Humans ditched swiveling hips for shorter stride than chimps
Humans were thought to have the longest primate strides for their height, but now it turns out that chimpanzees take 25% longer strides than we do, thanks to their swiveling hips, which rotate by as much as 61deg every time they take a step to compen.....»»
Space travel comes with risk—SpaceX"s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than ever
Space is an unnatural environment for humans. We can't survive unprotected in a pure vacuum for more than two minutes. Getting to space involves being strapped to a barely contained chemical explosion......»»
New Waymo data shows self-driving tech drives safer than humans
Self-driving technology company Waymo said its robotaxis are making roads safer in the markets where it operates — and sharing data to back those claims......»»
New filter removes chemical contaminants from water even at very low concentrations
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products pose a major environmental threat. These chemicals, found in everyday items like medicines and cosmetics, can pollute waterways, harming the plants and animals living in the waterways and the humans who use.....»»
Australian government trial finds AI is much worse than humans at summarizing
Llama2-70B failed to capture "complex context," but updated models might do better. Enlarge / ASIC evaluators found AI summaries were often "wordy and pointless—just repeating what was in the submission." (credit: Getty Images).....»»
Dozens of viruses detected in Chinese fur farm animals
Dozens of viruses have been detected mixing in animals at fur farms in China, some of which are new and have the potential to spill over into humans, researchers said Wednesday......»»
The world"s fastest single-shot 2D imaging technique films ultrafast dynamics in flames
Candle flames and airplane engines produce tiny soot particles from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as their precursors, both of which are harmful to humans and the environment. These carbon-based particles are also common in space, making up.....»»
Denmark reports cases of bluetongue disease that can be fatal to sheep but is harmless to humans
Denmark reported Tuesday cases of bluetongue in the country's east, a non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease that is harmless to humans but can be fatal for so-called ruminant animals—mainly sheep but also cows and goats......»»
Is there such a thing as an objectively beautiful building? Here"s the science
Some people assume that there's a type of beauty that everyone can agree on. But did early humans really admire slender bodies the way we do today? After all, fashions come and go—there have been plenty of fads throughout history that we find hard.....»»
NASA lines up return date for Boeing Starliner minus humans
A Butch- and Suni-less Boeing Starliner has been given a date to return to Earth by NASA......»»
Revealed — How much Target is selling the Keurig K-Cafe Special for on Labor Day
Keurig Around these parts we love the , surprises, and sneaky reveals just as much as the next batch of humans. What we don’t like? Unnecessary extra effort. But we’re willing to go through extra steps to help you out. In Target’s L.....»»
Ancient viral genomes preserved in glaciers reveal climate history—and how viruses adapt to climate change
As humans alter the planet's climate and ecosystems, scientists are looking to Earth's history to help predict what may unfold from climate change. To this end, massive ice structures like glaciers serve as nature's freezers, archiving detailed recor.....»»
The Mediterranean dried out 5.5 million years ago, offering sobering lessons for humanity today
What would happen if humans dried out the Mediterranean sea, turning it into a giant salt lake? Would its wildlife survive, and if so, how long would it take to recover?.....»»
What a submerged ancient bridge discovered in a Spanish cave reveals about early human settlement
A new study led by the University of South Florida has shed light on the human colonization of the western Mediterranean, revealing that humans settled there much earlier than previously believed. This research, detailed in a recent issue of the jour.....»»
Uncovering the secret communication of marmoset monkeys: They have names
A new study from Hebrew University reveals that marmoset monkeys use specific calls, known as "phee-calls," to name each other, a behavior previously known to exist only in humans, dolphins, and elephants. This discovery highlights the complexity of.....»»
Study finds people are consistently and confidently wrong about those with opposing views
Despite being highly confident that they can understand the minds of people with opposing viewpoints, the assumptions humans make about others are often wrong, according to new research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoP.....»»
Researchers model physics of the pumping technique used to achieve air on a skateboard half-pipe
A team of engineers and mathematicians from ETH Zürich, working with colleagues from The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, and ATR Institute International, both in Japan, has successfully modeled the physics involved when humans pump on skateboa.....»»
Widespread culling of crocodiles is not an effective way to stop attacks on humans, study shows
Education and community awareness, removal of problem animals and exclusion areas are significantly more effective in reducing saltwater crocodile attacks in the Northern Territory than a widespread culling program to reduce crocodile numbers, accord.....»»
Communicating consensus strengthens beliefs about climate change, finds 27-country study
Climate scientists have long agreed that humans are largely responsible for climate change. However, people often do not realize how many scientists share this view. A new 27-country study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour finds that co.....»»
This bird species was extinct in Europe. Now it"s back, and humans must help it migrate for winter
How do you teach a bird how, and where, to fly? The distinctive Northern Bald Ibis, hunted essentially to extinction by the 17th century, was revived by breeding and rewilding efforts over the last two decades. But the birds—known for their distinc.....»»
How is the Anthropocene helping to rethink the contemporary issue of environmental degradation?
The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch whereby humans are deemed to be the primary drivers of ecological and environmental change, through activities that lead to environmental degradation. This theory that human activity poses more of a thr.....»»