Environment

Environmental DNA is everywhere

The ability to extract trace bits of DNA from soil, water, and even air is revolutionizing science. Are there pitfalls?

No oxygen? No problem

By studying how electric fish survive in hypoxic streams for months at time, researchers may find new ways to target tumors.

Molecular sensor enables water bear hardiness by triggering dormancy

Cysteine oxidation may contributes to tardigrades’ remarkable hardiness and help them survive in ever-changing environments.

Cities under the sea

Nanotechnology offers a way to restore and re-create coral reef biodiversity.

Seeding a coral comeback

Modified stem cell transplants may be coming to a coral reef near you.

Biochemists bite back

Undergraduates in Houston catalog Texas mosquitos that carry known and novel viruses.

An academic–industry partnership made possible by Halo

Environmental engineer finds a new use — and new funds — for her lab’s work on a nitrogen-removal system.

‘Inert’ ingredients in pesticides may be more toxic to bees than scientists thought

Pesticide users sometimes know very little about how inerts function. That’s partly because they are regulated very differently than active ingredients.

Greener neighborhoods can protect us — at the molecular level

A new study finds that greenspace in urban environments has a positive impact on a key genetic marker associated with exposure to stress.