Biodiversity in the city: Designing urban spaces for humans and animals
Animals and plants also live and thrive on public squares. This creates opportunities for greater biodiversity and well-being for the human population. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have studied at 103 locations in Munich ho.....»»
Advanced terahertz neural network offers compact solution for AI challenges
An innovative planar spoof plasmonic neural network (SPNN) platform capable of directly detecting and processing terahertz (THz) electromagnetic signals has been unveiled by researchers at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and Southeast Universi.....»»
Pakistan"s record smog triggers anguish and anxiety
On the streets of Pakistan's second biggest city, smog stings eyes and burns throats. Inside homes, few people can afford air purifiers to limit the damage of toxic particles that seep through doors and windows......»»
New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories of people in ancient Pompeii
When a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved in stone for centuries......»»
Saturday Citations: Color vision created demand for colorful animals; observing black hole light echoes; deadlines!
This week, researchers hypothesized that human culture is distinguished from cultures of other species like whales by unique open-endedness—the ability to communicate and understand an infinite number of possibilities. An ancient unicellular organi.....»»
New insights into the Denisovans—the hominin group that interbred with modern day humans
Scientists believe individuals of the most recently discovered hominin group (the Denisovans) that interbred with modern day humans passed on some of their genes via multiple, distinct interbreeding events that helped shape early human history......»»
Making Australia"s growing cities more sustainable
The way we organize our cities and regions creates problems everywhere. We're facing difficult and polluting drives to work, a lack of affordable housing, and urban designs that lead to car dependency and are bad for our health......»»
New tools give researchers hope for fungus-ravaged US bats
Standing at a woodland entrance to the world's longest cave system in Kentucky, a park ranger warns those about to enter of an extremely deadly fungus—not for humans, but for the bat populations it has devastated across North America......»»
Encouraging quiet during zoo visits might lead to a better appreciation of the animals, say researchers
Encouraging quietness during zoo trips can help visitors better appreciate their inhabitants and lead to more fulfilling, respectful and informative experiences, a new paper argues......»»
The rise of color vision in animals: Study maps dramatic 100-million-year explosion in color signals
Colors are widely used in communication within and among animal species. For example, peacocks proudly display their vibrant tails, adorned with iridescent eyespots, to attract peahens for courtship. This is a classic example of sexual selection usin.....»»
Leading up to the election, Trump voters trusted friends and family over traditional media, survey finds
Rural and urban. Blue and white collar. College and high school educated. There are many so-called "divides" in American politics......»»
Computational chemistry promises to upset traditional methods of chemical synthesis
The process of discovering and designing new chemicals has always been arduous—Sijia Dong wants to change that. As an assistant professor in the department of chemistry and chemical biology, with affiliations in physics and chemical engineering, Do.....»»
Researchers discover genetic reason for the red, yellow and orange bills of Australian finches
What gives an Australian finch its brilliantly colored red, yellow or orange bill? A major new study has uncovered the genetic switches controlling these distinctive colors, revealing a key piece in the puzzle of how animals develop their coloration......»»
Evolutionary anthropologist presents hypothesis about why humans are dominating the world over other animals
Why is human culture—the shared body of knowledge passed down across generations—so much more powerful than animal cultures?.....»»
The natural environment is declining—are companies doing their part to save it?
The natural environment across the globe is deteriorating, leading to crises like climate change, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity. Companies and industries play a major role in this decline, and they are expected to take responsibility for thei.....»»
Australian dragon study reveals surprising link between motor systems control and sleep rhythms
Sleep is one of the most mysterious, yet ubiquitous components of our biology. It has been described in all major groups of animals, including worms, jellyfish, insects or cephalopods, and in all vertebrates, from fish to humans. Common characteristi.....»»
Ancient unicellular organism indicates embryonic development might have existed prior to animals" evolution
Chromosphaera perkinsii is a single-celled species discovered in 2017 in marine sediments around Hawaii. The first signs of its presence on Earth have been dated at over a billion years, well before the appearance of the first animals......»»
Locally optimized urban form can reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Research suggests that urban areas could reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by optimizing their urban form. However, the relationship between urban form and emissions is highly context-dependent and generalizations cannot be made......»»
"Shallow" sports and "deep" social hierarchies: Not all pecking orders are created equally
University of Michigan researchers have added a new dimension to the mathematics used to predict the outcomes of all manner of competitions, including sports, games and social hierarchies in both humans and animals......»»
Food security in Africa: Managing water will be vital in a rapidly growing region
Sub-Saharan Africa's population is growing at 2.7% per year and is expected to reach two billion by the year 2050. The region's urban population is growing even faster: it was at 533 million in 2023, a 3.85% increase from 2022......»»
New research reveals how stormy conditions affect albatrosses" ability to feed
Albatrosses are exceptionally mobile and use the wind to travel hundreds of thousands of miles to feed on squid, fish, or other animals found near the water surface in the open ocean. In fact, some larger species of albatrosses are so reliant on the.....»»