Earthquake faults located deep within the planet can reconnect after a seismic disturbance, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The study, published Nov. 19 in Science Advances and supported by National Science Foundation grants, introduces a new factor that could reshape how scientists interpret fault behavior linked to major earthquakes. “We…
Around 115 million years ago, the waters north of Australia supported a massive shark that can be viewed as an early relative of the creatures made famous by “Jaws.” Newly examined fossils show that modern sharks began developing extremely large body sizes far earlier in their evolutionary timeline than scientists once thought. These remains indicate…
Scientists have known for many years that hormones can shape how the brain works, affecting emotions, mental energy, and everyday choices. What remains unclear is exactly how these chemical signals bring about such changes. A recent investigation offers new insight by examining the role of estrogen, a hormone central to the female reproductive cycle. Through…
A new investigation led by the University of Oxford reports that kissing may have originated in the shared ancestor of humans and other large apes roughly 21 million years ago. The research, published on November 19 in Evolution and Human Behavior, also indicates that Neanderthals likely practiced kissing. Kissing is seen in many animal species,…
Chemotherapy appears to activate a stress-sensing system inside immune cells. According to new research from Weill Cornell Medicine and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, this reaction sets off inflammation and nerve injury, which may help explain why many people undergoing cancer treatment experience serious and often long-lasting pain. Up to half of all individuals…
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disorder that damages nerve cells in the brain and is one of the main causes of dementia around the world. Current treatments cannot cure the condition. Although antibody-based drugs targeting amyloid β (Aβ) have recently become available, their benefits remain modest. These therapies can also be expensive and may…
Artist’s impression of a field of Population III stars 100 million years after the big bang NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine/M. Zamani Distant galaxies may be full of truly enormous stars, which reach masses up to 10,000 times that of the sun. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is allowing astronomers to examine these galaxies in the…
Dean Patman’s found-object sculpture of a red underwing moth Dean Patman Penny SarchetManaging editor, London I’ve long wanted to attend the Society of Wildlife Artists’ annual Natural Eye exhibition, and a few weeks ago, I finally did. The art showcase ran at the Mall Galleries in London in October, and it is available to browse…
The possible turtle tracks at Monte Cònero, Italy Paolo Sandroni Strange impressions in a rock face in Italy may have been left by a stampede of sea turtles disturbed by an earthquake around 83 million years ago. Free climbers discovered the unusual features in an area that is off limits to the public on the…
A research team from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering and the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering has successfully identified and measured the fraction of an electron involved in catalytic manufacturing. Their findings, published in the open-access journal ACS Central Science, clarify why precious metals such as gold,…
