Opinion: Nonbinary genders beyond "male" and "female" would have been no surprise to ancient rabbis
"Genderqueer" and "nonbinary" are contemporary terms for people who don't fit neatly into male or female categories. But acknowledging that not everyone fits neatly into those two groups has a much longer history than you might suspect......»»
Ancient sea cow that was attacked by both a primeval crocodile and shark sheds new light on prehistoric food chains
A new study showing how a prehistoric sea cow was preyed upon by not one, but two different carnivores—a crocodilian and a shark—is revealing clues into both the predation tactics of ancient creatures and the wider food chain millions of years ag.....»»
Love is blind for male fruit flies, who will choose sex over safety
Male fruit flies will become oblivious to physical danger as they become more engaged in courtship and sex, new research shows......»»
How a survey of over 2,000 women in the 1920s changed the way Americans thought about female sexuality
American women still have fewer orgasms than men, according to new research that suggests that decades after the sexual revolution, the "orgasm gap" is still very much in effect......»»
South Asia air pollution fell in 2022, but remains major killer: report
A surprise improvement in air quality in South Asia in 2022 drove a decline in global pollution, with favorable weather a likely factor, a new report said Wednesday......»»
These surprise announcements could make it into Apple’s iPhone 16 event
Apple is hosting a product launch event on September 9, and there’s a lot we already expect is coming. But in addition to the standard new iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods models, Apple could still have some surprise announcements in store. Here ar.....»»
Microscopic fossilized shells reveal ancient climate change patterns
At the end of the Paleocene and beginning of the Eocene epochs, between 59 to 51 million years ago, Earth experienced dramatic warming periods, both gradual periods stretching millions of years and sudden warming events known as hyperthermals......»»
Locked in a glacier: Virus adaptations to extreme weather provide climate change insights
Ancient viruses preserved in glacial ice hold valuable information about changes in Earth's climate, a new study suggests......»»
Shocker: French make surprise arrest of Telegram founder at Paris airport
Lack of moderation on Telegram claimed to be reason for arrest. Pavel Durov, Telegram founder and former CEO of Vkontakte, in happier (and younger) days. (credit: Pavel Durov/VK) Late this afternoon at a Parisian airport.....»»
NASA not comfortable with Starliner thrusters, so crew will fly home on Dragon
"I would say the White Sands testing did give us a surprise." Enlarge / Crew Dragon approaches the International Space Station (credit: NASA TV) Following weeks of speculation, NASA finally made it official on Saturday:.....»»
Bonobo evidence suggests ancient origin of the "common enemy effect"
In the face of threats from other groups, humans, chimpanzees, and a selection of other species get closer to their own. Now an international team led by Kyoto University has shown that even our more peaceful cousins, bonobos—who have never been ob.....»»
Apple reportedly plans to release macOS Sequoia in September alongside iOS 18
It’s no surprise to most people that Apple releases new versions of iOS in September, following the launch of the latest iPhones. However, when it comes to macOS, the company usually holds back major updates until October. This year, however, it se.....»»
Robert Downey Jr. sets the record straight about returning to Marvel as Doctor Doom
After a surprise return at Comic-Con, Robert Downey Jr. reveals why he decided to re-enter the MCU as Victor Von Doom......»»
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.....»»
Opinion: Canada must continue cutting emissions regardless of the actions of other polluters
I have, over the years, lost count of the number of times I have seen or heard people say that it doesn't matter what Canada, or the more-developed world, does to reduce carbon emissions. It is argued that the main global problem is that major emitte.....»»
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......»»
"Amazon" algae shed light on what happens to populations when females switch to asexual reproduction
Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen and Kobe University discovered populations of female brown algae that reproduce from unfertilized gametes and thrive without males. In a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, they use.....»»
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.....»»
How "winner and loser effects" impact social rank in animals—and humans
Research has shown that in many animals, the winners of a fight are more likely to win subsequent contests, while the losers tend to lose their following fights. In experiments where male stickleback fish were randomly introduced to another fish, 65%.....»»
Spider exploits firefly"s flashing signals to lure more prey
Fireflies rely on flashing signals to communicate to other fireflies using light-emitting lanterns on their abdomens. In fireflies of the species Abscondita terminalis, males make multi-pulse flashes with two lanterns to attract females, while female.....»»
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......»»