Recently reported methane signatures detected by the James Webb Space Telescope could be a hint to it potentially harboring life, but a University of Arizona researcher urges caution. Sukrit Ranjan argues that it is not clear whether TRAPPIST-1e has an atmosphere at all and whether the methane signature could originate from its host star instead.

Researchers are exploiting the unusual hearing of wax moths to develop a sustainable and efficient pest control technique that does not harm bees. These moths can hear sounds four octaves higher than a human can, and this ultrasonic hearing helps them avoid bats food and hear male moth calls. By analyzing which patterns of bat echolocation calls elicited a stronger neural response in the moths, the researchers determined the best ultrasonic deterrent.

This week in Science, Michael K. Rosen and 10 other members of a large collaboration at the Marine Biological Laboratory, the Chromatin Consortium, propose a long-awaited model for how the properties of a condensate can emerge from the properties of the individual molecules that compose it.

Using sound measurements from NASA’s Mars missions to the best extent possible requires an accurate understanding of how sound propagates on the red planet. Focusing on the Jezero crater, the 2021 landing and exploration site of NASA’s Perseverance rover and its attached Ingenuity helicopter, Charlie Zheng and Hayden Baird have simulated how sound moves through and scatters off the region’s complex terrains, whether it comes from a moving or stationary source. They hope their model will help identify signals and patterns that indicate specific Martian atmospheric events.

After collecting and analyzing data for a decade, a group of scientists, including a team from Rutgers, have debunked a decades-old theory about a mysterious particle.