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One small-brained Kenyan bird creates complex societies, and it can teach us about our own

"It's obviously not just about being smart," the authors say.

Saudi oil company Aramco prepares for $1.5 trillion IPO

This would make it the most valuable company in the world, overtaking Apple by about half a trillion dollars.

AI scans your brain and draws what you see

This is an entire new level of mind reading.

Illegal loggers kill indigenous leader in the Amazon

Paulino Guajajara belonged to a group called the “Guardians of the Forest”

Voyager 2 spacecraft crosses barrier into interstellar space

The daring spacecraft traveled more than 11 billion miles to exit the solar system.

Sunflower-like material follows beam of light

It could be employed to raise the efficiency of solar harvesting devices.

Trump's response to California fires paints a dire picture for climate change

Cutting federal funding: Trump proposed unrealistic and unscientific ways to combat forest fires and threatened to cut “$$$ help.”

World's largest climate summit to move to Madrid, after Chile withdraws

The climate summit was supposed to take place in Chile, but massive protests and riots forced the country to pull out. Spain’s president jumped in, saying that Madrid can save the conference and host it from 2-13 December (as initially planned). Violence and climate Every year, world leaders meet under the auspice of the UN […]

Why are minerals important for human health

Essential and trace minerals are crucial for our health. But is a balanced diet enough to cover the recommended intake?

Ötzi the Iceman's fatal last journey reconstructed from ancient flora

Traces of moss found in the ice tomb suggest that the prehistoric man roamed far and wide during his last days on Earth.

New strategy discovered to combat Huntington's disease

A new procedure could remove mutant proteins that kill neurons

Pesticides linked to the collapse of fisheries in Japan

It was the first time a study revealed the effects of pesticides on fish.

Spider-inspired double-sided tape could leave stitches in the past

Researchers took inspiration on spiders for this new solution

"The last necklace made by the Neanderthals" included eagle talons and is teaching us about our ancient cousins

Neanderthal eagle necklaces are the oldest known ornaments in Europe.

New genetic research effort aims to make watermelons tastier, more resilient

I'd bite.

Side stepping Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle isn't easy

The uncertainty principle provides a constant hindrance to the sensitivity of equipment such as LIGO's interferometer and new research shows, avoiding it is going to be even harder than we had believed.

US voters support sexual education -- regardless of their political beliefs

Democrats and Republicans disagree on many problems -- but they agree that more sexual education needs to be taught in school, a new survey reports.

Morning is the best time for a workout -- especially if you're a man

Previous research has already suggested that working out in the morning, while quite difficult at times, can be the best way to build a sustainable habit. A new study suggests that men who work out pre-breakfast burn two times more fat. Finding the time for a workout in our busy lives is not always easy. […]

New Li-ion battery design can charge electric cars to 80% in less than 10 minutes

This could finally bring EVs into the mainstream.

Giant geode large enough to fit people inside grew slow and steady

Temperature fluctuations, maybe from climate or maybe from geothermal systems, amplified a natural process that grew the crystals.

Macaque tool-use patterns help us understand how early humans went about it

Macaques rely on tools for foods such as shellfish.

Vampire bats make friends in captivity -- and keep them after release

A new study looking into social bonding dynamics for vampire bats reports that friendships they make in captivity are likely to continue after the animals are released back into the wild. While primates are the most iconic group of animals when it comes to social dynamics and friendships, the new study suggests that vampire bats […]

Insects in Germany have declined by up to two-thirds in ten years

This not just happening only in Germany, but all over the world.

AI is beating almost all of mankind at Starcraft

Let's teach AI to beat us at strategy war games -- that sounds like a neat idea.

Tree-planting campaign raises $8 million in five days

Project Team Trees seeks to plant 20 million trees by 2020

South Africa is repaving its roads with recycled plastic milk bottles

A company developed a technology to fix the roads and deal with plastic waste

Plastic-hunting barge cleans up world's rivers

The aim of the project is to clean 1.000 of the world's most polluted rivers

Your brain only needs 0.1 to 0.3 seconds to recognize a familiar song

This could lead to new treatments for certain mental illnesses.

Teen girls on birth-control pills show more symptoms of depression

The pill might trigger hormonal changes in developing teens that may make them more prone to depression.

Why do we do the things we do? A new study says it comes down to four factors

A new study reports that there are four broad categories for the motivations that drive human behavior: prominence, inclusiveness, negativity prevention, and tradition. What do people want? That’s a question psychologists have been trying to answer for a long time now, albeit with little agreement on the results so far. In an attempt to put […]

Why is it so hard to stop people dying from snakebite?

Around the world, thousands of people die every year from snakebite – and there’s not enough antivenom to go round. But even if we had the antivenom we needed, would people use it?

Just thinking about an object's brightness is enough to change pupil size

The eyes as windows to the mind.

Recycling plastic could become easier thanks to this new technology

A factory in France has created a process to recycle any plastic into any other plastic

Immune system could be altered for years after a wildfire

Tiny particles penetrate into the lungs and the bloodstream

Sea level rise could endanger three times more people than previously expected

About 110 million worldwide live below the high-tide level.

New dark energy experiment may solve one of the universe's greatest mysteries

Will we have to rewrite Einstein's theory of gravity? The DESI experiment could find out.

A unique tree could help soils remain fertile in the Amazon

The inga tree can grow in very poor soil and improve it

Potentially fatal tick-borne brain disease found in the UK for first time

Experts described the risk of infection as "very low," but called on members of the public to be aware of ticks.

Sunlight might affect gut microbiome diversity

Vitamin D might mediate the link between sunlight and healthy bacterial diversity in the gut.

Immune cells on our skin destroy drug-resistant bacteria (MRSA) all the time, study finds

Why isn't there a copy-paste command in biology?

Smallest-yet image sensor for medical use wins Guinness World Record

It's the size of a grain of sand.

Growing demand for private jets challenges climate action

Companies and millionaires are expected to buy 8.000 new jets over the next decade

Bird eggs have different colors around the world, and this study has an idea why

While multiple evolutionary mechanisms are at play, a new study shows that eggs in colder climates tend to be darker, which keeps them warmer.

The healthiest food may also be the most sustainable one

A wider use of healthier diets could reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture

More effective tuberculosis vaccine passes early trials in Africa

It's a very promising development.

We eat more with friends and family than when we're alone -- here's why

Meal sizes were between 29% and 48% larger compared to when eating alone.

Trees and water: don’t underestimate the connection

Trees have extraordinary powers, especially when it comes to water. But such powers must be wielded with care.

Scientists have found a record-breaking 500-km-long mega lightning bolt

Some thunderstorms are so intense that the vivid lightning and crashes of thunder may keep you up at night. Here’s a thought that will surely keep you awake during such restless storms: some lightning bolts are so large they can extend across multiple states. According to scientists who analyzed satellite imagery, one such lighting bolt […]

Bee-killing pesticides offer negligible benefits to soy farmers -- but farmers are not convinced

These pesticides are threatening bee populations, while providing marginal benefits at most.

Researchers may have spotted the smallest dwarf planet in the solar system

Small but significant.