Senior physics writer Emily Conover has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award and a…
Category: Life
Haldane Prize 2025 | Kentaro Takagi: Realized flower constancy in bumble bees: Optimal foraging strategy balancing cognitive and travel costs and its possible consequences for floral diversity – Functional Ecologists
2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Kentaro Takagi discusses the paper “Realized flower constancy in bumble bees: Optimal foraging strategy balancing cognitive and travel costs and its possible consequences for floral diversity“, which…
Paternal Depression Spikes One Year After Childbirth
Summary: A massive longitudinal study reveals a surprising trend in paternal mental health: while psychiatric diagnoses for fathers decrease during pregnancy and early infancy, they spike a year after birth…
Female giant rainforest mantises grow up to strike harder than males
If giant rainforest mantises went to kindergarten, little girl mantises wouldn’t look any bigger and stronger than the little boy mantises. Not until the end of mantis high school would…
Blood Test Predicts Long-Term Cognitive Function After Cardiac Arrest
Summary: A new study suggests that measuring neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels 48 hours after a cardiac arrest can accurately predict a survivor’s long-term cognitive health. Researchers compared NfL to…
Alignment is the Secret to Human-AI Teamwork
Summary: New research argues that the failure of AI in the workplace is rarely due to a lack of “intelligence,” but rather a lack of “cognitive alignment.” The study suggests…
Financial Decline Accelerates Brain Aging
Summary: A new study reveals a direct link between poor financial well-being and accelerated cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults. Researchers found that significant financial deterioration is associated with…
New Study Links Crossbreeding to Dog Anxiety
Summary: A large-scale survey of over 9,400 dogs reveals that popular “designer” crossbreeds—Cockapoos, Cavapoos, and Labradoodles—often exhibit more undesirable behaviors than their purebred progenitor breeds. The study utilized the Canine…
Haldane Prize 2025 | Marion Boisseaux: Shifting trait coordination along a soil-moisture-nutrient gradient in tropical forests – Functional Ecologists
2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Marion Boisseaux, discusses her paper ‘Shifting trait coordination along a soil-moisture-nutrient gradient in tropical forests’, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for…
Check out 6 ways orchids use tricks to reproduce
Orchids don’t always reward their pollinators — sometimes they mislead them. From flowers that mimic insect mates to blooms that smell like rotting fish, orchids have evolved remarkable strategies to…
