Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

EIA revises crude oil price forecast amid uncertainty and volatility but still expects prices will decrease

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects the Brent crude oil price to average less than $70 per barrel in 2025 and about $58 per barrel in 2026. In its July Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA revised its 2025 oil price forecast slightly upward this month in response to unrest in the Middle East creating uncertainty in the oil market.

Growth Energy Delivers Testimony on EPA 2026-2027 RVO Proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor testified today at a virtual hearing hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its 2026-2027 RVO proposal for biofuel blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). During the hearing, Skor emphasized that strong Renewable Volume Obligation (RVOs) will play a key role in delivering on President Trump’s vision for U.S. energy dominance and rural prosperity.

“If finalized, these RVOs would unlock investments, create jobs, and support growth in rural America by expanding our country’s renewable fuel production and use,” said Skor. “By setting conventional biofuel blending volumes at 15 billion gallons for two years, this proposal will create the kind of certainty that spurs innovation and truly unleashes American energy dominance. This is the strongest RFS proposal we’ve ever seen, with the highest volumes ever, showing this administration’s commitment to American biofuel producers and the farmers that depend on them.”

Skor also urged EPA to make it clear that small refinery exemptions (SREs) will not be granted recklessly, and that any gallons lost to SREs will be made up in the market.

“Only with these pieces in place can this proposal truly deliver the game-changing impact the president wants it to have, and that the nation’s biofuel producers and rural communities are counting on,” she added.

Click here to read Skor’s full testimony on the 2026-2027 RVO proposal as prepared for delivery. Growth Energy is the nation’s largest biofuel trade association; its members produce more than half of all the ethanol produced in the U.S. each year. Learn more about Growth Energy and its membership here.

About the RFS

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was first enacted in 2005 as part of the Energy Policy Act. It was then expanded in 2007 with the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act. It sets the number of gallons of renewable fuels (like biofuels) that must be blended into the nation’s total fuel supply each year. The RFS remains one of America’s most successful clean energy policies, reducing carbon emissions, offering consumers more affordable options at the pump, and delivering greater energy security for more than 15 years. Learn more here.

The post Growth Energy Delivers Testimony on EPA 2026-2027 RVO Proposal appeared first on Growth Energy.

Study finds tummy-tuck patients still shedding pounds five years later

Patients who undergo tummy tuck surgery may be in for more than just cosmetic changes — a new study shows they often keep losing weight for years after the procedure. Researchers followed 188 patients and found consistent weight reduction up to five years later, especially in those with higher initial BMIs. Interestingly, lifestyle improvements, such as better diet and exercise habits, may play a key role in this surprising long-term effect. This could mean tummy tucks aren't just sculpting bodies — they may be reshaping lives.

Whispers in the womb: How cells “hear” to shape the human body

Scientists found that embryonic skin cells “whisper” through faint mechanical tugs, using the same force-sensing proteins that make our ears ultrasensitive. By syncing these micro-movements, the cells choreograph the embryo’s shape, a dance captured with AI-powered imaging and computer models. Blocking the cells’ ability to feel the whispers stalls development, hinting that life’s first instructions are mechanical. The discovery suggests hearing hijacked an ancient force-sensing toolkit originally meant for building bodies.

How a lost gene gave the sea spider its bizarre, leggy body

Scientists have decoded the sea spider’s genome for the first time, revealing how its strangely shaped body—with organs in its legs and barely any abdomen—may be tied to a missing gene. The detailed DNA map shows this ancient creature evolved differently from its spider and scorpion cousins, lacking genome duplications seen in those species. With new gene activity data, researchers now have a powerful tool to explore how sea spiders grow, regenerate, and evolved into some of the oddest arthropods on Earth.

Feeling mental exhaustion? These two areas of the brain may control whether people give up or persevere

When you're mentally exhausted, your brain might be doing more behind the scenes than you think. In a new study using functional MRI, researchers uncovered two key brain regions that activate when people feel cognitively fatigued—regions that appear to weigh the cost of continuing mental effort versus giving up. Surprisingly, participants needed high financial incentives to push through challenging memory tasks, hinting that motivation can override mental fatigue. These insights may pave the way to treating brain fog in disorders like PTSD and depression using brain imaging and behavior-based therapies.

New research shows Monday stress is etched into your biology

Feeling jittery as the week kicks off isn’t just a mood—it leaves a biochemical footprint. Researchers tracked thousands of older adults and found those who dread Mondays carry elevated cortisol in their hair for months, a stress echo that may help explain the well-known Monday heart-attack spike. Even retirees aren’t spared, hinting that society’s calendar, not the workplace alone, wires Monday anxiety deep into the HPA axis and, ultimately, cardiovascular risk.

Antarctica’s slow collapse caught on camera—and it’s accelerating

Long-lost 1960s aerial photos let Copenhagen researchers watch Antarctica’s Wordie Ice Shelf crumble in slow motion. By fusing film with satellites, they discovered warm ocean water, not surface ponds, drives the destruction, and mapped “pinning points” that reveal how far a collapse has progressed. The work shows these break-ups unfold more gradually than feared, yet once the ice “brake” fails, land-based glaciers surge, setting up meters of future sea-level rise that will strike northern coasts.

Multisensory VR forest reboots your brain and lifts mood—study confirms

Immersing stressed volunteers in a 360° virtual Douglas-fir forest complete with sights, sounds and scents boosted their mood, sharpened short-term memory and deepened their feeling of nature-connectedness—especially when all three senses were engaged. Researchers suggest such multisensory VR “forest baths” could brighten clinics, waiting rooms and dense city spaces, offering a potent mental refresh where real greenery is scarce.

Pregnancy’s 100-million-year secret: Inside the placenta’s evolutionary power play

A group of scientists studying pregnancy across six different mammals—from humans to marsupials—uncovered how certain cells at the mother-baby boundary have been working together for over 100 million years. By mapping gene activity in these cells, they found that pregnancy isn’t just a battle between mother and fetus, but often a carefully coordinated partnership. These ancient cell interactions, including hormone production and nutrient sharing, evolved to support longer, more complex pregnancies and may help explain why human pregnancy works the way it does today.

Scientists capture real-time birth of ultrafast laser pulses

Scientists have captured the moment a laser "comes to life"—and what they found challenges long-held beliefs. Using a special technique to film laser light in real time, researchers observed how multiple pulses grow and organize themselves into a stable rhythm. Instead of one pulse splitting into many (as previously thought), these pulses are amplified and evolve through five fast-paced phases, from initial chaos to perfect synchronization. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of how lasers work but could also lead to sharper, faster technologies in communication, measurement, and manufacturing.

New tech tracks blood sodium without a single needle

Scientists have pioneered a new way to monitor sodium levels in the blood—without drawing a single drop. By combining terahertz radiation and optoacoustic detection, they created a non-invasive system that tracks sodium in real time, even through skin. The approach bypasses traditional barriers like water interference and opens up potential for fast, safe diagnostics in humans.

Defying physics: This rare crystal cools itself using pure magnetism

Deep in Chile’s Atacama Desert, scientists studied a green crystal called atacamite—and discovered it can cool itself dramatically when placed in a magnetic field. Unlike a regular fridge, this effect doesn’t rely on gases or compressors. Instead, it’s tied to the crystal’s unusual inner structure, where tiny magnetic forces get tangled in a kind of “frustration.” When those tangled forces are disrupted by magnetism, the crystal suddenly drops in temperature. It’s a strange, natural trick that could someday help us build greener, more efficient ways to cool things.
❌