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CNRS


Forgetting past misdeeds to justify future ones

In a study published in PNAS, researchers found that when participants were informed they could return some of the money they had overreported, they forgot their past cheating behavior more accurately. This 'unethical amnesia' allowed them to restore their reputation, making it more acceptable for future moral breaches.

SourceCNRS·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 29, 2020

Europe: Modelling the evolution of a second wave of COVID-19

A new mathematical model predicts a second wave of COVID-19 in Europe between July and January 2021, highlighting the importance of human behavior in slowing the pandemic. The model suggests that precise infection rates can be controlled through social distancing, local cluster control, and border measures.

SourceCNRS·JournalScientific Reports·DateSep 24, 2020

When painting reveals increases in social trust

Facial displays of trustworthiness increased in European portraits between the fourteenth and twenty-first centuries, closely following rising living standards. The study used face-processing software on over 6,000 portraits to validate its findings.

SourceCNRS·JournalNature Communications·DateSep 22, 2020

Wild birds as offerings to the Egyptian gods

Scientists analyzed geochemical data from mummy remains to determine if they were bred or hunted. The results indicate that the birds were wild and migrating seasonally, suggesting mass hunting and capture. This discovery sheds light on ancient Egyptian practices and their impact on the environment.

SourceCNRS·JournalScientific Reports·DateSep 22, 2020

How much will polar ice sheets add to sea level rise?

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is projected to account for up to 30 cm of sea level rise between 2015 and 2100, with some scenarios suggesting a partial offsetting effect. The Greenland Ice Sheet may contribute an additional 1.5-14 cm over the same period, depending on greenhouse gas emissions.

SourceCNRS·JournalThe Cryosphere·DateSep 17, 2020

Earth may always have been wet

Scientists analyzed enstatite chondrites, rare meteorites with primitive composition, to estimate the Earth's initial water content. Their findings indicate that the planet's rocks probably contained enough water to supply three times the amount of oceans, with only a small percentage delivered by comets or asteroids.

SourceCNRS·JournalScience·DateAug 27, 2020

Livestock expansion is a factor in global pandemics

Research shows a correlation between epidemics in humans and local biodiversity loss, with the number of epidemics increasing as endangered species disappear. Livestock expansion worldwide exacerbates this risk, facilitating the transmission of pathogens.

SourceCNRS·JournalBiological Conservation·DateJul 24, 2020

Could mini-Neptunes be irradiated ocean planets?

New findings suggest mini-Neptunes may form as super-Earths with a rocky core surrounded by water in a supercritical state, challenging their previous classification as gas planets. Scientists propose that intense stellar irradiation causes a greenhouse effect, increasing the size of atmospheres and forming such planetary configurations.

SourceCNRS·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJul 20, 2020

Behind the dead-water phenomenon

Researchers from CNRS and University of Poitiers have explained the 'dead water' phenomenon in ships, where waves create drag, slowing down or stopping vessels. The study reveals waves act like an undulating conveyor belt, causing speed oscillations in trapped boats.

SourceCNRS·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 6, 2020

The CNRS 2020 Innovation Medal

The CNRS 2020 Innovation Medallists have made significant contributions to various fields, including graft rejection treatment and high-precision sensors. Their work has led to the development of innovative technologies with applications in industry, healthcare, and research.

SourceCNRS·DateJun 25, 2020

Matrix imaging: An innovation for improving ultrasound resolution

Researchers have developed a new non-invasive ultrasound method that compensates for distortions in soft tissue structure, providing ideal resolution and contrast optimized for each pixel. This approach has applications in biomedical diagnosis, optical microscopy, and industrial material inspection.

SourceCNRS·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 11, 2020

A robot to track and film flying insects

Scientists from CNRS, Université de Lorraine, and Inrae have developed a cable-driven robot that can follow and interact with free-flying insects. The robot successfully studied the free flight of moths up to a speed of 3 meters/second, enabling researchers to better understand insect orientation strategies.

SourceCNRS·JournalScience Robotics·DateJun 10, 2020

Discovering the prehistoric monuments of Arabia

Researchers have uncovered a 35-metre long triangular platform in northern Saudi Arabia, built in several phases between 6500 and 4500 BC. The discovery suggests that this monumental structure was used for ritual practices, including funerary and commemorative ceremonies.

SourceCNRS·JournalAntiquity·DateJun 8, 2020

7,000 years of demographic history in France

French prehistory saw two significant migration waves: Neolithic and Bronze Age, which mixed with native hunter-gatherers. The study found that 7,000 years of admixture between these groups still influences the genomes of French people.

SourceCNRS·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMay 25, 2020

Cell reproduction dogma challenged

Researchers from CNRS and IGBMC demonstrate that meiosis in mice begins and proceeds normally even without retinoic acid. Meiosis is a crucial process for the transmission of unique sets of genes to offspring, resulting in novel assortments of chromosomes.

SourceCNRS·JournalScience Advances·DateMay 22, 2020

How the mouse conquered the house

A study of over 800 ancient remains reveals the house mouse's global spread from the Middle East to Europe, coinciding with domestic cat arrival. The researchers suggest cats were introduced to control mouse populations and protect food stocks.

SourceCNRS·JournalScientific Reports·DateMay 19, 2020

Mars: Where mud flows like lava

A team of researchers recreated Martian conditions in a low-pressure chamber, observing the flow of mud that behaves similarly to pahoehoe lava flows on Earth. The study confirms sedimentary volcanism is possible on Mars, prompting a reevaluation of geological structures previously attributed to lava flows.

SourceCNRS·JournalNature Geoscience·DateMay 18, 2020

The dreaming brain tunes out the outside world

Researchers found that the brain filters out external sounds during REM sleep, prioritizing meaningful speech during light sleep. This mechanism enables the brain to protect the dreaming phase, necessary for emotional balance and learning consolidation.

SourceCNRS·JournalCurrent Biology·DateMay 15, 2020

Toward a more energy-efficient spintronics

Researchers at Spintec Laboratory and CNRS/Thales Laboratory developed a non-magnetic system to detect spin information at low power. This breakthrough enables the creation of ferroelectricity-based spintronic devices that consume significantly less energy than traditional systems.

SourceCNRS·JournalNature·DateApr 22, 2020

How we end up 'confined' on YouTube

Researchers studied YouTube recommendations from a thousand videos, generating half a million, and found a 'confined' phenomenon. The most confined recommendation networks revolve around the most viewed or longest-watched videos.

SourceCNRS·JournalPLOS ONE·DateApr 22, 2020

Ants restore Mediterranean dry grasslands

A team of ecologists and agronomists found that the Messor barbarus harvester ant accelerates plant community recovery in degraded Mediterranean dry grasslands. The ants improve soil fertility, transport seeds, and increase plant biomass next to their nests, facilitating resilience.

SourceCNRS·JournalBiological Conservation·DateApr 20, 2020

A new tool to predict volcanic eruptions

Researchers have developed a new tool to predict volcanic eruptions by analyzing the composition of gases in the atmosphere. The tool uses precise measurements to identify the contribution of the atmosphere and Earth's mantle to these gases, allowing for more accurate predictions of future eruptions.

SourceCNRS·JournalNature·DateApr 15, 2020

Risk aversion as a survival strategy in ants

Ants adapt their behavior to avoid traps by associating visual cues with negative experiences. Researchers studied two species of ants that changed their route on the second attempt after experiencing a setback.

SourceCNRS·JournalCurrent Biology·DateApr 9, 2020

Neanderthal cord weaver

Researchers discovered evidence of cord making on a flint fragment from Abri du Maras in France, dating back 40,000 years. The remains showed twisted fibres made of cellulose, likely from coniferous trees, highlighting the cognitive abilities and knowledge of Neanderthals.

SourceCNRS·JournalScientific Reports·DateApr 9, 2020

Mystery solved: The origin of the colors in the first color photographs

Researchers at CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle/Ministère de la Culture have solved the mystery of the world's first colour photographs. They found that colours were due to the presence of metallic silver nanoparticles, which reorganise according to light energy, absorbing all colours except their own.

SourceCNRS·JournalAngewandte Chemie International Edition·DateMar 30, 2020

Neanderthals: Pioneers in the use of marine resources

Researchers discovered remains of various marine animals in a Portuguese cave occupied by Neanderthals between 106,000 and 86,000 BCE. This finding suggests that many Neanderthal groups shared similar dietary habits, contradicting the common perception of them as cold-climate hunters.

SourceCNRS·JournalScience·DateMar 26, 2020

How to break new records in the 200 metres?

Researchers Amandine Aftalion and Emmanuel Trélat found that shorter straights and larger radii can improve running performance. Their mathematical model predicts that these track designs could potentially break long-standing records, with improvements of up to 4 hundredth of a second.

SourceCNRS·JournalRoyal Society Open Science·DateMar 25, 2020

Among wild mammals too, females live longer

Research compiled demographic data for 134 populations of 101 mammalian species, finding that 60% of female mammals live longer than males. Mortality risk is lower among females at all ages, but the rise in mortality with age varies between sexes.

SourceCNRS·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 23, 2020