2024-02-02

封面图上这张2023年12月相对于长期平均气温的快照显示，热量在东太平洋不断堆积，这是厄尔尼诺现象的征兆。红色区域比平均温度更温暖，而蓝色区域则更凉爽。向西吹的信风通常会搅动秘鲁海岸深处的冷水。但在厄尔尼诺现象期间，风势减弱，西太平洋的温暖海水不断向东涌来。

Heat piles up in the eastern Pacific Ocean-a sign of El Niño-in this snapshot of temperatures in December 2023 relative to the long-term average. Red areas are warmer than average, whereas blue areas are cooler. West-blowing trade winds usually stir up deep, cold water off Peru’s coast. But during El Niño, those winds falter, allowing warm waters in the western Pacific to roll east.

2024-02-09

封面插图展示的是柑橘类水果的油脂腺，特别描绘了腺体发育的过程，以及存在于这些腺体中的精油。柑橘精油在调味和香料等行业具有重要的实用价值。研究人员利用发育遗传分析阐明了柑橘腺体发育和精油生物合成的分子调控过程。

This illustration depicts citrus fruit oil glands, highlighting the process of gland development and the presence of essential oils within these glands. Citrus essential oils have important practical value in industries such as flavoring and fragrance. Using developmental genetic analysis, researchers have elucidated the molecular regulation of gland development and the biosynthesis of essential oils in citrus.

2024-02-16

2023年10月，前所未见的干旱导致巴西城市特菲附近的亚马孙河水位下降，露出了沙丘，迫使当地渔船只能争夺捕鱼的位置。气候模型表明，随着全球变暖改变了海洋和大气之间的相互作用，亚马孙地区在未来几十年将经历更干燥的旱季和更湿润的雨季。

In October 2023, a record drought lowered the Amazon River near the Brazilian city of Tefé, revealing sand dunes and forcing local fishing boats to compete for spots. Climate modeling suggests that the Amazon will see both drier dry seasons and wetter wet seasons in the decades ahead as global warming alters interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere.

2024-02-23

封面图展示的翡翠树蟒是生活在新热带区低地雨林中的夜间伏击猎人。它上下嘴唇上可见的“凹坑”是复杂的热传感系统的一部分，该物种就是利用这一特性在黑暗中定位温血猎物。由于大量此类独特特质的出现，蛇类经历了多样性的进化爆炸，而这些特质也提高了它们作为专门捕食者的效率。

Emerald tree boas (Corallus batesii) are nocturnal ambush hunters found in neotropical lowland rainforests. The visible “pits” along the upper and lower lips are part of a sophisticated heat-sensing system that this species uses to locate warm-blooded prey in darkness. Snakes have experienced an evolutionary explosion in diversity as a result of numerous such innovations that have increased their effectiveness as specialized predators.