A diamond containing a never-before-seen form of calcium silicate (CaSi03) and traces of titanium sheds light on the composition and dynamics of the Earth’s inner workings. Although scientists have theorized that this form of CaSi03 is widespread within the planet, the mineral remains stable at only extremely high pressures—such as those found at depths […]
Sparrows’ song might help determine health of potential mates and compatibility 
Complexity of a male bird’s song can help attract the most compatible mate, new research suggests. Researchers investigated whether song repertoire and complexity advertises the singer’s genetic dissimilarity to others in the population — something that could help a couple raise the most viable young. A male bird’s health influences how well it can learn […]
How climate change alters competition for food in the Arctic
Competition between belugas and Greenland halibut in Cumberland Sound in the Arctic has changed with the climate. Belugas and halibut are considered intraguild predators, i.e. predators that feed on one another to reduce competition for resources. Researchers have tracked predation between the two species over a 30-year period. Their findings show that the belugas consume […]
New method uses over 200 years of data to track early bloomers
There’s now a tool to find out whether your flowers are blooming unusually early in the season. Thanks to scores of data recorded by both researchers and citizen scientists, the new statistical estimator contrasts the time a flower bloomed over the past two centuries to observation in the present day. Study authors say that their […]
Exercise can prevent falls in the elderly
Regular exercise and consistent vision treatment in elderly patients can help prevent falls, which are the leading cause of injury among this age group. These findings come from a meta-analysis of 54 randomized clinical trials involving almost 42,000 people and 39 interventions. The data suggest that gentle exercise, such as tai chi, can decrease the […]
Indigenous drug users more likely to die of substance abuse than non-Indigenous users
Indigenous youth who use drugs are 13 times more likely to die than their non-Indigenous peers, and women face greater risk than young men, according to results of a new study. A team of researchers analyzed data on 610 young Indigenous people aged 14-30 years who used drugs in Vancouver and Prince George, BC, on […]
Threespine stickleback can learn to adapt to low-oxygen environments
As aquatic oxygen levels decrease with the changing climate, marine and lakewater species face a challenging task of adapting to hypoxic environments – or risk perishing. To examine potential for adaptation, researchers investigated two populations of threespine stickleback: one from a lake that naturally experiences seasonal long-term hypoxia and the other one that does not. […]
Forest fragmentation edges out 85% of vertebrate species around the world
Most forest-dwelling species have been disrupted by fragmentation, new research suggests. Using a new analysis method, scientists assessed the impact of human-induced forest fragmentation on the abundance of 1,673 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians around the globe. Their findings revealed that in many forests, the animal communities in the core differ greatly from […]
How the world’s largest fungus grew to its humongous proportions
One of the largest terrestrial living organisms, an Armillaria ostoyae specimen dubbed the ‘Humongous Fungus’, covers almost 9 kilometres and weighs 544 tonnes. Armillaria fungi live mostly underground, which gives them the needed space to grow to epic proportions. A team of scientists set out to pinpoint the genetic mechanism that allows this fungus group to grow. They sequenced […]
Grizzlies can tolerate saturated fats better than humans
Unlike humans, grizzly bears experience no immediate adverse effects from eating a diet rich in saturated fats, according to results of a new study. Researchers fed two groups of captive bears different diets, one high in “healthy” fats like oats and salmon and the other full of saturated fats like beef and cheese. The bears […]
Survival of the fullest: Red knots’ chances of surviving winter increase with its body weight
Endangered rufa red knots – which make one of the world’s longest migrations, from southern South America to the Arctic – are more likely to leave for breeding grounds earlier, arrive sooner and breed successfully if they start out their summer migration on a full stomach. Using innovative radio tracking, researchers observed a group of […]
Scientists create a global tool to help countries plan for better conservation funding
Conservation funding can mitigate biodiversity loss if those finances are invested wisely, and a newly designed model aims to help governments accomplish this goal over time. Authors of a new study designed an evidence-based model to help predict the impact of conservation funding on biodiversity loss in 109 countries. Their data revealed that, in the […]
Strong link between depression and risk of early death for both men and women
Association between depression and early death remains strong among men and has ramped up among women over the past two decades, results of a long-term community-based study suggest. Researchers examined 60 years of mental health data of over 3000 adults from a region in Atlantic Canada and linked the data to deaths in the Canadian […]
Genetic variants for breast cancer can help in better screening and treatments, earlier detection
Scientists have identified 72 new genetic variants associated with the risk of breast cancer. In two recently published studies, researchers describe the new variants – including some that are associated with two biologically distinct types of breast cancer cases that don’t respond to hormonal therapy. These results come from a global project which involved over […]
How volcanoes can melt ice sheets long after the eruption
Volcanic ash can trigger abrupt melting of ice sheets long after the eruption, according to evidence from ancient ice sediment records. While volcanic eruptions and the release of ash into the air generally has a cooling effect on the planet’s atmosphere, deposits of ash onto ice sheets can cause spontaneous melts that contribute to global […]
Collision of two stars offers astronomers first glimpse of gravitational waves in visible light
Three months ago, two neutron stars in a galaxy 130 million light-years away from Earth collided with an explosion so powerful that, for the first time ever, astronomers were able to observe a cosmic event of this scale. It all started when scientists at LIGO/Virgo detected gravitational waves, which were at first thought to be […]
