From Spanish and Swahili to Finnish and Filipino, over 7,000 languages are spoken across the world today. Humans are unique in that we are the only species known to use language. However, new research suggests we might not be as unusual in this capacity as previously thought.A paper published in Science Advances describes chimpanzees’ ability to create new meanings by combining calls – a technique not so different from how we combine words to produce sentences. This discovery could have majo ...read more

The largest known flood in geological time took anywhere from 2 years to 16 years to fill up the Mediterranean Sea. While it didn’t fill up the area fast, the water was powerful and hit some areas at speeds of 67 miles per hour — unleashing a wall of destruction that dug out canyons, shaped future islands and wiped out more than 95 percent of known marine species at the time.“What makes this event extraordinary is it is the largest flood that we know that ever happened in Earth’s history ...read more

The crisis of fentanyl and other opioids is far from over in the U.S., and a new study stresses that point, finding that the illicit use of these substances is much more prevalent than prior studies suggest. Published today in JAMA Health Forum, the research reveals that 7.5 percent of adults in the U.S. had used illicitly manufactured fentanyl at some point between June 2023 and June 2024 — a percentage that is more than 20 times higher than past reported rates. According to the study authors ...read more

Vultures are often seen as unsightly outcasts in the animal kingdom, yet their dirty work is needed to keep ecosystems healthy. New research has shown that without these underappreciated scavengers, diseases would run rampant throughout the natural world.A study recently published in Ecology and Evolution explains how declining vulture populations could have a devastating impact on the environment. Vultures have already begun to vanish across Europe, Asia, and Africa; now, concerns are also risi ...read more

When the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland began to erupt in 2021, experts banded together to create defensive barriers with dirt to protect civilians in the surrounding areas. Crews from the Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management worked around the clock to build barriers to curtail the lava flow. A field study, led by Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Professor Fjola Gudrun Sigtryggsdottir, analyzed how effective these prevention methods were and ...read more

Golf courses are meticulously maintained with a variety of chemicals, including pesticides. But living too close to finely groomed greens and fairways could increase one’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) by up to 126 percent, according to a study in JAMA Network Open.The article’s authors stress that the research doesn’t establish a strict cause-and-effect relationship between golf course proximity and neurodegenerative disease. They wrote that a “complex interaction” bet ...read more

In the early days of the semaglutide weight loss wave, many of its users reported less interest in alcohol. A study now says that these effects extend well beyond the anecdotal, with individuals in an Irish study reducing alcohol by nearly two-thirds in four months, according to research presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025).If this holds true on a larger scale, the drugs — collectively known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) inhibitors — could have a profound impact on t ...read more

There are more insects on the planet than any other form of life. We are reminded of that fact as summertime approaches and bugs like fruit flies and mosquitoes invade our homes and yards. But these pesky insects aren’t just a nuisance. They can offer us a wide range of insightful and potentially life-changing information – if you know where to look. “Insects rule this planet. Malaria, dengue, Zika viruses, they are all delivered by insects and kill millions of children and adults every y ...read more

Social media: it’s where we catch up with friends, watch funny videos, and sometimes fall into a bottomless pit of doomscrolling, that curiously compelling habit of consuming excessive amounts of news and other content — especially of the negative or stressful variety. While social platforms promise connection and entertainment, many of us feel overwhelmed by how much time we spend there, and how little we get out of it.New research from the University of Bristol offers a fresh perspective. ...read more

When you think of formaldehyde, you probably picture building materials or embalming fluid, not your body lotion or hair conditioner. But this toxic chemical, long linked to cancer, also lurks in everyday personal care products. Since these products go directly on our skin, the health risks get personal, fast.A new study by the Silent Spring Institute — a research organization investigating environmental links to breast cancer — highlights where formaldehyde is found, who is most affected, a ...read more