A newly discovered fossil site in Egypt is reshaping scientists’ understanding of how marine ecosystems recovered after the asteroid impact that ended the Age of Dinosaurs. In a study published in Science Advances, researchers report that compositionally modern marine fish communities were already established just 4 million years after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

The site, known as Qreiya 3 and dated to 62.2 million years ago, preserves an exceptionally diverse offshore marine ecosystem from the early Paleocene. Hundreds of fossil fishes recovered from the site include more than 20 groups of ray-finned fishes, making it the richest and most diverse Danian fish assemblage yet discovered.

The fossils reveal that many fish groups common in today’s oceans—including early relatives of tunas, mackerels, jacks, moonfishes, and pipefishes—had already diversified shortly after the extinction event that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs. At the same time, several predatory fish groups dominant in Cretaceous seas are notably absent, suggesting a rapid ecological turnover in marine ecosystems.

Led by researchers from the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center in collaboration with the University of Michigan and KU Leuven, the study provides some of the clearest fossil evidence yet that modern-style marine fish faunas emerged remarkably quickly after one of Earth’s greatest mass extinctions.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Christopher Hammell and his team have discovered that proteins MYRF-1 and LIN-42 act as the master developmental clock in C. elegans, scheduling the start time and duration of the worm’s four larval stages. This is the first non-repeating biological clock of its kind ever found.

Through a series of experiments on a replicated mini-beach, NYU researchers show how water waves can be used to move floating objects or hold them firmly in place—all without direct touch or contact. 

Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the NNME initiative addresses the urgent national need for skilled workers in the semiconductor industry, which is experiencing unprecedented growth driven by federal investments through the CHIPS and Science Act, increasing demand for microelectronics across all sectors of the economy. As the lead regional institution, Boise State will coordinate educational programs, industry partnerships, and workforce development initiatives across the Pacific Intermountain region.

Arctic and boreal ecosystems store enormous amounts CO₂ but climate-driven disturbances—wildfires, drought and thawing permafrost—are rapidly transforming the landscape. Two studies address a major challenge; accurately mapping and measuring the region’s biomass. One paper reveals significant inconsistencies among widely used satellite-based biomass datasets and the other introduces a map that tracks 40 years of ecological change in unprecedented detail.