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Male palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) drumming on a hollow tree with a manufactured ‘drumstick.’ Image credit: Christina Zdenek.

Male Palm Cockatoos Play Drums to Attract Mates

Jun 30, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

Palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) not only play the drums, they craft the sticks too, according to new research from scientists in Australia. Male...

This artist’s conception shows two supermassive black holes, similar to those observed by Bansal et al, orbiting one another more than 750 million light years from Earth. Image credit: Josh Valenzuela, University of New Mexico.

First Detection of Orbital Motion in Supermassive Black Hole Binary

Jun 29, 2017 by News Staff

For the first time ever, astronomers have been able to observe and measure the orbital motion between two supermassive black holes — a discovery...

Monumental round-oval buildings with their characteristic T-shaped monolithic pillars at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey. Image credit: Nico Becker, Göbekli Tepe Archive, German Archaeological Institute.

Modified Skulls from Gobekli Tepe Provide Evidence of Neolithic ‘Skull Cult’

Jun 29, 2017 by News Staff

Three carved skull fragments uncovered at Göbekli Tepe, a Neolithic site in southeast Turkey known for its impressive megalithic architecture with characteristic...

Male (right) and female paratypes of the blue-winged amazon (Amazona gomezgarzai). Image credit: T. Silva et al, doi: 10.7717/peerj.3475.

New Species of Amazon Parrot Discovered in Mexico

Jun 28, 2017 by Natali Anderson

A new species of parrot has been discovered in the tropical forests of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Male (right) and female paratypes of the blue-winged...

This image from ALMA shows the M2 spectral-type supergiant star Betelgeuse. Image credit: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / E. O’Gorman / P. Kervella.

ALMA Analyzes Atmosphere of Supergiant Star Betelgeuse

Jun 28, 2017 by Sergio Prostak

Astronomers have used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to observe the nearby supergiant star Betelgeuse. Beyond just delivering...

Georgia Tech researchers propose that a ‘switch-like’ magnetosphere exists at Uranus in both equinox and solstice seasons, where the planetary rotation drives the interchange between an open magnetosphere and a closed magnetosphere each Uranus day. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Uranus Has ‘Switch-Like’ Magnetosphere

Jun 27, 2017 by News Staff

A new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics suggests that the magnetosphere of the ice giant Uranus gets flipped on and...

Prof. Darnell examines the hieroglyphs from atop a tall scaffold. Image credit: Yale University.

Archaeologists Find Earliest Monumental Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Jun 26, 2017 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from Belgium, the United States and Egypt has uncovered some previously unknown rock inscriptions, which include 5,200-year-old...

A view of the limb of the Sun. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio.

Researchers Uncover Origins of Solar Spicules

Jun 26, 2017 by News Staff

A team of solar physicists from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, University of Oslo and Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory...

Extra-virgin olive oil, a major component of the Mediterranean diet, protects against cognitive decline. Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Study: Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Consumption Protects against Alzheimer’s Disease

Jun 23, 2017 by News Staff

In a study published this week in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, researchers from Temple University and the Sapienza University of...

A planetary mass object the size of Mars would be sufficient to produce the observed perturbations in the distant Kuiper Belt. Image credit: Heather Roper / Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona.

Mars-to-Earth-Mass Planet May Lurk in Outer Solar System: Planet 10

Jun 22, 2017 by News Staff

An unknown Mars-to-Earth-mass planet may lurk in the outer reaches of the Solar System, according to new research on the orbits of minor planets to be...

The study sheds new light on the multifaceted nature of the advanced paternal age (APA) effects and explores the intricate links between APA, autism and talent. Image credit: Mojca J.

Older Fathers Have ‘Geekier’ Sons, Research Suggests

Jun 22, 2017 by News Staff

New research published in the journal Translational Psychiatry suggests that sons of older dads are more intelligent, more focused on their interests and...

Nebamun hunting in the marshes with his wife and daughter, part of a wall painting from the tomb-chapel of Nebamun, Thebes, New Kingdom, 1350 BC. Image credit: Werner Forman Archive / Bridgeman Images.

Ancient and Modern DNA Reveal How Cats Conquered World

Jun 21, 2017 by News Staff

According to a new analysis of modern and ancient cat DNA, today’s domestic cat is a descendant of both the Near Eastern and Egyptian populations of...

The Rugege highlands forest chameleon (Kinyongia rugegensis). Image credit: Eli Greenbaum.

Three New Chameleon Species Discovered in Central Africa

Jun 20, 2017 by News Staff

A team of herpetologists, led by Dr. Eli Greenbaum, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, has discovered three...

This is an artist's impression of an exoplanet. Image credit: Ron Miller.

Kepler Team Releases New Catalog of Exoplanet Candidates

Jun 20, 2017 by News Staff

A team of astronomers from NASA’s exoplanet-hunting Kepler mission has released a new catalog of transiting planet candidates. This is an artist’s...

The ruins of a 12th-century mosque in Harlaa, eastern Ethiopia. Image credit: Timothy Insoll, University of Exeter.

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient, Forgotten City in Eastern Ethiopia

Jun 19, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers led by University of Exeter archaeologists has discovered the ruins of an ancient city — once thought to be...

Yin et al realized the satellite-based distribution of entangled photon pairs over 747 miles. Image credit: U.S. Army.

World’s First Quantum-Enabled Satellite Sets Distance Record for Quantum Entanglement

Jun 16, 2017 by News Staff

Chinese researchers have successfully demonstrated satellite-based distribution of entangled photon pairs to two locations separated by 747.5 miles (1,203...

Zhang et al used the leaves’, stems’, and roots’ extract of the willow-leaved justicia (Justicia gendarussa). Image credit: University of Illinois at Chicago.

Powerful Anti-HIV Compound Found in Asian Medicinal Plant: Patentiflorin A

Jun 16, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

The willow-leaved justicia (Justicia gendarussa), a medicinal plant found throughout Southeast Asia, contains a potent anti-HIV-1 compound more powerful...

Elon Musk’s Vision of Self-Sustaining Martian City, Manned Flights to Mars, Other Planets

Jun 15, 2017 by News Staff

An article entitled ‘Making Humans a Multi-Planetary Species’ presents the vision of Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, for future manned trips to Mars and...

A reconstruction of Progura gallinacea (right), alongside a kangaroo and modern bush turkey (Alectura lathami). Image credit: Elen Shute / Kim Benson / Tony Rodd / Aaron Camens.

Giant Flying Turkeys Lived in Australia 1-3 Million Years Ago

Jun 15, 2017 by News Staff

Progura gallinacea, a species of extinct giant brush turkey that lived in Australia during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene (1-3 million years ago),...