At least 237,000 people died in organized violence in 2022. A new report from Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) at Uppsala University shows that this is a 97% increase over the previous year, and the highest number since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. [...]
The first-ever national study to assess the impact of developing artificial snow shows the pressure the process is putting on the climate, with the equivalent of nearly 17,000 homes' worth of annual energy needed to produce snow for yearly ski operations in just Canada alone. [...]
Liking certain things or styles is an important aspect of peoples' identities and social lives. Tastes can influence the ways humans act and judge. How to best describe musical taste reliably is—due to the ever-changing diversification and transformation of music—difficult and open to debate. [...]
Masturbation is common across the animal kingdom but is especially prevalent among primates, including humans. Historically, this behavior was considered to be either pathological or a by-product of sexual arousal, and recorded observations were too fragmented to understand its distribution, evolutionary history, or adaptive significance. New research published in Proceedings of The Royal Society B finds that, perhaps surprisingly, this behavior seems to serve an evolutionary purpose. [...]
Young chimpanzees combine different gestures, vocalizations and facial expressions in a way which echoes the development of communication in human infants, according to new research. [...]
More than 7 million school-age children, or 16% of the student population, in the United States are missing at least 15 days of school during an academic year—an issue known as chronic absenteeism. [...]
The Arctic Ocean's ice cap will disappear in summer as soon as the 2030s and a decade earlier than thought, no matter how aggressively humanity draws down the carbon pollution that drives global warming, scientists said Tuesday. [...]
You're gonna need a bigger ... drone. [...]
New research by Monash University experts has tracked Japanese hanami (flower viewing) via social media images, producing an unprecedented map of cherry blossoms across Japan to document their annual bloom and calculate its peak in major cities. [...]
Using technology similar to that found in smartphone cameras, NASA scientists are developing upgraded sensors to reveal more details about black hole outbursts and exploding stars—all while being less power hungry and easier to mass produce than detectors used today. [...]
American kestrels are a beloved raptor species experiencing a troubling decline, and our use of rodenticides is not helping. According to a new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research, adult kestrels sampled in and around the Salt Lake City metropolitan area showed high rates of exposure to five types of anticoagulant rodenticides. [...]
As smart electronic devices become smaller and more powerful, they can generate a lot of heat, leading to slower processing times and sudden shutdowns. Now, as reported in ACS Applied Nano Materials, researchers have used an electrospinning approach to produce a new nanocomposite film. In tests, the film dissipated heat four times more efficiently than similar materials, showing that it could one day be used to keep electronics cool. [...]
More than 100,000 Master of Business Administration students graduate each year in the United States, and all of them take at least one strategy course. Even so, little is known about the effects of the degree's most popular course offering. [...]
A new study published in Geology evaluates the potential for cobalt extraction from the Idaho Cobalt Belt (ICB) of east-central Idaho, using a detailed study of the Iron Creek deposit. The ICB hosts the second-largest known domestic resource of the critical mineral cobalt, one of the key ingredients in many rechargeable batteries needed for the green energy transition. [...]
The American kestrel, a colorful and charismatic falcon, has kept researchers scratching their heads for years. Population declines are confirmed across North America, but who or what to blame has remained elusive. [...]
Flat-faced dogs such as French and English bulldogs are extremely popular despite suffering from severe innate diseases. Hungarian researchers have attempted to uncover the explanation for this paradox. In the end, they concluded that although enthusiasts of flat-faced dogs are aware of the health issues and strive to provide the best for their dogs, they are likely to normalize health problems. [...]
The mung bean, commonly known as green gram, has played a pivotal role as a cheap protein source in regions where access to meat is limited. Spanning over 4,500 years, the cultivation of this humble legume has sustained civilizations throughout its history. While its migration routes and cultivation expansion have been a mystery, a new study by researchers at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences that was published in eLife reveals insights into the circuitous odyssey of this resilient crop. [...]
Air conditioning, refrigeration, and other cooling technologies account for more than 20 percent of today's global energy consumption, while the refrigerants they use have a global warming potential thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. In a recent study in the journal Science, a team led by Maryland Engineering Professors Ichiro Takeuchi, Reinhard Radermacher, and Yunho Hwang introduced a high-performance elastocaloric cooling system that could represent the next generation of cooling devices. [...]
A George Washington University research team has created a novel formula that demonstrates how, why, and when hate speech spreads throughout social media. The researchers put forth a first-principles dynamical theory that explores a new realm of physics in order to represent the shockwave effect created by bigoted content across online communities. [...]
Researchers at the University at Albany's RNA Institute have demonstrated a new approach to DNA nanostructure assembly that does not require magnesium. The method improves the biostability of the structures, making them more useful and reliable in a range of applications. The work appears in the journal Small this month. [...]
Everyone knows that burning coal causes air pollution that is harmful to the climate and human health. But the ash left over can often be harmful as well. [...]
The 1,200-mile-long Denali Fault stretches in an upward arc from southwestern Alaska and the Bering Sea eastward to western Canada's Yukon Territory and British Columbia. The long-lived and active strike-slip fault system, which slices through Denali National Park and Preserve, is responsible for the formation of the Alaska Range. [...]
A successful long-term experiment with live hogs indicates Nebraska scientists may be another step closer to achieving a safe, long-lasting and potentially universal vaccine against swine flu. [...]
Climate scientists at Rice University have discovered an "internally generated periodicity"—a natural cycle that repeats every 150 days—in the north-south oscillation of atmospheric pressure patterns that drive the movement of the Southern Hemisphere's prevailing westerly winds and the Antarctic jet stream. [...]
Across the country, marshes, swamps and bogs quietly soak up flood water and filter pollutants. Ecologists agree they are one of the best natural defenses against climate change. [...]
While studying classical novae using the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a graduate researcher uncovered evidence showing that the objects may have been erroneously typecast as simple. The new observations, which detected non-thermal emission from a classical nova with a dwarf companion, were presented at a press conference during the 242nd proceedings of the American Astronomical Society in Albuquerque, New Mexico. [...]
A study of the relationship between the growth rate of tropical trees and the frequency of genetic mutations they accumulate suggests that older, long-lived trees play a greater role in generating and maintaining genetic diversity than short-lived trees. [...]
Nanophotonics and topology have generated significant interest due to the unique properties they offer. One area of focus is the investigation of topological edge states (TESs). These states have captured widespread attention because they are very resistant to errors and imperfections. [...]
A group of researchers led by Prof. Arun K. Shukla in the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) has unraveled a previously unknown mechanism that regulates an important class of drug targets known as G protein-coupled receptors. [...]
Driven by global warming, the emerging climate crisis has in recent years included a rise in the frequency and intensity of extreme rain events, leading to loss of life and of property. A new research study, led by Dr. Assaf Hochman and by doctoral student Tair Plotnik at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the Hebrew University, investigated the factors influencing our ability to forecast extreme rain events, towards developing tools that can improve the forecasting of such events in the very near future and help prevent disasters. [...]
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