For an apple a day to keep the doctor away, the fruits have to be resilient to climate change.
Why it matters: Newly patented variations of apples that thrive in warm weather, developed by a University of Maryland researcher, could be a solution to stunted production in recent years.
Some chimpanzeesmay go through menopause, researchers reported this week. The finding suggests the capacity to live beyond one's reproductive years could be more common than previously thought and adds a new wrinkle to the longstanding debate about why and when the trait emerged.
The big picture: Just a few mammals are known to live for years after they stop reproducing. Humans in particular can live long after going through menopause, which some scientists say suggests it played a key part in the evolution of the species.
Hurricane Otis made landfall directly on Acapulco, Mexico, as a violent Category 5 storm on Wednesday, killing at least 27 people and causing extensive damage to the beach resort city.
The big picture: The storm and the flooding it brought with it knocked out electricity and communications for thousands of Acapulco's 780,000 residents, sheared walls from buildings, blew out windows and set off landslides that blocked the city's main highway.
The damage and death toll are becoming clearer in Acapulco, where Category 5 Hurricane Otis struck early Wednesday.
Why it matters: The hurricane is likely to be one of the most expensive extreme weather disasters in Mexico's history, and its unexpected and explosive intensification through landfall is causing some soul-searching in the risk management community, as it is in meteorology circles.
