Other Sciences News

Zwebner et al. investigated the possibility of a self-fulfilling prophecy effect wherein individuals’ facial appearance develops over time to resemble the social stereotypes associated with given names. Image credit: Zwebner et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2405334121.

Can Given Names Shape Individuals’ Facial Appearance?

Jul 30, 2024 by News Staff

Our given name is a social tag associated with us early in life. Prior research has shown that individuals’ facial appearance can be indicative of their...

Ice nucleation in a water nanodroplet at 180 K (minus 93.15 degrees Celsius, or minus 135.76 degrees Fahrenheit). Image credit: G. Sun & H. Tanaka, doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50188-1.

Ice 0: New Research Sheds More Light on Unusual Form of Ice

Jul 29, 2024 by News Staff

Ice 0 is a form of ice that can seed the formation of ice crystals in supercooled water, according to a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo. Ice...

Zhu et al. uncovered a nonlinear and boomerang-shape relationship between Saharan dust and tropical cyclone rainfall. Image credit: Enrique.

Study Shows Previously Unknown Link between Saharan Dust Plumes and Tropical Cyclone Rainfall

Jul 25, 2024 by News Staff

According to new research, giant plumes of Saharan dust, transported across the Atlantic Ocean by trade winds, can suppress hurricane formation over the...

An artist’s rendition of an early human habitat in Tanzania 1.8 million years ago. Image credit: M. Lopez-Herrera / Enrique Baquedano / Olduvai Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Project.

New Research Sheds Light on Processes that Shaped Hominin Evolution in Eastern Africa

Jul 23, 2024 by News Staff

Eastern Africa preserves the most complete record of human evolution anywhere in the world but scientists have little knowledge of how long-term biogeographic...

People who drink cranberry juice are 54% less likely to develop urinary tract infections. Image credit: The Loves of Eirlys.

Drinking Cranberry Juice Reduces Risk of Urinary Tract Infections, New Study Suggests

Jul 23, 2024 by News Staff

While increased liquids reduce the rate of urinary tract infections (UTIs) compared with no treatment, cranberry in liquid form provides even better clinical...

A polymetallic nodule, collected from the ocean floor, in a lab at Northwestern University. Image credit: Camille Bridgewater / Northwestern University.

Rare-Earth Metal-Bearing Minerals on Ocean Floor Produce Oxygen, Scientists Say

Jul 22, 2024 by News Staff

Researchers from the Scottish Association for Marine Science and colleagues have discovered that the polymetallic nodule-covered abyssal seafloor in the...

In this image, the person on the left (Scarlett Johansson) is real, while the person on the right is AI-generated. Their eyeballs are depicted underneath their faces. The reflections in the eyeballs are consistent for the real person, but incorrect (from a physics point of view) for the fake person. Image credit: Adejumoke Owolabi / CC BY 4.0.

Scientists Use Astronomy Techniques to Detect Deepfakes

Jul 22, 2024 by News Staff

Want to spot a deepfake? Look for the stars in their eyes, says a team of astronomers at the University of Hull. They suggest that AI-generated fakes can...

Archaic hominins. Image credit: Ninara / CC BY 2.0.

Early Hominins First Arrived in Southern Europe around 1.3 Million Years Ago

Jul 15, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new study, published in the journal Earth-Science Reviews, helps resolve one of the longest controversies in paleoanthropology: when did early hominins...

A model of a Neanderthal man in modern clothing. Image credit: H. Neumann / Neanderthal Museum.

Homo sapiens and Neanderthals Interacted Over 200,000-Year Period, Study Reveals

Jul 11, 2024 by News Staff

New research shows that recurrent episodes of gene flow, beginning 250,000 to 200,000 years ago, affected the genomes and biology of both modern humans...

An artist’s impression of fast phosphorescence: the blue light rays come into the molecule to generate bold yellow pillars, representing the acceleration of phosphorescence through the mixing of singlet states. Image credit: YAP Co Ltd.

Metal-Free Organic Molecules Show Highly Efficient Room-Temperature Phosphorescence

Jul 4, 2024 by News Staff

Metal-free organic 3-bromo-2-thienyl diketones exhibit fast and highly efficient room-temperature phosphorescence with high color purity under various...

Denisovans Survived on Tibetan Plateau until 48,000-32,000 Years Ago

Jul 4, 2024 by News Staff

Archaeologists have found a new hominin rib specimen in Baishiya Karst Cave, one of the only two places where Denisovans are known to have lived. Dated...

Eyed needles are among the most iconic of Paleolithic artifacts, traditionally seen as rare indicators of prehistoric clothing, particularly tailoring. Image credit: Mariana Ariza.

Eyed Needles Were Invented around 40,000 Years Ago in Eastern Eurasia, Archaeologists Say

Jun 28, 2024 by News Staff

Eyed needles were a new technological innovation used to adorn clothing for social and cultural purposes, marking the major shift from clothes as protection...

Coffee drinking is a heritable habit, and one that carries a certain amount of genetic baggage. Image credit: Sci.News.

New Study Sheds More Light on Genetics of Coffee Consumption

Jun 19, 2024 by News Staff

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages. In new research, scientists from the University of California, San Diego and elsewhere performed a...

Shroff et al. revealed excellent antiviral activity manifesting already within 10 to 15 min in Scots pine and Norway spruce, particularly against enveloped viruses; in contrast, other hardwoods displayed varied efficacy, with oak showing effectiveness against the enterovirus. Image credit: Shroff et al., doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c02156.

Solid Wood Surfaces Have Natural Antiviral Properties, Study Shows

Jun 19, 2024 by News Staff

In a new study, scientists from the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Eastern Finland evaluated the antiviral efficacy of various wood types,...

Wang et al. demonstrate that the inner core of Earth gradually super-rotated from 2003 to 2008, and then from 2008 to 2023 sub-rotated two to three times more slowly back through the same path. Image credit: USC Graphic / Edward Sotelo.

Inner Core of Earth Began to Decrease Its Speed around 2010, Study Suggests

Jun 14, 2024 by News Staff

Movement of the inner core of our planet has been debated by the scientific community for two decades, with some research indicating that the inner core...

To track the spatial tuning of neurons dynamically during offline states, Maboudi et al. used a new Bayesian learning approach based on the spike-triggered average decoded position in ensemble recordings from freely moving rats.

Some Dreams May, in Fact, Predict Future, Neuroscientists Say

Jun 12, 2024 by News Staff

University of Michigan anesthesiologist Kamran Diba and colleagues have found that during sleep, some neurons not only replay the recent past but also...

Life may have begun shortly after Earth formed 4.54 billion years ago. Image credit: Hadeano.

Great Oxidation Event Lasted At Least 200 Million Years, New Study Reveals

Jun 12, 2024 by News Staff

About 2.5 billion years ago, free oxygen first started to accumulate to meaningful levels in Earth’s atmosphere, setting the stage for the rise of complex...

Higher intakes of fruit are associated with a reduced risk of incident depression.

Higher Fruit Consumption Reduces Risk of Depression, Study Suggests

Jun 5, 2024 by News Staff

New research led by University of New South Wales scientists supports a role for fruit — but not vegetable — intake in protecting against depression. Higher...

An artistic conception of the early Earth. Image credit: Simone Marchi / NASA.

Freshwater Appeared on Earth About 4 Billion Years Ago, Study Suggests

Jun 4, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Analyzing 4-billion-year-old zircon crystals from the Jack Hills in Western Australia’s Mid West region, geoscientists have pushed back the timeline...