Agent Orange, an herbicide used during the Vietnam War, is a known toxin with wide-ranging health effects. Even though Agent Orange has not been used for decades, there is increasing interest in its effects on the brain health of aging veterans. A new study reveals the mechanisms by which Agent...
A lighthouse in the Gobi desert
A new study explores the weight great fossil sites have on our understanding of evolutionary relationships between fossil groups and quantified the power these sites have on our understanding of evolutionary history. Surprisingly, the authors discovered that the wind-swept sand deposits of the Late Cretaceous Gobi Desert's extraordinarily diverse and...
The Nation Just Saw Its 10th-Wettest January on Record
The new year started off unusually wet across the U.S., with extreme rainfall and flooding impacting parts of the southern Plains.
Amazon Rainforest at the Threshold: Loss of Forest Worsens Climate Change
The Amazon rainforest could approach a tipping point, which could lead to a large-scale collapse with serious implications for the global climate system.
DNA Reveals Unique Microorganisms Evolved at Poles
Communities of microorganisms at the bottom of polar lakes evolved independently from other regions, influenced by the particular geological, biological and climate history of their regions.
Cleaned surfaces may be germ-free, but they’re not bare
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, surfaces in public spaces are cleaned more often. While disinfectant solutions eliminate germs, they don't leave behind a truly bare surface. They deposit a thin film that doesn't get wiped up, even after giving the surface a good polish. In a new study, researchers show...
Some Pre-Roman humans were buried with dogs, horses and other animals
Some people from an ancient community in what is now northern Italy were interred with animals and animal parts from species such as dogs, horses and pigs. The reasons remain mysterious, but might indicate an enduring companion relationship between these humans and animals, or religious sacrificial practices, according to a...
Vittrup Man crossed over from forager to farmer before being sacrificed in Denmark
Vittrup Man was born along the Scandinavian coast before moving to Denmark, where he was later sacrificed, according to a new study.
Great apes playfully tease each other
Babies playfully tease others as young as eight months of age. Since language is not required for this behavior, similar kinds of playful teasing might be present in non-human animals. Now cognitive biologists and primatologists have documented playful teasing in four species of great apes. Like joking behavior in humans,...
A century of reforestation helped keep the eastern US cool
Widespread 20th-century reforestation in the eastern United States helped counter rising temperatures due to climate change, according to new research. The authors highlight the potential of forests as regional climate adaptation tools, which are needed along with a decrease in carbon emissions.