Other Sciences News

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...

Giesche et al. aimed to reconstruct indications of both the winter and summer rainy seasons from their multi-proxy time series and evaluate the impact these changes may have had on the Indus Civilization. Image credit: Giesche et al., doi: 10.1038/s43247-023-00763-z.

Recurring Summer and Winter Droughts Led to Demise of Bronze Age Indus Civilization

Apr 27, 2023 by News Staff

In new research, scientists from the University of Cambridge and elsewhere reconstructed changes in summer and winter rainfall from trace elements and...

The new smart material is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli. Image credit: Xu et al., doi: 10.1002/smll.202207900.

Scientists Develop Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Smart Fabric

Apr 25, 2023 by News Staff

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new smart material with a dual-response feature, that is, shape-memory and color-changing. The...

Overview of nanowire network device and setup for supervised learning, physical reinforcement learning, and the N-Back task protocol. Image credit: Loeffler et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adg3289.

Nanowire Networks Can Exhibit Both Short- and Long-Term Memory Like Human Brain

Apr 24, 2023 by News Staff

The brain’s powerful information processing capacity can be largely attributed to neuronal microcircuits established by synaptic connectivity patterns....

GRX-810. Image credit: NASA / Jordan Salkin.

NASA Researchers Create 3D-Printable Superalloy for Extreme Environments: GRX-810

Apr 21, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Using a model-driven alloy design approach and laser-based additive manufacturing, materials scientists at NASA have developed a new oxide-dispersion-strengthened...

Visualization of the glazed wall made with translucent aerogel bricks. Image credit: Ganobjak et al., doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105600.

Materials Scientists Create Translucent Aerogel Bricks

Apr 20, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of materials scientists from Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratory for Science and Technology) and the Slovak University of Technology has developed a...

Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins, which inhibit the adherence of Escherichia coli to the urothelial cells lining the bladder. Image credit: David Mark.

Cranberry Product Consumption Reduces Risk of Symptomatic UTIs in Women

Apr 20, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Cranberries — as cranberry juice, tablets or capsules — have been used for many years to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). They contain...

Bagherian et al. compared classical computing techniques for compressing data with potential quantum compression techniques. Image credit: Garik Barseghyan.

Researchers Seek to Define Quantum Data Compression

Apr 19, 2023 by News Staff

In a new review paper, scientists from the Quantum Information Science Section at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Michigan presented...

Small-scale battery-like microbial fuel cells are a promising alternative power source for future low-power electronics. Controllable microbial electrocatalytic activity in a miniaturized microbial fuel cell with unlimited biodegradable energy resources would enable simple power generation in various environmental settings. However, the short shelf-life of living biocatalysts, few ways to activate the stored biocatalysts, and extremely low electrocatalytic capabilities render the miniature microbial fuel cells unsuitable for practical use. In new research, heat-activated Bacillus subtilis spores are revolutionarily used as a dormant biocatalyst that can survive storage and rapidly germinate when exposed to special nutrients that are preloaded in the device. Image credit: Maryam Rezaie & Seokheun Choi, doi: 10.1002/smll.202301135.

Bacteria-Powered Biobattery Has 100-Year Shelf Life, Scientists Say

Apr 19, 2023 by News Staff

Scientists at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have used a species of spore-forming bacterium called Bacillus subtilis to create a...

The carbon-negative, environmentally friendly concrete that is nearly as strong as regular concrete. Image credit: Washington State University.

Environmentally Friendly, Carbon-Negative Concrete Created

Apr 18, 2023 by News Staff

Researchers at Washington State University have demonstrated a new synergistic carbon-capture strategy, i.e., using concrete washout water and biochar...

Kuitems et al. provide evidence that the Norse were active on the North American continent in the year 1021 CE. Image credit: Oscar C.R.

Vikings Abandoned Southwest Greenland Due in Part to Sea-Level Rise, New Research Suggests

Apr 18, 2023 by News Staff

The first records of Greenland Vikings date to 985 CE. Archaeological evidence yields insight into how they lived, yet drivers of their disappearance in...