A new study reveals that medieval cities in Western Europe had statistically indistinguishable community grouping patterns compared to younger European cities. The research suggests that social dynamics enabled by medieval cities were fundamentally similar to those of contemporary cities.
A study published in Evolution and Human Behavior found that regular churchgoers are perceived as more generous and hardworking compared to others. The researchers suggest that this is due to the potent signal sent by these individuals, demonstrating their generosity, devotion, and commitment to contributing to their communities.
Mathematical biologist Samuel Scarpino and colleagues found that replacing sick individuals with healthy ones can accelerate the spread of infection for certain diseases. The study analyzed data from two diseases, influenza and dengue, and revealed a stronger correlation between human exchange and outbreak acceleration in influenza.
Research by Mirta Galesic and colleagues suggests that moderately-sized groups of experts can make wiser choices than larger crowds in qualitative decisions. Smaller groups, around five to seven members, are likely to outperform larger ones in situations such as medical diagnoses or election forecasts.
A new study in Behavioral Ecology suggests that young male western bluebirds may benefit from living with their parents as helpers for a year before starting a nest of their own. This cooperative breeding strategy can increase both the parents' and the helper's lifespans, as well as reproductive fitness.
Hunter-gatherer Aleuts on Sanak Island, Alaska, used a super-generalist diet to stabilize marine food webs. Their prey-switching behavior helped maintain ecosystem balance.
An international team of researchers has revealed that for many universal concepts, the world's languages feature a common structure of semantic relatedness. This study uses a new methodology to measure how closely words' meanings are related within and between languages.
An international team has developed a digital reblocking platform to help urban slum communities create more resilient neighborhoods. The open-source tool allows residents to map buildings, thoroughfares, and services and propose new layouts that efficiently solve access issues.
A new study suggests that vaccinated people who are infectious but symptom-free may be transmitting whooping cough multiple times throughout their lives, exacerbating the outbreak. The research highlights the importance of getting vaccinated, especially for children, as the primary source of protection against severe disease and death.
Researchers measured cell phone activity at towers to gain insight into population dynamics and predict infrastructure needs. This new metric can help plan electrification options like power lines or microgrids for rural communities in need.
New research reveals that minor changes in environment can trigger dramatic shifts in evolutionary strategy as a generalist species disperses into a heterogeneous landscape. This can lead to a positive feedback loop where reduced dispersal triggers further specialization.
A recent study found that polarization in Congress has worsened, leading to a decline in cross-party cooperation and stagnated policy innovation. The analysis of over five million pairs of members revealed that the rate of cross-party cooperation decreased steadily since 1983, while same-party cooperation increased.
A new study by Santa Fe Institute researchers reveals that public companies have a standard mortality rate, lasting about ten years before being acquired, merged, or liquidated. The findings contradict existing theories and evidence on company mortality, which suggested varying rates based on age and economic sector.
A study on ancient settlements in the Basin of Mexico found that larger settlements were more productive and efficient, exhibiting similar urban scaling trends as modern cities. The research team analyzed data from over 2000 years and four cultural eras to estimate populations and site use intensity.
A new study of Brazil's indigenous societies finds most experience catastrophic decline after first contact, but some populations recover and even grow. Population viability analysis suggests contacted and uncontacted societies could recover from as few as 100 individuals.
Cities are likened to social reactors and networks, attracting people and accelerating social interaction. The new framework predicts statistical relationships observed in thousands of real cities worldwide, providing insights into urban growth and development.
A new paper analyzed seven coastal estuary and marine food webs, including parasites, to understand their impact on network structure. The team found that most changes resulted from increased diversity and complexity, rather than unique parasite characteristics.
Researchers developed Inductive Game Theory to study conflict, identifying strategies that generate intense conflict and highlighting the importance of group interactions. The approach suggests individual agency may over-estimate in social evolution and considers the impact of friends' and enemies' actions on conflict.
A mathematical model demonstrates that disruptive ecological selection can trigger positive feedback between mate choice and ecological diversification, ultimately eliminating gene flow between species. This process can lead to the evolution of specialized ecotypes without divergent mating preferences, a departure from previous studies...
Researchers developed a model explaining why large species dominate certain taxonomic groups, and how this relates to metabolism and habitat. The simple yet accurate model also omits traditional ideas from evolution and ecology.
Research finds that people sometimes prioritize the greater good over their own interests, and poorly designed institutions can undermine this behavior. Examples include a study on day care center fines and blood donation rates., Experts argue that recognizing human altruism is crucial for designing effective policies and institutions.
Carbon nanotubes have been engineered to improve the properties of solar cells by introducing defects, resulting in increased catalytic activity and reduced costs. The new material has the potential to replace traditional layers used in solar cells, leading to improved performance and more affordable energy technologies.
Bacteria with large metabolic networks and those living in diverse environments tend to be more modular. This makes sense as they adapt to changing environments by developing separate processes for different environments.
Researchers traced flu samples from around the world to determine migration patterns, finding Asia is the breeding ground for new strains. The study's 'antigenic map' shows relationships between viruses and helps predict future outbreaks.
Researchers describe a new method to uncover the hierarchical organization of complex networks, explaining previously unknown patterns such as node connectivity and triangle formations. The approach achieves up to 80% accuracy in predicting missing connections across disparate fields like biology, terrorism, and ecology.
Recent behavioral game theory research suggests that democratic market societies depend on a balance between selfishness and morality to succeed. This perspective is supported by studies showing that university students in traditional societies exhibit more antisocial punishment behavior than those in advanced market economies.
SFI researchers Samuel Bowles and Jung-Kyoo Choi suggest that altruistic behavior towards fellow group members may have evolved together with hostility towards outsiders. The study found that the combination of these traits enabled survival, as they promoted group conflict, which in turn contributed to their success.
A research team proposes that sexual conflict can establish novel sex-determination genes and sex chromosomes, explaining their rapid evolution. The model suggests that genes with sexually antagonistic effects and mutations influencing sex determination are common in nature.
Researchers propose that animal personalities evolve due to trade-offs between current and future reproduction, with cautious individuals investing more in future opportunities. This leads to populations with consistently risk-averse or risk-prone personality traits.