The April 2024 issue of Speculum foregrounds premodern critical race studies (PCRS) and elevates early career authors. The articles explore topics such as racializing tropes, power shapes narrative, and historical systems of control.
A new paper proposes that the Cerne Giant in Dorset was constructed between 700 and 1100 AD, potentially used as a mustering site for West Saxon armies. This dating breakthrough offers insight into various historical interpretations of the giant's identity, including its possible basis on the myth of Hercules or Christian Saint Eadwold.
A new paper explores the impact of habituation and neural adaptation on male mate choice signals, suggesting that these mechanisms may favor rapid divergence and diversity. The study proposes a more nuanced understanding of female responses to male signals, including the role of sensory adaptation in shaping mate choice.
A controversy in the 1920s pitted American paleontologists against emerging Chinese scientific nationalists over the ownership of fossils. The Americans claimed that fossils were universal and could be exported, while the Chinese argued that they should be viewed as local, contingent property.
A new study finds that NFIP insurance adoption leads to a significant increase in population growth in high-flood-risk areas. The authors estimate that the program contributes to 5% more population per standard deviation increase in historical flood risk, resulting in higher damages from disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Harvey.
The authors' microsimulation methods show that reducing child poverty can lead to a 19.7% reduction in CPS investigations, with benefits particularly accruing to Black and Hispanic children. The prize honors Professor Frank R. Breul's career as an educator and administrator.
A new study finds that input-efficient technologies like water-saving devices have negative net benefits for consumers, contradicting the 'win-win' narrative. The authors conclude that modest savings and uncertain long-term benefits are insufficient to overcome consumer resistance.
Sunny Jardine has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of Marine Resource Economics, bringing expertise in commercial fisheries management and conservation planning. She succeeds Joshua K. Abbott, who led the journal's expansion into case studies and improved citation rates.
The Isis journal has published a special bibliographic issue on the history of pandemics, gathering current and important historical scholarship on infectious disease. The issue features nineteen essays with accompanying bibliographies and is available for free online.
Prashant Bhadarwaj succeeds Marcel Fafchamps as Editor in Chief, bringing editorial expertise and research affiliations with prominent institutions. The journal has nearly doubled its content while maintaining quality, earning recognition for faster reviews and increased diversity of authors.
Scientists like Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire used monstrous births to define and reinforce racial categories, with frameworks including teratological development, the monster as a race apart, and monstrosity as racial degeneracy. These logics embedded racial hierarchy in medicine.
The authors scrutinize the 23 quantitative syntheses published over three decades on how plant diversity impacts both natural enemies and herbivores in arthropod communities. They find that plant diversity consistently attracts more abundant and diverse communities of predators, while herbivore diversity tends to increase in response t...
Articles consider access to opioid use disorder treatment and the impact of the Affordable Care Act on emergency department visits. Prescription drug monitoring programs also show promise in reducing opioid use. Researchers find mixed results regarding policies to increase treatment rates and temporary disability benefits.
A new study explores life-stress impacts on essential workers of color during COVID-19, revealing high rates of stress, substance use, and anxiety. The study highlights distinct patterns of life-stress impacts among Native American/Alaskan Native participants.
Translation of Swahili language and knowledge during colonial and postcolonial periods in Tanganyika/Tanzania is complex, influenced by power dynamics and linguistic flexibility. The article highlights the role of European academics, missionaries, and students in shaping Swahili through translation, creating a 'developed' language that...
A new paper analyzes the olive shrub Phillyrea angustifolia's mating system using Kuhn's paradigm shift framework. The discovery of diallelic self-incompatibility resolves a long-standing paradox, demonstrating how science can undergo significant changes in response to emerging data.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 significantly increased Black representation in local government, particularly in county commissions where coverage was implemented. The study found that capital spending grew more rapidly in these counties with higher shares of African Americans, indicating a positive impact on local governance. However, ...
A new study finds that having daughters has little to no effect on legislators' roll call votes on women's issues. The researchers analyzed a large dataset and replicated previous findings, suggesting that partisanship may have taken precedence over family influences as political polarization increased.
A new study found that US metropolitan areas lack sufficient preserved open space, leading to increased land values and improved social well-being. The researchers suggest that this is due to limited public funds, competing demands, and the perception of open space as a luxury rather than a necessary service.
A German-made meridian circle was installed at the National Astronomical Observatory of Chile in 1911 to support international astronomy work, including establishing official time and cataloging stars. The precise performance relied on collaboration between the manufacturer, astronomer Friedrich W. Ristenpart, and local laborers.
The adoption of latitude and longitude coordinates in early modern China was uneven due to prevailing social attitudes. Despite the Manchu emperors' appreciation for updated maps, their use remained limited outside the imperial court, with nonscale maps persisting.
A new paper in The Quarterly Review of Biology reviews studies on workload distribution and division of labor to better understand individual differences in cooperation. The authors argue that integrating collective action and offspring care literatures could lead to a deeper understanding of these factors.
A new study reveals how large-scale groundwater exploitation by local farmers led to the desiccation of sandy soils and decimation of wildlife populations in Spain's Doñana National Park. The lack of effective oversight created an economically and environmentally unsustainable situation, destroying a protected natural space.
A study by Stephen T. Casper examines how sports slang, such as 'punch-drunk,' influenced the conceptualization and treatment of brain injuries. The research reveals a culture that stigmatized sufferers and normalized male violence, making it difficult for medical professionals to diagnose and treat neurodegenerative disease.
A new species of sea anemone has been discovered off the coast of Japan, forming a symbiotic relationship with the hermit crab. The anemone attaches itself to the crab's shell using a hard shell-like secretion, while the crab taps and pinches the anemone to move it to its new shell.
A new study reveals that birds lost the ability to digest trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide found in common food sources, likely due to evolutionary divergence from their common ancestor. This loss has significant ecological implications, including reduced access to energy-rich foods and potential adaptations by other species.
A new paper proposes unifying chemosensory modalities into a single sense, moving beyond the traditional differentiation between gustation and olfaction. The authors argue that this distinction is based on anthropomorphic biases and has hindered research efforts in understanding the evolution of chemosensation.
The article examines the avian literary motif in the Standard Babylonian Gilgameš Epic, exploring its cultural significance and literary devices. Bird calls are linked to deities and assign specific sounds to each bird, with some foreshadowing events like Enkidu's transgressions against the gods.
Historians note a shift in Eurocentric conceptualizations of science, leading to the emergence of civilization-specific alternatives. John Augustus Abayomi Cole's work on astrological geomancy sought to elevate African knowledge practices and critique European imperialism.
A study by Yevgeniy Golovchenko examines the effect of a 2017 Ukrainian ban on online activity among Russian social media users. The findings indicate that censorship may not be effective in reducing activity, as users can circumvent bans using VPNs and shift to cheaper alternatives.
Biological systems have the potential to make mistakes, providing a starting point for generating new scientific questions. The authors propose a theoretical framework that describes the nature of mistake-making and its common processes, with applications to blood clotting.
The SAPIENS Podcast Season 4 explores how Black and Indigenous voices are changing the stories of archaeology, sharing experiences of Black and Indigenous archaeologists. This season delves into areas such as slave ships, museums, boarding schools, and culinary legacies.
A new review synthesizes past, present, and future uses of plant specimens as functional trait data sources. Herbarias are identified as a significant source of botanical diversity and have diversified scientific applications beyond taxonomy.
A new study finds that US power plants prioritize reducing input cost variance over minimizing expected total costs, resulting in longer coal contracts and higher contract prices. The researchers estimate that if all power plants purchased coal from the spot market, the annual aggregate cost savings would be $2.9 billion.
Ancient Chinese scholars viewed sound as a means to assess cosmic qi and predict weather events. Jing Fang's tuning system, developed in the 1st century BCE, used acoustics to construct a closed cycle with reduced gaps, allowing for accurate seasonal predictions.
Researchers analyzed thousands of space station photographs to discover that Russian cosmonauts use walls to display religious icons and Soviet heroes, reflecting national identity and cultural heritage. This study has practical applications for long-duration space missions, where understanding human identity and society is crucial.
The article examines modern migration in the Mediterranean by analyzing abandoned fishing boats and their contents, revealing the impact of policy decisions on displacement. The study provides a nuanced narrative of human experiences during these journeys, highlighting inequalities and varying degrees of preparation among those onboard.
A new article reviews key concepts, mathematical models, and statistical techniques for testing rationality in animal behavior. The authors tackle five significant obstacles to justify conclusions from empirical testing of transitivity, including aggregation artifacts and scientific parsimony.
A Brazilian study examines the causal relationship between outdoor air pollution and students' cognitive performance in Brazil. The findings suggest that an increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of PM10 decreases students' scores by 6.1 points, with poorer students more susceptible to air pollution's effects.
The Roman occupation of Carthage resulted in environmental degradation and economic collapse, as evidenced by the abandonment of the city of Zita in AD 200. Archaeological analysis indicates a shift from agricultural goods like olive oil to metal production, which led to unsustainable economic practices and eventually urban collapse.
A triple-system neural model of maladaptive consumption presents a new understanding of compulsive seeking and consumption behaviors. The model identifies three brain regions that may drive maladaptive behaviors: the impulsive system, reflective system, and interoceptive-awareness system.
A new study published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research posits that increased accessibility to anthropomorphized luck can lead consumers to pursue higher-risk financial behavior. The authors suggest that preferences for riskier options are driven by shared risk perceptions that may engender feelings of security.
A new study from the Journal of Near Eastern Studies presents evidence of Roman-era emerald mining in Wadi Sikait, Egyptian Eastern Desert. The excavation revealed religious artifacts and structures, highlighting the importance of cult spaces in mining settlements.
Researchers examine the biographical information of individual heritage language speakers, highlighting the significance they place on their language in everyday life. The study sheds light on the maintenance and revitalization of minority cultures through the personal experiences of indigenous activists.
A new study found that 70% of variability in deal proneness is associated with genetic factors, highlighting the existence of a heritable component. The research compared identical and fraternal twins, revealing stronger similarities in deal-proneness among identical twins.
Research finds cashless payments increase spending on unhealthy food as lower arousal directs attention away from decision risks. Participants with higher education were more willing to pay for desserts under cashless payment conditions.
A recent study on octopus rubescens found a significant adaptability to short-term exposure to acidic water, with metabolic rates returning to normal after 1 week. Long-term effects were less pronounced, with reduced oxygen circulation and function in low-acidity conditions.
Archaeologists study how climate shift affected Greater Cahokia's bio-cultural associations and societal changes. Evapotranspiration played a critical role in determining urbanism progression, particularly through Steam Bath Ceremonialism.
In contemporary Taiwan, a study reveals that weak police forces effectively maintain peace by focusing on civic ritual and performative peace. The author argues for a normative ideal of 'weak policing' as the democratic midpoint between violent control and uncontrolled violence.
The article argues for a revitalized view of history in ecology and evolution, proposing nine understandings of history to generalize findings and observe scientific laws. These 'flavors' include contingency, chance, chaos, capriciousness, approach, constraint, construction, turnover, and template.