Scientists have uncovered the world s earliest fossil showing both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens features: a five-year-old child from Israel s Skhul Cave dating back 140,000 years. This discovery pushes back the timeline of human interbreeding, proving that Neanderthals and modern humans were already mixing long before Europe s later...
Ancient fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins
In the deserts of Ethiopia, scientists uncovered fossils showing that early members of our genus Homo lived side by side with a newly identified species of Australopithecus nearly three million years ago. These finds challenge the old idea of a straight evolutionary ladder, revealing instead a tangled web of ancient...
The 8,000-Year History of Great Salt Lake and Its Watershed Is Recorded in Sediments
Over the past 8,000 years, Utah’s Great Salt Lake has been sensitive to changes in climate and water inflow.
Wildfire Smoke Exacerbates Ozone Pollution
Wildfires release vast amounts of visible pollutants into the atmosphere that darken skies and push people indoors to avoid unhealthy air.
New Drug Shows Promise in Treating a Common Cause of Hypertension
A novel drug may significantly improve outcomes for a subset of patients with high blood pressure, according to findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Scientists finally crack the secret to perfect chocolate flavor
Scientists have decoded the microbial and environmental factors behind cacao fermentation, the critical process that defines chocolate’s taste. By recreating the fermentation with controlled microbial communities, they’ve paved the way for more consistent, high-quality chocolate.
This is where tree planting has the biggest climate impact
Planting more trees can help cool the planet and reduce fire risk—but where they are planted matters. According to UC Riverside researchers, tropical regions provide the most powerful climate benefits because trees there grow year-round, absorb more carbon dioxide, and cool the air through processes like evapotranspiration, or “tree sweating.”
The surprising reason timber plantations explode into megafires
Industrial forests, packed with evenly spaced trees, face nearly 50% higher odds of megafires than public lands. A lidar-powered study of California’s Sierra Nevada reveals how dense plantations feed fire severity, but also shows that proactive thinning could prevent forests from collapsing into shrubland ecosystems.
Study Finds Montreal Cycling Infrastructure Doesn’t Match Demand
Bike lanes, BIXI stations and other micromobility infrastructure make up just two per cent of Montreal’s street space – even in neighbourhoods where cycling demand would justify more – according to a new study by McGill University researchers.
Ash Dieback is Triple Whammy for Net Zero Plans
Ash dieback and other tree diseases are resulting in significantly more greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought because a large amount of carbon is escaping from woodland soils, a study has found.