist has identified new targets for coronavirus antiviral drugs, including treatments that may be less vulnerable to the rapid evolution of these viruses.

For roughly five centuries from about 1300, Europe experienced periods of unusually cold weather and extreme conditions collectively known as the Little Ice Age. Transylvania, a historical region in modern-day Romania, was also affected, but information about just how severe things were had been scattered in old town records, church logs, travelogs and administrative and monastic diaries.

People who speak with an accent know it can lead to discrimination. It can cost them in job interviews, at work and in everyday exchanges. But what they usually have to go on is anecdote: their own experiences and those of people they know.

Scientists examining data collected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found that dozens of small galaxies contain far less oxygen than their stars are estimated to have produced. The researchers, including a Rutgers astrophysicist, studied 37 dwarf galaxies, which are much smaller than the Milky Way and considered to be nearby, within 22 million light-years of Earth. The results were published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Research led by atmospheric scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory sheds new light on one of the fundamental challenges of weather forecasting: determining the conditions under which a cloud will produce rain—and how much rain it will produce.

Whether it's gushing from a bumped nose or pooling atop a pricked finger, our blood is some hue of red. But red-bloodedness isn't universal in the animal kingdom. In some creatures, the vital fluid is purple; in others it's yellow, green or even white.

How do some people experience work as meaningful? Organizational researcher Rachel Waldo at Lund University argues that one important answer has been largely overlooked: the brand itself.

A genome contains all of the DNA of every living organism, but its contents don't stop there—most of these structures also contain snippets of DNA that can copy and paste themselves to "infect" a genome, expanding its size. Precisely why that happens remains a mystery.

An international research team led by Curtin University has for the first time uncovered unequivocal evidence of fossilized red blood cells and amino acids of collagen, reshaping our understanding of fossil preservation and molecular longevity in deep time.

Mars shares many landforms and weather patterns with Earth, including changing seasons, volcanoes, canyons, dust storms, dust devils and water ice. Another feature that Earth and Mars share is polar ice caps. These are among each planet's striking features, but the major difference is that Earth's polar ice caps are both composed of water, while Mars' north polar ice cap is composed only of water and its southern polar ice cap is carbon dioxide.