Cyclic ketene acetals (CKAs) contain carbon atoms and oxygen arranged in a ring-like structure and are ideal for designing degradable polymers. However, the complex reaction pathways and mechanistic factors involved during the polymerization process remain unclear. In a new study from Doshisha University, researchers have developed a simulation model and conducted in-depth nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analyses to determine the critical factors that can influence radical ring-opening polymerization of CKAs.

This news article reports on a study revealing the importance of the proboscis monkey's large nose in vocal communication. Researchers used CT scans and computer simulations to demonstrate that the nose's shape modifies the resonant frequencies of calls, creating unique vocal signatures for individual monkeys. This discovery highlights the role of the nose in enhancing vocal identity and provides insights into the evolution of communication, not just in proboscis monkeys but potentially in other species as well. The collaboration between scientists and the Yokohama Zoo Zoorasia opens exciting new avenues for understanding the link between physical traits and social behaviors in the animal kingdom.

In the next 75 years, surface sea temperatures may rise by up to 4°C, with increasingly frequent short-term marine heatwaves also predicted. This could cause significant damage to our essential marine ecosystems, for example with corals widely known to be vulnerable to bleaching. But how will fish fare in these changing climates? In iScience, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) describe the metabolic and molecular changes that can support young clownfish to adapt to climate change and warming seas. Through genomic and transcriptomic studies across multiple tissues within young clownfish, the team identified the biological processes affected by rising water temperatures. And the outlook is more positive than we may have thought.

AI Predicts More "Super Floods" and "Extreme Droughts" for Pakistan.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, a popular Hawai’i snorkeling destination that attracts nearly a million annual visitors, underwent a remarkable and rapid recovery when tourism ceased during the 2020 pandemic.

A synthetic cell that can be activated by a magnetic field to release a medicine whilst deep in the body has been created by chemists at UCL (University College London) and the University of Oxford.