Science
Scientific discoveries and research
NASA's Hubble unexpectedly catches comet breaking up
In a happy twist of fate, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope witnessed a comet in the act of breaking apart. The chance of that happening while Hubble watched is ext...
Most mass spectrometers can process just a few molecules at once: Reengineered prototype does a billion simultaneously
Mass spectrometry is already a powerful tool for determining what kind and how many molecules are present in a given sample. But most instruments still analyze...
Children shaped clay 15,000 years ago, long before pottery or farming, archaeologists find
Long before pottery, before agriculture, when the first villages took shape, people in the Levant were already molding clay with their hands, carefully, deliber...
3D model predicts mosquito flight paths from sight and CO₂ cues
A mosquito finds its target with the help of certain cues in its environment, such as a person's silhouette and the carbon dioxide they exhale. Now researchers...
Mental health policy is emerging as a key voting issue for Americans, study suggests
A new University of Missouri study suggests mental health policies can play a significant role in how Americans choose political candidates. Past scholarly rese...
New study shows democracy has deep global roots—not just Greece and Rome
A new study on ancient societies from around the world is rewriting what we thought we knew about democracy. A team of researchers analyzed archaeological and h...
Why heights and snakes still hit harder: Study tracks fear sweat in 119 people
Fear-eliciting images of modern and ancestral threats are equally likely to evoke physiological reactions, despite their distinct evolutionary origins, accordin...
Neanderthals may have used birch tar for its anti-bacterial properties, experiments suggest
Neanderthals probably used birch tar for multiple functions, including treating their wounds, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One...
California's lead-ammo bans are working, but expanding condor ranges undercut gains
Recent data showing an increase in lead exposure and deaths among critically endangered California condors seems to fly in the face of decades of conservation m...
Tracking male sea turtles just got easier
Monitoring the populations of one of nature's slower creatures could become faster, thanks to the University of Georgia. UGA researchers have developed an easie...
The way you walk can reveal your true feelings
Whether you're striding with purpose, swaggering with confidence, or trudging slowly along the street, the way you walk can reveal how you're feeling, according...
Beavers can turn streams into carbon stores. We measured how much
Across Europe, beaver numbers are increasing after a long period of decline. As these aquatic mammals recolonize rivers, they are gradually rebuilding wetlands...