How to Brew a Climate-Friendly Coffee

Scientists around the world are tackling a problem that millions of people care about deeply: saving coffee. Climate change is threatening the farms that grow coffee beans, and researchers are trying different ways to protect the crop. Their work could help both coffee drinkers and the farmers who depend on coffee to earn a living.

Researchers are focusing on two main coffee plant species and looking at close relatives in the same plant family. Some scientists are trying to make plants stronger so they can survive hotter and drier conditions. Others are using chemistry tricks to get more coffee out of the plants that already exist.

Meanwhile, a very different kind of science has been making news in the animal world. Researchers studied common pigeons by giving them five colorful buttons to peck. Pecking any set of five buttons in a row earned the birds a food reward. Even though the pigeons settled on favorite patterns over time, they never completely stopped trying new ones — their preferences kept changing.

This finding surprised scientists because it goes against a famous idea from 1905. Psychologist Edward Thorndike said that animals repeat behaviors that get rewarded and become more predictable over time. But these pigeons kept mixing things up, staying at 'the edge of chaos,' which may be what makes them so flexible and adaptable.

In the world of medicine, artificial intelligence is helping scientists make discoveries faster. Two AI systems — called Co-Scientist and Robin — worked with teams of researchers to find new uses for existing drugs. Co-Scientist suggested that a small molecule called KIRA6 might be used to fight a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. Robin found that certain drugs might help treat an eye disease by boosting how cells clean themselves.

On a scarier note, a small insect called the lone star tick is spreading across more of the United States. This tick can give people a condition called alpha-gal syndrome, which causes an allergy to red meat. One doctor studying tick allergies was so committed to his research that he let ticks bite him and then rushed to have his blood tested to track the allergy's progress.

A new documentary called 'The Endless Frontier' gives viewers an honest look at what science really involves. Rather than making research look exciting and glamorous, the film shows the slow, difficult, and sometimes frustrating work that scientists do every day. The movie has taken on new meaning given recent changes to science funding in the United States.

For students who think or learn differently, AI tools may offer real help. Two experts wrote about how AI chatbots can support neurodiverse students in science careers. They said the biggest challenges aren't always about extra test time, but about things like communication and unclear expectations. AI can help students work through those challenges in ways traditional support often misses.

Finally, one scientist is urging the world to rethink what it means to live a good life. Ecologist Yadvinder Malhi says human lives are deeply connected to the natural world — not just supported by it, but truly part of it. He and his colleagues created something called the 'Nature Relationship Index,' which measures how connected people are to nature. Starting later this year, the United Nations plans to report this number annually.