In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Dr. Edith Singini, a lecturer at Rhodes University, delves into her new paper ‘Savanna tree species show contrasting acclimation responses to elevated…
Category: Life
An effective safety net for vaccines and the people who need them—and why RFK Jr. is poised to cut it
For nearly four decades, Americans who believe they have been harmed by a vaccine have had access to a little-known legal process called the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) —…
Eyes Blink in Time With Music, Revealing Hidden Brain Rhythms
Summary: New research shows that spontaneous eye blinks naturally sync to the beat of music, revealing a hidden form of auditory-motor synchronization that occurs even without conscious movement. In more…
Quitting Impossible Goals May Actually Boost Wellbeing
Summary: A sweeping analysis of 235 studies shows that holding onto impossible goals harms mental and physical wellbeing, increasing stress and lowering life satisfaction. In contrast, releasing unachievable goals —…
A wolf raided a crab trap. Was it tool use or just canine cunning?
One damp spring evening last year, a wolf hauled a crab trap ashore off the central Pacific coast of British Columbia. The rangy animal made a delectable meal of the…
This parasitic ant tricks workers into committing matricide
Overtaking a throne sometimes takes a touch of matricide. Some newly mated ant queens sneak into other ant colonies and spray their queens with a liquid that sends workers into a…
Genetic Roots of Depression Reveal Strong Suicide Risk Signals
Summary: New research shows that depression beginning before age 25 has a much stronger hereditary component than depression that emerges later in life. By analyzing genetic data from over 150,000…
40,000-year-old woolly mammoth RNA offers a peek into its last moments
Ancient RNA from Yuka, a 40,000-year-old woolly mammoth preserved in permafrost, can offer new biological insights into the Ice Age animal’s life.
How science figured out how to contain peanut allergies
It turned out that the guidance parents and pediatricians … had been following, to avoid giving peanuts to babies and young children to try to prevent the development of dangerous…
