Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

The global cumulative amount of PV panel waste is expected to reach 1.7 million tons by the early 2030s. Only with major strides in PV recycling can we avoid major pollution problems and health risks. Image credit: Shutterstock/Bilanol.

Opinion piece: The looming and daunting challenge of #solar #PV panel #recycling must be addressed now. Here’s how to recycle effectively and responsibly. In PNAS Front Matter: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#ClimateChange #CleanEnergy #SolarPower #AlternativeEnergy

Flame-retardant interfaces regulate dangerous gas production during battery overheating, reducing explosion risks. CREDIT: Ying Zhang

Lithium-metal batteries are known for their energy storage—and their propensity to catch fire. Smart, flame-retardant polymer-based interfaces built into the battery can block oxygen release at the cathode and release flame-inhibiting radicals. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

A mountain dotted with sheep, showing pastoralism in the Alps. CREDIT: Julia Garagno

Sediments in Lake Bourget, France, record three major soil erosion events in the European Alps between 3,800 years ago and the present, all likely attributable to human agricultural activity. The study could inform agricultural policy. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Pictured is a Garibaldi damselfish (Hypsypops rubicundus) hovering over a reef in San Clemente Island, California. Image credit: Phil Zerofski (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA).

Read highlights in this week’s issue of PNAS: We discover the evolutionary history of Norwegian lemmings, learn how hovering demands high energy in fish, and explore strategies to boost responses to cancer immunotherapy. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

A rhino eating grass.

Only two northern white rhinos remain—and both are female.

Can science save a species this close to extinction? 🦏 Franz-Josef Müller explores genomic tools that may revive the functionally extinct rhino. 🎧 Listen: www.pnas.org/post/podcast...

Mixed, unsortable polyester waste, including nonwoven fabric scrap from the automotive industry and sportswear textiles. CREDIT: Fabrice Esnault, ESPCI Paris

Recycling mixed polyester fibers and textiles is technically tricky. Instead of sorting mixed waste, the plastic materials can be melted and mixed to form copolymers that then can be depolymerized to create building blocks for new products. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Satellite image of rapidly deepening blizzard off the northeastern United States on January 4, 2018. CREDIT: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Nor’easters will become less frequent but also stronger as the climate changes, according to a study using a cyclone tracking algorithm and historical data. Maximum windspeed and precipitation rates of the storms have risen since 1940. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Two pink flowers grow in a patch of grass. Only in recent years have researchers discovered that noncoding RNAs have a significant role in the evolution of the oft-studied plant model system, monkeyflowers. Image credit: Science Source/Stuart Wilson.

#NoncodingRNA plays a crucial role in #butterfly #speciation and #evolution. But what about other #flora and #fauna—or even the #evolution of human #cognition? A PNAS Inner Workings: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#microRNA #LongNoncodingRNA #PepperedMoth #MonkeyFlower

Three things we can do now to reduce the risk of avian influenza spillovers | PNAS Three things we can do now to reduce the risk of avian influenza spillovers

See our new commentary published today in PNAS!

Gone are the days clean indoor air is an afterthought. It is among the top things we can achieve NOW to reduce the risk of avian influenza and other panzootic disease outbreaks.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

PNAS and PNAS Nexus Logos Early-Career Researcher Workshop Friday, September 12 Button: I'm Interested

@pnas.org is hosting a virtual Early-Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop on September 12 from 1–2:30 PM (EDT) to discuss how ECRs can engage with PNAS Special Features, what defines a strong article, and more. Seats are limited, and we’re gauging interest via this survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/XZ9N6PG

Multiple stacks of cardboard boxes, each labeled with "CO2.

Opinion piece: How to design better incentives for #CarbonCapture and storage in the United States. Read now: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#CCS #ClimateChange #NetZero #TaxCredit #decarbonization #GreenhouseGasEmissions #CO2Emissions

A proposed conceptual model of second language organization for early bilinguals with varying timing of left hemisphere seizure onset. The model illustrates the potential interplay between bilingual language experience and pathology-driven neuroplasticity during language-sensitive periods of development.

Twenty-four bilingual and 46 monolingual adults with temporal lobe epilepsy volunteered to be scanned in an MRI study. Typically, participants’ second language was associated with activity in the brain hemisphere not affected by seizures. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Illustration of two human heads facing each other, connected by arching lines. A recent study suggests that synchronization among “brains” could be an emergent property of any interacting neural networks, whether biological or artificial. Image credit: Guillaume Dumas/the University of Montreal, Canada.

Across both #AI and #mouse #brains, socializing puts certain “neurons” in sync. In PNAS Journal Club: www.pnas.org/post/journal...

#ArtificialIntelligence #socialization #SocialInteraction #NeuralNetwork #neuron

Wireless, arm-worn bioimpedance sensor for mobile, continuous assessment of whole-body hydration during everyday activities. CREDIT: Matija Jankovic, UT Austin

Imagine tracking your hydration levels in real time with an arm-worn sensor. The device measures bioelectrical impedance across the arm, which is directly related to muscle electrical resistivity and whole-body hydration levels. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Cartoon of a green city with a waterway.

Nature-based solutions can improve urban resilience and sustainability under climate change, restore ecological functions, and benefit individuals and communities. Explore the PNAS Special Feature to learn more. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Two stick figures walking in a fatigued posture with low battery indicators.

A study finds signs of oxidative stress in blood lymphocytes of 27 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients and 20 Long COVID patients, suggesting common mechanistic underpinnings of ME/CFS and Long COVID. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

QnAs with Anne K. Churchland. Neuroscientist. 2025 National Academy of Sciences Pradel Research Award Winner.

In a recent PNAS QnAs , Anne K. Churchland of @UCLA shares how the brain integrates multisensory information to guide decisions. Her lab’s research in rodent models reveals key links between movement, perception, and cognition in health and disease. Read the QnAs: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Pictured is a Garibaldi damselfish (Hypsypops rubicundus) hovering over a reef in San Clemente Island, California. Image credit: Phil Zerofski (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA).

In this issue: Breastmilk antibody and immune development, genetic ancestry and skin immune response to dengue, and nutrient pollution trends in lakes and estuaries. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

The Spectroscopic Transformer model architecture annotated with equation references.

One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “SpecTf: Transformers enable data-driven imaging spectroscopy cloud detection.” Explore the article here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

For more trending articles, visit ow.ly/Me2U50SkLRZ.

(A) Measured daily ozone altitude profiles in the predepletion season (March–May, MAM) and deepest ozone-hole month (October) of 2020 at Syowa Station in Antarctica (69°S, 39.6°E). (B) The observed mean ozone altitude profiles (thin blue and green lines) for the MAM and October shown in A, the observed altitude profile of October monthly mean O3 loss in percentage (thick black line), and the calculated altitude profile of ozone loss by the CRE theory (thick red line).

Cosmic rays interact with ozone-depleting substances, shaping ozone levels and temperatures in the Earth’s lower stratosphere. The findings can help create accurate predictions for future lower-stratospheric ozone patterns. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

Climate Change Across Seasons Experiment plot during spring snowmelt. Plot is 11x13.5 meters in size. CREDIT: Pamela Templer

Buried cables heat the soil to simulate future climate warming at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. The resulting data suggest root damage from soil freeze/thaw cycles could reduce carbon uptake in northern temperate forests. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

ChatGPT said: Only two northern white rhinos remain—and both are female. Can science save a species on the brink of extinction? 🦏 In Science Sessions, Franz-Josef Müller explores genomic tools that could help revive the northern white rhino. 🎧 Listen: https://www.pnas.org/post/podcast/rescuing-northern-white-rhino

Only two northern white rhinos remain—and both are female. Can science save a species on the brink of extinction? 🦏 In Science Sessions, Franz-Josef Müller explores genomic tools that could help revive the northern white rhino. 🎧 Listen: www.pnas.org/post/podcast...

PNAS and PNAS Nexus Logos Early-Career Researcher Workshop Friday, September 12 Button: I'm Interested

PNAS is hosting a virtual Early-Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop on September 12 from 1–2:30 PM (EDT) to discuss how ECRs can engage with PNAS Special Features, what defines a strong article, and more. Seats are limited, and we’re gauging interest via this survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/XZ9N6PG

A robot hand places a cherry on the top of a cupcake. Stock photo.

Ready for an AI chef? A device made of layers of atomically thin graphene oxide membranes captures ions for classification, allowing computers to taste. The system could help restore taste perception in people with neurological conditions. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

The sun rises over Manhattan on June 24, 2025, in New York City as the first heat wave of the year moves across parts of the Midwest and East Coast. Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Resonant planetary wave amplification—a major driver of extreme summer weather—has tripled in 70 years, fueled by Arctic warming, rising land-sea thermal contrast, and strong El Niño events.

In @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/heat...

In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

Mother breastfeeding baby. Stock photo.

The most abundant antibody in human breastmilk, Secretory IgA, influences the composition of the infant microbiome. In particular, it controls the ability of the bacteria Erysipelatoclostridium ramosum to activate inflammatory genes. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Eutrophication of the Khadzhibey estuary in Ukraine. Stock photo.

Progress has been made in mitigating nutrient pollution in lakes since 2000, according to a meta-analysis looking at concentrations of chlorophyll a in 191 lakes worldwide. Estuaries, however, are not experiencing the same improvement. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Garibaldi fish maintaining its position through subtle fin adjustments in San Clemente Island, CA. CREDIT: Phil Zerofski

Hovering—maintaining a fixed position in the water—is energetically expensive for fish. A study finds hovering is twice as metabolically expensive as resting. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

QnAs with David B. Lobell. Agricultural Ecologist. Member of the National Academy of Sciences.

How has climate change shaped global crop yields over the past 50 years? In a new PNAS QnAs, @nationalacademies.org member David B. Lobell discusses what the data reveal and what it means for the future of food security. Read the QnAs: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Pictured is a representation of a networked society. Image credit: iStock.com/Orbon Alija.

Read highlights from this week’s issue of PNAS: Explore salinity and sea ice in the Southern Ocean, uncover evidence of intensified early human fire use, and examine human impact on Caribbean coral reef food webs. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...