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How your brain decides to put in effort
Researchers have clear visual evidence that a region of the human brain known as the ventral striatum kicks in during decision-making to weigh the costs versus the benefits of making a physical effort....
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Team finds fossil iguana nesting burrow in Bahamas
The discovery of the first known fossil iguana nesting burrow clarifies the lizards’ prehistoric behavior. The study in PLOS ONE also uncovers new clues to the geologic and natural history of the...
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Bonobo and chimp genomes shed light on huge differences
A whole-genome comparison of bonobos and chimps reveals the gene pathways associated with the striking differences between the two species’ diets, sociality, and sexual behaviors. Chimpanzees and...
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Belly skin gives sidewinders an edge on sand
A few species of snakes are called “sidewinders,” and new research finds their belly skin is as odd as their way of getting around. Most snakes get from A to B by bending their bodies into S-shapes and...
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Inherited traits boost risk that teen weed users keep it up
At least a small portion of the risk for developing into an adult marijuana user may be related to inherited behaviors and traits that appear during adolescence, according to a new study. While some...
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Without context, happy screams sound like fear
People are adept at discerning most emotions that underlie screams, such as anger, frustration, pain, surprise, or fear, according to a new study. The study also finds, however, that without additional...
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‘Fishing’ for protein changes could signal cancer early
A new method can detect changes in proteins that may signal the early stages of cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other major diseases, researchers report. The results offer a novel strategy for...
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Antibiotic resistance is spreading from people to chimpanzees
Nearly half of fecal samples from wild chimpanzees contain bacteria that is resistant to a major class of antibiotics people commonly use in the vicinity of Gombe National Park in Tanzania, according...
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Kids see taking ‘dirty money’ as wrong at an early age
Experiments show that children prefer non-stolen money from a “bad” person over stolen money from an “okay” person, researchers report. When people deposit a $100 bill into their bank accounts, they...
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Depressed brains don’t have the regular response to stress
A new study identifies a novel biomarker indicating resilience to chronic stress. This biomarker is largely absent in people suffering from major depressive disorder, and this absence is further...
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Chestnut leaf molecule disarms staph bacteria
A molecule extracted from European chestnut tree leaves has the power to neutralize dangerous, drug-resistant staph bacteria, a new study shows. Researchers dubbed the molecule Castaneroxy A, after the...
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These factors raise the risk of nicotine dependence
A new study uses genome-wide association studies for a range of different traits and disorders correlated with nicotine dependence and explains 3.6% of the variation in nicotine dependence. In other...
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Diversity may boost US wheat and corn crop yields by 20%
Diverse landcover can boost yields for major US crops like corn and wheat, a new study shows. The findings run counter to previous assumptions that suggest monoculture—or specializing in a single crop,...
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Many claims about sex differences lack scientific rigor
Many scientific claims about differences between males and females aren’t backed by data, research finds. An analysis of published studies from a range of biological specialties shows that, when...
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Seeing grandkids lights up grandmother brains
Looking at pictures of their young grandchildren activates the parts of grandmothers’ brains associated with emotional empathy, a new study shows. The findings provide a neural snapshot of this...
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Kids books are biased towards male protagonists
A major analysis of children’s books published during the last 60 years suggests that a bias persists toward male protagonists—despite an overall trend for an increasing proportion of female leads. The...
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Ancient DNA from Sudan clarifies social structure
The first genome-wide, ancient human DNA data from Sudan reveals new insights into the ancestry and social organization of people who lived more than 1,000 years ago. In Nature Communications,...
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Crop antibiotic dulls bumblebee foraging skills
An antibiotic sprayed on orchard crops to combat bacterial diseases slows the cognition of bumblebees and reduces their foraging efficiency, a new study shows. Researchers focused on streptomycin, an...
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Why American farmers keep losing money
New research digs deeper into the question of why, despite the extraordinary productivity of US agriculture, US farm operators are systematically losing money. US agricultural systems are world leaders...
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Ruthless parasite plagues monarch butterflies
Monarch butterflies, one of the most iconic insects of North America, are increasingly plagued by a debilitating parasite, a new analysis shows. Researchers drew from 50 years of data on the infection...
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