Melting Snow Off Shivelyuch

Oak trees have a surprising trick to fight back against hungry caterpillars: they simply wait. When trees are heavily attacked one year, they delay leaf growth by just three days the next spring—long enough to leave newly hatched caterpillars with nothing to eat. This small shift slashes insect survival and reduces leaf damage by more than half, proving even more efficient than costly chemical defenses.

A scorching, airless world just 48 light-years away is offering scientists a rare glimpse into the geology of distant planets. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers studied LHS 3844 b—a tidally locked “super-Earth” with a permanent dayside hot enough to melt metal—and discovered it’s a dark, barren rock with no atmosphere.

In modern social research, sociological questions are increasingly being answered with the help of experiments; for example, whether employers discriminate in personnel selection, whether immigrants are treated less well in social situations, or whether counseling programs help to overcome educational inequalities.

To ensure more food reaches communities in need, a team of researchers collaborated with VolunteerMatch and Feeding America to enhance their algorithms, making volunteer distribution more efficient and equitable.