Science Daily

• New “living plastic” self-destructs in just 6 days without leaving microplastics

  Researchers have created self-destructing living plastic that uses engineered bacteria to completely break itself down when activated. The material degrades in just six days without creating microplastics, offering a potential new solution for single-use plastic waste.

• Earth has a natural thermostat and scientists finally know how it works

  Scientists have identified a hidden feedback loop that may explain how Earth has regulated its climate for tens of millions of years. As sea levels rose and fell, they changed how much phosphate reached the open ocean, affecting marine life and the amount of carbon buried beneath the seafloor. That burial removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping cool the planet.

• Are humans really the ultimate super-predator?

  Humans are often described as the planet's ultimate "super-predator," but wild animals do not fear every human the same way. After analyzing three decades of research, scientists found that animals become much more alert and spend less time feeding when people pose a real threat, such as hunters or fishers. In contrast, tourists, researchers, and other non-lethal humans trigger far weaker and less predictable reactions.

• This ancient sea worm has “bio-metal” jaws unlike anything scientists have seen

  An ancient sea worm may hold the secret to a whole new category of natural materials. Its jaws combine proteins and metal ions in a way that gives them metal-like strength and unusual mechanical behavior, yet they still differ from traditional metals. Researchers believe these "bio-metals" could open new directions in materials science while revealing just how sophisticated nature's designs can be.

• This pet gecko could help scientists unlock the secrets of cancer

  An unusual leopard gecko that naturally develops aggressive tumors may become an important new model for cancer research. Scientists found its tumors share key genetic changes with human cancers, offering a rare opportunity to study the disease as it develops naturally.