From dusk to dawn, humans squeeze wildlife into temporal periphery
As human densities increase around the world, wildlife species are becoming more nocturnal to compensate. These adaptations allow wildlife to live in human-altered habitats but may result in unseen costs. Researchers at the University of Minnesota Co.....»»
Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands
An archaeologist from the University of New Hampshire and her team have collected data which indicates the presence of a large-scale pre-Columbian fish-trapping facility. Discovered in the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (CTWS), the largest inland we.....»»
"Genetic time machine" reveals complex chimpanzee cultures
In recent decades, scientists have clearly demonstrated that chimpanzees, like humans, pass on complex cultures such as tool use from generation to generation. But human culture has become vastly more sophisticated, from the Stone Age to the Space Ag.....»»
Red squirrels are very flexible in shifting their daily routines to avoid urban threats, researchers find
Scientific investigations before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in Berlin in 2020 show that urban red squirrels are extremely flexible in adjusting their diurnal activities to the presence of humans, domestic dogs, domestic cats, and predators such.....»»
Scientists uncover cross-species neural mechanism for early detection of life motion in visual processing
Visual systems of both humans and animals can detect life motion from the environment at the earliest stage of visual processing, research by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) uncovered......»»
Could a multivitamin help save coral reefs? Preliminary data says yes
Like humans, coral reefs rely on nutrients in the environment surrounding them. Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have been lab testing nutrient-infused tiles to determine whether they would boost the immune system of corals,.....»»
Ancient DNA sheds light on adaptation of early Europeans at the dawn of the agricultural revolution
Leveraging a unique statistical analysis and applying it to ancient DNA extracted from human skeletal remains, a team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Los Angeles has revealed new insights into h.....»»
The hidden disease risks of modern housing developments in rural Africa
Tamika Lunn went to Kenya looking for bats. Her task, as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of U of A biologist Kristian Forbes, was to catch bats to understand if, when and why they carried viruses. A spillover of a bat virus to humans could lead.....»»
How humans evolved to be "energetically unique"
Humans, it turns out, possess much higher metabolic rates than other mammals, including our close relatives, apes and chimpanzees, finds a Harvard study. Having both high resting and active metabolism, researchers say, enabled our hunter-gatherer anc.....»»
Study shows climate change is hindering aspen tree maturity
Warming temperatures continuously impact mankind, wildlife, major corporations and propositions at all levels of government, but for Flagstaff forests, climate change is a catalyst for countless structural, compositional and external shifts that new.....»»
Flies carry bacteria, and some are resistant to antibiotics—evidence from three South African hospices
Houseflies live close to humans and domesticated animals and because they are so mobile they can easily spread bacteria that make people sick......»»
A single cell"s siesta: How non-moving single-celled organisms manage to avoid bright light
Too much of a good thing is no good at all. Living organisms enjoy sunlight—in fact, they need it to stay alive—but they tend to avoid light that is too bright. Animals go to their shelter, humans have a siesta, even plants have mechanisms to avo.....»»
Ranchers again ask Colorado wildlife officials to delay release of next round of wolves
Colorado ranchers are renewing their demand for state wildlife officials to delay the release of more wolves until they finalize more programs to prevent attacks on livestock......»»
Neat, precise and brighter than ever: New technologies improve temporal coherence of XFEL pulses
X-ray free-electron lasers produce pulses of light that are exceptionally bright, making them powerful tools for studying ultrafast chemical reactions, biological processes, or probing the structure of materials at atomic scales......»»
Study uncovers earliest evidence of humans using fire to shape the landscape of Tasmania
Some of the first human beings to arrive in Tasmania, over 41,000 years ago, used fire to shape and manage the landscape, about 2,000 years earlier than previously thought......»»
Rainforest protection reduces the number of respiratory diseases, research suggests
Rainforest protection is not only good for biodiversity and the climate—it also noticeably improves the health of humans who live in the corresponding regions. This is the conclusion drawn by a current study by the University of Bonn and the Univer.....»»
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.....»»
What Bird Flu in Wastewater Means for California and Beyond
Wastewater in several Californian cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, recently tested positive for bird flu. But understanding disease risk and exposure to humans isn’t so straightforward.....»»
Fossil teeth suggest a long childhood is the prelude to the evolution of a large brain
Compared to the great apes, humans have an exceptionally long childhood, during which parents, grandparents and other adults contribute to their physical and cognitive development. This is a key developmental period for acquiring all the cognitive sk.....»»
Prime time for cicadas: What a once-in-1,547-year bug population surge tells us about the nature of reality
It's a big year in America—for wildlife as well as for politics. I'm talking about periodical cicadas......»»
Uncovering health impacts of forever chemicals on freshwater turtles
A study in Science of the Total Environment has measured concentrations of PFAS—also known as forever chemicals—in Australian wildlife, following an analysis of freshwater turtle (Emydura macquarii macquarii) populations in Queensland......»»