Fermentation may have driven human brain evolution
From Harvard University 24/12/23 The large, capable human brain is a marvel of evolution, but how it evolved from a smaller primate brain into the creative, complex organ of today is a mystery. Scientists can pinpoint when our evolutionary ancestors evolved larger brains, which roughly tripled in size as human ancestors evolved from the bipedal […]
How pumped are you? Watch the robot it took AI seconds to design walk with inflatable muscles
From Northwestern University 06/10/23 A team led by Northwestern University researchers has developed the first artificial intelligence (AI) to date that can intelligently design robots from scratch. To test the new AI, the researchers gave the system a simple prompt: Design a robot that can walk across a flat surface. While it took nature billions […]
Shocking: Inbreeding can be beneficial in the long run, for Reindeers at least
From Norwegian University of Science and Technology 28/09/23 “Of all the subspecies of reindeer found in the high north, the Svalbard reindeer has the most inbreeding and the lowest genetic diversity,” says Nicolas Dussex, a postdoc at Norwegian University of Science and Technology´s (NTNU) Department of Natural History. It was only 7000-8000 years ago that […]
Nature’s squinting: Urban light pollution linked to smaller eyes in birds
From Washington State University 21/09/23 The bright lights of big cities could be causing an evolutionary adaptation for smaller eyes in some birds, a new study indicates. Researchers found that two common songbirds, the Northern Cardinal and Carolina Wren, that live year-round in the urban core of San Antonio, Texas, had eyes about 5% smaller […]