Plastics are becoming more present in the seas and oceans around the world. The Mediterranean — a semi-enclosed marine basin — is one of the seas that accumulates more plastic waste from the continent, a situation that is endangering biodiversity and marine ecosystems. Now, the University of Barcelona is working on a citizen science project to better understand the origins and final destination of the plastics that reach the sea and thus improve the marine environment conservation strategies in the north-western Mediterranean.

The winter growth period for sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is now over, with levels at a record low. The winter ice extent on 21 March 2025 was lower than at any time since continuous satellite recording began in 1979. At 14.45 million square kilometres, winter sea ice cover is over a million square kilometres below the long-term average. As in February 2025, average Arctic sea ice cover remained at an all-time low for the entire month of March, equalling the previous low set in 2017.

From designing and manufacturing hundreds of ventilators to support critically ill patients in Peru during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to bringing prenatal and breast-cancer imaging to women in rural areas of Peru, Professor Benjamín Castañeda's career is focused on providing medical technology to people who would otherwise not have access.

Jennifer Morgan, senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, studies how the synapse malfunctions in devastating diseases such as Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia. Now, her lab has spawned a large collaboratioin to understand how condensates -- liquid-like droplets that spontaneously form inside cells -- play a role in synaptic health and disease, in collaboration with Drago Milovanovic of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZME).

Iowa State researchers are building "digital twins" that are regularly updated with data from their physical twins. A national committee said digital twins have "immense promise in accelerating scientific discovery and revolutionizing industries."

In “A Minecraft Movie,” which opens in theaters April 4, four misfits transported to the video game’s cubic world must harvest materials to craft their way back home and protect themselves from threats such as zombies and hostile creatures called piglins.

Meanwhile, at The University of Texas at Dallas, a team of researchers has embarked on its own Minecraft mission: to build lessons within the popular game to teach students about semiconductors, batteries, polymers and even help premedical students prepare for the MCAT.

University of Cincinnati second-year medical sciences student Jay Patel is pursuing his passions as founder of the Dahyabhai Foundation, a cancer researcher and a Portman Fellow.

Inside Biodiversity, a new podcast hosted by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) will premiere on 3 April 2025 at 13:00.

Each episode of Inside Biodiversity is approximately 30 minutes long and features Dr Volker Hahn, iDiv’s Head of Communications, in conversation with renowned researchers, journalists, or conservation practitioners. They will shed light on the complexities of biodiversity change, conservation challenges, and the surprising realities behind common assumptions.