Urban humans have lost much of their ability to digest plants
Rural populations still have lots of the gut bacteria that break down cellulose. Enlarge (credit: Nathan Devery) Cellulose is the primary component of the cell walls of plants, making it the most common polymer on Earth......»»
Global study reveals phenological divergence between plants and animals under climate change
A collaborative study reveals the distinct mechanisms by which plants and animals respond to climate change in their life-cycle phenology. This research, led by Piao Shilong's team and Zhang Yao's team from the Institute of Carbon Neutrality at Pekin.....»»
The microbiology of honey: A sweet symphony of life
Honey, a complex substance made by a variety of species of bees, is often celebrated for its sweetness and health benefits. In fact, humans have been using honey, sometimes called liquid gold, for generations to soothe cold symptoms and promote wound.....»»
AI video editing coming to Instagram next year, using text prompts
AI video editing based on text prompts is coming to Instagram next year, with the company’s head showing off the ability to do things like change your clothing and video background, as well as some funkier stuff like adding animated characters......»»
Simulations of hominin Lucy help show how long distance running evolved in modern humans
A team of natural scientists, musculoskeletal specialists, and evolutionary biologists affiliated with several institutions in the U.K., working with a colleague from the Netherlands, has found via simulations, that the famous early hominin Lucy, cou.....»»
Sea snakes regain advanced color vision, recovering a complex trait once lost to evolutionary time
Nine species of sea snakes have now been identified as having regained the genetic requirements for advanced color vision, demonstrating that once a complex trait has been lost to evolutionary time, it may be regained in some way......»»
Giant sloths and mastodons coexisted with humans for millennia in Americas, new discoveries suggest
Sloths weren't always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge—up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons)—and when startled, they brandished immense claws......»»
Here are all the airlines that support the new AirTags feature in iOS 18.2
With iOS 18.2, Apple supercharged AirTags with a new feature called “Share Item Location.” This feature lets you share the location of a lost AirTag or Find My network accessory with a trusted third party. As part of the launch of Share Item.....»»
ChatGPT for macOS now works with Apple Notes and more third-party apps
OpenAI last month announced a major update to the macOS ChatGPT app, which gained the ability to read on-screen content in certain apps. The company is now rolling out an update that expands support for Apple Notes and even more third-party apps......»»
Discovery of egg"s immune-like attack on sperm mitochondria may aid fertility
Within minutes of fertilization, the egg of a fruit fly becomes a scene from the battle of the sexes. The egg attacks and destroys the cellular "power plants" (mitochondria) from the sperm that had fertilized it, so that only its own mitochondria rem.....»»
Newly identified mysterious fossil seed reveals Ice Age climate patterns
La Brea Tar Pits scientists have identified a previously unknown juniper species as Juniperus scopulorum, commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Juniper. The successful identification, along with the first-ever radiocarbon dating of these fossil plants.....»»
Scientists document rich biodiversity along underexplored Chilean coastline
An international team of scientists on board a recent Schmidt Ocean Institute R/V Falkor (too) expedition surveyed nearly 20 methane seeps, some of which are new discoveries, and four submarine canyon systems previously never before seen by humans......»»
Android 16 adds a new way to use the Google Pixel 9’s fingerprint sensor
Android 16's latest update introduces the ability to unlock your phone even with the screen off, thanks to the Pixel 9's ultrasonic sensor......»»
Solving renewable energy’s sticky storage problem
When the Sun doesn't shine and the wind is calm, humankind still needs power. When the Sun is blazing and the wind is blowing, Germany’s solar and wind power plants swing into h.....»»
NASA payload aims to probe moon"s depths to study heat flow
Earth's nearest neighboring body in the solar system is its moon, yet to date, humans have physically explored just 5% of its surface. It wasn't until 2023—building on Apollo-era data and more detailed studies made in 2011–2012 by NASA's automate.....»»
Arctic snow shows up to 71 times more PFAS during sunny months
PFAS refers collectively to the thousands of man-made chemicals that take a very long time to break down in nature. None of these substances occur naturally—also called forever chemicals, and several are suspected of negatively affecting humans and.....»»
Top 10 plant and fungal species named new to science in 2024
Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and their partners reveal their pick of the top 10 plants and fungi named new to science in 2024......»»
You can now call ChatGPT using your phone line when cellular data is not available
OpenAI has been announcing a lot of new features and enhancements for ChatGPT in recent days, and the company still has a few more cards up its sleeve. Now OpenAI is introducing an intriguing feature: the ability to call ChatGPT using your phone line.....»»
Researchers address material challenges to make commercial fusion power a reality
Imagine if we could take the energy of the sun, put it in a container, and use it to provide green, sustainable power for the world. Creating commercial fusion power plants would essentially make this idea a reality. However, there are several scient.....»»
PSA: AirPods Max are missing a key feature on the new USB-C model
Apple’s AirPods Max update this year wasn’t a full-blown AirPods Max 2, but rather a switch to USB-C and color swap. Unfortunately, the also lost a key feature that was supported by the original. more….....»»
Scientists provide insights into photosystem II under low-light conditions
In higher plants and green algae, photosystem II (PSII) usually combines with light harvesting complex II (LHCII) to form the PSII-LHCII supercomplex. Under low-light conditions, the PSII-LHCII supercomplexes are organized laterally into higher-order.....»»