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.....»»
Moving as one: Discovering how synchronous movements strengthen social bonds
Sharing stories over a cup of coffee; dancing in a group; cheering a football game in a crowd: these everyday rituals are among many different types of shared experiences that help humans develop social cohesion......»»
Side effects of wide-scale forestation could reduce water availability by 15% in vulnerable regions
The side effects of large-scale forestation initiatives could have serious consequences for water availability, a pioneering study has found......»»
Physicists reveal evolution of shell structure using machine learning
A research team has used a machine learning approach to investigate the evolution of shell structure for nuclei far from the stability valley. The study, published in Physics Letters B and conducted by researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics.....»»
Which plant species will survive the global change challenge?
In a temperate montane forest in southern Québec, all is quiet. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll see the landscape has a story to tell. Waterloo plant ecologist Dr. Julie Messier, alongside her collaborators from Sherbrooke, is uncovering vita.....»»
Book Review: How One Weird Rodent Ecologist Tried to Change the Fate of Humanity
A biography of the scientist whose work led to fears of a ‘population bomb’.....»»
Surface water sampling reveals large numbers of juvenile krill undetected by conventional monitoring methods
In 2018–2019, researchers of Wageningen Marine Research joined the Japanese research vessel Kaiyo-maru (Fisheries Agency Japan; FAJ) on an Antarctic expedition to sample the upper surface waters with the Surface and Under Ice Trawl. Results showed.....»»
Students prefer teacher feedback over AI feedback, research finds
Feedback plays a crucial role in learning, helping individuals to understand and improve their performance, yet globally large and diverse student populations often mean that providing timely and personalized observations can be a challenge......»»
Unraveling an ancient European extinction mystery: Disappearance of dwarf megafauna on paleolithic Cyprus
Scientists have unraveled a mystery about the disappearance of dwarf hippos and elephants that once roamed the picturesque landscape on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus before paleolithic humans arrived......»»
Scientists from 33 European countries join forces to generate reference genomes for the continent"s biological diversity
In a new publication, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) announces the success of its pilot project. This initiative assembled a large collaborative network of scientists and institutions across 33 countries to produce high-quality reference.....»»
Atlanta man tosses large trash bag out car window. It was anything but garbage
Atlanta man tosses large trash bag out car window. It was anything but garbage.....»»
Bridging large riverine ecosystems for inter-basin exchanges
Many of the world's large rivers have been modified to support food security, hydropower production, navigation and trade. While these developments are necessary to support a growing human population, they also pose substantial risks to the structure.....»»
Road networks stretch into Congo Basin forests: Satellites and AI help to monitor
The Congo Basin rainforest is the second-largest tropical forest in the world, storing large volumes of carbon and hosting high levels of biodiversity. While these forests have historically stayed mostly intact, road development has recently become a.....»»
Researchers find evidence that bumblebees make the same memory errors as humans
Psychologists at the University of Stirling have carried out research that shows wild bumblebees make the same memory errors as humans......»»
Researchers explore the effects of the Black Lives Matter protests on racial bias
The murder of George Floyd in 2020 revived the Black Lives Matter movement, a large scale social movement that aims to highlight and reduce structural racism and inequality in the United States. The movement—and its coverage—strongly affected how.....»»
Exceptional new fish fossil sparks a rethink of how Earth"s geology drives evolution
Coelacanths are deep-sea fish that live off the coasts of southern Africa and Indonesia and can reach up to two meters in length. For a long time, scientists believed they were extinct......»»
Backside breathing and pigeon bombers studies win Ig Nobel prizes
Mammals that can breathe through their backsides, homing pigeons that can guide missiles and sober worms that outpace drunk ones: these are some of the strange scientific discoveries that won this year's Ig Nobels, the quirky alternative to the Nobel.....»»
Here’s why you shouldn’t freak out about lead in your cinnamon
For the most part, you'd have to eat a weirdly large amount to cause a problem. Enlarge / Cinnamon buns. (credit: Getty | Christoph Schmidt) Consumer Reports on Thursday reported the concentration of lead it found in 36.....»»
Gravity study gives insights into hidden features beneath lost ocean of Mars and rising Olympus Mons
Studies of gravity variations at Mars have revealed dense, large-scale structures hidden beneath the sediment layers of a lost ocean. The analysis, which combines models and data from multiple missions, also shows that active processes in the Martian.....»»
Temperature fluctuations found to mar fish quality of large yellow croaker
Large yellow croaker is a highly nutritious and economically valuable mariculture species, but its perishable nature poses significant challenges in storage and transport. Cold chain logistics play a crucial role in maintaining seafood quality, but f.....»»
The promise of summer wheat in Zimbabwe
Africa currently imports around 40 million tons of wheat annually at a staggering cost of $15 billion. Most African countries rely heavily on wheat imports, with some importing up to 100% of their supply. However, countries like Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.....»»