A team of international researchers reported last year that they had uncovered the largest and oldest Maya monument -- Aguada Fénix. That same team has now uncovered nearly 500 smaller ceremonial complexes that are similar in shape and features to Aguada Fénix. The find transforms previous understanding of Mesoamerican civilization...
That primate’s got rhythm!
What are the origins of musical rhythm? Are humans the only mammals that have rhythm? Researchers have studied indris, the 'singing primates' from Madagascar to learn more. Indri songs recorded in the wild have rhythmic categories similar to those found in human music. Finding common musical traits across species may...
Stronger than spider silk: Bagworm silk enables strong conducting fibers
Researchers have harnessed the strength of bagworm silk to produce a strong conductive fiber. To obtain this novel fiber, the research team combined bagworm silk with polyaniline as a conducting polymer. The composite fibers act as an optical waveguide and are suitable for use in textile transistors. This production of...
Vitamin D deficiency for the first time visible after cremation
The cremation process destroys a lot of information that can usually be obtained from the human skeleton. Especially diseases are difficult to observe. Researchers have now found a way to reveal some of the information. For the first time, they have succeeded in detecting vitamin D deficiency in cremated human...
Traces of an ancient road in a lake
Eight hundred years of settlement history with land reforms, epidemics and repeated wars are preserved in the sediments of Lake Czechowskie in Poland. The key role was played by the so-called Margrave's Road, the 'Via Marchionis', between the Prussian heartland and the Teutonic Order's castle Marienburg (today Malbork in Poland)....
VR experiment with rats offers new insights about how neurons enable learning
A new study provides deep insights into how the brain's hippocampus works, involving networks of millions of neurons. That knowledge could be an important step toward the development of treatments for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and epilepsy, all of which are related to dysfunction in the hippocampus.
Historical analysis finds no precedent for the rate of coal and gas power decline needed to limit climate change to 1.5°C
Limiting climate change to the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Climate Agreement will likely require coal and gas power use to decline at rates that are unprecedented for any large country, finds an analysis of decadal episodes of fossil fuel decline in 105 countries between 1960 and 2018. Furthermore,...
Bat study reveals secrets of the social brain
Neuroscientists used wireless devices to record the neural activity of freely interacting Egyptian fruit bats, providing researchers with the first glimpse into how the brains of social mammals process complex group interactions.
Researchers map neurons in the brain involved with social interactions with others in groups
In social experiments, three monkeys sat around a rotary table and took turns offering food to one of the other two monkeys. Certain neurons in the brain responded to the actions of other monkeys in the group and influenced an animal's upcoming decisions to reciprocate or retaliate.
Tap water produces a protective shield against microplastics
Tap water produces a natural protective shield against harmful microplastics, which can help prevent household products such as plastic kettles from releasing them.