Intensification of agriculture and social hierarchies evolve together, study finds
A long-standing debate in the field of cultural evolution has revolved around the question of how and why human societies become more hierarchical. Some...
First evidence of live-traded dogs for Maya ceremonies
Police detectives analyze isotopes in human hair to find out where a murder victim was born and grew up. Ashley Sharpe, an archaeologist at...
A future colorfully lit by mystifying physics of paint-on semiconductors
Some novel materials that sound too good to be true turn out to be true and good. An emergent class of semiconductors, which could...
Mars’ oceans formed early, possibly aided by massive volcanic eruptions
A new scenario seeking to explain how Mars' putative oceans came and went over the last 4 billion years implies that the oceans formed...
Volcanic eruption influenced Iceland’s conversion to Christianity
Memories of the largest lava flood in the history of Iceland, recorded in an apocalyptic medieval poem, were used to drive the island's conversion...
Progress toward a new flu treatment, thanks to a small tweak
This year's unexpectedly aggressive flu season reminds everyone that although the flu vaccine can reduce the number of people who contract the virus, it...
‘Oumuamua likely came from a binary star system
New research finds that 'Oumuamua, the rocky object identified as the first confirmed interstellar asteroid, very likely came from a binary star system.
"It's remarkable...
Study suggests helium plays a ‘nanny’ role in forming stable chemical compounds under high...
Helium, the second lightest element in the universe, has a variety of uses, from keeping balloons afloat to cooling superconducting magnets.
It is also a...
Decoding the chemistry of fear
Ask a dozen people about their greatest fears, and you'll likely get a dozen different responses. That, along with the complexity of the human...
Scientists detect radio echoes of a black hole feeding on a star
On Nov. 11, 2014, a global network of telescopes picked up signals from 300 million light years away that were created by a tidal...
A small, daily dose of Viagra may reduce colorectal cancer risk
A small, daily dose of Viagra significantly reduces colorectal cancer risk in an animal model that is genetically predetermined to have the third leading...
