Two specimens from the Late Cretaceous period, described in a paper published in Scientific Reports, can shed light on how large herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and tails arrived in Australia. Stephen Poropat and colleagues describe two species of Australian sauropod, remains of which were found in the Winton Formation of Queensland, northeast Australia. The […]
Category: Paper of Interest
Enigmatic X-ray flares seen outside the Milky Way 
Two new sources of X-ray flares have been observed in galaxies near the Milky Way. While the nature of the X-ray bursts is uncertain, they are unlike any known object in the Milky Way and, as researchers note, seem to be located in old populations of stars. Another distinguishing factor for these mysterious flares is […]
Determining waiting time for emergence of infectious disease
Predicting emergence or re-emergence of infectious disease—such as MERS-coronavirus, measles, or pertussis—can be a challenge, since the outbreaks don’t happen as soon as theoretically possible. There can be a substantial waiting time between suitable conditions for an outbreak and the outbreak itself. A team of scientists at the University of Georgia has derived and tested […]
Gorilla moms may be responsible for differences in social organization between species
Social organization of gorillas has been helpful to explain the evolution of human behavior, but these structures vary among gorilla species. A recent study outlines different parenting styles among mothers in various gorilla species. For example, female mountain gorillas remain with their sons significantly longer than western gorillas. The presence of the mother might reduce the […]
Early human evolution affected by volcanic activity in Ethiopia
A large pulse of volcanic activity in Ethiopia may have effected a major change in early human evolution. Authors of a new study, published in Nature Communications this week, have reconstructed the history of volcanic activity of a 200-kilometre segment along the East African Rift System. Their findings suggest a burst of highly explosive volcanism […]
Fossil data can provide warning for the risk of extinction
There are numerous contributing factors in the extinction of ocean dwellers. These causes can be difficult to assess in a timely manner. A new study uses fossil data to establish a strong association between the history of geographic distribution of marine species and their extinction risk. Kiessling and colleagues suggest using fossil occupancy trajectories to […]
Mouse pups born out of lab-grown eggs for the first time
Japanese researchers have successfully produced functional mouse eggs entirely in cell culture. For the first time, Katsuhiko Hayashi and colleagues generated mature egg cells using pluripotent stem cells derived from both embryos and adults. The team subjected the new egg cells to in vitro fertilization to develop embryos, which were then transferred into surrogate mice. Some […]
Stones broken by wild monkeys add an edge to early-human tool use theories
As seen in the video, wild bearded capuchin monkeys also adopt a stone-on-stone percussion technique to produce stone flakes similar to early-human stone tools. Broken stones with distinct sharp edges are thought to be a precursor to more sophisticated tool use by early humans. However, a recent Oxford study found that sharp-edged stones may not […]
Vocal dialects of Galapagos whale clans offer a look into the structure of animal societies
Vocal dialects of sperm whales living near the Galapagos Islands have undergone a complete turnover in the last 30 years. The change is due to a migration of different sperm whale clans: two whale populations with distinct vocal dialects populated in the area in 1980s and the 1990s, and were then replaced by two other […]
Eyesight sharpened in the blink of an eye
The next time you reach for your reading glasses, try this weird trick instead: staring at a flickering display. Researchers at Western University found that staring at a series of flickering images can help temporarily sharpen vision. This is due to the decreased activity from the visual pathway responsible for carrying less detailed visual cues […]
Sexual selection drives fruit fly mega sperm
Male fruit flies have super-sized sperm, making them an evolutionary anomaly. Now, researchers have determined why their “little swimmers” aren’t so little. Sexual selection typically favours organisms that produce a large number of small sperm instead of those organisms which invest lots of resources into a small number of large sperm. However, the sperm of […]
Canadian oil sands mining has strong impact on aerosols
Oil sands are one of the largest sources of anthropogenic secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) in North America. SOAs are a component of atmospheric particulate matter, and are known to affect air quality and influence climate. A new study, which combined aircraft measurements, lab experiments, and computer modelling, found that oil sand extraction operations are directly […]
Meerkats size each other up for success
In the wild, meerkats adjust their food intake and growth rate to match the size of their potential sexual rivals, according to a new study. The research also indicates a dominant meerkat will continue to grow if there is only a small size difference between them and their next heaviest potential rival. The researchers studied […]
Early Neanderthal constructions found in a French cave
Ancient ring-like structures found in a cave in France were probably built by Neanderthals, indicating they had more complex behaviour than previously thought. Researchers believe that the ring-shaped structures, which date to around 176,000 years ago, were constructed and carefully planned, although they are not certain of their purpose. The structures were found 336 metres […]
Obesity rising in least walkable Ontario neighborhoods
Obesity rates are rising in neighbourhoods in Southern Ontario with low walkability ratings, while in highly walkable neighbourhoods obesity rates remain steady. There was also a fall in the rate of new diabetes cases in the more walkable neighbourhoods, according to the results of a new study. The study examined patterns of obesity, diabetes, and […]
In changing oceans, cephalopods are booming
As climate change affects the ocean environment, many species are declining – but not the ocean’s cephalopods. Populations of these creatures, which include octopus, cuttlefish, and squid, have increased over the past 60 years. Researchers believe their characteristics, such as rapid growth and short life-spans, allow them to adapt to changing ocean conditions more quickly […]
