New insight into the hunting patterns of ancient cephalopods
The Jurassic cephalopod Vampyronassa rhodanica, thought to be the oldest known ancestor of the modern-day vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), was likely an active hunter—a mode of life that is in contrast with its opportunistic descendant. S.....»»
Ancient microbes linked to evolution of human immune proteins
When you become infected with a virus, some of the first weapons your body deploys to fight it are those passed down to us from our microbial ancestors billions of years ago. According to new research from The University of Texas at Austin, two key e.....»»
Physicists develop new model that describes how filaments assemble into active foams
Many fundamental processes of life, and their synthetic counterparts in nanotechnology, are based on the autonomous assembly of individual particles into complex patterns. LMU physicist Professor Erwin Frey, Chair of Statistical and Biological Physic.....»»
Ancient civilizations had ways to counter the urban heat island effect—how history"s lessons apply to cities today
As intense heat breaks records around the world, a little-reported fact offers some hope for cooling down cities: Under even the most intense periods of extreme heat, some city blocks never experience heat wave temperatures......»»
Ancient tree resin artifacts provide earliest-known evidence of humans dispersing through the Pacific
Exactly when and how humans dispersed into and through the Pacific remains an intensely debated topic. Previous studies have been hampered by imprecise chronometric dating, making the exact timing and movement of people into the Pacific difficult to.....»»
Weather patterns as a major contributing factor to complex air pollution
"Complex pollution" usually refers to the environmental pollution phenomenon formed by the simultaneous presence of multiple pollutants in the same environment. In China, the issue of controlling the complex air pollution of fine particulate matter (.....»»
Study finds gun violence in rural America rises as deer hunting season begins
Across rural America, the increased presence of loaded guns in homes and vehicles could lead to a spike in gun injuries and homicides at the start of every deer hunting season, a new study warns......»»
Four things ancient Greeks and Romans got right about mental health
According to the World Health Organization, about 280 million people worldwide have depression and about one billion have a mental health problem of any kind......»»
A-level results show the patterns of disadvantage the government must tackle
Hundreds of thousands of students have now nervously opened their A-level results. These handfuls of letter grades matter, and not just to the students themselves. They have far-reaching effects on our whole education system and public views on stand.....»»
Ancient DNA reveals Indigenous dog lineages found at Jamestown, Virginia
Previous scientific studies have indicated that North American dog lineages were replaced with European ones between 1492 and the present day. To better understand the timing of this replacement, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Cha.....»»
This Code Breaker Is Using AI to Decode the Heart’s Secret Rhythms
Inspired by his expertise in breaking ancient codes, Roeland Decorte built a smartphone app that continuously listens for signs of disease hidden in our pulse......»»
New Windows 11 build removes ancient, arbitrary 32GB size limit for FAT32 disks
But the Windows NT-era disk formatting UI hasn't been fixed yet. Enlarge / If you've formatted a disk in Windows in the last 30 years, you may have come across this dialog box. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) As we wait for.....»»
Beer in space: Researchers study microgravity"s effect on fermentation
A recent study by University of Florida researchers provides insight into how beer yeast might behave when fermented in outer space. The research is published in the journal Beverages......»»
NASA acknowledges it cannot quantify risk of Starliner propulsion issues
"We don’t have enough insight and data to make some sort of simple black-and-white calculation." Enlarge / Artist's illustration of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft firing four of its orbital maneuvering engines, as it will during.....»»
Cactus dreams: Revealing the secrets of mescaline making
Mescaline, a natural hallucinogen known since ancient times, was not only a favorite of artists and bohemians but also a mainstay of brain research throughout the first half of the 20th century, until it was eclipsed in the 1950s by the much more pot.....»»
NASA shuts down asteroid-hunting telescope, but a better one is on the way
The NEOWISE spacecraft is on a course to fall out of orbit in the next few months. Enlarge / Artist's illustration of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Last week, NASA deco.....»»
Studying the journey, not the destination, provides new insight into songbird migrations
Migration is an adaptive phenomenon, typically triggered by a change of season, that is vital to ecosystem health. Animals may journey thousands of miles, in some cases, in search of food, better living conditions, or to find a mate. Conversely, huma.....»»
Characterizing the impact of 700 years of Inuvialuit subsistence hunting on beluga whales
An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen and University of Toronto, analyzed beluga whale bones retrieved from archaeological sites in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada, to shed light.....»»
Stonehenge"s Altar Stone origins reveal advanced ancient Britain
New research led by Curtin University has revealed Stonehenge's monumental six-ton Altar Stone, long believed to originate from Wales, actually hails from Scotland. The study titled "A Scottish Provenance for the Altar Stone of Stonehenge" was publis.....»»
An affordable tracking microscope to democratize microorganism research
Studying the complex motility patterns of cells and microorganisms is key to understanding their behaviors and biomechanics. However, many conventional microscopes are constrained by fixed lenses and the lack of ability to track organisms over extend.....»»
House call: A new study rethinks early Christian landmark
Since its discovery by modern researchers a century ago, an ancient structure known as the "Christian building" has become widely considered the cornerstone of early Christian architecture. Constructed around 232 C.E. in the ancient city of Dura-Euro.....»»