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Analysis amends human-Neanderthal genetic exchange Human genes may have been replacing Neanderthal genes as long ago as 250,000 years, accounting for the disappearance of the Neanderthal Y chromosome, according to a paper in Science that closely analyzes the gene flow from humans to Neanderthals instead of the reverse, as past research has done. The study […]

The evolution of the cosmic star formation rate density paints a dynamic picture of galaxy evolution, with rapid stellar build-up at redshifts above 2, followed by a stark drop in SFRs of galaxies towards the present day. The origins of this down-turn are likely due to a mixture of feedback processes, broadly categorized as caused […]

Memory is so much more than a storage unit in our minds. The people involved in memories influence what we recall, and, as our study shows, the connections we make between memories. Our memory helps us learn from experiences and develop new knowledge by integrating and updating information. This process goes beyond recalling individual events […]

As the world’s largest unfrozen freshwater resource, groundwater is crucial for life on Earth. Now, a team of researchers has investigated how global warming is affecting groundwater temperatures and what that means for humanity and the environment . The study indicates that by 2100, more than 75 million people are likely to be living in […]

Our DNA is a puzzle resulting from millions of years of evolution. An ancient part of it is composed of the genetic material of viruses that integrated in our genome and became part of “us.” Though it may seem strange, about 7% of our genomes are comprised by these old viral sequences. What’s more, recent […]

Denisovans, humans may have shared Tibetan Plateau A 40,000-year-old rib bone from a cave on the Tibetan Plateau adds to limited fossil evidence of Denisovans and suggests modern humans coexisted with these close cousins in the region at the time. The fossil is the youngest Denisovan bone found to date, and researchers say modern Tibetans […]

The bottom-up design of hierarchically organized nanostructures is a powerful strategy to achieve new materials with innovative functionalities. To a large extent, this approach takes inspiration from the ability of living organisms to engineer hybrid nanocomposites both for structural and functional purposes. Intense research has been dedicated to synthesizing biologically inspired textures and shapes mimicking […]

Electroencephalography, or EEG, was invented 100 years ago. In the years since the invention of this device to monitor brain electricity, it has had an incredible impact on how scientists study the human brain. Since its first use, the EEG has shaped researchers’ understanding of cognition, from perception to memory. It has also been important […]

Made famous in 1995 by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the Pillars of Creation in the heart of the Eagle Nebula have captured imaginations worldwide with their arresting, ethereal beauty. Now, NASA has released a new 3D visualization of these towering celestial structures using data from NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. This is the […]