Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This August, we're exploring the science behind the animals that share our planet. From the behaviors and adaptations that help species thrive to the conservation efforts protecting wildlife around the world, animal awareness days like World Lion Day, World Elephant Day, International Cat Day, and International Wolf Day are an opportunity to celebrate biodiversity and discover the research helping us better understand and protect the species that call our planet home.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 11:17 ET (23-Oct-2026 15:17 GMT/UTC)

17-Aug-2026

 

Native microbial team helps acidic soil recover while boosting crop growth

Shenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Acidic soils can make it difficult for crops to obtain nutrients and thrive. Now, researchers have developed a small, carefully selected community of native soil bacteria that can reduce acid stress while helping plants access essential nutrients.

Journal

Agricultural Ecology and Environment

17-Aug-2026

 

Pesticides make ants go crazy

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Don’t assume an uptick in ant activity after setting out pesticide traps means the treatment failed. New UC Riverside research shows their behavior changes as chemicals make their way through a colony. 

Journal

Insects

17-Aug-2026

 

35-year study reshapes our understanding of Lyme disease ecology

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For more than 35 years, researchers at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York have been studying how interactions between acorns, rodents, ticks, predators, and climate shape Lyme-disease risk in people. A new paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details nine of the research project’s most surprising findings to date. 

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

17-Aug-2026

Last common ancestor, no matter its feet, could have been a vertical climber

Ohio State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research suggests that no matter what we eventually determine the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees to be, we’ll learn it was a primate that climbed trees. 

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

17-Aug-2026

How insects could help detect PFAS contamination

Michigan State University

Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered that neurons in a locust’s brain can distinguish among multiple PFAS compounds, including PFOS, one of the world’s most common “forever chemicals,” at environmentally relevant concentrations.

Journal

Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances

17-Aug-2026

AMS Science Preview: Neighborhood hurricane warnings, wildfire increase, Earth energy

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research published in AMS journals discusses neighborhood-level forecasting of hurricane impacts, how deforestation in New Guinea affects North American temperatures, evidence climate change is behind increased wildfires, the climate benefits of national parks, and the potential for predicting hurricanes by analyzing lightning.

17-Aug-2026

 

Billions of invasive round goby are in the Great Lakes. UTSC researchers want to stop them from spreading inland

University of Toronto
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new study published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, postdoc Piatã Marques and Professor Nick Mandrak suggest governments and conservation agencies should rethink how they manage round goby as the fish expands beyond the Great Lakes into rivers, streams, lakes and other inland waterways. 

Journal

Journal of Great Lakes Research

17-Aug-2026

Texas A&M Engineering leads work on rapid screwworm treatment

Texas A&M University
Grant and Award Announcement

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) is developing fast‑acting, low‑residue wound treatments to deploy immediately when New World screwworm infestations are detected in livestock. Dr. Mustafa E. S. Akbulut leads the $1.86 million project.