If you’re swimming across a thriving coral reef, you may mistakenly believe you floated upon a giant underwater human brain.Brain coral is a hard coral, also known as a stony coral or reef builder. They cluster into colonies and ultimately create the foundation for a reef to form, giving soft corals and many other marine species a place to call home.These magnificently grooved creatures, from which they get their name, are key parts of a healthy reef.How Brain Coral Got Its NameHard corals lik ...read more

As 2024 winds down, so too is the Geminid meteor shower. One of the final meteor showers of the year began on December 2, 2024 and is expected to peak on the nights of December 12 and December 13. Stargazers could have the opportunity to see hundreds of meteors streak across the sky. Here’s everything you need to know to prepare for this spectacular meteor shower. How Long Will the Geminid Meteor Shower Be Active?According to the American Meteor Society (AMS), the Geminid meteor shower will b ...read more

Better understanding of the pathways between the gut and the brain could lead to more effective treatments for both mood and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.Researchers experimented in mice to better map those pathways, including a nerve that serves as a highway for serotonin — a chemical that plays a key role in depression and anxiety. The experiments indicated that aiming medication for depression and anxiety toward the gut may prove more effective than the current approach of targeting the ...read more

Archaeologists have investigated a Ukrainian site that might lend itself to a police procedural show — perhaps named CSI: Stone Age.The site near Kosenivka embodies mystery on many levels. Although an estimated 15,000 Neolithic people living in what is now Eastern Europe about 5,000 years ago, there are relatively few human remains. And when they have been found — like the 50 fragments in one house at the Kosenivka site — how the inhabitants died remains unknown. Researchers have now prese ...read more

Archaeologists have investigated a Ukrainian site that might lend itself to a police procedural show — perhaps named CSI: Neanderthal.The site near Kosenivka embodies mystery on many levels. Although an estimated 15,000 Neolithic people living in what is now Eastern Europe about 5,000 years ago, there are relatively few human remains. And when they have been found — like the 50 fragments in one house at the Kosenivka site — how the inhabitants died remains unknown. Researchers have now pre ...read more

Whether it’s chicken and dumplings, lasagna, or chocolate chip cookies, we all have foods that we turn to when we need a little extra support. Maybe we saddle up with a bowl of our favorite soup when we’re feeling under the weather or munch on a yummy childhood snack in front of the computer when we have to work late.  Comfort foods provide just that: comfort and every human society has had its go-to favorites.We can’t know for sure how long comfort foods have been around, but for much o ...read more

The world of the early Jurassic would have been warmer than it is today. There has been no evidence of ice sheets anywhere on the planet, and the sea level was much higher. This was the perfect environment for Attenborosaurus to thrive. Large parts of Europe, where Attenborosaurus dwelled, would have been underwater during the early part of the Jurassic. It was a world blanketed in warm tropical oceans and shallow seas teeming with fish, ammonites, other marine reptiles, and turtles, says Becky ...read more

Scientists are experimenting with an unconventional source to trap the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide: zooplankton poop.Earth needs more carbon sinks. As the planet warms, many of the places that trap CO2 are now releasing it into the atmosphere, rather than holding onto it. Trees are burning, permafrost is melting, and parts of the ocean are acidifying. Those factors, combined with emissions remaining stubbornly high, despite many non-binding agreements to reduce them, prompted Mukul Sharma, a D ...read more

In the U.S., life expectancy is nearly six years older for women than it is for men. And this happens throughout the world. Women's higher life expectancy is attributed to a number of factors, including men's greater risk of heart disease due to a lack of estrogen, the fact that men take bigger risks, are more likely to smoke and drink and drive, and that men are more likely to die by suicide. These are just a few of the reasons why females tend to outlive males. And it’s also true of other s ...read more

Therapy comes in many different forms, but one growing field of study has researchers committed to alleviating patients’ problems with the help of psychedelic substances. Treatments with substances like psilocybin, (a psychedelic compound in certain species of fungi, or “magic mushrooms”), MDMA (known as “ecstasy”), LSD (known as “acid”), and ayahuasca have been studied for potential benefits that may relieve conditions such as depression, PTSD, and addictions. In this emerging br ...read more