Science

If you have ever been unlucky enough to get stuck on a poorly ventilated form of public transport just as a pack of high schoolers get on board after a long day, you will know that teenagers smell bad. It’s an objective fact. They stink.We know that along with a whole host of developmental changes accompanying puberty, that distinctive teenager stench comes from a hormonal activation of sweat glands. The sweat combines with a unique microbial population to generate smells that are unique, to say the least.But until now,…

Would you want to eat this beetle? Probably not, as it appears to be covered in fungus. That "fungus" is actually hair, however, which the recently discovered insect may use to put off would-be predators.A lone example of the beetle was found by James Tweed, a PhD candidate in The University of Queensland's School of the Environment, when he was camping in the rainforest in Australia's Lamington National Park.As Tweed was walking through the campsite one morning, he spotted what he initially thought might be a bird…

by Chloe Lucas, Charlotte Earl-Jones, Gabi Mocatta, Gretta Pecl, Kim Beasy and Rachel Kelly, The Conversation Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Every day, more children discover they are living in a climate crisis. This makes many children feel sad, anxious, angry, powerless, confused and frightened about what the future holds. …

Slayman received his first kidney transplant in 2018 from a human donor. The donor kidney initially functioned well, but Slayman started to go into kidney failure after years of living with diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease, which can eventually result in kidney failure.He had no choice but to go on dialysis, a treatment that removes excess fluid and waste from a person’s blood. But the dialysis caused complications—his blood vessels were clotting and failing. Slayman wound up in the hospital…

Credit: AI-generated image While much ink has been poured over China's economic growth in recent decades, the contributions of Chinese women often receive less attention. With the pressure of the "three-child policy", being a mother isn't a mere personal choice, it's a part of national demographic strategy. To navigate their lives, many Chinese mothers are now turning to what has been referred to as "mumpreneurship". A January…

“Just like we do research with corn, wheat, soybean, getting these plants to be more efficient in taking up nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium—well, there needs to be this research that goes into understanding the mechanisms of metal hyperaccumulation,” says McNear. “And then enhancing that, whether it be through gene editing, or whatever.”ARPA-E is eying a specific kind of dirt to try these plants in, known as ultramafic soil, which is high in iron, cobalt, chromium, and nickel. It’s common where there’s been…

Credit: Delft University of Technology Can salt marshes serve as a natural solution for flood protection? Researchers of the project "Living Dikes" transported 62 big blocks of salt marshes, containing soil and vegetation, from the coast of Friesland to the Delta Flume at Deltares. After four weeks of exposure to extreme waves, almost the entire salt marsh is still standing there. …

A new set of TikTok videos developed by Black African youth shows the veracity of racial stereotypes in schools. Credit: UniSA Assumptions, misconceptions, and stereotypes—no one wants to be judged by how they look or where they're from. But for many Black African students, that's their reality and it's taking a serious toll on their well-being and sense of belonging. …

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain As the nation braces itself for another pivotal presidential election year, the spotlight on gun control intensifies—one of America's most contentious issues. Shedding light on this debate, new research by Dr. Michael Nelson, emeritus professor of economics at The University of Akron, and Dr. Rajeev Goel, professor of economics at Illinois State University, unveils a surprising revelation:…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Young people are reportedly being priced out of rural communities by soaring housing costs. Official statistics for England show that affordability in rural parts of the country is worse than in towns and cities, excluding London. In 2021, even the cheapest houses in rural areas cost around 9.2 times more than the earnings of the lowest paid workers. In urban areas, it was eight times more.…