Researchers utilized 30 years of Landsat satellite imagery to analyze the color and spectral signatures of Adélie penguin guano across Antarctica, marking the first time space-based observations have captured food-web and population dynamics at a continental scale. The study revealed that global warming and shrinking sea ice are altering penguin diets. Adélie penguins rely more heavily on fish in areas with more sea ice but consume more krill where sea ice has decreased. Diets higher in krill correlate with declining penguin populations, as previous research indicates that penguin chicks fed fish grow larger and have significantly better survival prospects than those fed krill.

From fangs to spines to tusks, nature has invented countless puncture tools, and scientists have long sought to explain what makes them so effective. A new study answers some fundamental questions about how their shape influences how they work.

MIT engineers developed a hydrogel that is both hydrated and aerated. The stretchy material can be worn for longer periods of time compared to conventional hydrogels, without causing skin irritation. It can also reduce sweat buildup, even during exercise.

University of Utah bioengineer Russell Stewart as long studied caddisfly silk, which contain adhesives that work underwater , in search of a compound for use in the human body in medical applications. Now the genetics of caddisflies’ evolutionary superpower is coming into focus, providing science with new clues for developing bioadhesives.