There are over three billion specimens and cultural objects housed in natural history collections around the world—things like fossils, dried plants, and pinned insects. Close to forty million of them are at the Field Museum in Chicago, mostly behind the scenes in a vast library documenting life on Earth. These collections are used by scientists at the museum and around the world to explore what lived where and when and how living things have changed over time. 

However, much of the information about these collections is hard to access, because there are no digital records of it. Community scientists volunteering at the Field Museum who have formed a Collections Club are helping to solve this problem. So far, they’ve digitized more than a quarter-million collections items and records. 

The phytoplankton that populate oceans are known to play a key role in marine ecosystems and climate regulation. Like terrestrial plants, they store atmospheric CO₂, and produce half of our planet’s oxygen via photosynthesis. However, the mechanisms that control their distribution remain poorly understood.

A groundbreaking study from South Korea has revealed the evolutionary journey of brown algae through genomic analysis. The research highlights key milestones, including the transition to multicellularity and species diversification, and uncovers viral integrations in brown algae genomes that influenced their evolution. It also explores practical applications in aquaculture, biotechnology, and climate change mitigation, emphasizing brown algae's potential for carbon capture and ecosystem restoration, while offering valuable insights into enhancing ecological resilience amid climatic challenges.