Scientists have created a step-by-step aging guide for octopus to ensure fisheries remain sustainable, protecting the longevity of this ancient animal while guaranteeing the world doesn't go hungry.
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Pacific cities much older than previously thought
New evidence of one of the first cities in the Pacific shows they were established much earlier than previously thought, according to new research. The study used aerial laser scanning to map archaeological sites on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga, showing Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around...
The hidden role of the Milky Way in ancient Egyptian mythology
Astrophysicists shed light on the relationship between the Milky Way and the Egyptian sky-goddess Nut. The paper draws on ancient Egyptian texts and simulations to argue that the Milky Way might have shone a spotlight, as it were, on Nut's role as the sky. It proposes that in winter, the...
Where the Wild Bees are—and Aren’t — Impacts Food Supply
Honey bees—plump, fuzzy and famed for their honey-making—capture the popular imagination.
Clearing the Air: How We can Fix the CO2 Problem and Make our Lives Better
Carbon is a planetary paradox.
Study Shedding New Light on Earth’s Global Carbon Cycle Could Help Assess Liveability of Other Planets
Research has uncovered important new insights into the evolution of oxygen, carbon, and other vital elements over the entire history of Earth – and it could help assess which other planets can develop life, ranging from plants to animals and humans.
Researchers discover how we perceive bitter taste
A new study reveals the detailed protein structure of the TAS2R14, a bitter taste receptor that allows us to perceive bitter taste. In addition to solving the structure of this taste receptor, the researchers were also able to determine where bitter-tasting substances bind to TAS2R14 and how they activate them....
Deforestation harms biodiversity of the Amazon’s perfume-loving orchid bees
A survey of orchid bees in the Brazilian Amazon state of Rond nia, carried out in the 1990s, is shedding new light the impact of deforestation on the scent-collecting pollinators, which some view as bellwethers of biodiversity in the neotropics.
The evolving attitudes of Gen X toward evolution
As the centennial of the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 approaches, a new study illustrates that the attitudes of Americans in Generation X toward evolution shifted as they aged.
A microbial plastic factory for high-quality green plastic
Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water. The development provides a platform for the industrial-scale, tunable production of a material that holds great potential for turning the plastic industry green.