Discoveries gleaned from ancient human DNA
Four research articles published in Nature follow the genetic traces and geographical origins of human diseases far back in time. The analyses provide detailed pictures of prehistoric human diversity and migration, while proposing an explanation for.....»»
Lidar mapping reveals mountainous medieval cities along the Silk Road
A city larger than many in Europe at the time was perched in the mountains. The history of the Silk Road, a vast network of ancient and medieval trade routes connecting Beijing an.....»»
Tracking a disappearing mantle plume in ancient Samoa: Researchers shed light on a 30-million-year gap
When plumes of magma well up through Earth's lithosphere, they create volcanoes, islands, seamounts, and other features on the surface. Telltale hot spot tracks form as tectonic plates move over these plumes, marking plume locations and the movement.....»»
Dinosaurs thrived after ice, not fire, says a new study of ancient volcanism
201.6 million years ago, one of the Earth's five great mass extinctions took place, when three-quarters of all living species suddenly disappeared. The wipeout coincided with massive volcanic eruptions that split apart Pangaea, a giant continent then.....»»
CRISPR-Cas10 can flood virally infected bacteria with toxic molecules, researchers discover
CRISPR-Cas9 has long been likened to a kind of genetic scissors, thanks to its ability to snip out any desired section of DNA with elegant precision......»»
How social interactions evolve in schools: Study reveals people tend to gravitate towards groups of similar sizes
A recent study published in Nature Communications uncovers how human social interactions evolve in group settings, providing a perspective on the dynamic nature of social networks. By analyzing how university students and preschool children form and.....»»
Laboratory simulation finds smaller nanoparticles are subject to enhanced agglomeration in gastrointestinal tract
In a laboratory set-up simulating the human stomach and intestine, researchers at the University of Amsterdam have explored the fate of plastic nanoparticles during gastrointestinal digestion. In their paper published in the October issue of Chemosph.....»»
Pompeii archaeologists uncover ancient tiny house with elaborate frescoes
Pompeii archaeologists uncover ancient tiny house with elaborate frescoes.....»»
Indigenous People Mix Ancient and Modern Science to Protect Salmon and Bears
The Heiltsuk of British Columbia are using a mix of traditional principles and modern implementation to protect salmon and bears in their territory.....»»
Anyone Can Learn Echolocation in Just 10 Weeks—And It Remodels Your Brain
Human echolocation repurposes parts of the brain’s visual cortex for sound, even in sighted people.....»»
Our brains aren’t meant to be awake after midnight
The human brain isn’t designed to be awake late at night, new research suggests. The researchers behind the paper, which is published in Frontiers in … The post Our brains aren’t meant to be awake after midnight appeared first on BGR......»»
Where did kissing come from? Study introduces the "groomer"s final kiss hypothesis"
A team at the University of Warwick is suggesting that human kissing evolved from grooming behaviors observed in ancestral great apes. In a study, "The Evolutionary Origin of Human Kissing," published in Evolutionary Anthropology, the researchers int.....»»
Pigs can"t fly but they might be able to talk thanks to AI translators
AI can translate pig noises to human language......»»
Study: DNA corroborates “Well-man” tale from Norse saga
The "Well-man" likely had blue eyes, blond or light-brown hair, and hailed from southern Norway. A 12th-century Norse saga tells of an invading army from the south razing a castl.....»»
Invisible anatomy in the fruit fly uterus: New discoveries could have implications for fertility and pest control
You have likely not spent much time thinking about the uterus of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. But then, neither have most scientists, even though Drosophila is one of the most thoroughly studied lab animals. Now a team of biologists at the.....»»
When things get tight: How does the embryo in rapeseed react to mechanical constraints?
In 2021, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for elucidating the biology of mechanosensors. These discoveries revealed how mechanical forces generated by touch influence tissue differentiation and morphogenesis in animals and humans.....»»
Ripples of colonialism: Decarbonization strategies perpetuate inequalities in human rights, says study
A University of Michigan study of a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo finds that the necessary process of decarbonization is repeating and recreating colonial inequalities......»»
Stoneflies have changed color as a result of human actions, new study shows
New Zealand's native stoneflies have changed color in response to human-driven environmental changes, new research shows. Just published in the journal Science, the University of Otago study provides arguably the world's most clear-cut case of animal.....»»
Research on how gut bacteria breaks down dietary fiber could lead to helpful new probiotics
There are trillions of bacteria in the human gut microbiome. When we eat fruits and vegetables, some of these bacteria break down the dietary fiber and provide us with metabolites, small molecules our body can use for energy or cell repair......»»
An Indian village became Amur falcons" biggest protectors—how conservationists can harness the power of persuasion
Wildlife conservation is an exercise in human persuasion. It may seem counterintuitive that we hold the keys to the survival of wildlife, but 98% of all threatened species are threatened exclusively by human activities such as pollution, invasive spe.....»»
A much faster way to encode DNA with usable digital data
An international team of molecular biologists, computer scientists and physicists has found a way to encode useable digital data onto DNA strands 350 times faster than current approaches. In their study, published in the journal Nature, the group use.....»»