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.....»»
Germplasm collection reveals genetic heritage of US livestock and helps prevent loss of genetic diversity
Animal genetics plays a crucial role in modern agriculture, enhancing food sustainability, and animal adaptation to a changing climate. Over the years, animal breeders have underlined the significance of genetics in enhancing animal productivity. Pre.....»»
Stars collided in galactic “demolition derby,” produced oddball gamma-ray burst
Such oddball events tell astronomers a lot about spectacular diversity of cosmic explosions. Enlarge / Astronomers studying a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) may have observed a never-before-seen way to destroy a star. (credit: In.....»»
Study estimates land use changes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Land use change is closely related to human activities, affecting ecological environment and species diversity, and how to make scientific observations and simulations to predict it has become a focal issue......»»
New study describes the genetic diversity and drug resistance markers of malaria parasites in Mozambique
The drugs used to treat and prevent malaria in Mozambique are still effective, according to a genomic analysis of drug resistance markers in P. falciparum, carried out by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the Manhiça Health Re.....»»
Direct photons point to positive gluon polarization
A new publication by the PHENIX Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) provides definitive evidence that gluon "spins" are aligned in the same direction as the spin of the proton they're in. The result, just published in Physical.....»»
Plant life found to determine soil bacteria diversity in the Arctic tundra
Living and nonliving factors that influence the types of vegetation that grow at different elevations in the Arctic tundra also regulate the types of bacteria that grow in the soil. The distribution of generalist bacteria, which can adapt to a broade.....»»
White communities prefer to risk repeat flooding rather than move to safer but more diverse neighborhoods
Even after suffering flood damage, homeowners in mostly white communities prefer to accept higher risk of disaster repeating itself than relocate to areas with more racial diversity and less flood risk, according to new research from Rice University......»»
Centromere plasticity and diversity: Researchers identify a novel type of centromere organization
Holocentric chromosomes have evolved independently from X-shaped monocentric chromosomes multiple times in both animals and plants, but the mechanism behind the centromere-type transition is unknown. Now, an international research team has assembled.....»»
Plant functional trait diversity increases soil organic carbon sequestration during tropical forest succession
Previous studies have shown that soil organic carbon (SOC) influences the provision of edaphic ecosystem services, making it a key indicator of soil health under sustainable land use management and for climate change resilience. However, the SOC sequ.....»»
Fiddler Auditor: Open-source tool evaluates the robustness of large language models
Fiddler Auditor is an open-source tool designed to evaluate the robustness of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) models. LLMs can sometimes produce unwarranted content, potentially create hostile responses, and may dis.....»»
Climate change has increased diversity of butterflies in Sweden and Finland, may have major ecosystem consequences
New research shows that butterflies have expanded their ranges over the past 120 years to cope with a warmer climate in Sweden and Finland. Although driven by a warmer climate, range expansions have also been influenced by human land use and vary acc.....»»
Spectropolarimetric imaging: A magical way to get multidimensional information
In the world of optics, capturing high-dimensional optical information is crucial for understanding and characterizing various targets across different scenes. This includes important aspects like irradiance, spectrum, space, polarization, and phase......»»
New study finds connection between long-standing gender and racial gaps in voting for Democrats
The persistent gender gap in voting for Democrats versus Republicans is, in part, because a higher proportion of women than men voters are Black and because Black voters have historically voted overwhelmingly Democratic, according to a new study by a.....»»
Researchers identify role of introgression during radiation of Triplophysa adapted to Tibetan Plateau
Adaptive radiation, a process in which many new species explode and occupy different ecological niches in a short time, can rapidly promote speciation and enrich species diversity. Genomic analyses have shown that phylogenies of closely related speci.....»»
Study suggests long-lived tree species play greater role in generating genetic diversity
A study of the relationship between the growth rate of tropical trees and the frequency of genetic mutations they accumulate suggests that older, long-lived trees play a greater role in generating and maintaining genetic diversity than short-lived tr.....»»
Scientists" political donations reflect polarization in academia—with implications for the public"s trust in science
People who lean left politically reported an increase in trust in scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic, while those who lean right politically reported much lower levels of trust in scientists. This polarization around scientific issues—from COV.....»»
Two-year voyage finds Pacific coral reef biodiversity is far greater than we know
The diversity of the Pacific coral reef microbiome—microorganisms which help drive and maintain reef productivity and biodiversity—may approach the current estimated total microorganism diversity on Earth according to new research. The findings,.....»»
Why our news consumption might be more worrisome than misinformation
Misinformation and echo chambers are often used to explain polarization and political divides between people. New research, however, finds there is another factor we should worry about, namely our online consumption of quality news, or exactly the la.....»»
New study highlights importance of democratic norms and learning about the other party
For the past few years, American democracy has been perceived as backsliding. Politicians' refusal to accept election results despite a lack of evidence of fraud, the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and state-level restrictions on voting acc.....»»
Study: False assumptions about election malfeasance could create a "death spiral" for democracy
In October 2020, two rival candidates for office in Utah made an unusual television ad together. Incumbent Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and his Democratic challenger, Chris Peterson, appeared in the same spot to note they were both "dedicated to the A.....»»