News

Health & Medicine

Simulated brain mimics human quirks

Model representing 2.5 million neurons performs calculations, issues instructions for a behavior, and then expands its decision into action.

Earth

Grand Canyon could be much older than thought

Disputed dating of rock erosion pegs the ancient chasm as 70 million years old.

Earth

Shrinking polar ice caused one-fifth of sea level rise

Comprehensive analysis quantifies ice sheet loss in Greenland and Antarctica.

Humans

Genetic diversity exploded in recent millennia

Among hundreds of thousands of DNA variants identified in a study, a large majority arose in the past 5,000 years.

Life

Blue whales’ diet and exercise rolled into one

Marine predator performs underwater acrobatics for best chance at catching a meal.

Health & Medicine

Auditory test predicts coma awakening

While all patients in a new study could discriminate between sounds early on, those whose ability improved during the first 48 hours wound up recovering.

Life

Trees worldwide a sip away from dehydration

Plumbing systems operate on a razor’s edge, making even moist forests highly vulnerable to drought.

Space

Glimpse at early universe finds expansion slowdown

BOSS project looks at acceleration rate before dark energy hit the gas.

Life

Chromosome ends hold clues to a bird’s longevity

Short telomeres are tied to higher mortality in Indian Ocean warblers.

Earth

Mexican silver made it into English coins

Chemical tests of currency help reveal where New World riches flowed.

Psychology

Word-detecting baboons are a tough read

New models offer contrasting views of monkeys’ ability to identify frequently seen letter pairs.

Tech

Printed robot moves with a beat

Tiny device created with a 3-D printer employs heart cells to make it move.