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.....»»
Stone-hearted researchers gleefully push over adorable soccer-playing robots
DeepMind tests "robustness to pushing" in football robot breakthrough. Enlarge / In a still from a DeepMind demo video, a researcher pushes a small humanoid robot to the ground. (credit: DeepMind) On Wednesday, researche.....»»
Nitrogen found to affect soil invertebrates and insects
Higher levels of nitrogen in the environment (coming from fertilizers and livestock, for example) not only affect plants but also soil invertebrates and insects. The diversity of roundworms declines in areas with high input of nitrogen, and numbers o.....»»
The Lifesaving Sled Dog Balto Had Genes unlike Those of Dog Breeds Today
The genome of the 1920s Siberian husky Balto suggests that greater genetic diversity and less inbreeding contribute to better health.....»»
Building trust for the success of diversity, equity and inclusion
Sustainable diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) transformation requires a committed community who are empowered to openly reflect on their institution's culture, policies and practices. However, the open information-sharing and critical reflection.....»»
Genomes from 240 mammalian species reveal what makes the human genome unique
Over the past 100 million years, mammals have adapted to nearly every environment on Earth. Scientists with the Zoonomia Project have been cataloging the diversity in mammalian genomes by comparing DNA sequences from 240 species that exist today, fro.....»»
Worldwide insect decline: Causes, consequences and potential countermeasures
Throughout the world, we are witnessing not just a decline in the numbers of individual insects, but also a collapse of insect diversity. Major causes of this worrying trend are land-use intensification in the form of greater utilization for agricult.....»»
Apple"s diversity efforts are "selfish & practical" says head of developer relations
Apple's head of developer relations, Susan Prescott, says the company continues to focus on inclusion and diversity and promises new features at WWDC 2023.Apple continues efforts on diversity and inclusionSpeaking at a recent event at Apple's new off.....»»
How the humble protist could shore up the world"s food supply
Protists, a broad class of generally single-celled organisms that includes algae and amoebae, have long been regarded as a "catch-all" category for diverse microorganisms. Because of their diversity and prevalence, protists play vital roles in virtua.....»»
Arthropods in high-diversity forests found to contribute to improved productivity
An international team of researchers led by Prof. Ma Keping from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) has shown that forests with higher tree species richness tend to have greater arthropod diversity......»»
After historic year of environmental laws, California wants to go further
California's Democratic supermajority wants to follow up its most ambitious year of environmental legislation by passing new clean energy incentives and measures that would accelerate greenhouse gas reductions and require billion-dollar businesses to.....»»
The double-edged sword of open-source software
The lack of visibility into the software supply chain creates an unsustainable cycle of discovering vulnerabilities and weaknesses in software and IT systems, overwhelming organizations, according to Lineaje. Diversity and complexity of the open-sour.....»»
A general theory to realize bilayer stacking ferroelectricity
Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectrics, planar materials that have a spontaneous and reversible electric polarization, are extremely rare and yet could be extremely advantageous for the development of new nanoelectronics. Due to their ferroelectric prop.....»»
For birds, blending in may result in more diversity
The saying "Birds of a feather flock together" is being given new meaning by a study published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Flocking birds often travel in groups made up of a single species, in which individuals are nearl.....»»
Research on 2,400 languages shows nearly half the world"s language diversity is at risk
There are more than 7,000 languages in the world, and their grammar can vary a lot. Linguists are interested in these differences because of what they tell us about our history, our cognitive abilities and what it means to be human......»»
Global ecological restoration does not enhance genetic diversity in restored plant populations, study finds
Almost ubiquitous human disturbance has caused serious negative genetic consequences for wild plants worldwide, such as a decrease in intraspecific genetic diversity, which is likely to threaten individual survival and population persistence. Ecologi.....»»
Neuroptera: Greater insect diversity in the Cretaceous period
Human activity is currently driving a loss of natural diversity that some experts describe as the sixth major mass extinction event in the history of the Earth. The decline in insects is particularly alarming: Insects are not just a highly diverse gr.....»»
New study finds shifting climate regions leading to hotter, drier conditions across Kenya
New research published in Regional Environmental Change has shown that as climate zones shift toward hotter and drier conditions, ecological diversity will decline, posing a major threat to terrestrial ecosystems with far-reaching social and ecologic.....»»
Expert discusses the rising political tide of young adults, Gen Z
The expulsion of two Black state Democratic lawmakers in their 20s by the predominantly white, Republican-controlled Tennessee House in late March ignited backlash across the country. Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were ousted for rallying in.....»»
Future-proofing flexible working: Learning lessons from lockdown to help working parents
Dr. Maria Adamson, co-director of Queen Mary's Center for Research in Equality & Diversity and senior lecturer in the School of Business & Management, has written for advocacy charity Working Families about how COVID lockdowns could make workplaces m.....»»
Legislators OK $410 million for Ford, Our Next Energy plants; Gotion project still waits
LANSING — Michigan will give companies $410 million to open two electric vehicle battery plants following approval of transfers by a legislative panel on Wednesday. The Democratic-led Senate Appropriations Committee authorized the subsidies for.....»»