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Only 9% of major companies use biodiversity indicators, study finds
Science News

Only 9% of major companies use biodiversity indicators, study finds

Biodiversity indicators can help companies make more sustainable decisions. But only 9% of the world's largest companies in sectors with a major impact on biodiversity use such indicators, according to a new study from Lund University. The researchers also show that different indicators can lead to different conclusions and present seven recommendations for how they should be used.

📅 2026-10-08 23:40:14    •    Phys.org
The genetic switch behind the butterfly's enhanced visual world of color
Science News

The genetic switch behind the butterfly's enhanced visual world of color

Many insects see the world through hundreds of tiny lenses that are grouped together in a visual organ known as the compound eye. Behind each lens sits a cluster of eight light-detecting cells arranged in a pattern that scientists believe has existed for hundreds of millions of years.

📅 2026-10-08 23:40:09    •    Phys.org
Stratospheric winds can warn of extreme energy demand in Europe
Science News

Stratospheric winds can warn of extreme energy demand in Europe

A breakdown of normal polar winds in winter raises the chance of extreme cold—and a resulting spike in energy demand—in Europe, new research shows. Normally, strong and stable westerly winds circle high above the Arctic in the winter, in what is known as the "stratospheric polar vortex."

📅 2026-10-08 23:10:09    •    Phys.org
Chance Instagram sighting leads to discovery of rare giant water lily in Colombia
Science News

Chance Instagram sighting leads to discovery of rare giant water lily in Colombia

A new paper published in the journal Phytotaxa describes a new species in the genus Victoria, the Colombian giant water lily (Victoria colombiana). With only three other known species in the genus, V. colombiana joins the pantheon of nature's giants with pads measuring up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) across.

📅 2026-10-08 23:10:06    •    Phys.org
Bees struggle to smell flowers when air pollutants combine
Science News

Bees struggle to smell flowers when air pollutants combine

Bees, moths and other pollinating insects have a harder time smelling flowers in polluted air, according to research led by the University of Reading. Scientists analyzed 22 experimental studies on how the air pollutants ozone and nitrogen oxides (NOx) affect pollinators. Both pollutants make it harder for pollinators to find flowers by breaking down or altering the scents that flowers give off.

📅 2026-10-08 23:10:02    •    Phys.org
Netherlands report maps ecological and social aspects of large-scale carbon removal
Science News

Netherlands report maps ecological and social aspects of large-scale carbon removal

There is a strong national and international commitment to large-scale carbon removal from the atmosphere (Carbon Dioxide Removal, CDR) to achieve climate goals. But how do you do that responsibly? A study commissioned by the Climate Research Initiative Netherlands (KIN) and led by the University of Twente shows which ecological and social effects and preconditions must be taken into account.

📅 2026-10-08 23:00:01    •    Phys.org
Number of known species of giant waterlilies almost doubles
Science News

Number of known species of giant waterlilies almost doubles

Victoria colombiana, a species of giant waterlilly now identified as a new speciesCarlos Magdalena Giant waterlilies are not exactly inconspicuous plants. But in the past few years, we have discovered no fewer than three new species, taking the total to five. The latest species to be described was identified with the help of social media, satellite photos and a mad jungle dash in the dark. “I think it’s incredible that we find something so new, which is so large, in this world where we think everything is already known,” says Maarten Christenhusz at the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, who has helped describe two of the new species. Read more Why rediscovering extinct species can ac...

📅 2026-10-08 23:00:00    •    New Scientist
Sentinel-3C returns its first views of Earth
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Sentinel-3C returns its first views of Earth

Just two weeks after it was launched, the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite returned its first images and measurements from two of its key instruments—a major milestone that confirms the satellite is working well and on track to monitor the health of Earth's oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere.

📅 2026-10-08 22:40:14    •    Phys.org
Informal food vendors: The invisible backbone of the world's food system
Science News

Informal food vendors: The invisible backbone of the world's food system

Walk through almost any city or town in a low-income or middle-income country and you'll pass them: the woman selling deep-fried fish from a cart, the mobile vendor with a bicycle full of vegetables, the kiosk operator who's the only source of a hot meal within walking distance. Food systems employ an estimated 1.23 billion people globally, and a majority of those jobs are informal—unlicensed, unregistered or otherwise outside the reach of formal regulation. In low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) especially, informal vendors are not a marginal feature of how people eat; they are a linchpin of food security and livelihoods for over a billion people.

📅 2026-10-08 22:40:01    •    Phys.org
Fossil bite marks suggest first evidence of a small raptor feeding on an apex predator
Science News

Fossil bite marks suggest first evidence of a small raptor feeding on an apex predator

A prehistoric cold case near Drumheller reveals either a small-time raptor scavenged on an apex predator, or a baby Albertosaurus engaged in a shocking act of cannibalism. These two possible explanations for what happened to an Albertosaurus after its death near Drumheller are wildly divergent.

📅 2026-10-08 22:20:11    •    Phys.org
New framework links digital technology and mineral processing to support Africa's economic growth
Science News

New framework links digital technology and mineral processing to support Africa's economic growth

Research published in the International Journal of Business Innovation and Research (IJBIR) suggests that African economies need to move beyond fragmented development strategies. This might be done by uniting digital technology, startup networks, resource processing and cross-sector partnerships into a single societal innovation ecosystem, the researchers explain.

📅 2026-10-08 22:20:07    •    Phys.org