Inside the chimpanzee medicine cabinet: we’ve found a new way chimps treat wounds with plants

The plants chimpanzees use to treat their wounds have been found to have medicinal properties.

Elodie Freymann, Post-doc affiliate, University of Oxford • conversation
June 11, 2025 ~7 min

How your air conditioner can help the power grid, rather than overloading it

Rather than feeling guilty about cooling down in extreme heat, homeowners could boost power reliability and lay a welcome mat for more renewables.

Johanna Mathieu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of Michigan • conversation
June 11, 2025 ~9 min


How the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ positions US energy to be more costly for consumers and the climate

Some technologies could rapidly cut emissions, while others do little to fight climate change. The House bill favors the latter while nixing support for the former.

Daniel Cohan, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University • conversation
June 10, 2025 ~10 min

Universal nanosensor unlocks the secrets to plant growth

Researchers from SMART DiSTAP developed the world’s first near-infrared fluorescent nanosensor capable of monitoring a plant’s primary growth hormone in real-time and without harming the plant.

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology • mit
June 9, 2025 ~6 min

Study helps pinpoint areas where microplastics will accumulate

Biofilms deposited by living organisms reduce the accumulation of small particles, while areas of bare sand can be microplastics hotspots.

David L. Chandler | MIT News • mit
June 4, 2025 ~6 min

A bottlenose dolphin? Or Tursiops truncatus? Why biologists give organisms those strange, unpronounceable names

Some say Latin names are elitist and incomprehensible, but they started out as a way to be inclusive.

Nicholas Green, Assistant Professor of Biology, Kennesaw State University • conversation
June 3, 2025 ~8 min

California plan to ban most plants within 5 feet of homes for wildfire safety overlooks some important truths about flammability

Hedges and trees may actually reduce home exposure to radiant heat and flying embers, but they must be well maintained. Two scientists who study how plants burn explain.

Luca Carmignani, Assistant Professor of Engineering, San Diego State University • conversation
June 2, 2025 ~8 min

Cambridge researchers awarded £7.5 million to build programmable plants

Two groups involving researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences are among nine teams to have been awarded funding today from

Cambridge University News • cambridge
June 2, 2025 ~5 min


A new technology for extending the shelf life of produce

Researchers used microneedles to inject fresh-cut crops with melatonin and delay spoilage.

Zach Winn | MIT News • mit
May 21, 2025 ~8 min

How dandelions conquered concrete to bring nature back to cities

Here’s why those little yellow flowers are everywhere you look.

Yannick Woudstra, Postdoctoral Researcher in Asexual Plant Evolution, Stockholm University • conversation
April 30, 2025 ~7 min

/

63