Temperature

We've long known how the nerve endings in our skin detect cold and swiftly relay the information to our brains, but we haven't understood exactly how it works. Scientists have now solved the puzzle, unlocking the mystery of this temperature pathway.

Earth saw its hottest day on record this week – twice. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service data, Sunday claimed the top spot for highest global average temperature since the records began in 1940, only to be broken again on Monday.

People suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) are also more likely to have higher body temperatures, finds the largest study of its kind – and surprisingly, one suggested treatment is to heat the body up even more, with saunas and hot yoga.

Trees such as maples have "fruits" known as samaras, which consist of a seed joined to a papery wing. Scientists have now created artificial samaras, which could be used to quickly and easily monitor soil temperature from the air.

With a continuing hot streak felt across the Earth, 2023 is now on track to be the warmest year on record. And September was no exception; in fact, it broke existing records by a large margin, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

NASA and NOAA have confirmed that July 2023 was the hottest month in recorded history, which goes back about a century and a half. The finding follows a worrying trend that has a decent chance of setting 2023 as the hottest year on record.

It’s not just you – it has been hot lately. According to preliminary reports of global average temperatures, last week was the hottest week on record, with the record for hottest day broken several times in a row.

It's a sad fact that burn victims often feel a great deal of pain when the dressings on their wounds are removed. A new hydrogel-based dressing could change that, however, as it easily releases from the skin when cooled.

While many goods simply have to be kept frozen until use, some – such as certain vaccines – will break down even if they get warmed but remain frozen. An inexpensive new technology could alert people to the fact that this has happened.

Over the past 150 years, researchers have seen the average human body temperature drop by more than half a degree Fahrenheit (0.3 °C). Now, researchers are speculating microbiome changes could be driving these long-term body temperature variations.

Life on Earth has persisted for billions of years through many extreme climate events. MIT scientists have analyzed 66 million years of climate data and found a stabilizing mechanism for global temperatures that plays out on large timescales.

The Moon isn’t the most hospitable place, but that’s not stopping NASA from sending humans back there soon. Thankfully, an orbiter has now found a region of the Moon with year-round jeans-and-jacket weather – underground caves.