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.....»»
Neutrons reveal the existence of local symmetry breaking in a Weyl semimetal
The first materials scientists might have been early humans who—through trial-and-error experiments—discovered the first "cutting-edge" technologies. They found that the best arrowheads and other tools could be made from certain types of natural,.....»»
Those with the biggest biases choose first, according to new math study
In just a few months, voters across America will head to the polls to decide who will be the next U.S. president. A new study draws on mathematics to break down how humans make decisions like this one......»»
Study unveils limits on the extent to which quantum errors can be "undone" in large systems
Quantum computers have the potential of outperforming conventional computers on some practically relevant information processing problems, possibly even in machine learning and optimization. Yet their large-scale deployment is not yet feasible, large.....»»
Discovery of tiny bone sheds light on mysterious "hobbit" humans
The discovery of a tiny arm bone suggests that an ancient human dubbed "hobbits" only shrank down to their diminutive size after they arrived on an Indonesian island a million years ago, scientists said on Tuesday......»»
Flood of "junk": How AI is changing scientific publishing
An infographic of a rat with a preposterously large penis. Another showing human legs with way too many bones. An introduction that starts: "Certainly, here is a possible introduction for your topic"......»»
NASA tests deployment of Roman Space Telescope"s "visor"
The "visor" for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope recently completed several environmental tests simulating the conditions it will experience during launch and in space. Called the Deployable Aperture Cover, this large sunshade is designed to.....»»
Watch Google DeepMind’s robotic ping-pong player take on humans
Researchers at Google DeepMind have created an AI-powered robot capable of sustaining a rally against ping-pong players of varying abilities......»»
August 2024 Patch Tuesday forecast: Looking for a calm August release
July ended up being more ‘exciting’ than many of us wanted; we’re supposed to be in the height of summer vacation season. First, we had a large set of updates on Patch Tuesday, then we had to work through the CrowdStrike event, and finally many.....»»
Powering enzymes with light to make ammonia
The Earth's atmosphere contains large amounts of nitrogen in the form of dinitrogen gas (N2). Converting N2 to ammonia (NH3) is critical for making the fertilizer needed for agriculture......»»
Watch Google DeepMind’s robot ping pong player take on humans
Researchers at Google DeepMind have created an AI-powered robot capable of sustaining a rally against ping pong players of varying abilities......»»
What"s new in Quick Look for visionOS 2
Apple announced some new Quick Look features for visionOS 2.0 at WWDC 2024. In this article we'll look at new ways to use QuickLook in Apple Vision Pro.Quick Look for visionOS 2.0.Quick Look is a feature of visionOS that allows users to preview large.....»»
Researchers find unexpectedly large methane source in overlooked landscape
When Katey Walter Anthony heard rumors of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, ballooning under the lawns of fellow Fairbanks residents, she nearly didn't believe it......»»
Losses continue to pile up at Rivian and Lucid in Q2
Both EV makers have received large cash infusions to help stem cash burn and pay for continued operations......»»
Predicting metabolic potential in bacteria from limited genome data
How bacteria eat food, and what kinds of products they can make from that food, is dictated by the metabolic network of enzyme patterns encoded in their genomes. Using computational methods to learn these patterns across a large number of known bacte.....»»
South Africa"s controversial lion farming industry is fueling the illegal international trade in big cat bones
A paper, "Under the lion's paw: lion farming in South Africa and the illegal international bone trade," published in Nature Conservation has uncovered concerning activities within South Africa's captive lion industry, shedding light on the urgent nee.....»»
What Did Ancient Humans Think When They Looked Up at the Night Sky?
Archaeoastronomers piece together how people understood the heavens thousands of years ago......»»
These Pathogens Could Spark the Next Pandemic, Scientists Warn
Scientists have identified more than 30 different pathogens that they fear could cause the next big pandemic in humans.....»»
Trail cameras capture encouraging footage of one of the rarest large mammal species in the world — and it comes with a surprise
Trail cameras capture encouraging footage of one of the rarest large mammal species in the world — and it comes with a surprise.....»»
Using dental growth rings scientists reveal differences in growth patterns between ancient and modern mammals
A study published in Science Advances reveals how early mammals grew and developed during their pivotal Jurassic radiation. Using a technique called synchrotron X-ray tomography to image growth rings in fossilized tooth roots, the researchers were ab.....»»
Newly-discovered star could provide new insights into the evolution of stars
A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal, led by Assistant Professor of Astronomy Rana Ezzeddine and UF alumnus Jeremy Kowkabany, with collaborators, reports the discovery of a star that challenges astronomers' understanding of star evoluti.....»»