A study of 1.4 million real workplace interactions with artificial intelligence reveals teachable differences between routine and sophisticated AI use that offer organizations a concrete road map for identifying and scaling high-impact AI capability. The joint study by KPMG LLP—the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm—and the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin identifies distinct, observable patterns in how high‑impact users frame problems, guide AI reasoning, and apply AI across complex tasks that KPMG is applying internally and in its work for clients. The study is published in Harvard Business Review. [...]
In a study published in Archaeological Research in Asia, Dr. Haichao Li and a team of researchers analyzed the earliest Bronze Age meteoritic iron artifact from southwestern China, the largest found to date in the country. Recovered from the famous Sanxingdui site, it provides crucial insights into the region's metallurgical practices and fills a critical gap in the area's metallurgical record. [...]
As human-caused climate change continues to raise temperatures across the globe, understanding how birds regulate their temperature is vital for their conservation. But how much heat birds emit—an invisible spectrum of radiation known as mid-infrared—has never been studied, until now. [...]
When you reach for a "palm-oil-free" label at the supermarket, you likely feel you're doing your part to save orangutans and protect biodiversity. However, the reality behind that label is more complex than it appears. [...]
Rising temperatures in a Southcentral Alaska river have led to a hungrier population of invasive northern pike, a trend that could imperil native salmon and other fish species. A University of Alaska Fairbanks-led research team analyzed the stomach contents of northern pike caught by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Deshka River during the summers of 2021 and 2022. The team compared the contents to samples from pike collected a decade earlier. [...]
Many current wireless communication, imaging and sensing technologies rely on components that convert oscillating electric and magnetic fields (i.e., electromagnetic waves) into electrical signals. Some of the most used components are so-called p-n diodes, semiconducting devices that combine two types of materials with distinct electrical properties. [...]
For over three decades, satellites orbiting Earth have measured the height of the ocean surface with remarkable precision. These measurements are crucial because changes in ocean height are one of the clearest indicators of how our planet is responding to climate change. Rising ocean surfaces signal warming temperatures, melting ice, and shifting ocean currents. [...]
Solutions for a sustainable future can sometimes be found in centuries-old traditions. Indonesia's Blue Economy Roadmap is about driving economic growth through the sustainable use of ocean resources, while protecting marine ecosystems for the future. One promising way to achieve this goal is to integrate regional fishing practices based on Indigenous knowledge. [...]
Rudeness, whether real or perceived, can deeply affect cooperation, trust, and workplace culture. But judgments of what we consider rude aren't confined to specific disrespectful words or phrases—they are shaped by the listener's emotional processing, attention to non-verbal cues, and underlying moral stance. [...]
Studying endangered animal species without disturbing them and disrupting their natural habitat could be highly advantageous, as it would contribute to their protection and prevent unnecessary stress. Conventional methods for studying endangered species and their DNA, however, entail capturing animals for short periods of time, examining them and collecting tissues or other biological samples. These approaches often require significant resources and can be very stressful for animals. In the case of elusive species—animals that conceal themselves well and are thus very difficult to find or observe—it is also impractical. [...]
An estimated 500 million to 1 billion people worldwide are affected by selenium deficiency, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), working with the University of Turin in Italy, have developed a metabolic map describing how plants take up and process selenium. This knowledge could help develop crops with higher selenium levels. [...]
Several insect species, including ants, honeybees and termites, live in highly organized societies, also known as social insect colonies. Insects living in these colonies can take on different roles, such as reproducing, maintaining the nest, gathering food or caring for other insects. [...]
Hawaii has a plastic problem. The island state faces economic and logistical challenges in recycling plastic waste, including marine debris that lingers in its ocean waters. Researchers in Hawaii are pioneering a method to recycle the islands' derelict fishing nets and residential plastic trash into asphalt roads. Early demonstrations show that these recycled materials may provide a viable end-of-life fate for the region's garbage. [...]
Many people have felt the subtle pressure to be "man enough" or "woman enough" in the eyes of others. And research has shown this pressure can have personal and social consequences. [...]
A laser-based system that can create mesh-like structures in a dish that resemble the cytoskeletons of cells has been developed by two RIKEN researchers. They demonstrated its usefulness for research by exploring how two proteins interacted with artificial cytoskeletons. The results are published in Nature Communications. [...]
A company's ability to be technologically unique is an asset, but it can also be a costly, isolating characteristic. A new study published in Strategic Management Journal provides empirical evidence of this paradox, offering documentation of technologically unique payoffs, as well as the double penalty of being a contrarian company. [...]
Social mobility opportunities for young people in coastal and rural areas are constrained by the lack of jobs available, a new study shows. Those who stay in the seaside towns where they grew up find their opportunities and choices limited and are more likely to work in routine and manual jobs. The occupations of young people growing up in rural areas inland are more varied. [...]
New research from the University of Lincoln, UK, is challenging a common assumption about the evolutionary origins of human violence, suggesting that everyday aggression does not inevitably lead to lethal conflict. The study, published in the journal Evolution Letters, finds that mild aggression and lethal violence appear to have evolved along different pathways, offering new insight into one of the most enduring debates about human nature. [...]
For centuries, unusual animal behavior before earthquakes has been reported worldwide. Livestock becoming restless, wildlife disappearing and snakes emerging from hibernation in the middle of winter. For a long time, scientists dismissed such observations as folklore. [...]
Sixty years after Neil Armstrong barely survived an emergency in orbit around Earth on Gemini 8, never-before-seen photos of his heroic return have been donated to the Ohio museum that bears his name. [...]
During Women's History Month, University of Delaware Associate Professor Lauren P. Bailes is taking a closer look at why males continue to outnumber females in school leadership roles, despite equivalent years of experience. "To our knowledge, this is the first study that examines assistant principals' applications when they are still part of the pool, before the hiring process has taken place," said Bailes, who studies educational leadership in UD's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). [...]
A research team from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made an advance in understanding the molecular machinery of RNA silencing. The team uncovered how the human enzyme DICER achieves highly precise processing of microRNAs (miRNAs), advancing gene regulation research and offering new insights into the mechanisms underlying cancer, immune disorders, and genetic diseases. [...]
Is it any wonder ancient people thought lightning came from the gods? Even today, a close lightning strike feels like a terrifying brush with the supernatural. [...]
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has observed a nearby spiral galaxy known as NGC 628. Results of the observational campaign, published March 10 on the arXiv pre-print server, shed more light on the population of emerging young star clusters in this galaxy. [...]
A new study has suggested that the transformation of Twitter into X under Elon Musk marks the rise of a new, illiberal regime of governing social media platforms, which can be controlled by one person and used to push their own political agenda. Alongside researchers from the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and the Weizenbaum Institute, Dr. João C. Magalhães of The University of Manchester studied more than 1,500 events to track how the platform has changed since Musk acquired it. [...]
The increasingly urban lifestyles of seagulls in the UK and around Europe has made them experts at grabbing food from unsuspecting outdoor diners. Herring gulls in particular are gaining a reputation for food theft in seaside towns like Falmouth in Cornwall, where I live. [...]
Kitchen sponges are considered a potential, yet largely understudied, source of microplastics in households. A study in Environmental Advances investigated how many microplastic particles are released from kitchen sponges during use and what environmental impacts result. The paper is titled "From sink to sea: Microplastic release from kitchen sponges and potential environmental effects." [...]
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have invented a reusable adhesive from waste polymers that is tougher than commercial glues, works underwater as well as in dry environments, and bonds a variety of materials, including wood, glass, metal, paper and polymers. [...]
Opioid-class drugs are commonly prescribed as powerful pain medications in both humans and animals, though they can also be accessed or used illicitly. These substances carry a significant risk of overdose in people and in pets because they slow the central nervous system. At high doses, this effect can slow the respiratory system to the point of stopping breathing. [...]
In 2021, a man named Peter Heads made a fascinating discovery while using his metal detector in Melsonby, North Yorkshire in the UK. The find prompted him to contact Tom Moore at the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, who later determined that the hoards of metallic items were from the Late Iron Age. This is not too surprising, as the hoards were discovered near the Stanwick "royal site," a major Iron Age power center. However, upon further study of the site, the team found some unexpected artifacts, including many vehicle parts, that have now altered the way Iron Age British technology and society is viewed. [...]