Other Sciences News

Climate Extremes Likely to Drive Mass Extinction of Land Mammals in 250 Million Years

Pangea Ultima temperature and habitability: (a) mammalian species diversity without the influence of humans; (b) habitable regions (green area) in the Pre-industrial simulation; (c-h) cold month mean temperature (CMMT; degrees Celsius); (c,f) warm month mean temperature (WMMT; degrees Celsius); (d,g) and habitable regions (green area); (e,h) under two end members of our sensitivity analysis: low-pCO2 conditions (280 ppm) Pangea Ultima planetary configuration (in 250 million years); (c-e) and high-pCO2 conditions (1,120 ppm) Pangea Ultima configuration (in 250 million years); (f-h) with global land surface temperature (GLST) (grid-weighted) indicated. Image credit: Farnsworth et al., doi: 10.1038/s41561-023-01259-3.
Sep 26, 2023 by News Staff

In about 250 million years, all continents will converge to form Earth’s next supercontinent, Pangea Ultima. A natural consequence of the creation and decay of this supercontinent will be extremes in carbon dioxide levels due to changes in volcanic rifting and outgassing. New research shows that increased carbon dioxide, solar energy and continentality lead to increasing warming hostile to mammalian life. Pangea Ultima temperature and habitability:...

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Schematic diagram representing the mechanism of action of trigonelline. Image credit: Aktar et al., doi: 10.1007/s11357-023-00919-x.

Plant Alkaloid Trigonelline Improves Cognitive Functions, Study Suggests

Sep 26, 2023 by News Staff

In recent years, exploring natural compounds with functional properties to ameliorate aging-associated cognitive decline has become a research priority...

Upper Paleolithic drawing of the partial outline of a horse that uses the natural edge of the wall of La Pasiega Cave to represent the back and head of the horse. Image credit: Izzy Wisher / Gobierno de Cantabria.

Pareidolia May Have Stimulated Paleolithic Humans to Make Cave Art

Sep 25, 2023 by News Staff

Durham University archaeologist Izzy Wisher and colleagues investigated whether pareidolia — a psychological phenomenon where people see meaningful...

The 476,000-year-old structural unit formed by two overlapping logs. Image credit: Barham et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06557-9.

476,000-Year-Old Wooden Structure Unearthed in Zambia

Sep 20, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Archaeologists have found an ancient wooden structure at the archaeological site of Kalambo Falls in Zambia. This structure — dated to about 476,000...

The painted bunting (Passerina ciris) in Freeport, Texas, the United States. Image credit: Dan Pancamo / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Study: Resident Songbird Eye Size Varies with Urban Light Pollution Levels

Sep 20, 2023 by News Staff

Urbanization now exposes large portions of the Earth to sources of anthropogenic disturbance, driving rapid environmental change and producing novel environments....

Stone Age depictions of human footprints and animal tracks in Doro! nawas mountains, Namibia. Image credit: Andreas Pastoors.

Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers Carved Detailed Human Footprints and Animal Tracks in Namibia

Sep 20, 2023 by News Staff

Namibia is rich in hunter-gatherer rock art from the Later Stone Age. This is a tradition of which well-executed engravings of animal tracks in large numbers...

Plate tectonic reconstructions showing the position of Argyle within the McArthur-Yanliao Gulf. Image credit: Olierook et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40904-8.

Australian Pink Diamonds Were Formed when Supercontinent Nuna Was Breaking Up into Fragments

Sep 20, 2023 by News Staff

While it is known that for diamonds to form there needs to be carbon deep in the Earth, and for these diamonds to turn pink they must be subjected to forces...

A shod-hominin track in the Garden Route National Park, South Africa. Image credit: Charles Helm.

Middle Paleolithic Tracks Offer Oldest Evidence Yet of Human Footwear

Sep 15, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

New evidence from three tracksites on South Africa’s Cape coast suggests that early humans may have worn footwear while traversing dune surfaces during...

Harrison et al. investigated whether the human visual system represents environmental attributes that are critical for optimal inference. Image credit: Gerd Altmann.

Human Brain is Naturally Wired to Perform Advanced Calculations, New Study Confirms

Sep 15, 2023 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has developed a specific mathematical model that closely matches how a human brain works when it comes to reading vision....

Patients with functional dyspepsia treated with curcumin, curcumin plus omeprazole and omeprazole had similar significant symptomatic improvement. Image credit: Andrea Ajale.

Study: Curcumin May Be as Effective as Omeprazole for Treating Functional Dyspepsia

Sep 13, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Curcumin is an active ingredient in the culinary spice turmeric (Curcuma longa). This compound exhibits a broad range of biological properties, such as...

Schematic diagram of the mechanism of action of irisin. Image credit: Kim et al., doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.012.

Irisin-Based Therapies May Help Combat Alzheimer’s Disease

Sep 11, 2023 by News Staff

Irisin is a hormone released mainly from muscles after exercise which increases adipose tissue energy expenditure. Schematic diagram of the mechanism of...

Sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys). Image credit: Luke Fannin, Dartmouth College.

‘Downclimbing’ from Trees Played Role in Early-Human Evolution

Sep 7, 2023 by News Staff

Early humans and apes likely evolved free-moving shoulders and flexible elbows to slow their descent from trees as gravity pulled on their heavier bodies,...

Kahleova et al. found that a low-fat vegan diet was associated with an approximately 16% decrease in total food costs. Image credit: Silvia.

Study: In Addition to Health Benefits, Vegan Diet Has Economic Advantages

Sep 6, 2023 by News Staff

Eating a vegan diet could reduce grocery bill 16%, a savings of more than $500 a year, according to new research. Kahleova et al. found that a low-fat...

White matter degenerating microglia are a novel therapeutic target to potentially reduce the impact of white matter injury and myelin loss on the progression of cognitive impairment. Image credit: Miroslaw Miras.

New Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia Discovered

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

Ferroptosis, which is caused by a buildup of iron in cells, appears to be a major mechanism of white matter injury in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular...

Detection of brain spirals based on moment-by-moment fMRI signals. Image credit: Xu et al., doi: 10.1038/s41562-023-01626-5.

Neuroscientists Detect Spiral-Shaped Signals that Organize Brain Activity

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

New research led by University of Sydney and Fudan University neuroscientists shows that spiral-like, rotational wave patterns (brain spirals) are widespread...

Datta et al. developed a ‘living material’ that could offer a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to clean pollutants from water. Image credit: David Baillot / UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

‘Engineered Living Material’ Offers New Way to Clean Contaminated Water

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

The novel photosynthetic biocomposite material is a 3D-printed structure made of a seaweed-based polymer combined with genetically engineered cyanobacteria...

Orexigenic appetitive processing relies on the integration of sensory, interoceptive and hormonal signals to govern consummatory behaviors. Dysregulation of this process leads to maladaptive eating behavior such as binge eating and is associated with obesity. This circuit, however, was elusive in humans --- until now. Image credit: Barbosa et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06459-w.

Neuroscientists Find Link between Appetite and Memory in Human Brain

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

Obese individuals possess impaired connections between the dorsolateral hippocampus and the lateral hypothalamus, which may impact their ability to control...

Educational attainment is protective and moderates the effect of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on cognition. Image credit: WOKANDAPIX.

Higher Educational Attainment May Have Protective Effect Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Sep 4, 2023 by News Staff

New research illustrates that when it comes to risk of Alzheimer’s disease, even genetically determined forms of this disease, genetics is only one piece...

Hu et al. detected a reduction in the population size of our ancestors from about 100,000 to about 1,000 individuals, which persisted for about 100,000 years. Image credit: Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Early Human Ancestors Went Through Severe Population Bottleneck 850,000 Years Ago: Study

Sep 1, 2023 by News Staff

Today, there are more than 8 billion human beings on the planet. Our species dominate Earth’s landscapes, and our activities are driving large numbers...

University of Bath Ph.D. student Alexz Farrall with a PAWS ‘breathing’ ball. Image credit: University of Bath.

Shape-Changing Biofeedback-Based Ball May Help Improve Mental Health

Aug 31, 2023 by News Staff

University of Bath Ph.D. student Alexz Farrall has invented a soft ball that ‘personifies’ breath, expanding and contracting as a person breathes in...

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