Other Sciences News

Abnormal accumulations of a protein called tau can collect inside neurons, forming tangled threads and eventually harming the synaptic connection between neurons. Image credit: National Institute on Aging / National Institutes of Health.

Neuroscientists Find Alzheimer’s ‘Big Bang’

Jul 18, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the University of Delaware and Washington University in St. Louis has discovered...

Three scans (from the front, side and above) of two different brains (pictured on the left and on the right) belonging to twins; the furrows and ridges are different in each person. Image credit: Lutz Jäncke, University of Zurich.

Our Brains are as Unique as Our Fingerprints, Neuroscientists Say

Jul 13, 2018 by News Staff

Every individual has a unique brain anatomy, according to new research from the University of Zurich in Switzerland; and this uniqueness is the result...

Prehistoric Central European women’s manual labor was tougher than rowing in today’s boat crews.

Southeast Asians Derive Ancestry from Four Ancient Populations

Jul 13, 2018 by News Staff

Modern-day Southeast Asian populations are the result of mixing among four ancient populations, including multiple waves of genetic material from more...

The 2.12-million-year-old stone artifact at the Shangchen site, China. Image credit: Zhaoyu Zhu.

2.1-Million-Year-Old Stone Tools Unearthed in China

Jul 12, 2018 by News Staff

Archaeologists working in the southern Chinese Loess Plateau have unearthed stone tools crafted at least 2.1 million years ago by early humans. The discovery,...

The quality of diet and food intake has a vital role in AMD. Image credit: Rita E.

Healthy Diet May Lower Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Jul 6, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

Diet may affect individuals’ risks related to the development and progression of age-related macular degeneration, a progressive chronic disease of the...

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

Neanderthals Hunted Fallow Deer Using Close-Range Thrusting Spears: Study

Jul 6, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a study published June 25 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, an international team of researchers reports lesions observed on two fallow...

Female Australopithecus afarensis with a child. Image credit: Concavenator / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Juvenile Australopithecus Climbed Trees, 3.32-Million-Year-Old Foot Fossil Shows

Jul 5, 2018 by News Staff

A nearly complete foot of Australopithecus afarensis, a hominid species that lived between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago, from Ethiopia has several ape-like...

Gutiérrez-Ibáñez et al found that SpM is greatly enlarged in parrots. Image credit: Edmond Lafoto.

Researchers Identify Brain Circuit Responsible for Cognition in Parrots

Jul 5, 2018 by News Staff

A group of neuroscientists from the Universities of Lethbridge and Alberta, both in Canada, has identified a neural circuit that may underlay intelligence...

Scalise Sugiyama et al analyzed how competitive team sports shaped the physical and psychological skills of early humans. Image credit: Sasin Tipchai.

Competitive Team Sports May Have Very Ancient Roots: Study

Jul 2, 2018 by News Staff

According to new research published in the journal Human Nature, competitive team games are universal across the world and may have deep roots in humans’...

Forensic facial reconstruction of another Australopithecus species - A. afarensis. Image credit: Cicero Moraes / CC BY-SA 3.0.

4-Million-Year-Old Skull of Australopithecus Shows Similarities to That of Modern Humans

Jun 27, 2018 by News Staff

An Australopithecus partial cranium found in the Jacovec Cavern of the Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa, one of the richest early hominin fossil localities...

The East Antarctic Plateau is a windswept desolate expanse the size off Australia with few bases or instruments. Image credit: Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center / University of Colorado Boulder.

Coldest Place on Earth: Study Explains East Antarctica’s Ultra-Low Surface Temperatures

Jun 26, 2018 by News Staff

When Dr. Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, and co-authors first...

The new patch administers steroids directly to oral ulcers and forms a protective barrier. Image credit: Colley et al, doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.06.009.

Researchers Develop Muco-Adhesive Plaster that Sticks to Inside of Mouth

Jun 25, 2018 by News Staff

An international group of researchers has developed a biodegradable patch using special polymers which are able to stick to moist surfaces. The new patch,...

The 8-h time restricted feeding produces mild caloric restriction and weight loss, without calorie counting; it may also offer clinical benefits by reducing blood pressure. Image credit: Doris Jungo / Pexels / Sci-News.com.

‘16:8 Diet’ is Effective for Weight Loss, Finds New Study

Jun 21, 2018 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Nutrition and Healthy Aging is the first to examine the effect of the 16:8 diet — named for its 16 hours of...

Illustration of part of the periodic table of elements with four new elements in period 7, with oganesson specifically highlighted. Image credit: Erin O’Donnell, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory / Andy Sproles, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Researchers Explore Limits of the Periodic Table of Elements

Jun 20, 2018 by News Staff

At 150 years old, the periodic table of chemical elements is still growing. In 2016, four new elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118 were added...

Gelbard-Sagiv et al studied the activity of human single neurons in the medial temporal and frontal lobes while patients were engaged in binocular rivalry. Image credit: John Hain.

New Study Brings Neuroscientists One Step Closer to Understanding Consciousness

Jun 18, 2018 by News Staff

Consciousness is everything people experience, from the taste of chocolate to the pain of a migraine. But the origin and nature of consciousness have puzzled...

Consuming a moderate amount of caffeinated coffee prior to indulging in a group activity enhances an individual’s task-relevant participation in the group activity. Image credit: Raw Pixel.

Coffee Improves Teamwork, New Research Shows

Jun 15, 2018 by News Staff

A pair of studies conducted by scientists from the University of California at Davis and the Ohio State University found that people gave more positive...

A C(60) molecule is included in a disk-shaped anthracene macrocycle. The formation of a Saturn-type complex is facilitated by the shape-size fit and the multipoint CH***pi-contacts. Image credit: Yamamoto et al, doi: 10.1002/anie.201804430.

Chemists Synthesize Molecular ‘Nano-Saturn’

Jun 13, 2018 by News Staff

A team of chemists from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the Okayama University of Science, Japan, has synthesized a ‘nano-Saturn,’ a molecular...

Professors Meyers and Malinverno reconstructed the deep history of Earth’s relationship to the Moon. Image credit: Jonny Lindner.

Moon is Making Days on Earth Longer: Study

Jun 12, 2018 by News Staff

Around 1.4 billion years ago, a day on Earth lasted approximately 18.7 hours, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy...

A study of the inhabitants of Easter Island served in part as the basis for a mathematical model showing the ways a technologically advanced population and its planet might develop or collapse together. Image credit: Michael Osadciw / University of Rochester.

How Do Extraterrestrial Technological Civilizations Solve Climate Change?

Jun 7, 2018 by News Staff

As the population of a technologically advanced civilization grows, it uses more and more of its planet’s resources. By consuming the resources, the...