How Stopping Alaskan Wildfires Can Slow Climate Change
In the carbon-rich boreal forests that extend across the globe just below the Arctic Circle, a vicious climate-wildfire cycle is playing out, one that poses both an accelerating climate threat…
AI can tell which buildings are energy efficient from the outside
AI can use images from Google Street View and satellites to estimate building energy efficiency across entire cities. That could guide investments in reducing energy waste and fighting climate change…
Experiments hint at how molecules essential to all life first arose
A series of chemistry experiments suggest that a molecule that provides energy for all living cells, called ATP, could have been forged in geothermal vents in the ocean or created…
Why itching can be contagious: Reflex pathway is identified in mice
Contagious itching may have evolved as a survival mechanism, such as by alerting other animals in the group that a parasite could be circulating Life 4 October 2022 By Miriam…
Eating in a 10-hour window may reduce the health harms of shift work
Firefighters working 24-hour shifts who only ate between 9am and 7pm saw improvements in heart health, blood sugar and blood pressure Health 4 October 2022 By Grace Wade Firefighters and…
Nobel prize awarded for study of human evolution using ancient DNA
Geneticist Svante Pääbo has been awarded a Nobel prize for his work on evolutionary genetics Health 3 October 2022 By Carissa Wong Geneticist Svante Pääbo has been awarded a Nobel…
Insomnia success suggests we need more nuanced mental health support
The standard “one-size-fits-all” approach to diagnosing and treating mental health problems is failing. Personalised treatments could make a big difference Humans | Leader 28 September 2022 By New Scientist Natalia…
Learning to play an instrument could boost your short-term memory
Playing a rhythm-based game helped people remember faces and boosted activity in the brain’s right superior parietal lobe, which hints at how learning music can help short-term memory Mind 3…
Our ancestors’ prenatal growth sped up after we split from chimps
Early humans evolved a faster fetal growth rate than other apes about a million years ago, suggesting it could have played a role in the evolution of our species Humans…
Why ancient Nubia is finally emerging from Egypt’s long shadow
Archaeologists once viewed ancient Nubia as separate from and inferior to Egypt. But research is now showing the Nubians had their own rich culture that powerfully influenced the land of…