Other Sciences News

Dave et al. demonstrated that grape consumption does not perturb the eubiotic state of the microbiome with normal, healthy human subjects; grape consumption does change taxonomic composition of the microbiome, enzyme levels, KEGG pathways, and the metabolome. Image credit: NoName_13.

Grape Consumption Modulates Human Microbiome, Study Suggests

May 29, 2023 by Natali Anderson

In new research, scientists from Western New England University and elsewhere investigated the potential of grapes to modulate the human microbiome and...

The 153,000-year-old footprint, lightly ringed with chalk, in the Garden Route National Park, South Africa; it appears long and narrow because the trackmaker dragged their heel. Image credit: Charles Helm.

153,000-Year-Old Homo sapiens Footprint Discovered in South Africa

May 26, 2023 by Sergio Prostak

The 153,000-year-old footprint, which was found in the Garden Route National Park, a national park in the Garden Route region of the South African Western...

An artist’s impression of the Hadean Earth: huge, impact-generated lava lakes coexisted with surface liquid water, under a thick greenhouse atmosphere sustained by lava outgassing. Image credit: Simone Marchi & Dan Durda, Southwest Research Institute.

Iron-Rich Meteoritic and Volcanic Particles May Have Promoted Origin of Life Reactions on Early Earth

May 26, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Precursors of the molecules needed for the origin of life may have been generated by chemical reactions promoted by meteoritic and volcanic particles approximately...

Yeung et al. examined the effect of daily multivitamin/multimineral supplementation on memory in older adults. Image credit: Ri Butov.

Daily Multivitamin Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults, New Study Finds

May 25, 2023 by News Staff

Multivitamin supplementation holds promise as a safe and accessible approach to maintaining cognitive health in older age, according to new research led...

Ancient humans. Image credit: sjs.org / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ancient DNA Sheds New Light on Human Evolution during Out-of-Africa Migration

May 24, 2023 by News Staff

The dispersal of anatomically modern Homo sapiens out of Africa and across Eurasia provides a unique opportunity to examine the impacts of genetic selection...

With four wings made out of carbon fiber and mylar as well as four light-weight actuators to control each wing, the Bee++ prototype is the first to fly stably in all directions. Image credit: Bena et al., doi: 10.1109/TRO.2022.3218260.

Newly-Developed Insect-Scale Robot Can Fly Fully in All Directions

May 24, 2023 by News Staff

A team of U.S. scientists has synthesized and implemented high-performance six-degree-of-freedom flight controllers for the Bee ++ , an insect-scale flying...

An UAP from a declassified video captured by a U.S. Navy aircraft. Image credit: U.S. Navy.

Almost One-Fifth of Academic Survey Respondents Witnessed Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: Study

May 23, 2023 by News Staff

Recently, former and current government officials, legislators, and faculty in the United States have called for research on what their government terms...

An artist’s impression of how astronomical forces affect the Earth’s motion, climate, and ice sheets. Image credit: NAOJ.

Astronomical Forcings Shaped Timing of Glacial Cycles during Early Pleistocene, Study Says

May 15, 2023 by News Staff

Glacial cycles during the Early Pleistocene epoch are characterized by a dominant 41,000-year periodicity and amplitudes smaller than those of glacial...

Inexpensive and easy to build, data collecting balloons capture infrasound signals in the Earth’s stratosphere. Image credit: NASA.

Enigmatic Infrasound Signals Detected in Earth’s Stratosphere

May 12, 2023 by News Staff

Low frequency sounds can travel vast distances across our planet, carrying information about the events that generated them as well as the medium through...

An artist’s illustration of hominins arriving in a multi-biome mosaic landscape. Image credit: Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science.

Early Humans Preferred Mosaic Landscapes, New Study Reveals

May 11, 2023 by News Staff

Early humans and their hominin relatives had to adapt to new environments to spread out of Africa. In a new study, paleoanthropologists from the Institute...

Neanderthals are commonly thought to have relied on dangerous close range hunting techniques, using non-projectile weapons like the thrusting spears depicted here; this hunting approach is thought to have brought them into violent contact with large mammals, resulting in high levels of injury especially to the head and neck when compared to modern humans; Beier et al found similar head injury levels in both Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic humans, casting doubt on this hypothesis. Image credit: Gleiver Prieto.

Strontium Isotope Analysis Provides Insights into Hunting Habits and Diets of Neanderthals

May 10, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

In new research, scientists examined chemical properties locked inside tooth enamel of two Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals and a Magdalenian human from...

Espresso coffee is brewed by first grinding roasted coffee beans into grains. Hot water then forces its way through a bed of coffee grains at high pressure, and the soluble content of the coffee grains dissolves into the water (extraction) to produce espresso.

New Study Explains Why More Finely Ground Coffee Beans Brew Weaker Espresso

May 9, 2023 by Natali Anderson

A recent experiment showed that, contrary to theoretical predictions, beyond a cutoff point, grinding coffee more finely results in lower extraction. One...

Neanderthal. Image credit: Neanderthal Museum.

Modern Humans Inherited Nose Shape Gene from Neanderthals, Study Says

May 8, 2023 by News Staff

ATF3, a gene that leads to a taller nose (from top to bottom), may have been the product of natural selection as ancient humans adapted to colder climates...

Talking on a mobile for 30 minutes or more per week is linked with a 12% increased risk of high blood pressure compared with less than 30 minutes. Image credit: Pexels.

Regular Mobile Phone Use for Calls May Increase Risk of New-Onset Hypertension: Study

May 8, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a large study of 212,046 participants, mobile phone use for making or receiving calls was significantly associated with a higher risk of new-onset hypertension,...

Giraffes can calculate which option is more likely to produce their preferred food based on basic statistical calculations. Image credit: Howard Wilks.

Study: Giraffes Can Make Decisions Based on Statistical Information

May 5, 2023 by News Staff

The ability to make inferences based on statistical information has so far been tested only in animals having large brains in relation to their body size,...

Watermelons. Image credit: Jorge Furber.

Regular Watermelon Consumption Improves Heart Health and Diet Quality, Two Studies Suggest

May 5, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Two new studies in the journal Nutrients suggest that watermelon consumption can increase nutrient intake and overall diet quality in both children and...

Overview of the non-destructive DNA extraction method: (a) workflow of the gradual, non-destructive DNA extraction method using sodium phosphate buffer at elevated temperatures; (b) four 3D surface texture measurements indicated on the outline of a tooth used for testing before and after non-destructive DNA extraction showing no substantial surface alterations; (c) photographs of the Denisova Cave tooth pendant before and after cleaning and non-destructive DNA extraction. Image credit: Essel et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06035-2.

Scientists Extract Human and Deer DNA from Paleolithic Pendant Found in Denisova Cave

May 4, 2023 by News Staff

Application of a novel non-destructive DNA extraction method to a Paleolithic deer tooth pendant from Denisova Cave, Siberia, resulted in the recovery...

Cho et al. found a link between regular use of the Internet and a lower risk of dementia. Image credit: StockSnap.

Study: Regular Use of Internet Reduces Risk of Dementia

May 4, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Regular Internet usage was associated with approximately half the risk of dementia compared to non-regular usage in new research from New York University. Cho...

An artist’s impression of the early Earth. Image credit: NASA.

Energetic Particles from Young Sun May Have Kickstarted Life on Early Earth

May 2, 2023 by News Staff

Life most likely started during the Hadean Eon (4.5 to 4 billion years ago). However, the environmental conditions which contributed to the complexity...