Biology
Fossils in the ‘Cradle of Humankind’ may be more than a million years older than previously thought
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The earth doesn’t give up its secrets easily – not even in the “Cradle of Humankind”...
Famous Sterkfontein Caves deposit 1 million years older than previously thought
Fossils found at the Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa reveal nearly four million years of hominin and environmental evolution. Since...
Oxytocin spreads cooperation in social networks
Administering oxytocin to the central members of a social network spreads cooperation via increased punishment of uncooperative behavior, according to...
Rensselaer researchers receive $3.5 million grant for development of COVID antiviral drug
TROY, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers Gaetano Montelione and Christopher Cioffi will use a five-year, $3.5 million grant from...
Virus discovery offers clues about origins of complex life
The first discovery of viruses infecting a group of microbes that may include the ancestors of all complex life has...
What sea cucumbers can teach us about self-defence
Genome mining techniques have helped to explain how sea cucumbers produce defensive chemicals that enable them to fend off foes...
Message received: Scientists identify the molecular mechanisms behind learning and memory, may open door to new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease
Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neuromodulator with a central role in aversive learning—rapid conditioning to unpleasant smell, taste, or touch. These...
Observing different mating tactics in the Japanese scorpionfly
Owing to the high competition and the prevalence of natural selection, many male insects must develop alternative tactics to mate...
Prostate cancer hijacks tumor cell biorhythm to evade hormone therapy
Hormone therapy is successful at keeping metastatic prostate cancer under control, but eventually the tumor cells become resistant to it....
USDA-ARS releases genome of the voracious desert locust
June 27, 2022--The first high-quality genome of the desert locust—those voracious feeders of plague and devastation infamy and the most...
Flawed AI makes robots racist, sexist
A robot operating with a popular internet-based artificial intelligence system consistently gravitates to men over women, white people over people...
Microscopy technique enables 3D super-resolution nanometre-scale imaging
Over the last two decades, microscopy has seen unprecedented advances in speed and resolution. However, cellular structures are essentially three-dimensional,...
Porous cells lead to poorer livers
Osaka, Japan – Need another reason to think twice before ordering that extra helping of fries? It could lead to...
Turtles and tortoises challenge evolutionary theories of aging
Even though humans live longer lives compared to their historical counterparts, we cannot escape the inevitability of aging and death....
Females itch less than males
Japan -- Among the many reasons men may have for envying women -- at least when it comes to bad...
Population bottlenecks that reduced genetic diversity were common throughout human history
Human populations have waxed and waned over the millennia, with some cultures exploding and migrating to new areas or new...
Many human genomes shaped by past events that caused sharp dips in the population
The genomes of many human populations show evidence of founder events, which occur when a small number of initial members...
Secrets of aging revealed in largest study on longevity, aging in reptiles and amphibians
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — At 190 years old, Jonathan the Seychelles giant tortoise recently made news for being the “oldest...
Humans can’t, but turtles can: Reduce weakening and deterioration with age
All living organisms age and die – there is no way of escaping death. But not all organisms follow the...
Silence for thought: Special interneuron networks in the human brain
The analysis of the human brain is a central goal of neuroscience. However, for methodological reasons, research has largely focused...
