Sixty thousand years ago, humans in southern Africa were already mastering nature’s chemistry. Scientists have discovered chemical traces of poison from the deadly gifbol plant on ancient quartz arrowheads found in South Africa — the oldest direct evidence of arrow poison ever identified. The find reveals that these early hunters...
How can we Reverse Biodiversity Loss?
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, highlights the importance of climate policies in reversing biodiversity loss across the planet, and points to amphibians as the group of vertebrates particularly affected by the combined effects of multiple threats.
Sea Turtles are Nesting Earlier – but Producing Fewer Eggs, Less Often: New Research
A new 17-year study of loggerhead sea turtles nesting in Cabo Verde reveals exactly this tension.
Corals in Extreme Coastal Bays Show Greater Resilience to Climate Stress
Corals living in coastal bays with strongly fluctuating temperatures and environmental conditions are better able to withstand heat and other stressors than their counterparts on more stable reefs.
Your Daily Coffee Might Be Protecting Your Brain From Dementia, a New Study Suggests
Two to three caffeinated cups a day may help keep the cognitive condition away.
New Research Reveals How Warming Climate Is Changing “Troublesome” Glacier Behaviour
A global analysis of glacier surging, led by the University of Portsmouth, reveals the hazards they cause, and how climate change is making their behaviour increasingly difficult to predict.
Europe’s “untouched” wilderness was shaped by Neanderthals and hunter-gatherers
Long before agriculture, humans were transforming Europe’s wild landscapes. Advanced simulations show that hunting and fire use by Neanderthals and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers reshaped forests and grasslands in measurable ways. By reducing populations of giant herbivores, people indirectly altered how dense vegetation became. The findings challenge the idea that prehistoric Europe...
NASA scientists say meteorites can’t explain mysterious organic compounds on Mars
Scientists studying a rock sample collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover have uncovered something tantalizing: the largest organic molecules ever detected on Mars. The compounds — decane, undecane, and dodecane — may be fragments of fatty acids, which on Earth are most often linked to life. While non-living processes like meteorite...
Yellowstone wolves may not have transformed the national park after all
A new scientific review challenges the headline-grabbing claim that Yellowstone’s returning wolves triggered one of the strongest trophic cascades on Earth. Researchers found that the reported 1,500% surge in willow growth was based on circular calculations and questionable comparisons. After correcting for modeling and sampling flaws, the supposed ecosystem-wide boom...
Snowball Earth was not completely frozen, new study reveals
Even when Earth was locked in its most extreme deep freeze, the planet’s climate may not have been as silent and still as once believed. New research from ancient Scottish rocks reveals that during Snowball Earth — when ice sheets reached the tropics and the planet resembled a giant snowball...