A manifesto for investigating the impacts of object flows on past societies: Objectscapes
World history is often framed in terms of flows of people and migration: humans coming 'out of Africa," the spread of farmers in the Holocene, Phoenician and Greek diasporas over the ancient Mediterranean, the colonization of the world by Europeans f.....»»
Opinion: Planning smart and sustainable cities should not result in exclusive garden utopias for the rich
One of the big ideas of the 21st century, "smart cities" promised a new world of connected, data-driven and sustainable urbanism. Pervasive digital infrastructures would monitor flows from sewage to traffic to criminal activities, providing informati.....»»
How did volcanism trigger climate change before the eruptions started?
New dating of a major ancient warming shows warming started before major eruptions. Enlarge / Loads of lava: Kasbohm with a few solidified lava flows of the Columbia River Basalts. (credit: Joshua Murray) As our climate.....»»
Unlocking oceanic mysteries: Satellites shed light on aerosol layer height
Aerosol layer height (ALH) is a key parameter for assessing aerosol impacts on weather, climate, and atmospheric correction. Accurate ALH retrieval improves the understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions and aids in surface air quality monitoring......»»
What is societal collapse? Lessons from the past can help us understand our future, but only to a point
As the climate crisis accelerates, it's hard not to wonder if today's societies can adapt. Growing worries over climate change have sparked interest in the collapse of ancient civilizations and the rise of the (often apocalypse-themed) "cli-fi" genre.....»»
Domesticating horses had a huge impact on human society—new science rewrites where and when it first happened
Across human history, no single animal has had a deeper impact on human societies than the horse. But when and how people domesticated horses has been an ongoing scientific mystery......»»
Under US pressure, Mexico probes loggerhead sea turtle deaths
Scientists in Mexico are investigating the deaths of hundreds of loggerhead sea turtles in recent years, a species considered at risk of extinction in the wild, according to officials......»»
US fights Canada over new tech tax that could cost Apple billions
Canada's new Digital Services tax could cost iPhone maker Apple billions, but the US says the fees are discriminating against American tech companies — and is pushing for a delay.The US Trade Representative object to Canada's unilateral Digital Ser.....»»
Examining experiences of the pandemic requires a more critical eye, says researcher
The coronavirus pandemic was, in many ways, a unique period whose impacts are still being seen and felt today. The effects of the pandemic live on in people's memories, fears, hopes, and bodies......»»
Engineers smash rocks to see what occurs when top layer of an asteroid-like object is hit with extreme external force
Johns Hopkins engineers have uncovered new details about how granular materials such as sand and rock behave under extreme impacts—findings that could someday help protect the Earth from dangerous asteroids......»»
Curbing toxic metals in spinach and rice crops grown for baby food
Rice and spinach are staples for babies' and young children's diets, but toxic metals and metalloids found in those foods can cause severe health impacts......»»
Understanding how human activity impacts zooplankton is essential for managing and protecting lakewater
Freshwater ecosystems are impacted by human activities, including climate change, pollution and invasive species......»»
EU investigating if Telegram played down user numbers to avoid regulation
The new probe is separate from the French investigation into the platform. Enlarge (credit: NurPhoto via Getty) Brussels is investigating whether Telegram breached EU digital rules by failing to provide accurate user num.....»»
How "climate mainstreaming" can address climate change and further development goals
Canada's first National Adaptation Strategy urges Canadians to consider climate change impacts in their everyday decisions......»»
Using atomic excitations to measure the rotation of spacetime
How would atoms behave near a supermassive object? We know how atoms behave in extremely weak gravity like that at the Earth's surface: They can be excited from a lower energy level to a higher one when an electron absorbs a photon or a nucleus absor.....»»
Larger ant colonies drive the evolution of worker castes: Division of labor is key to life"s complexity, says study
Just like human societies, ant societies have a division of labor. Within a colony, some individuals feed the young while others are soldiers who protect the colony from intruders. New research across 794 ant species, published in Nature Ecology & Ev.....»»
Q&A: How should the labor movement handle the challenges of AI, automation at work?
Robert Bruno is a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal, a research-based initiative tasked with investigating labor policies in today's eco.....»»
Researchers urge closing outdated water rule to aid Colorado River crisis
Researchers investigating the historic stresses of the American West's water supply have identified a simple solution that could put parts of the Colorado River Basin on a more sustainable path......»»
Extreme weather threatens survival of seabirds and seals
Scientists have identified the Australian and Antarctic marine predators most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and it will help focus conservation efforts for species under threat......»»
Study: Among Viking societies, Norway was much more violent than Denmark
Rates of violence in Viking Age Norway and Denmark were long believed to be comparable. A team of researchers including University of South Florida sociologist David Jacobson challenges that assumption......»»
Investigating adaptive strategies of high and low nucleic acid prokaryotes
A research team conducted a 73-day large-volume Aquatron macrocosm experiment, utilizing flow cytometry and dilution experiments to thoroughly investigate the temporal changes and influencing factors in the abundance, growth rate, and mortality of hi.....»»