A team has identified several factors to help answer a fundamental ecological question: why is there a ridiculous abundance of species some places on earth and a scarcity in others? What factors, exactly, drive animal diversity? They discovered that what an animal eats (and how that interacts with climate) shapes Earth’s diversity. ​A team has …

Raining cats and dogs: Global precipitation patterns a driver for animal diversity Read More »

An international study has identified for the first time the optimal number of steps at which most people obtain the greatest benefits, and also shows that the pace at which you walk provides additional benefits. ​An international study has identified for the first time the optimal number of steps at which most people obtain the …

8,000 steps a day to reduce the risk of premature death Read More »

An international coalition of climate scientists says that the Earth’s vital signs have worsened beyond anything humans have yet seen, to the point that life on the planet is imperiled. ​An international coalition of climate scientists says that the Earth’s vital signs have worsened beyond anything humans have yet seen, to the point that life …

Climate report: ‘Uncharted territory’ imperils life on Earth Read More »

Scrape, cluck, lay eggs — that’s it? Anyone involved in chicken farming knows that the animals are capable of much more. Researchers have found evidence that roosters could recognize themselves in a mirror. Whether this is successful, however, depends on the experimental conditions — a finding that points beyond the experiment with roosters and could …

Roosters might recognize themselves in the mirror Read More »

Next-generation solar materials are cheaper and more sustainable to produce than traditional silicon solar cells, but hurdles remain in making the devices durable enough to withstand real-world conditions. A new technique could simplify the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells, named for their unique crystalline structure that excels at absorbing visible light. ​Next-generation …

Scientists develop new method to create stable, efficient next-gen solar cells Read More »

An electric knifefish shimmies in the water for the same reason a dog sniffs or a human glances around a new place — to make sense of their surroundings. For the first time, scientists demonstrate that a wide range of organisms, even microbes, perform the same pattern of movements in order to sense the world. …

To navigate the world, we all shimmy like these electric fish Read More »

It’s viable to produce low-cost, lightweight solar panels that can generate energy in space, according to new research. ​It’s viable to produce low-cost, lightweight solar panels that can generate energy in space, according to new research. It’s viable to produce low-cost, lightweight solar panels that can generate energy in space, according to new research. 

Making one small diet change — chicken instead of beef, plant milk instead of cow’s milk — could significantly curb carbon emissions and increase the healthfulness of your diet, according to a new study.  ​Making one small diet change — chicken instead of beef, plant milk instead of cow’s milk — could significantly curb carbon …

Study shows simple diet swaps can cut carbon emissions and improve your health Read More »

New research  provides rare direct evidence showing that increased homozygosity — meaning two identical alleles in a genome — leads to negative effects on fertility in a human population. ​New research  provides rare direct evidence showing that increased homozygosity — meaning two identical alleles in a genome — leads to negative effects on fertility in a human …

Study suggests that having common ancestors can jeopardize fertility for generations Read More »

New research suggests that increasingly severe weather driven by climate change may push oceangoing seabirds to their limits.   ​New research suggests that increasingly severe weather driven by climate change may push oceangoing seabirds to their limits.   New research suggests that increasingly severe weather driven by climate change may push oceangoing seabirds to their limits. …

Rider on the storm: Shearwater seabird catches an 11 hour ride over 1,000 miles in a typhoon Read More »