Other Sciences News

The occasional use of stone tools as ‘strike-a-lights’ was a technocultural feature shared among Neanderthals in France.

Study: Women with Neanderthal Progesterone Gene Have Higher Fertility

May 29, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A hormone called progesterone is important for preparing the uterine lining for egg implantation and in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy. Almost...

Devonian-period seafloor. Image credit: University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.

End-Devonian Mass Extinction Caused by Erosion of Ozone Layer, New Study Finds

May 28, 2020 by News Staff

High levels of damaging ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation collapsed forest ecosystems and killed off many species of fish and tetrapods at the end of the...

The Chicxulub asteroid hit Earth at an angle of about 60 degrees, which is among the worst-case scenarios for the lethality of the impact by the production of climate-changing gases. Image credit: Chase Stone.

Dinosaur-Killing Chicxulub Asteroid Hit Earth at Angle of 60 Degrees

May 27, 2020 by News Staff

A 10-km asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the small town of Chicxulub in Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years...

Posterior view of the 3D reconstructed male rat heart: (A) whole-heart view showing the context, extent, and distribution of the intrinsic cardiac neurons (ICN), located on superior and posterior surfaces of the atria; (B-F) a higher-resolution view of the atria and blood vessels that are shown in (B), with various contoured features of heart anatomy that are selectively removed to appreciate the anatomical relationship of the ICN to (C) the pulmonary artery and superior vena cava (SVC), (D) the interatrial septum, (E) the left atrium and pulmonary veins, (F) the right atrium, where clusters #1 and #2 appear to be on the surface of both atria, whereas cluster #3, which is located around the border of the superior vena cava, left atrium, and right atrium, appears on the right atrium. Scale bars - 1,000 μm (A), 500 μm (B-F). Image credit: Achanta et al, doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101140.

Scientists Create 3D Map of Rat Heart’s Neurons

May 27, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has created a comprehensive anatomical 3D map and molecular profile of the rat intracardiac nervous system (ICN). Posterior...

Facial reconstruction of Australopithecus sediba. Image credit: Cicero Moraes et al.

Australopithecus sediba Used Their Hands for Both Climbing and Human-Like Manipulation

May 21, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of paleoanthropologists has found that the hand of Australopithecus sediba, a small hominin that lived about 2 million years ago...

Positive effects of aerobic exercise in Alzheimer’s disease may be mediated by redistribution of blood flow and neural activity in Alzheimer’s disease-sensitive regions of brain. Image credit: Mabel Amber.

Aerobic Exercise Improves Memory in Older Adults, New Study Finds

May 21, 2020 by News Staff

Aerobic exercise boosts blood flow into two key regions of brain associated with memory: the anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampus, according to...

Heller et al reveal a previously unknown connection between our daily physical environments and sense of well-being. Image credit: Frank MoreLight.

Study Reveals Link between Diversity in Daily Experiences and Sense of Well-Being

May 20, 2020 by News Staff

New and diverse daily experiences are linked to enhanced happiness, according to a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Heller et al reveal...

Hawaiian Volcano Puhahonu is Earth’s Biggest and Hottest Shield Volcano

May 15, 2020 by News Staff

Pūhāhonu (‘turtle rising for breath’ in Hawaiian), a 13-million-year-old volcano in the northwest Hawaiian Ridge, is twice the size of Mauna Loa...

$Yang & Song found that refracted waves (blue), rather than reflected waves (purple) change over time, providing the best evidence yet that Earth’s inner core is rotating. Image credit: Michael Vincent.$

Earth’s Inner Core is Rotating, Study Says

May 13, 2020 by News Staff

The inner core of the Earth is rotating at about 0.05-0.1 degrees per year, according to an analysis of seismic data from repeating earthquakes published...

Stone artifacts from the Initial Upper Paleolithic at Bacho Kiro Cave: (1-3, 5-7) pointed blades and fragments from Layer I; (4) sandstone bead with morphology similar to bone beads; (8) the longest complete blade. Image credit: Tsenka Tsanova / CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Humans Created Earliest Modern Artifacts in Europe, Research Shows

May 12, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has discovered and dated the remains of Homo sapiens and associated artifacts — including pendants manufactured...

Higher long-term dietary intakes of flavonoids are associated with lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in U.S. adults. Image credit: HeVoLi.

Flavonoid-Rich Foods Reduce Risks of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

May 12, 2020 by News Staff

Higher long-term dietary intakes of flavonoid-rich foods, such as berries, apples and tea, are associated with lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease and...

The Gateway of the Sun, Tiwanaku, Bolivia. Image credit: Mhwater.

Ancient DNA Study Sheds Light on Deep Population History of Andes

May 11, 2020 by News Staff

A large international team of researchers has conducted the first in-depth, wide-scale study of the genomic history of pre-Columbian Andean civilizations...

Neanderthals consumed plants, too. Image credit: University of Utah via kued.org.

Neanderthals Made Leather-Working Tools from Bison and Aurochs Ribs

May 11, 2020 by News Staff

Neanderthals selected rib bones from specific animals to make the lissoirs (French for ‘smoothers’), which are bone tools that have been intentionally...

Lin et al suggest that the use of green tea can be combined with a balanced and healthy diet and regular physical exercise in the management of obese patients. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Green Tea May Help Fight Obesity, Says New Study

May 8, 2020 by Sergio Prostak

Green tea supplementation is associated with a decrease in body weight and body mass index in obese patients, according to a new systematic review and...

Wang et al built a detailed map of the mouse brain from tiny virtual 3D blocks, or voxels. Image credit: Benedicte Rossi.

Neuroscientists Create High-Resolution 3D Atlas of Mouse Brain

May 7, 2020 by News Staff

Neuroscientists at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have released the third version of their Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework (CCFv3). Wang...

Zhang et al show an association between the reported cure rates for COVID-19 and selenium status. Image credit: Gerd Altmann.

New Study Identifies Link between Dietary Selenium and COVID-19 Cure Rate

Apr 30, 2020 by News Staff

In a new study, a team of researchers from the UK, the United States and China investigated possible links between selenium levels in the body and cure...

Metasurface laser produces super-chiral light with orbital angular momentum up to 100. Image credit: University of the Witwatersrand.

Newly-Developed Metasurface-Enhanced Laser Emits Super-Chiral Light

Apr 28, 2020 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the University of the Witwatersrand, Harvard University and the National University of Singapore has come up with a new metasurface-enhanced...

Huang et al reveal region-specific transcriptional dependencies for astrocytes and identify astrocytic NFIA as a key transcriptional regulator of hippocampal circuits. Image credit: Huang et al, doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.025.

Study Reveals New Role of Astrocytes in Brain Function

Apr 27, 2020 by News Staff

Astrocytes play a direct role in the regulation of neuronal circuits involved in learning and memory, according to new research from Baylor College of...

Lava streaming from an active vent during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano. Image credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

Extreme Rainfall Triggered 2018 Eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Researchers Say

Apr 23, 2020 by News Staff

The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii was likely initiated by prolonged, and at times extreme, rainfall in the months leading up to the event,...