Sea lions, marine mammals belonging to the eared seal family, have to dive to search for food and other resources. Between dives, however, they return to the surface to breathe and recover.
A century after the Taung Child permanently altered our view of human origins, a new study published in npj Palaeoecosystems dates the famous fossil to between 2.96 and 3.03 million years old. Led by professor Gabriele Macho of the Archaeology, Environmental Changes and Geo-Chemistry (AMGC) research group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the international research highlights that the human family tree in southern Africa was far more complex than previously assumed.
Anthropologists seeking to understand human evolution often include primates such as chimps or apes in their studies. But a new review paper by Kyle Smith, a postdoctoral research scholar in NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine, argues that an equally informative animal is often right under our noses—the domestic (or family) dog.
Preserved in amber for about 53 million years, a beetle has been described as a new species by researchers in Spain and France. Named Cnopus twentyonepilotorum, it is the first puppet beetle (family Aderidae) to be formally described from the Oise amber of northern France. The findings are published in the journal ZooKeys.
Family traditions, misconceptions about where it comes from, and a belief that remedies sold in shops are government-approved help explain continued demand for saiga antelope horn in Singapore, according to a University of Oxford–led study published in People and Nature.
Chinese American family caregivers of people with dementia reported a greater sense of control and competence in their caregiving roles and more positive views of caregiving after taking part in a seven-week digital support program, researchers at George Mason University found.
A Dutch family doctor named Tibor Poelmann posted a petition on an online forum for general practitioners (GPs) in 2021. He wanted their pension fund to stop investing in oil and gas. It quickly gathered 1,200 signatures.
The "Geolinking Service SoRa" research data infrastructure helps to close a gap in the German research landscape. Many questions—such as those regarding social inequality or environmental justice—can only be answered through interdisciplinary analyses, such as linking social science and spatial science data: Does the proportion of green space in a residential neighborhood affect health and well-being? Are people who live in single-family homes happier than residents of densely built-up urban neighborhoods? How does transportation infrastructure—such as access to buses and trains—influence people's mobility patterns?
For Belding's ground squirrels, adult females are more likely to survive from year to year if they live near more adult female kin—but neither males nor young females get the same boost from nearby family. Jill Mateo and colleagues at the University of Chicago, U.S., report these findings on Nov. 4, 2026, in the journal PLOS One.
Every Bonfire Night, people pay for a box of fireworks so their friends and family can enjoy the colorful display. Within a few minutes, it's all over. But the price on the box doesn't reflect the hidden costs: the smoke inhaled by neighbors, the animals disturbed or the public services called out when things go wrong.
In today's interconnected world, millions of people move between two or more languages every day. They may negotiate at work in one language, speak with family in another and follow news, entertainment and social media across several others.
The more than 100 bacterial species of the genus Vibrio are important in marine ecosystems because they contribute to the carbon cycle and other ecological processes, but they can also be significant pathogens for both humans (they can cause cholera) and animals (they can drastically reduce productivity in fish and crustacean farms [e.g., prawns] or cause coral bleaching). Identifying and quantifying Vibrio species in marine and estuarine water samples is complex because identification errors may occur when using molecular methods that lack sufficient resolution.
I thought the explanation I’d given about black holes was family-friendly; but after what she had said, I had to rethink my examples Read more in the a job that changed me series In the first year of my science degree, I was fortunate to land a job as an astronomy guide at the Sydney Observatory. In my role, I would lead tour groups of about 20 people. We’d look at stars and planets through telescopes. If the skies were filled from horizon to horizon with clouds, we’d explore more of the universe through a 3D theatre. And to peer beyond what our telescopes could see, we’d pile inside the cosy planetarium, seeing what the light pollution of Sydney and clouds would often obstruct from our view. My favourite object to show in the planetarium was the Hubble Ultra Deep Field image. Before revealing the image, I’d explain how the Hubble space telescope had stared at a piece of sky the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length for 11 days, collecting enough light to look into the farthest corners of the universe. Then I’d zoom in on that tiny piece of sky, revealing the gorgeous image. At least one person would audibly gasp at the reveal. Continue reading...
Most people, at some point, wonder what will remain of them after they are gone. Will their family remember them? Will something they created, taught or contributed continue to matter? A new study suggests that this deeply human desire may be connected to mental health. Researchers found that people who more strongly believed they would be remembered after death also tended to report better mental health and lower levels of problematic substance use and addictive behaviors.
Developing research suggests that ancient interbreeding wasn't random — it was socially patterned, directional and far more complicated than the headlines suggest.
Jennifer Shuford, a well-respected infectious disease researcher, cited a desire to spend more time with her family
Randomised trials of omega-6s do not show an increase in inflammation caused by the fatty acid Read more in the Antiviral series If you’ve been online lately, you’ve probably been bombarded with the discourse about seed oils. Once a completely innocuous food that no one really talked about, they have become the enemy of the moment. Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of health and human services in the US, has called them “toxic” and vowed to act against them. There are countless activewear-clad influencers online saying that nothing harms your health more than these products. Which is odd, because the Australian dietary guidelines say seed oils are basically fine. You should limit them because they’re high in calories but otherwise there’s no major reason – according to the guidelines and most experts – why you should avoid them. As Prof Lauren Ball, director of the University of Queensland’s Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing, says: “There’s no convincing evidence that eating seed oils like canola or sunflower oil in normal dietary amounts harms our health. In fact, these oils contain unsaturated fats, which are generally beneficial for cardiovascular health.” Dr Jason Wu, a professor at the University of New South Wales, agrees: “The evidence base consistently points to health benefits of eating seed oils.” Continue reading...
