Peer‑reviewed, multidisciplinary open‑access journal published by AAAS since 2015.
A mounting body of studies shows climate hazards are increasingly disrupting data centers worldwide, raising costs and threatening reliability. Insurers warn of higher premiums; operators push for water-efficient cooling and location strategies. With heat waves intensifying, a systemic rethink of cooling, water use, and siting is underway.
Scientists have found macromolecular carbon in Martian mudstones, suggesting habitable conditions billions of years ago. The carbon could be biogenic or abiotic; samples will return to Earth for definitive testing, with timelines running 2035–2039. This marks multiple robust organic detections across Jezero crater and Gale crater.
A meteorite named Hillsborough, which crashed through a New Jersey home in July 2024, has yielded pristine fragments rich in amino acids and salts. Scientists say the sample, preserved by a quick-thinking homeowner, offers new insights into how brine-rich water could have seeded life on Earth. The finding appears in a Science Advances study published this week.
International researchers find inherited genetics influence how cancers evolve after DNA damage, affecting tumour growth and mutation patterns. The Edinburgh-led work, published in Nature, underlines implications for screening, diagnosis and personalised treatment across populations.
A new study explores defending Earth from large near-Earth asteroids. It analyzes a crater-based nuclear detonation approach, noting timing is critical and early warning is essential. Researchers say this method could be the most effective for very large rocks with short warning times, though it requires complex missions.
Scientists have tested a wearable radiation-shielding vest in lunar mission data, showing it could reduce an astronaut’s exposure by about 60% during severe solar events, with significant implications for long-duration missions to the Moon or Mars.
Biotech researchers are developing methods to alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence, using epigenome editing to treat chronic diseases. The approach differs from traditional gene editing by targeting when and where genes are expressed in cells.
New analyses of bones from Sulawesi suggest foragers 7,600–25,000 years ago sucked betel nuts, with arecoline traces in teeth. This indicates early drug use predates farming and reshapes views on psychoactive history.
Scientists have identified a 222‑metre‑wide, 43‑metre‑deep crater on the Moon formed by a powerful impact in spring 2024. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has mapped ejecta across more than 100 km and a 7‑km cold spot; researchers say the impact is the largest freshly formed crater known in the solar system and will inform lunar base design.