Science & Technology
New insights on brain development sequence through adolescence
Brain development does not occur uniformly across the brain, but follows a newly identified developmental sequence, according to a new study. Brain regions that support cognitive, social, and emotional functions appear to remain malleable — or capable…
Early crop plants were more easily ‘tamed’
Borrowing a page from what we know about animal behavior, archaeologists say that we should reassess our understanding of the process of plant domestication.
Table tennis brain teaser: Playing against robots makes our brains work harder
Brain scans taken during table tennis reveal differences in how we respond to human versus machine opponents.
Novel immunotherapy agent safe, shows promise against high-risk prostate cancers
A new drug, a monoclonal antibody known as enoblituzumab, is safe in men with aggressive prostate cancer and may induce clinical activity against cancer throughout the body, according to a phase 2 study. If confirmed in additional studies, enoblituzuma…
Kids judge Alexa smarter than Roomba, but say both deserve kindness
Most kids know it’s wrong to yell or hit someone, but what if that someone is a robot named Alexa? A new study asked kids how smart and sensitive they thought the virtual assistant was compared to a robotic vacuum. Four- to eleven-year-olds rated Alexa…
Scientists advocate for integration of biogeography and behavioral ecology to rapidly respond to biodiversity loss
An interdisciplinary team of researchers is advocating for convergent research that integrates the fields of biogeography and behavioral ecology to more rapidly respond to challenges associated with climate change and biodiversity loss.
Scientists map gusty winds in a far-off neutron star system
Astronomers have mapped the ‘disk winds’ associated with the accretion disk around Hercules X-1, a system in which a neutron star is drawing material away from a sun-like star. The findings may offer clues to how supermassive black holes shape entire g…
Shutting down nuclear power could increase air pollution
A new study shows that if U.S. nuclear power plants are retired, the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas to fill the energy gap could cause more than 5,000 premature deaths.
This elephant’s self-taught banana peeling offers glimpse of elephants’ broader abilities
Elephants like to eat bananas, but they don’t usually peel them first in the way humans do. A new report however, shows that one very special Asian elephant named Pang Pha picked up banana peeling all on her own while living at the Berlin Zoo. She rese…
Navigating the cosmos with CHARA Array
New instruments and plans for a seventh telescope at Georgia State’s CHARA Array will allow scientists to see the stars in greater detail than ever before. The update comes after a group of international scientists gathered in Atlanta to take part in t…
Could a vitamin deficiency cause ‘double-jointedness’ and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?
New research identifies genetic cause for hypermobility and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a novel discovery that may also, for the first time, allow medical professionals to diagnose and treat the connective tissue disorders.
Non-biological factors and social determinants of health important in women’s CVD risk assessment
A new scientific statement reviews research about racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors among women in the U.S. In addition to traditional risk factors, women of underrepresented races or ethnicities experience challenges in the …
Study finds record-breaking rates of sea-level rise along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts
New study shows sea levels along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts have been rapidly accelerating, reaching record-breaking rates over the past 12 years. In the study, researchers detected rates of sea-level rise of about a half an inch per year since…
Rooting out how plants control nitrogen use
Nitrogen is such a crucial nutrient for plants that vast quantities of nitrogen-containing fertilizers are spread on farmlands worldwide. However, excess nitrogen in the soil and in drainage run-off into lakes and rivers causes serious ecological imbal…
Bariatric surgery may reverse diabetes complications for people with obesity
For more than 100 million Americans who are obese, bariatric surgery may reverse complications related to diabetes, including regenerating damaged nerves, a new study shows. Researchers say the findings suggest that bariatric surgery likely enables the…
What is it good for? Absolutely one thing: Luna moths use their tails solely for bat evasion
Scientists recently discovered that Luna moths use their long tails as decoys to throw bats off their trail. But their tails also make Luna moths might also make them stand out to potential mates and make them more conspicuous to lurking predators. A p…