Phylogenetic analysis suggests fully aquatic mammals are unlikely to evolve back into terrestrial creatures
A trio of biologists and environmental scientists, two with the University of Fribourg and the third with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, has found that fully aquatic mammals, such as whales and porpoises, are very unlikely to evolve back into.....»»
Wildlife loss is taking ecosystems nearer to collapse, new report suggests
Even for a conservation biologist numbed to bad news about nature, the biennial Living Planet report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a stark reminder of our failure to arrest the loss of biodiversity—the variety of living things and the ecosy.....»»
New analysis tools can help farmers make informed choice on "agrivoltaics"
The dual use of land for agriculture and solar energy production, known as agrivoltaics, presents a new opportunity for farmers, but whether it makes economic sense for growers is a complex question. A new set of analytical tools developed by researc.....»»
M4 MacBook Pro leaks and release date, iOS 18.1 beta 6, more Apple execs retiring
Benjamin and Chance get excited for Apple’s upcoming product launches, which we are now expecting for the end of the month. The base model M4 MacBook Pro might even have fully leaked on the web. iOS 18.1 beta 6 brings some nice refinements, and mor.....»»
The true cost of game piracy: 20 percent of revenue, according to a new study
Analysis of Denuvo DRM cracking shows significant impacts on publishers' bottom lines. Throughout the game industry's short history, there's been ample debate about how much pirac.....»»
European forest plants are migrating westwards: Research suggests nitrogen is the main cause
New research reveals nitrogen pollution, and to a lesser extent climate change, unexpectedly as the key driver behind surprising westward shifts in the distribution of plants......»»
Assessment of damaged archaeological sites suggests they require individual protection concepts
An analysis of the damage to archaeological sites documented after a heavy rainfall event in July 2021 in parts of Germany shows that several factors increase the risk of damage to archaeological sites due to heavy rainfall and flooding events. For e.....»»
How did magma oceans evolve on early Earth and Mars? Iron chemistry and primordial atmospheres offer clues
Before Earth became the blue planet, it was engulfed by a very different kind of ocean: a vast, deep magma ocean reaching down hundreds or perhaps even thousands of kilometers......»»
Animal social interactions could speed up evolution
Scientists typically predict how species evolve by looking at their genes and the environment they live in, but new research from the University of Aberdeen has highlighted a key factor that's often overlooked: social interactions, where the genes of.....»»
World"s highest-voltage gun accelerates electrons from zero to 80% the speed of light
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have designed and tested the world's highest voltage polarized electron gun, a key piece of technology needed for building the world's first fully polarized Electron-I.....»»
Declines in plant resilience threaten carbon storage in the Arctic
Rapid warming has impacted the northern ecosystem so significantly that scientists are concerned the region's vegetation is losing the ability to recover from climate shocks, suggests a new study......»»
Hurricane Milton Shows How a Storm’s Category Doesn’t Tell the Full Story
Milton’s reclassification to a Category 3 storm suggests it is weakening, but the scale accounts only for wind speed and not hurricane size, storm surge heights, or rainfall—which are all catastrophically large......»»
Carefully exposing children to more misinformation can make them better fact-checkers, study suggests
In an era when online misinformation is seemingly everywhere and objective facts are often in dispute, UC Berkeley psychologists in a new study have presented a somewhat paradoxical partial solution: Expose young children to more misinformation onlin.....»»
Rapid analysis finds climate change’s fingerprint on Hurricane Helene
1.3° C of warming means rainfall like this may now be expected every 70 years. Hurricane Helene crossed the Gulf of Mexico at a time when sea surface temperatures were at rec.....»»
Snowflake dance analysis could improve rain forecasts
The key to more accurate rainfall predictions may lie in the intricate dance of falling snowflakes, a new study has found......»»
Exploit code for critical GitLab auth bypass flaw released (CVE-2024-45409)
If you run a self-managed GitLab installation with configured SAML-based authentication and you haven’t upgraded it since mid-September, do it now, because security researchers have published an analysis of CVE-2024-45409 and an exploit script.....»»
Stressed bees make pessimistic choices and may experience emotion-like states, new research suggests
Stressed bees are much more likely to make pessimistic choices and lack a buzz in life, new research has revealed......»»
Cryo-electron microscopy provides new insights into the cell"s repair system
The membrane that surrounds cells in living organisms is extremely flexible and sensitive. How it protects itself from damage and renews itself is crucial for many life processes, and is not yet fully understood in detail. Scientists at Forschungszen.....»»
New book brings prehistoric mammals to life
After the extinction of dinosaurs came the age of mammals. A new book brings readers into this world with well-researched species profiles by Aaron Woodruff, collection manager for vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The.....»»
Study reveals relationship between nitrogen-cycling microbial communities and nitrogen removal
Excess nitrogen (N) input to the inland water bodies and marine ecosystem has contributed to a cascade of environmental issues, so N removal pathways are critical in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems for maintaining homeostasis. Associated functiona.....»»
Study suggests elephants remember zookeepers after many years
An elephant never forgets, as the saying goes. In fact, there is evidence that proboscideans still remember the waterholes they once visited decades later. They also often recognize fellow elephants that they have not encountered for a long time. But.....»»