Forest-dependent people living across the Gran Chaco have been put on the map for the first time. As agribusiness expands into the dry forest on which they rely, the impact of that expansion on them has been difficult to document because their homesteads are dotted over 1 million km2. But now an international team of researchers has used high resolution satellite imagery to systematically identify...

As a foundational species, giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is vital to the ecosystem of the temperate, shallow, nearshore waters where it grows. When the kelp flourishes, so do the communities that rely on the fast-growing species for food and shelter.

Exposure to the heavy metal cadmium is known to irritate the stomach and lungs or cause kidney disease, but new research links another health issue to inadvertently ingesting low doses of the pollutant: high activation of the antibodies that cause an allergic response.

A team of physicists has demonstrated numerically a dynamical one-parameter scaling called 'Family-Vicsek (FV) scaling,' originally found in surface growth physics, in disordered quantum systems.

Researchers have uncovered a surprisingly complex yet precisely ordered map of visual space in area V2 of the cortex. Challenging previously held beliefs, this novel organization redefines mapping of visual space and reveals a newfound flexibility not seen before.

Whales use a combination of rapid echolocation adjustments and nimble brain responses to zero in on fast-moving prey, suggests a new study.

Cells can control their ability to move through the body by using a protein called fascin to control the stiffness of neighbouring cells, suggests a new study.

Meteorologists and emergency workers continue to contest the popular thinking that waiting out a tornado under an overpass is safe. According to the National Weather Service, doing so could actually increase the risk of death, in part because the wind from a tornado is thought to accelerate as it flows under the overpass, in what's known as the wind tunnel effect.

Scientists have used down-scaled laboratory models to show how sand dunes move through a landscape, revealing the conditions that determine whether they will pass through hurdles in their path -- like pipelines or walls -- or get stopped in their tracks.

An international team of scientists has identified a new connection between certain molecules produced by the microbiome and the function of a protein that impacts gut inflammation.

The next time you buy a new couch, you may not ever have to leave your old one to get a feel for the texture of the new material. Researchers are working to better define how the finger interacts with a device with the hope of aiding in the further development of technology that goes beyond sensing and reacting to your touch.

Water is a scarce commodity in many countries worldwide, but new cost-effective technology pioneered by researchers in Australia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could ensure sustainable water supplies for decades to come.

Psychologists have created body-maps of the sensations which arise during hallucinations in people experiencing psychosis.

According to a study of couples in the Houston area before and after Hurricane Harvey, natural disasters can actually bring married couples closer together, at least temporarily. This surprised researchers because in previous studies looking at everyday stressors, couples typically experience 'stress spillover' in their relationships, which can decrease their satisfaction with their relationships....

Changing levels of the chemical dopamine, a chemical most associated with motivation, may help explain why stressful experiences during infancy can lead to lasting behavioral issues, a new study shows.

Accurate forecasting of epidemic scenarios is critical to implementing effective public health intervention policies. Researchers used dynamical stochastic modeling techniques to reveal that infection and recovery rate fluctuations play a critical role in determining peak times for epidemics. Using a susceptible-infected-recovered epidemic model that incorporates daily fluctuations on control...

Researchers outline how a robot could be taught to navigate through a maze by electrically stimulating a culture of brain nerve cells connected to the machine. These nerve cells were grown from living cells and acted as the physical reservoir for the computer to construct coherent signals. These findings suggest goal-directed behavior can be generated without any additional learning by sending...

Imagine a single policy, imposed on one industry, which would, if enforced consistently, stop fossil fuels causing global warming within a generation. The Carbon Takeback Obligation could do just that. It requires fossil fuel extractors and importers to dispose safely and permanently of a rising fraction of the CO2 they generate, with that fraction rising to 100% by the year of net-zero....

Common semiconductor materials for solar cells, such as silicon, must be grown via an expensive process to avoid defects within their crystal structure that affect functionality. But metal-halide perovskite semiconductors are emerging as a cheaper, alternative material class, with excellent and tunable functionality as well as easy processability.

Researchers have developed formulas that can calculate the body size of a primate based on the root size of its teeth. The formulas could allow researchers to make use of partial and incomplete fossils in order to learn how ancient primates -- including human ancestors -- interacted with their environment.

Across the United States, bird populations are declining due to decreases in availability of habitat. Recently, a team of scientists explored the value of the biggest chunk of green space found in cities -- residential yards --as wildlife habitat.

A systematic review highlights the vulnerability of coffee quality to environmental shifts associated with climate change and practices to mitigate the effects. Findings have implications for farmer livelihoods, consumer experiences and choices, and future strategies to support farms and product.

Research has revealed that the brain employs distinct circuitries that mediate positive, or rewarding, behaviors and negative, or aversive, ones. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has long been thought to arise from overactivity in the negative valence system, however a new study shows that people with PTSD also displayed a deficit in activation of positive valence processing soon after the...

Researchers have revealed in an animal model that ImmuBalance, a fermented soybean product, is effective in suppressing airway inflammation caused by asthma. Results showed a decreased presence of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, a decrease in mucus production in the bronchial epithelium, and a suppression of proteins that induce eosinophilic inflammation.