Astronomers detect oldest black hole ever observed
Researchers have discovered the oldest black hole ever observed, dating from the dawn of the universe, and found that it is ‘eating’ its host galaxy to death. The international team, led by […]
Researchers improve blood tests’ ability to detect and monitor cancer
The advance makes it easier to detect circulating tumor DNA in blood samples, which could enable earlier cancer diagnosis and help guide treatment. Tumors constantly shed DNA from dying cells, which briefly […]
Study reveals a reaction at the heart of many renewable energy technologies
New insights into how proton-coupled electron transfers occur at an electrode could help researchers design more efficient fuel cells and electrolyzers. A key chemical reaction — in which the movement of protons […]
Targeting kids generates billions in ad revenue for social media
Harvard study is first to estimate annual ad revenue attributable to young users of these platforms Social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube collectively derived nearly $11 […]
New study reveals genes that ‘don’t play well together’ in swordtail fish hybrids, driving the development of distinct species
The researchers have identified genes involved in hybrid incompatibility, a phenomenon that raises reproductive barriers between species and evolutionarily splits them apart. Stanford researchers have gained new insights into how the rise […]
How the fish got its shoulder
A new analysis of the bones and muscles in ancient fish gives new clues about how the shoulder evolved in animals – including us. The shoulder girdle – the configuration of bones […]
Successful honey-hunters know how to communicate with wild birds
In many parts of Africa, humans cooperate with a species of wax-eating bird called the greater honeyguide, Indicator indicator, which leads them to wild bees’ nests with a chattering call. By using specialised sounds […]
Study shows that the way the brain learns is different from the way that artificial intelligence systems learn
Researchers from the MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit and Oxford University’s Department of Computer Science have set out a new principle to explain how the brain adjusts connections between neurons during learning. This new insight may […]
NEW YEAR’S CONCERT
Tradition and History Every year at New Year the Vienna Philharmonic presents a program consisting of the lively and at the same time nostalgic music from the vast repertoire of the family […]
Harvard-led team helps create first molecular map for national neuroscience study
Agroup of scientists, including several at Harvard, have dived deeper into the mammalian brain than ever before by categorizing and mapping at the molecular level all of its thousands of different cell […]
February 12, 2024: Darwin’s Drink: Join the celebration
The Future Leadership Institute celebrates the birthday of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 12 February 1809 – 12 February 2024 Venue: BELGIUM: tbd (either ANTWERP, BRUGGES or LOUVAIN) Introduction: Our daily stress and […]
Cambridge research reveals contents of historic French love letters after 265 years
Over 100 letters sent to French sailors by their fiancées, wives, parents and siblings – but never delivered – have been opened and studied for the first time since they were written […]
$5 trillion in nature-related global economic risks will amplify climate change – Oxford study
Shocks to the global economy related to biodiversity loss and ecosystem damage could cost upwards of $5 trillion, according to reports from Network of Central Banks and Oxford University out today [13 […]
Leiden archaeologist investigates washed up plastics with National Geographic grant
Roberto Arciero is part of RESPIRE project (Research Educational and Storytelling Project in Italian Remote Ecosystem), an international and interdisciplinary research team led by Martina Capriotti (University of Camerino) that received the […]
The biggest science news stories of 2023 as chosen by New Scientist
By Jacob Aron AI chatbots and a weight-loss drug swept the world, temperature records tumbled and India landed on the moon in a year of astonishing science news. Environment The number of […]
Billionaire Politicians: A Global Perspective
Abstract We introduce an original dataset of formal political participation for over 2,000 individuals included in the Forbes Billionaires List. We find that billionaire politicians are a surprisingly common phenomenon: Over 11% […]
Suppressing negative thoughts may be good for mental health after all
The commonly-held belief that attempting to suppress negative thoughts is bad for our mental health could be wrong, a new study from scientists at the University of Cambridge suggests. Researchers at the […]
Wildfires are much worse than a sign of climate change
Expert explains the dual threat posed by a crisis spreading beyond our control Summer headlines have screamed of climate extremes: Record temperatures, an ocean heat wave, and rampant wildfires, including Canadian blazes […]
Stanford Medicine researchers take part in HuBMAP, showing what healthy human tissue looks like
Stanford Medicine scientists describe details of the human intestine and placental tissue as part of the National Institute of Health’s Human Biomolecular Atlas Program. More often than not, studies of human biology […]
Online consumers at risk from ‘intelligent’ price manipulation: Oxford and Imperial experts
Sophisticated computer algorithms used to set prices in online marketplaces put consumers at risk of collusion among sellers, according to a study today from computer scientists at the Oxford Internet Institute and Imperial College. Widespread […]
Taking a lesson in evolutionary adaptation from octopus, squid
Two new studies describe path of divergent sensing capabilities, tracking lineage from common ancestral neurons Cephalopods such as octopus and squid evolutionarily diverged from mollusks like slugs and snails. These animals have […]
February 12, 2023: Darwin’s Drink
The Future Leadership Institute celebrates the birthday of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 12 February 1809 – 12 February 2023 Date: 12 February 2023, 19.00h Venue: Private (Belgium) Tickets: By invitation only Attendance: […]
New modelling study shows that most plastic debris on Seychelles beaches comes from far-off sources
A new modelling study shows that the Seychelles and other islands in the western Indian Ocean are not responsible for most of the plastic waste that accumulates on their beaches. Vast amounts […]
Food industry shows ‘stalled progress’ to reduce salt intakes, new Oxford-led analysis finds
Excess salt consumption* increases the risk of high blood pressure and is thought to be responsible for at least 2.5 million deaths worldwide each year, mostly from strokes and cardiovascular disease (World […]
Study reveals how hunting hawks home in on prey inside a chaotic swarm
New research by the University of Oxford has found that hawks hunting swarming bats steer towards a fixed point in the swarm rather than targeting any one individual A study published this […]
February 12, 2022: Darwin’s Coronadrink
The Future Leadership Institute celebrates the birthday of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 12 February 1809 – 12 February 2022 Date: 12 February 2022, 19.00h Venue: Your Own House Tickets: Please invite yourself, to have drink […]
Nora Eisner: “Anyone can do real science”
Nora Eisner is an astrophysicist affiliated with KU Leuven’s Astronomy Unit. For her PhD at the University of Oxford, she is assisted by more than 30,000 volunteers. “I would never have been […]
Study suggests the paradoxical enjoyment of horror media serves an evolutionary function
Research published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences presents evidence that the enjoyment of horror has evolved as a means of preparing for real-world encounters with danger. The study found that high enjoyment of horror involves […]
One in twenty workers are in ‘useless’ jobs – far fewer than previously thought
The so-called ‘bullshit jobs theory’ – which argues that a large and rapidly increasing number of workers are undertaking jobs that they themselves recognise as being useless and of no social value […]
Intensive agriculture could drive loss of bees and other tropical pollinators
Across the globe, lower levels of land use intensity are good for pollinators, finds the new Nature Communications paper which shows the importance of sustainable land management in cities and agricultural regions. As insect […]
Psychological safety
Every day, occupational safety professionals deal with the perception of risk – or lack thereof – and its consequences for human behavior and safety outcomes. But they might not consider some of […]
Kelp, maggots and mycoprotein among future foods that must be mass-farmed to combat malnutrition
Researchers at the University of Cambridge say our future global food supply cannot be safeguarded by traditional approaches to improving food production. They suggest state-of-the-art, controlled-environment systems, producing novel foods, should be […]
Smartphones have led to the ‘death of proximity’
The most in depth study ever to look at how adults use smartphones reveals how we are ‘homeless’ when we lose them because they are where we increasingly express our personalities, interests […]
Remote working: why some people are less productive at home than others
Has working at home during lockdown made people more productive or not? This has been the subject of some lively debate recently. Many companies do not routinely measure productivity. A large number will have traditionally assumed […]
Eye-tracking research sheds light on how background music influences our perception of visual scenes
According to a new study, the mood of background music in a movie scene affects a person’s empathy toward the main character and their interpretation of the plot, environment, and character’s personality […]
Is Social Media Changing Your Life?
When you pull out your phone to take a photo, are you planning to share it on social media? Why is it so important that people – most of whom you’ve never […]
Commuting Hurts Productivity and Your Best Talent Suffers Most
Many of us have been there: mired in rush-hour traffic, listening to music or news to take our minds off the grind, wishing we didn’t feel so stressed before we’ve even reached […]
Editing the DNA of human embryos could protect us from future pandemics
Hollywood blockbusters such as X-men, Gattaca and Jurassic World have explored the intriguing concept of “germline genome editing” – a biomolecular technique that can alter the DNA of sperm, eggs or embryos. If you remove a gene […]
Why partnering with your closest rival can work so well
Google and Facebook have become huge rivals in the digital ad space with the tech giants hoovering up 70 per cent of online advertising in the US between them, according to Marketwatch. While […]
When Algorithmic Fairness Fixes Fail: The Case for Keeping Humans in the Loop
As healthcare systems increasingly rely on predictive algorithms to make decisions about patient care, they are bumping up against issues of fairness. For example, a hospital might use its electronic healthcare records to […]
When are you going to have children?
As a moral philosopher, Simon Beard has thought deeply about the ethics of having children. He’s troubled by the simplistic way that many people talk about such an important decision – or don’t talk […]
Infectious diseases and social distancing in nature
Forager ants do it, vampire bats do it, guppies do it, and mandrills do it. Long before humans learned about and started “social distancing due to COVID-19,” animals in nature intuitively practiced […]
Did prehistoric women hunt? New research suggests so
For a long time, it was assumed that hunting in prehistoric societies was primarily carried out by men. Now a new study adds to a body of evidence challenging this idea. The research reports the […]
‘Citizen scientists’ help researchers gather new insights into polar bear behaviour
Oxford University is working with Canadian researchers on a first-of-its-kind project that will engage citizen volunteers to help advance knowledge about polar bear behaviour in a changing environment by analysing a decade’s […]
How long will a healthy older person live? A substance in blood may provide a clue
Levels of a substance in nonagenerians’ and centenarians’ blood accurately predict how much longer they’re going to live. The substance comes from the brain. The findings, in a study published in Nature Aging, could prove […]
February 12, 2021: Darwin’s Coronadrink
The Future Leadership Institute celebrates the birthday of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin: 12 February 1809 – 12 February 2022 Date: 12 February 2021, any chosen time Venue: Your Own House Tickets: Please invite yourself, to […]
February 12, 2020: Darwin’s Drink: New York
The Future Leadership Institute organizes every year a DARWIN’S DRINK to celebrate the life of Charles Darwin. Date: 12 February 2020 This year (2020) we invited people all over the world to join […]
February 12, 2020: Darwin’s Drink: Down House, UK (house of Darwin)
The Future Leadership Institute organizes every year a DARWIN’S DRINK to celebrate the life of Charles Darwin. Date: 12 February 2020 This year (2020) we invited people all over the world to […]
February 12, 2020: Darwin’s Drink: Galápagos Research Station
The Future Leadership Institute organizes every year a DARWIN’S DRINK to celebrate the life of Charles Darwin. Date: 12 February 2020 This year (2020) we invited people all over the world to […]