Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Exposure to burn injuries played key role in shaping human evolution, study suggests
Humans' exposure to high temperature burn injuries may have played an important role in our evolutionary development, shaping how our bodies heal, fight infecti...
Are returning Pumas putting Patagonian Penguins at risk? New study reveals the likelihood
Should we protect an emblematic species if it may come at the cost of another one—particularly in ecosystems that are still recovering from human impacts? This...
Red giant stars can't destroy all gas giants—some are hardy survivors
Aging stars can completely destroy their planets. When a star reaches the end of its life on the main sequence, it goes through dramatic changes. And those chan...
Mindful choice or locked in? Study probes feelings about written consent
People who sign consent forms feel more trapped—not more empowered—than those who give consent verbally, according to new research by Vanessa Bohns, the Braunst...
Electron-phonon 'surfing' could help stabilize quantum hardware, nanowire tests suggest
That low-frequency fuzz that can bedevil cellphone calls has to do with how electrons move through and interact in materials at the smallest scale. The electron...
Graphene sealing enables first atomic images of monolayer transition metal diiodides
Two-dimensional (2D) materials promise revolutionary advances in electronics and photonics, but many of the most interesting candidates degrade within seconds o...
When continents try, and fail, to break apart
Great things can come from failure when it comes to geology. The Midcontinent rift formed about 1.1 billion years ago and runs smack in the middle of the United...
Honest or deceptive? What a new signaling model means for animal displays and human claims
For decades, scientists have tried to answer a simple question: why be honest when deception is possible? Whether it is a peacock's tail, a stag's roar, or a hu...
Workplace gamification erodes employee moral agency, finds study
What is lost when a worker completes actions—such as helping a client or ensuring safety—in exchange for incentives like digital badges, placement on a leaderbo...
Acoustic study reveals deep-diving behavior of elusive beaked whales
Scientists have captured a rare view of one of the ocean's least understood whales—without ever seeing it. By listening to the sounds beaked whales naturally pr...
Beyond climate: Connection and mobility were key drivers in early human innovation, research suggests
A new study challenges the idea that climate change drove early human innovation. Instead, researchers find that cultural developments arose under different env...
Platinum nanostructure sensor can differentiate mirror-image volatile scent compounds
Terpenes are volatile organic compounds that are responsible for, among other things, the typical scents of plants, resins or citrus fruits. These compounds occ...