Record wildfire losses rocked 2025 even as global burned area neared all-time lows

As climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity place growing pressure on agriculture, scientists are looking for new ways to help crops germinate and grow more efficiently while reducing environmental impact. A new study involving researchers from Nazarbayev University's National Laboratory Astana published in Scientific Reports proposes a promising solution: biodegradable hydrogel coatings made from natural polymers.

Deer keds—biting flies found across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas—use their eyes and flight to locate a host, typically deer, but occasionally humans or other mammals. Once they land, however, they shed their wings permanently and spend the rest of their lives crawling through fur and feeding on blood.

Life exists because elements combine to form complex organic molecules. Astrochemistry studies this process, trying to understand how nature creates carbon-based molecules critical for life. One source for these types of molecules is the outflows emitted by protostars.

"Biodegradable" has become one of the most reassuring words in modern packaging. It appears on coffee cups, shopping bags and food containers, implying a promise: this product is better for the environment because nature will eventually take care of it.