Large mammals shaped the evolution of humans in Africa, says ecologist
That humans originated in Africa is widely accepted. But it's not generally recognized how unique features of Africa's ecology were responsible for the crucial evolutionary transitions from forest-inhabiting fruit-eater to savanna-dwelling hunter. Th.....»»
City birds found to be carriers of antimicrobial resistant bacteria
Research led by scientists at the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research at Oxford University has found that wild birds such as ducks and crows living close to humans, for example in cities, are likely to carry bacteria with antimicrobial.....»»
How color shapes which animals we fear—and which we protect
Around the world, animals that exhibit rare color morphisms—including lighter-colored variants with albinism or leucism and dark-colored variants with melanism—are often the subject of both veneration and fear in humans......»»
Chromatin structure found to play a key role in canine social behavior evolution
A study on dogs found that chromatin's spatial structure has a significant role in the evolution of social behavior. Chromatin, the compact form of DNA, not only packages genetic material but also plays a crucial role in gene regulation......»»
Bumblebees" sense of direction rivals that of humans, study shows
Bumblebees have a great capacity to navigate despite their small brain size. This is borne out of new research conducted at Lund University in Sweden. The research results can potentially benefit the development of navigation robots in crisis situati.....»»
Exploring the structures of xenon-containing crystallites
Noble gases have a reputation for being unreactive, inert elements, but more than 60 years ago Neil Bartlett demonstrated the first way to bond xenon. He created XePtF6, an orange-yellow solid. Because it's difficult to grow sufficiently large crysta.....»»
IntelOwl: Open-source threat intelligence management
IntelOwl is an open-source solution designed for large-scale threat intelligence management. It integrates numerous online analyzers and advanced malware analysis tools, providing comprehensive insights in one platform. “In late 2019, I faced a.....»»
New parameter enhances insights into the evolution of mantle"s redox states
The oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the mantle controls the speciation and mobility of volatiles within it, influencing the composition of volatiles released during mantle-derived magmatic activity, and thereby regulating the composition of the atmosphere......»»
Some solitary mammals have surprisingly social lives: What one researcher has learned from a tiny south African rodent
We probably all know someone who lives a solitary life. But not everyone realizes that there are solitary individuals in the animal kingdom, too. Examples of solitary species are some shrews, and large predators, such as black bears (Ursus americanus.....»»
Teams forge communication shortcuts across large organizations to keep information flowing
When it comes to successful organizations, communication is key. But what does successful communication look like? A new study from North Carolina State University examines communication dynamics within a successful organization, uncovering the cruci.....»»
Early improvement of sandy habitat led to origin of agriculture in the farming-pastoral zone of northern China: Study
The beginning of agriculture is one of the most significant events in human history. The origin and spread of agriculture accelerated the development of human society and economy and fundamentally altered humans' role in the Earth's ecosystem. This a.....»»
The Pixel 9 phones are big cameras and screens soldered onto Gemini AI ambitions
"Pro" no longer means "large," and the Fold is the biggest screen ever. Enlarge (credit: Google / Aurich Lawson) Google announced its fall lineup of Pixel phones today: three standard phones and a second tablet-esque fol.....»»
Australian gold mining company hit with ransomware
Australian gold mining firm Evolution Mining has announced on Monday that it became aware on 8 August 2024 of a ransomware attack impacting its IT systems, and has been working with its external cyber forensic experts to investigate the incident. .....»»
Large language models pose a risk to society and need tighter regulation, say researchers
Leading experts in regulation and ethics at the Oxford Internet Institute, have identified a new type of harm created by LLMs which they believe poses long-term risks to democratic societies and needs to be addressed by creating a new legal duty for.....»»
"Killer robots" are becoming a real threat in Africa
The use of drones in the Sahel, a region of Africa that has been plagued by violence driven by jihadist insurgency for much of the past decade, has become a real problem. In April, for example, Al Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat al Isl.....»»
New evidence from West Papua offers fresh clues about how and when humans first moved into the Pacific
In the deep human past, highly skilled seafarers made daring crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands. It was a migration of global importance that shaped the distribution of our species—Homo sapiens—across the planet......»»
A new robotic platform to reproduce and study complex ciliary behavior
Cilia are sensory structures extending from the surface of some cells. These hair-like structures are known to contribute to the sensorimotor capabilities of various living organisms, including humans......»»
Scientists find oceans of water on Mars. It"s just too deep to tap.
Using seismic activity to probe the interior of Mars, geophysicists have found evidence for a large underground reservoir of liquid water—enough to fill oceans on the planet's surface......»»
Forest restoration can boost people, nature and climate simultaneously
Forest restoration can benefit humans, boost biodiversity and help tackle climate change simultaneously, new research suggests......»»
New forest condition monitor shows dynamic changes in forests resulting from extreme climate change events
According to the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), large parts of the German forest show an increase in damage as a result of the extreme drought period in Germany during recent years. However, hardly any data is available captu.....»»
Chemical cocktail from plastics: Pilot study describes degradation and leaching process of plastic consumer products
Plastic waste in rivers and oceans is constantly releasing chemicals into the water. Until now, it was unknown how large these quantities are and which substances are released particularly strongly. In the large-scale P-LEACH project, experts from fo.....»»