Polarization, diversity, and democratic robustness
Polarization is dangerous for democracy. Though the U.S. Constitution was designed to harness rivalry with a diverse, redundant, and modular set of institutions, if that rivalry curdles into the belief that your competitors are your enemies, those in.....»»
Diverse forests are best at standing up to storms, modeling study finds
European forests with a greater diversity of tree species are more resilient to storms, according to new research published in the journal Functional Ecology......»»
Disinformation may reinforce polarization in society
With over 4 billion people eligible to vote in elections, 2024 is the largest election year ever. At the same time, disinformation and polarization on social media pose unprecedented challenges to the democratic process......»»
Biden Audio Deepfake Alarms Experts in Lead-Up to Elections
A doctored audio clip of Joe Biden urging voters in New Hampshire not to cast their ballots in the Democratic primary has experts concerned. No political deepfake has alarmed the world’s disinformation experts more than the do.....»»
OpenAI"s new election rules are already being put to the test
A ChatGPT-powered democratic candidate bot, called Dean.Bot, was removed by OpenAI for violating new election rules. Months away from the 2024 election and less than a week after AI's biggest name pledged to help uphold a fair democratic proces.....»»
Life on Earth uses water as a solvent. What are some other options for life as we don"t know it?
There is a vast menagerie of potentially habitable worlds in the cosmos, which means the universe could be home to a diversity of life beyond what we can imagine. Creatures built on silicon rather than carbon, or organisms that breathe hydrogen inste.....»»
Quantum physicists develop robust and ultra-sensitive topological quantum device
A significant breakthrough has been achieved by quantum physicists from Dresden and Würzburg. They've created a semiconductor device where exceptional robustness and sensitivity are ensured by a quantum phenomenon. This topological skin effect shiel.....»»
Democratic decline is a global phenomenon, even in wealthy nations
Democratic backsliding is occurring in an unprecedented number of wealthy countries once thought immune to such forces—the United States among them, finds a new analysis led by Cornell political scientists and published in World Politics......»»
New technique uses optical orbital angular momentum lattice to enhance information storage capacity
In the realm of optical holography, the conventional limitations of polarization, wavelength, and incident angle are giving way to a new era of possibilities. A breakthrough technique known as optical orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing has e.....»»
Unlocking tree genetic diversity: Advanced hyperspectral phenotyping for enhanced Scots pine selection
Hyperspectral reflectance reveals critical leaf functional traits indicative of a plant's physiological status, providing a powerful tool for distinguishing seedlings adapted to specific environments......»»
Non-sectarian parties improve democracy and social stability, study says
Non-sectarian political parties help to make divided societies more stable and improve the quality of the democratic process, a new study says......»»
Discoveries gleaned from ancient human DNA
Four research articles published in Nature follow the genetic traces and geographical origins of human diseases far back in time. The analyses provide detailed pictures of prehistoric human diversity and migration, while proposing an explanation for.....»»
From black hole entropy to the complexity of plant leaves: An intriguing linkage
Complexity of biological forms has fascinated humankind over the years. Different species of plants have different leaf shapes. Have you ever wondered why it is so? Why does this shape diversity exist? Plants can change their leaf shapes over time an.....»»
Even the oldest eukaryote fossils show dazzling diversity and complexity
The sun has just set on a quiet mudflat in Australia's Northern Territory; it'll set again in another 19 hours. A young moon looms large over the desolate landscape. No animals scurry in the waning light. No leaves rustle in the breeze. No lichens en.....»»
Anisotropic plasmon engineering unlocks multilevel polarized upconversion
National University of Singapore (NUS) researchers have introduced an upconversion plasmonphore platform to enable precise control over the polarization of isotropic upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). This is achieved by coupling upconversion activa.....»»
Study reveals genetic legacy of racial and gender hierarchies
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have revealed how sociocultural factors, in addition to geography, play a significant role in shaping the genetic diversity of modern societies. The research published in eLife employed deep learning t.....»»
Money might be more motivating for people in "WEIRD" countries
Financial rewards may be more motivating for people living in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) countries, than for people from non-WEIRD countries, reports a study published in Nature Human Behaviour......»»
Educational reform should embrace learners" diversity, study finds
Educational reform should embrace learners' diversity, provide equitable access to foster attendance and promote student interest in learning through child-centered teaching, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Lou.....»»
Study of Darwin"s finches sheds light on how one species become many
Using data on four species of Darwin's finches on the Galápagos Islands, researchers led by McGill University have confirmed a long-standing hypothesis that species diversity evolves through adaptation to different resources......»»
Soil fungi may help explain the global gradient in forest diversity
A paper published in Nature Communications Biology contributes to the growing appreciation for the outsize role that microbes play in everything from human digestion to crop yields: Microbes in the soil—fungi in this case—appear to be influencing.....»»
Global triggers: Why these five big issues could cause significant problems in 2024
The tensions between the US and China made the global economy shudder in 2023. The ramifications of the Ukrainian war echoed beyond the country's border. In Africa, the coup d'état in Niger and Gabon contributed to the global democratic retreat of r.....»»