DNA variants near a gene called MSRB3 - which is important for hearing in humans - could determine whether a dog's ears are pendulous like a basset hound's or stubby like a rottweiler's. Researchers analysed the genomes of thousands of canines and found that small, single-letter changes to DNA in a region of the genome near MSRB3 could boost the gene's activity. The boost can increase the rate at which ear cells proliferate, resulting in longer ears.
Scientists have been left baffled after discovering that the melting of sea ice in the Arctic is actually slowing down. Despite rising temperatures, an analysis by experts from the University of Exeter has revealed that the Arctic has been melting at a slower rate for the past 20 years. From 1979 to 2024, ice was lost from the Arctic at a rate of 2.9 million cubic kilometres of ice per decade.
