News
- Anthropology
Two groups spread early agriculture
The Fertile Crescent was a diverse place. Multiple cultures were involved in the dawn of farming.
- Health & Medicine
Zika epidemic peaking in Latin America
Zika virus is burning through the population of Latin America; the epidemic will probably be over within two years, and won’t strike again for at least 10 years or more, a new analysis suggests.
- Paleontology
Why the turtle got its shell
Fossil evidence suggests that turtles’ ancestors started to form precursors to today’s shells to help them dig, not to protect themselves.
- Neuroscience
Post-stroke shifts in gut bacteria could cause additional brain injury
The gut’s microbial population influences how mice fare after a stroke, suggesting that poop pills might one day prove therapeutic following brain injury.
- Anthropology
Earliest evidence of monkeys’ use of stone tools found
600- to 700-year-old nut-cracking stones from Brazil are earliest evidence that monkeys used tools.
- Life
When mouth microbes pal up, infection ensues
A common and usually harmless species of mouth bacteria can help harmful bacteria become more powerful by providing oxygen.
- Climate
Phytoplankton’s response to climate change has its ups and downs
In a four-year experiment, the shell-building activities of a phytoplankton species underwent surprising ups and downs.
- Life
Mini ‘wind farm’ could capture energy from microbes in motion
Bacteria could spontaneously organize and rotate turbines, computer simulations show.
- Life
Hightailing it out of the water, mudskipper style
A robot and a land-walking fish show how a tail might have made a huge difference for early vertebrates conquering the slippery slopes of terrestrial life.
- Tech
Light-activated heart cells help guide robotic stingray
Layers of silicone, gold and genetically engineered rat heart cells make up the body of a new stingray robot that can swim in response to light.
- Life
Donor mitochondria could influence metabolism, aging
Mitochondrial DNA donation could have unexpected long-term health consequences for “three-parent babies.”
- Anthropology
New dating suggests younger age for Homo naledi
South African fossil species lived more recently than first thought, study suggests.
