Start typing “dog shares...” into a search engine and instant cuteness results. In one clip, a yellow Labrador brings its toys to the fence to share with the neighbor dog.The clips are charming, but are the animals actually sharing? Is it a behavior that animals even know? Through observation, scientists have found examples of sharing in the animal world. Often, it’s based on reciprocity, which means there could be a future expectation the giver will one day be the receiver. Animals May ...read more

Beluga whales are the only whales, other than narwhals, a closely related species, that live exclusively in arctic and subarctic waters. Like many other arctic animals, belugas are white. In fact, the word ‘beluga’ comes from ‘bielo,’ the Russian word for white. But belugas aren’t born white, notes Ragen Davey, Alaska marine representative for the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife. Calves are dark gray and gradually get lighter as they age, becoming totally white upon reaching ...read more

We do all sorts of things to look and feel younger. We exercise, meditate, obsess over our sleep, get Botox, color our hair, and the list goes on and on. But perhaps the most important aspect of our anti-aging ritual is diet. Diet is the best tool for taking care of ourselves, three meals a day, everyday. And for those times when you don’t get what they need, supplements can help.Important Foods to Eat as We AgeFiber is increasingly important as we age, and a staggering 95 percent of Americans ...read more

If superflares are akin to celestial temper tantrums, then our Sun might get angry more often than previously thought, according to a report in the journal Science. A superflare, defined as a solar storm that releases over one octillion joules of energy within a short time, manifests itself in data as a short, pronounced peak in brightness. Understanding superflares’ regularity can be useful, because they can be potentially damaging. For example, a violent solar storm in 1859 knocked out the t ...read more

Scientists have spent years assembling evidence to fill out the intricate Neanderthal timeline from emergence to extinction, and the latest update has cemented a date for Neanderthal interbreeding with humans. A new pair of studies published in the journal Science sheds light on the duration of gene flow between Neanderthals and humans, confirming that it lasted from approximately 50,500 years to 43,500 years ago. The two collaborative studies — involving a team of researchers from University ...read more

When studying the outer planets of our solar system, there’s no solid ground. Literally. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all lack solid surfaces, and are actually composed of clouds of swirling gases, all with their own seasons and storms. Since 2014, the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program has observed these planets to track their strange systems of weather. The observations have shown that there are all sorts of curiosities within the planets’ churning clouds, from t ...read more

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: 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