Same colour variations show up in spiders on different Hawaiian islands Hawaiian stick spiders living on a number of different islands quickly evolved the same trio of colour variations several times as they moved into new habitats. “They arrive on an island, and boom, you get independent evolution to the same set of forms,” said […]
Huge family tree gives researchers clues about human movements, relationships An enormous family tree that involves 13 million individuals over the course of 11 generations has been constructed by researchers using public information from genealogy site Geni.com. Researchers are using information gleaned from the tree to learn more about how people moved throughout the world […]
Older fossils raise questions about how dinosaurs are defined New fossil finds are raising questions about long-held beliefs on what attributes constitute a dinosaur. As older remains are found, the number of features that determine whether a creature was a dinosaur has dropped, and only one remains: a hip-socket hole, according to a number of […]
2,000-year-old life-size carvings of camels found in Saudi Arabia Life-size stone carvings of camels dating back about 2,000 years have been found in Saudi Arabia. The 12 or so carvings are stylistically different from others found on the Arabian Peninsula and are offering researchers clues as to how rock art developed in the region. The […]
Some mental health conditions share genetic patterns A study of brain tissue from people with either schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, depression or alcoholism suggests there are some similar gene expression patterns among those conditions. New Scientist Musk’s Tesla Roadster plots new orbital course The new projected orbit of SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster, launched […]
Unusual behavior of Centaurus A dwarf galaxies raises dark matter questions Scientists were surprised to find 14 dwarf galaxies swarming around the galaxy Centaurus A that are aligned and share an orbital plane, instead of moving in random orbits like their counterparts. The finding challenges current thoughts on how dark matter affects dwarf galaxies’ behaviour […]
Distant dwarf planet Haumea boasts a super-fast spin A dwarf planet that exists far past Neptune spins extremely fast on its axis. Haumea’s fast spin, once every four hours, contributes to its elongated shape. Space.com Ancient jawbone suggests earlier exit from Africa for modern humans The oldest human fossil ever found outside of Africa has […]
Changing weather in Arctic may threaten musk oxen Musk oxen, used to living in the Arctic’s extreme cold, may not do well in the region’s changing climate. The warmer, rainy weather has limited their ability to find food, leading to a decline in health. The New York Times Hunter-gatherers can identify smells better People living […]
Space travel can hurt astronauts’ eye nerves Tissues that surround part of astronauts’ optic nerves become damaged due to long-term space travel. The study looked at 15 astronauts who had been in space for about six months. Live Science Evidence that world’s freshwater is acidifying The world’s freshwater appears to be acidifying. Researchers noted an […]
Genes linked to exploration in birds may help them adapt to climate change Birds whose genes favour exploration of new habitats will likely handle climate change better than those inclined to stay where they are. Researchers have identified a pair of genes, DRD4 and DEAF1, in yellow warblers that are linked to migration and exploration […]