A study in the journal Science reveals socioeconomic factors like income and neighborhood quality are strongly associated with brain differences in children, impacting areas related to sensory processing and motor control.
A new study challenges the simple fusion model of eukaryotic cell origins, revealing multiple waves of gene transfer from bacteria and archaea. Researchers identified a complex genetic landscape in early eukaryotes, with contributions from Asgard archaea, Alphaproteobacteria, Planctomycetota, Myxococcota, and even giant viruses, suggesting a gradual and intricate evolutionary process.
NASA's Artemis II crew, who flew farther from Earth than any humans and reached speeds of ~24,664 mph, received a Mach 39 patch, a tradition inspired by a 40-year-old Mach 25 design for space shuttle reentry speeds.
Ötzi, the 5,300-year-old Copper Age mummy, hosts a mix of ancient and modern microbes, including cold-adapted yeasts and bacteria that have survived for millennia or been introduced recently.
Researchers discover that tissue from the sea cucumber Psolus fabricii remains alive indefinitely in ordinary seawater, challenging conventional understandings of tissue decay and regeneration.
Photographs capturing conservation efforts for northern bald ibises, an algal bloom in Canada, whale shark research in Australia, coral study in Saudi Arabia, and mosquito research in the US won awards in Nature's Scientist at Work competition.
Researchers have identified a specific immune receptor in common bean plants that detects caterpillar saliva, triggering a distress signal to attract predatory wasps. Plants lacking this receptor showed significantly reduced defenses against caterpillars and failed to summon wasps.
AI, specifically machine learning, is being integrated into weather and climate modeling with mixed results. While it enhances computational efficiency in weather forecasting, its limitations, such as struggling with extreme events and lack of physical understanding, are notable. Climate modeling, requiring long-term projections and physical laws, cautiously adopts AI for specific parameterizations and calibration, emphasizing the need for hybrid approaches that retain physical guardrails.
Research shows some city birds alter their songs to adapt to urban noise, either by singing higher or changing notes, though many do not adapt, highlighting human impact on wildlife.
May's science roundup features a potential prehistoric copper smelting site in the Pyrenees, a new species of tiny blue octopus from the Galapagos, insights into why cats prefer silver vine over catnip, and a study suggesting political polarization behaves like a phase transition.
Rising temperatures due to climate change are causing cognitive impairments in animals, leading to increased aggression, reduced learning abilities, and decreased vigilance. This affects species from birds and dogs to fish and insects, potentially disrupting ecosystems and risking species survival.
Gravitational lensing reveals Abell 2744−QSO1, a supermassive black hole with minimal surrounding galaxy, observed 700 million years after the Big Bang, challenging theories on early black hole formation.
Scientists have explained gold's inertness, attributing it to surface crystal structures rather than inherent atomic properties. While bulk gold exhibits a hexagonal lattice that is unreactive, gold nanoparticles can expose a square lattice, enabling catalytic activity similar to platinum.
Urban Australian male bowerbirds incorporate significantly more human-made items into their courtship displays than rural counterparts, with urban bowers having more decorations overall. Researchers from the University of Exeter observed differences in preferred materials, suggesting urbanization impacts bowerbird behavior and potentially sexual selection.
Archaeologists experimented with rhino teeth to see if Neanderthals used them as tools. The study found markings on ancient rhino teeth at archaeological sites similar to those made by using them as hammers for stone tool production, suggesting Neanderthals incorporated them into their toolkits.
Manhattanhenge, a twice-yearly phenomenon where the setting sun aligns with Manhattan's street grid, occurred on Thursday, with a fuller view expected on Friday, and repeats on July 11 and 12, attracting photographers and crowds.
Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to study WASP-94A b, a tidally locked gas giant. They discovered morning skies are cloudy while evening skies are clear, challenging previous assumptions about exoplanet atmospheric composition.
A 59,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth found in Siberia shows evidence of intentional drilling to relieve a tooth infection, indicating sophisticated medical intervention.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers discovered LAP1-B, an ultra-faint galaxy from 13 billion light-years away, magnified by gravitational lensing. Its primitive chemical composition and low heavy element levels suggest it may be the closest observed galaxy to the Universe’s first, pristine galaxies, with indications of Population III star supernovae and a massive dark matter halo.
