Scientists and chefs have collaborated on a new study that demonstrates how fermented foods can be used to drive participatory science projects that both engage the public and advance our understanding of microbial ecology. The study focused on working with food experts and the public to examine the microbial communities associated with kombucha, kimchi and chow chow.

Researchers at University of Tennessee, Knoxville are collaborating on PegasusAI, an NSF-funded project to enhance scientific workflows using AI. By integrating tools like large language models and neural networks, PegasusAI aims to simplify complex data processing, improve accessibility, and empower researchers nationwide with intelligent, user-centered workflow management systems.

Roads, buildings and farms are preventing Michigan’s only rattlesnake from finding mates outside of their population. A 15-year study shows that fragmentation into smaller, more isolated patches is likely reducing the threatened snake’s chances of survival. Michigan State University conservation biologists traced the family histories of more than 1,000 Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes caught and released in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-funded project. The new findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, surprised even the researchers – the most inbred snakes were 13% less likely to have surviving offspring and had a nearly 12% lower annual survival rate. 

Researchers have developed a self-powered microneedle patch to monitor a range of health biomarkers without drawing blood or relying on batteries or external devices. In proof-of-concept testing with synthetic skin, the researchers demonstrated that the patches could collect biomarker samples over periods ranging from 15 minutes to 24 hours.

Ultrahigh frequency bandwidths are easily blocked by objects, so users can lose transmissions walking between rooms or even passing a bookcase. Now, researchers at Princeton engineering have developed a machine-learning system that could allow ultrahigh frequency transmissions to dodge those obstacles.

An international group of chemists led by Johns Hopkins University details a photobiocatalytic approach to carbon-nitrogen bond formation that bypasses the need for fossil fuels, using a copper-substituted nonheme enzyme.