Abstract The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape almost every line of work. Despite enormous efforts devoted to understanding AI’s economic impacts, we lack a systematic understanding of the benefits to scientific research associated with the use of AI. Here we develop a measurement framework to estimate the direct use of…

Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover 70,500 viruses previously unknown to science1, many of them weird and nothing like known species. The RNA viruses were identified using metagenomics, in which scientists sample all the genomes present in the environment without having to culture individual viruses. The method shows the potential of AI to…

Two juvenile lynx (Lynx lynx) photographed by a camera trap. Data on individual animals can be combined with species occurrence data, but a flawed statistical model could lead to an underestimation of population size.Credit: KORA As a statistician with 20 years of experience in the field of ecology, I recently faced a challenging moment. In…

WORCESTER – The EcoTarium Museum of Science and Nature, at 222 Harrington Way, announced its first expansion since 2000, with the addition of a a new 8,300 square foot Traveling Exhibit Gallery. The addition will add 6,300 square feet of gallery space and 2,00 square feet of related support spaces. The EcoTarium says the expansion will…

Tasks such as literature review can be made easier with AI tools, but the tools must be used with caution.Credit: Olena Hromova/Alamy Artificial-intelligence (AI) tools are transforming the way we work. Many products attempt to make scientific research more efficient by helping researchers to sort through large volumes of literature. These scientific search engines are…

What is the duty of the nature writer? It’s a question nature writers love to ask themselves. The more optimistic might say that their task is to mend humanity’s broken relationship with the natural world; pessimists that their role is merely to “bear witness” to life on a dying planet. As the nature-writing genre continues to…

NASA via AP / file photoThe “Sounds of Earth” record is mounted on the Voyager 2 spacecraft in the Safe-1 Building at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in August 1977. AP 13:04 JST, October 9, 2024 NEW YORK (AP) — To save power, NASA has switched off another scientific instrument on its long-running Voyager 2 spacecraft.…

Fat cells (artificially coloured). Restrictive diets cause fat loss and lengthen life, but the two effects are not necessarily linked.Credit: Steve Gschmeissner/SPL Cutting calorie intake can lead to a leaner body — and a longer life, an effect often chalked up to the weight loss and metabolic changes caused by consuming less food. Now, one…

Several researchers share tales around the development of their widely used methods. Download PDF Credit: MohammadHosein Reyhani / Getty Images Every paper is a win. Each one comes together when experiment and analysis, usually doused in sweat and setbacks, culminates in work that researchers are proud to show others beyond their collaborators. Sometimes a described…

An analysis of the academic job market finds that women are more successful at turning job interviews into offers than are men.Credit: Getty An investigation into academic hiring outcomes for biological-science roles has suggested a surprising trend: women who applied for assistant professor positions in North America were more likely to get job offers than…