It didn’t take long for Edward Chang to see the implications of what he was doing. The neuroscientist and brain surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, was studying the brain activity behind speech, that precise and delicate neural choreography by which lips, jaw, tongue, and larynx produce meaningful sounds. By implanting an array of electrodes between the outer and inner membranes of the brain, directly over the area of the brain that controls speech, he and his team were abl ...read more

A massive meat-eating bird sat high atop the food chain about 12 million years ago. Researchers analyzed a bone of the creature found in northern South America nearly 20 years ago and determined that it was likely a “terror bird” related to Phorusrhacids, according to a report in Palaeontology. Terror birds were carnivorous, living off small to mid-sized mammals. Earlier examples of Phorusrhacid fossils grew up to 9 feet tall. But this one was likely 5 percent to 20 percent larger, based on ...read more

Long before humans figured out how to harness solar power, photosynthesizers beat us to it. Our first attempt came less than 3,000 years ago, when the ancient Greeks built magnifying glasses to concentrate light for starting fires. By then, other lifeforms had already been converting those same rays into chemical energy for upwards of 3.5 billion years. There is truly nothing new under the sun.This process, called photosynthesis, is fundamental to almost all life on Earth. Primary producers (pla ...read more

Nobody has seen the original list of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Greek historian Herodotus and later Callimachus are purported to have created this list more than two millennia ago, but their original writings on this topic haven’t survived — we only know they included sites like the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria based on the writings of others later on.The only surviving wonder of these original seven that still stands is the Great Pyramid of Giza — t ...read more

When someone tells you that you need more fiber in your diet, do you immediately think of bran muffins? Not to disparage bran muffins, but you can do better than that. A diet high in fiber can be surprisingly varied and delicious. And the benefits go way beyond keeping you regular, though that is one big advantage.Dietary fiber helps lower LDL cholesterol (the so-called “bad” cholesterol), stabilizes blood sugar, and can reduce inflammation, explains Amy Bragagnini, board-certified oncology ...read more

Gasoline fuels most light-duty vehicles, such as passenger cars and pickup trucks. Heavy-duty vehicles, like buses, delivery trucks, and long-haul tractor-trailers, typically run on diesel.Both fuel types are needed because gasoline and diesel engines have different strengths. As my automotive engineering students learn, this makes them suitable for different uses.Let’s start with what they have in common. Gas and diesel engines both work through a process called internal combustion.First, the ...read more

In medieval England, “handedness” determined whether one was considered virtuous or evil. The Latin root of “left” literally meant “sinister,” and folks who favored that hand were sometimes accused of witchcraft. Now, imaging technology can tell us how favoring one hand affected bone chemistry, according to a report in PLOS ONE. Researchers used relatively new imaging techniques to analyze the bones of centuries-old skeletons from a famous shipwreck, the Mary Rose. That ship, part of ...read more

Long-term high ultrafine particle concentrations in New York state neighborhoods are linked to higher numbers of deaths. That is the key finding of our new research, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.Our study shows that high levels of ultrafine particles in the atmosphere over long periods of time are significantly associated with increased non-accidental deaths, particularly from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.Ultrafine particles are aerosols less than 0.1 micrometers, o ...read more

Stories define people – they shape our relationships, cultures, and societies. Unlike other skills replaced by technology, storytelling has remained uniquely human, setting people apart from machines. But now, even storytelling is being challenged. Artificial intelligence, powered by vast datasets, can generate stories that sometimes rival, or even surpass, those written by humans.Creative professionals have been among the first to feel the threat of AI. Last year, Hollywood screenwriters prot ...read more

The ancient world’s march toward urbanization was uneven. While Mesopotamia was sprouting city-states along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and building massive monuments like the Ziggurat of Ur (in what is now Iraq), development in Arabia appears to have been smaller, slower, and more modest, according to a report in PLOS ONE.Urbanization to archeologists, isn’t just about the presence of massive monuments, though. Its signposts include temples and public buildings, signs of administration ...read more