Other Sciences News

Plaquette with hybrid creature (so-called ‘Adorant’), ivory, from the Swabian Aurignacian. Image credit: Christian Bentz & Ewa Dutkiewicz, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2520385123.

Early Humans May Have Invented System of Symbols Long Before Writing

Feb 25, 2026 by Sergio Prostak

Early humans living in Europe some 40,000 years ago developed a conventional system of geometric signs — deliberate, repeatable markings that went...

In adults with prediabetes, daily inclusion of avocado and mango increases fruit consumption, diversifies nutrient composition, and improves vascular function associated with cardiovascular health. Image credit: Tomek Walecki.

Avocado and Mango Daily Might Boost Vascular Health in Adults with Prediabetes

Feb 25, 2026 by Natali Anderson

Adding one avocado and a cup of mango each day improves vascular health indices and reduces key cardiometabolic risk factors in people with elevated blood...

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

Virgin Olive Oil Tied to Slower Cognitive Decline through Gut Microbiome Changes

Feb 24, 2026 by Natali Anderson

A large prospective cohort study finds that older adults who eat more virgin olive oil — a key component of the Mediterranean diet — have slower...

This is an artist's reconstruction of Homo erectus. Image credit: Yale University.

Early Homo Reached Jordan Valley by at Least 1.9 Million Years Ago

Feb 23, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

New research recalibrates the age of the Jordan Valley’s Ubeidiya Formation to nearly two million years, putting it on par with the famous site of Dmanisi...

Homo erectus Reached East Asia Far Earlier than Previously Thought

Feb 18, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

New dating of fossil skulls from the Early Pleistocene site of Yunxian in China suggests that early members of Homo erectus lived in eastern Asia nearly...

Schulz et al. examined the whiskers that cover Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) trunks and found that they are geometrically and mechanically tailored to facilitate tactile perception by encoding contact location in the amplitude and frequency of the vibrotactile signal felt at the whisker base. Image credit: Schulz et al., doi: 10.1126/science.adx8981.

Remarkable Sense of Touch in Elephant’s Trunk Isn’t Just about Muscles or Nerves: Study

Feb 17, 2026 by News Staff

Keratin composites enable animals to hike with hooves, fly with feathers, and sense with skin. Mammalian whiskers are elongated keratin rods attached to...

Location of large plume-like structures (triangles) hidden deep within the Greenland Ice Sheet. Image credit: Leysinger Vieli et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-07083-3 / Law et al., doi: 10.5194/tc-20-1071-2026.

Researchers Solve Mystery of Swirling, Plume-Like Structures Deep Inside Greenland’s Ice Sheet

Feb 16, 2026 by News Staff

For years glaciologists puzzled over strange plume-like structures hidden deep within the Greenland Ice Sheet. Now a new study by scientists from the University...

Evolution of the Antarctic Geoid Low. Image credit: P. Glišović & A.M. Forte, doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-28606-1.

Geoscientists Pinpoint Ancient Forces behind Antarctica’s Gravity Hole

Feb 16, 2026 by News Staff

New research by geoscientists from the University of Florida and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris traces the origins of the Antarctic gravity...

An artist’s impression of Earth around 700 million years ago during the Sturtian glaciation. Image credit: Pablo Carlos Budassi.

Seasonal and Multi-Decadal Climate Cycles Persisted during Snowball Earth, Scientists Say

Feb 11, 2026 by News Staff

A new analysis of exquisitely preserved laminated rocks (varves) from the Port Askaig Formation on the Garvellach Islands, Scotland, shows that climate...

Pecans are a tree nut native to America with a rich content of unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, fiber, and a diverse array of bioactive components, including polyphenols, tocopherols, and phytosterols.

Pecan Consumption Improves Cardiovascular Health and Diet Quality, New Review Shows

Feb 11, 2026 by Natali Anderson

New research reviewing decades of nutritional studies suggests that pecans — rich in polyphenols, healthy fats, and fiber — may improve diet...

Zhang et al. determined that moderate caffeinated coffee and tea intake can lower dementia risk. Image credit: Sci.News.

Moderate Caffeinated Coffee and Tea Consumption Can Lower Dementia Risk

Feb 11, 2026 by News Staff

In one of the largest prospective cohort studies to date, moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee (2-3 cups a day) or tea (1-2 cups a day) correlated...

Kanzi the bonobo. Image credit: Ape Initiative.

Bonobos Demonstrate Imaginative Ability in New Experiments

Feb 5, 2026 by News Staff

The consistent performance of Kanzi the bonobo in pretend play experiments suggests that the mental capacity to imagine nonexistent objects may trace back...

Weekend recovery sleep doesn’t prevent weight gain or reduce insulin sensitivity. Image credit: Wok & Apix.

Night Owls and Early Birds Aren’t Enough: Scientists Identify Five Distinct Sleep-Wake Profiles

Feb 3, 2026 by News Staff

New research led by McGill University scientists suggests human sleep patterns (chronotypes) fall along a broader biological spectrum — with each...

Two enormous blobs of solid, superheated material located at the base of Earth’s mantle affect the underlying liquid outer core. Image credit: Biggin et al., doi: 10.1038/s41561-025-01910-1.

Two Enormous Blobs of Superheated Material Help Shape Earth’s Magnetic Field

Feb 3, 2026 by News Staff

Two immense, ultrahot rock structures located at the base of Earth’s mantle, around 2,900 km beneath Africa and the Pacific, have been shaping Earth’s...

Hun Rho et al. introduce plasmonic colloidal supraballs -- solution-processable assemblies of gold nanospheres -- as a robust and versatile platform for broadband solar energy harvesting. Image credit: Hun Rho et al., doi: 10.1021/acsami.5c23149.

New Nanomaterial Design Could Help Solar Tech Harness More Sunlight

Feb 2, 2026 by News Staff

By using gold nanospheres engineered to capture light across the solar spectrum, researchers at Korea University took a step toward lowering barriers to...

Early Earth. Image credit: Peter Sawyer / Smithsonian Institution.

Massive Undersea Volcanism May Explain Frequent Extinctions in Triassic Period

Jan 29, 2026 by News Staff

A team of geologists from China and Australia has found evidence that episodic eruptions from vast marine large igneous provinces (LIPs) drove repeated...

Artist’s reconstruction of Xigou tool-hafting. Image credit: Hulk Yuan, IVPP.

China’s Xigou Site Yields Evidence of Advanced Stone Tool Technology

Jan 27, 2026 by News Staff

Technological innovations in Africa and Western Europe in the later part of the Middle Pleistocene signal the behavioral complexity of hominin populations....

Vaccinium angustifolium. Image credit: Σ64 / CC BY 3.0.

Wild Blueberries Show Promise in Fight against Heart Disease and Diabetes

Jan 27, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

Wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) are North American perennial plants rich in polyphenols, including flavonoids, beneficial to human health. A...

Díaz-Muñoz et al. identified therapeutically tractable mechanisms involved in the control of gut motility, including a previously unrecognized role for vitamin B1. Image credit: Hillman et al., doi: 10.1264/jsme2.ME17017 / CC BY 4.0.

Genes Tie Gut Motility to Surprising Nutrient: Vitamin B1

Jan 26, 2026 by News Staff

Analyzing data from more than 268,000 people, researchers found that genes involved in thiamine (vitamin B1) metabolism play a key role in gut motility,...