A Duke University study has found that cats' inefficient gait is actually an adaptation for stealthy stalking, rather than energy efficiency. This means that while dogs rely on efficient four-footed running to catch prey, cats use a slow and deliberate approach to creep up on their unsuspecting victims.
A new study suggests that having an imperfect body may come with benefits for some women, as hormones redistribute fat from the hips to the waist. This redistribution is associated with increased strength and competitiveness, but not necessarily lower fertility or chronic disease rates.
The new guide provides standardized guidelines for collecting data from wild primates, aiming to identify infection patterns and prevent epidemics. By integrating research from various disciplines, the study seeks to reduce the risk of pathogens jumping from animals to humans and vice-versa.
Researchers found evidence of a mother, father, and two sons aged 8-9 and 4-5 years buried face-to-face with arms interlinked. The graves also showed signs of violent raids and injuries, indicating a tragic event in prehistoric Central Europe.
A University of Alberta researcher has developed guidelines to prevent genetic research from awakening racist attitudes. The study emphasizes the importance of proper group representation and justifying research focus on specific ethnic groups.
A new study found physical evidence of ancient drug paraphernalia in the Caribbean, dated between 400 and 100 B.C., suggesting that the artifacts were transported to the islands as heirlooms. The research team used luminescence dating to analyze ceramic inhaling bowls, which indicated that they were not made using local materials.
A University of Oregon anthropologist found that women experience poorer dental health than men due to dramatic changes in female-specific hormones, reduced saliva production, and increased food cravings during pregnancy. The study suggests that these factors contribute to a higher risk of cavities in women as they age.
A new $24 million national center, co-funded by NSF and EPA, will investigate the environmental risks of nanotechnology. Researchers at UCSB's CNS-UCSB and UC CEIN will collaborate on risk perception studies, comparative analyses of risk communication, and more.
North Carolina State University is developing a multimedia training course for forensic crime scene investigation, standardizing protocols across the state. The online coursework aims to improve death investigations and reduce costs for law enforcement agencies.
Researchers Ara Norenzayan and Azim Shariff found that religious people are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviour when it enhances their reputation or when religious thoughts are freshly activated. This study suggests that religion played a vital role in the rise of large, stable societies by encouraging cooperation and trust.
The report identifies 11 cultural features that predict levels of violence, including militaristic readiness, glorification of fighters, and socialization of male children towards aggression. These findings highlight the need to alter beliefs about alcohol and respond to violence in a way that addresses the underlying cultural factors.
A new study led by Anna Dreber and Coren Apicella found that men with higher testosterone levels invest more in risky investments. The researchers discovered a correlation between testosterone levels and financial risk-taking behavior, which may be linked to evolutionary factors.
Bob Atkins, a Rutgers College of Nursing assistant professor, has been awarded the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Nurse Faculty Scholar Award to collect data on high school-aged youth living in Camden, NJ. The three-year grant aims to reduce health disparities and improve understanding of adolescent health behaviors.
The NIH will award $4.6 million to expand its network of global health education programs at 12 new campuses in the US, China, and Mexico. These programs aim to raise awareness of global health among academics and support the development of new curricula and degree programs.
A DNA-based study has found that the last woolly mammoths had exclusively North American roots, contradicting previous assumptions. The research used ancient DNA from Siberian and North American specimens to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the species.
New research suggests that Tutankhamen fathered twins, based on analysis of the mummified remains found in his tomb. The study, led by Professor Robert Connolly, confirms that the two foetuses are likely to be twins and were born to the teenage Pharaoh.
Researchers discover ancient urban civilization in the Amazon, with clusters of 150-acre towns and smaller villages organized in spread out 'galactic' patterns. The settlements were heavily influenced by historic human activity, contradicting long-held stereotypes about early Western versus New World settlements.
A new Case Western Reserve University study aims to understand how college students cope with managing psychiatric medications, a growing concern for mental health providers. The research will survey 120 undergraduates and conduct intensive interviews with 30 students to track their experiences over two years.
A study published in JAMA found that former child soldiers in Nepal are more likely to experience symptoms of depression and PTSD, with 53% meeting symptom cutoff scores for depression. The researchers suggest that the reintegration process may be a contributing factor to their mental health problems.
Researchers used a genetic technique pioneered at Stanford to analyze Y chromosomes from men in Tanzania and southern Africa. They discovered a novel mutation shared by some men in both locations, implying a common ancestor, and found that pastoralists first tended sheep and cattle in southern Africa around 2,000 years ago. This new ge...
The discovery of tiny fossilized teeth from India pushes the primate timeline back by almost 10 million years, revealing a new genus and species of anthropoid primates. The findings suggest these early primates lived on a fruit and insect diet and were no larger than modern dwarf lemurs.
Research suggests that schizophrenia may be a by-product of human brain evolution, driven by increased metabolic demands. The study found molecular mechanisms involved in the evolution of human cognitive abilities and identified changes in gene expression and metabolite concentrations in both healthy humans and individuals with schizop...
Researchers have digitally reconstructed a nearly complete skull of the extinct lemur species Hadropithecus stenognathus, providing new insights into its diet and body size. The study reveals that the lemur was as large as a male baboon and had a brain size comparable to some large monkeys.
An IUPUI professor's early career decision to rebury Native American human remains earned him international recognition in world archaeology. Zimmerman's act paved the way for a generation of Native Americans to join the profession without sacrificing their moral beliefs.
In southern Yemen, archaeologists have discovered evidence of ancient transitions from hunting and herding to irrigation agriculture around 5,200 years ago. The research team used GIS mapping and studied contemporary land and water rights to understand the development of expert knowledge of hydrology among early farmers.
A genetic study of native North Americans offers new insights into the migration of Athapaskan natives from subarctic northwest America to the southwestern United States. The study found that a small group of Athapaskans successfully assimilated with native groups, leaving a lasting legacy in their language and genes.
The Woods Institute has awarded grants to five faculty research teams to tackle global sustainability challenges. The projects include salmon farming in Chile and farmland irrigation in California, with a focus on developing solutions that can be applied beyond their immediate area of interest.
A team of scientists has used paleobotanical evidence, genetic analysis, and microbotanical techniques to reconstruct the early history of maize agriculture. They suggest that maize may have been domesticated in Mexico around 10,000 years ago, based on findings from sediments at San Andrés, Tabasco.
Lemur males use scent glands on their bodies to advertise fitness and family relationships, with individual scents reflecting genetic quality. Researchers analyzed chemical components in ringtailed lemur scents using sophisticated machinery.
The Hopi community of Orayvi split in 1906 due to the corruption of their ceremonial system, which failed to integrate outside pressure. The community divided by household rather than clan lineage, resulting in the establishment of new villages within a short radius.
A new study on chimpanzees reveals that infant mortality rates cycle in phase with social play amongst infants, driven by the ontogeny of playfulness. This three-year cycle is self-organized and emerges naturally from the demography, developmental ontogeny, and social behavior of chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee females employ copulation calls strategically to minimize social competition, particularly with other females. This behavioral adaptation allows them to secure the protective support of high-ranking males, thereby reducing risks associated with female-female competition.
University of Missouri researchers found a significant variation in projectile points indicating experimental research by prehistoric artisans. The study suggests that the introduction of the bow and arrow technology prompted innovative thinking and experimentation to improve performance.
A study of Kenyan nomads found that an ADHD-associated gene variant is linked to better health in the nomadic population, but malnourishment in settled individuals. This suggests that behavior differences associated with ADHD may be more or less effective depending on the environment.
A mass grave of skeletons in prehistoric Germany reveals that neighboring tribes were prepared to kill their male rivals to secure their women. The researchers found that the local group of skeletons had only men and children, indicating that the adult females were spared execution and captured instead.
Researchers at University of Washington and Johns Hopkins University propose that shuffling emerged as a precursor to bipedal behavior to conserve metabolic energy. For distances less than 30 feet, shuffling would be efficient, while longer distances would favor all fours.
Tejate, a traditional Maize and Cacao Beverage from Oaxaca, Mexico, holds the key to understanding the future of agriculture and food variety. The authors found that tejate is in decline in modern communities but remains associated with traditional farmers' varieties, which are essential for preserving crop diversity.
The premier issue of Environmental Justice explores adverse environmental burdens on marginalized populations, legal challenges, and activism. The journal aims to provide a balanced assessment of environmental inequalities locally, nationally, and globally.
Bill Middleton is using satellite imagery to build a detailed landscape map of Oaxaca, where the Zapotec people formed the first state-level and urban society in Mexico. The study will explore how the Oaxacan economy and environment changed as the Zapotec state grew and then collapsed.
The Monte Verde site in southern Chile provides conclusive evidence of the earliest known human settlement in the Americas, dating back to 14,220 years ago. The discovery supports the theory that early migrants followed the Pacific Coast and confirms the peopling of the Americas was a slower process than previously thought.
Researchers confirm ancient sunflower domestication in Mexico dating back 4,000 years, contrary to previously believed eastern North American origin. This discovery highlights the importance of sunflower as a major oil seed crop and its potential for modern crop-breeding purposes.
Researchers confirm that farmers domesticated sunflowers in Mexico by 2600 B.C., contradicting the theory that they were introduced from eastern North America. The study's findings are based on physical evidence of early domesticated remains and linguistic traditions.
Researchers have found that the ancient human 'Nutcracker Man' did not eat nuts, contrary to previous assumptions. The study used microscopy and fractal analysis to examine marks on the teeth of Paranthropus boisei, suggesting that dietary preferences were based on scarcity rather than a regular diet.
Researchers in Uganda have discovered a new orthopoxvirus in red colobus monkeys, similar to those causing monkeypox and cowpox. The finding highlights the potential for unknown pathogens to emerge in wildlife and pose risks to human health.
A new study by Duke University researchers found that big-brained primates, such as humans and chimpanzees, live longer and have more complex social skills due to their larger brain size. This extended life span allows them to reproduce for a longer period, increasing their chances of survival and passing on their genes.
A team of researchers, led by Ted Goebel and Michael R. Waters, revises the timeline of early American arrival, proposing a 15,000-year-old migration from Alaska. New data synthesizes genetic, archaeological, and skeletal evidence to explain the complex process of peopling America.
Researchers found evidence of donkey domestication around 5,000 years ago in Egypt, with skeletal remains showing joint wear and signs of load carrying. The study suggests that the process of domestication may be slower and more complicated than previously thought.
Recent discoveries at Yalbac, a Maya center in Belize, suggest that different groups, including nobles and commoners, built temples. The archaeologist's findings indicate that non-royals had the freedom to choose which temples to worship in and support.
A new study reveals that zigzagging provides the most efficient way for humans to ascend steep slopes, with a mathematical model supporting its advantages. The research suggests that this pattern of movement emerged as a compromise between energy efficiency and the physical limitations of human physiology.
A Harvard University scientist has synthesized four key differences in human and animal cognition into a hypothesis on what exactly differentiates human and animal thought. The theory of
A 40,000-year-old tooth reveals direct evidence of Neanderthal movement over lifetimes. The analysis of strontium isotope ratios in the enamel indicates that the individual lived in a different location than where the tooth was found.
A new study challenges the assumption that branding began with the Industrial Revolution, finding evidence of ancient commodity branding in Egypt and Iraq. Branding was a deep-seated human need to find value in goods, filled by labels on containers and practices surrounding production and distribution.
Western lowland gorillas have been observed mating in a unique face-to-face position for the first time in the wild. This behavior is rare among primates, with only bonobos frequently employing ventro-ventral copulation.
New research suggests the Americas were colonized by approximately 1,000-5,000 people, with a 20,000-year layover in Beringia, where population size remained relatively stable. This three-stage colonization model provides a more complex scenario than previous theories, shedding light on the timing and scale of the initial migration.
A study by María Luisa Jiménez Rodrigo explores the reasons behind women's rising cigarette consumption in Spanish society over the past 50 years. Women use cigarettes as a tool for stress relief, social interaction, and to control appetite and body weight, reinforcing traditional feminine norms.
Research reveals that specific males with strong catalytic effects initiate hunts, diluting prey defenses and increasing hunting likelihood. These 'impact hunters' are more likely to be successful and have a high success rate when hunting alone.
A Purdue University archaeologist has uncovered an ancient iron ore mine in South America, showcasing the importance of hematite to ancient Andean civilizations. The discovery provides valuable information on the Nasca people's use of minerals for ceramic paints and other purposes.
Mice fed human diet exhibit distinct liver gene expression profiles compared to those on a chimpanzee diet, suggesting dietary influences on physiological differences between humans and other apes. This study replicates previous findings in mice fed different diets.
A new study published in Current Biology confirms the disease threat facing great apes, finding evidence of virus transmission from humans to wild apes. The study also shows that research and tourism projects have suppressed poaching of chimpanzees, outweighing mortality caused by human disease introduction.
A study found that common human viruses, such as HRSV and HMPV, are responsible for outbreaks of respiratory disease in wild chimpanzees. The researchers suggest that minimizing human contact and implementing guidelines to reduce the risk of disease transmission can help protect great apes.