Analysis of fossilized remains from dinosaurs known as troodontids reveals how one species’ hip and leg bones may have developed over its lifespan, from embryo to adult—with potential implications for resolving longstanding taxonomic challenges. David Varricchio of Montana State University, US, and Heath Caldwell of North Carolina State University, US, present their findings in the open access journal PLOS One on September 9, 2026.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) transforms optical fiber cables into dense networks of virtual sensors for long-range monitoring. A comprehensive review examines DAS technologies, signal processing methods, challenges, and applications spanning geophysics, infrastructure, transportation, energy, environmental monitoring, security, and aerospace. Advances in photonics, artificial intelligence, and data standardization could improve sensing range, resolution, affordability, and portability, expanding DAS into emerging civilian applications such as healthcare wearables and smart cities.

The central north Amazon, with extensive areas of high forest cover, natural savannas and vast and important indigenous territories, was not previously considered as being the most affected by climate change.

However, this region, which is considered critical to Amazonia’s cultural and biodiversity wealth has unexpectedly found itself at the forefront of rapid growth in climate extremes, a new study reveals.

Findings, published today in Communications Earth & Environment, identify Amazonia as experiencing rapid growth in extreme temperatures and water stress – with 10% of the basin, an area larger than 700,000 square kilometres (bigger than Afghanistan), witnessing increases in extreme temperatures during the dry season of at least 0.75°C a decade and more than 3.22°C since 1981.