Army ants use collective decision-making when hunting Ants use relatively sophisticated problem-solving abilities to collectively overcome obstacles when hunting for food. The insects often build a bridge by linking their bodies when they face an obstacle, such as a gap between leaves, suggesting that the insects exercise collective decision-making and weigh the costs and benefits […]
Purple bronze Scientists have discovered a rare phenomenon that could hold the key to creating a ‘perfect switch’ in quantum devices which flips between being an insulator and superconductor. The research found these two opposing electronic states exist within lithium molybdenum purple bronze, a unique one-dimensional metal composed of individual conducting chains of atoms. Tiny […]
Bonobos show pro-social cooperation between groups Bonobos demonstrate cooperation between different social groups such as forming alliances and sharing food, according to a study of wild adult bonobos in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bonobos show that the ability to maintain peaceful between-group relationships while extending acts of pro-sociality and […]
In the largest survey of its kind ever conducted researchers from the University of Copenhagen firmly established a fivefold increase in the melting of Greenland ‘s glaciers over the last 20 years. Using both satellite imagery and old aerial photos from the Danish National Archives, researchers from the University of Copenhagen firmly establish that Greenland’s […]
A way to grow plants in lunar soil Scientists have discovered a way to turn the moon’s soil into fertile ground for growing plants. Researchers used volcanic material to create simulated lunar regolith and treated the soil with bacteria to increase phosphorus availability, which allowed benth, a relative of tobacco, to grow with healthier stems […]
Evaporation is happening all around us all the time, from the sweat cooling our bodies to the dew burning off in the morning sun. But science’s understanding of this ubiquitous process may have been missing a piece all this time. In recent years, some researchers have been puzzled upon finding that water in their experiments […]
Jupiter-like planets push Earth-sized planets aside Jupiter-sized gas giant planets can cause chaos in young planetary systems, moving smaller planets out of their orbit and impacting the habitability of those planets. While Jupiter’s gravitational field acts as a shield for Earth, it would harm Earth’s climate if it were located in the middle of our […]
Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of highly fluorinated substances, represent a danger for humans and the environment. Particularly problematic members of this family, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) appear to cause organ damage and cancer, as well as disrupting the endocrine system. Researchers have now introduced a new method for an […]
Female chimpanzees go through menopause Some female chimpanzees experience menopause similar to humans, according to a study of wild chimpanzees in Uganda’s Kibale National Park. Researchers analyzed urine samples from 66 female chimps and found that their hormone levels shifted around age 50 similarly to women in middle age and calculated that the female animals […]
In a paper published today in Science, an international team reports on their discovery of the most ancient and distant fast radio burst located to date, about eight billion years old. The discovery smashes the team’s previous record by 50 per cent. It confirms that fast radio bursts (FRBs) can be used to measure the […]