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Probably not, according to Eric Schwitzgebel, a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. In a new working paper, Schwitzgebel and Jeremy Pober, a former UCR graduate student who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lisbon, argue that conscious beings may be possible even…
Scientists have identified a group of neurons located in an ancient region of the brain that plays a key role in helping animals focus. These cells appear to improve attention by filtering out distractions and directing the brain toward the most important information. The discovery, made in mice by researchers…
Researchers at La Trobe University have identified a previously unknown biological process that may help explain how viruses move through the body. The discovery could also open new opportunities for developing treatments that better support the immune system. Published in Nature Communications, the study sheds new light on what happens…
Animals of the same species don’t always look the same. From birds with different beak shapes to mammals that vary in size or color, populations living in different places can often look very different. What’s much harder to pin down is why these differences arise. Are they shaped by local…
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago. The discovery pushes back one of the earliest known records of fire use linked to hominins and offers fresh clues about how our ancestors first learned…
A major new tool for X-ray research has entered service at BESSY II. Developed through a collaboration between HZB, MPI-CEC (Mühlheim-an-der-Ruhr, Germany), and NIST (Boulder CO, USA), the instrument is the first and only TES spectrometer operating at a synchrotron facility in Europe. The new system delivers a dramatic improvement…
Many people in England who are considered at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency may not be getting enough of the nutrient at any time of year, according to new research. The findings challenge the widely held belief that spending time in the summer sun is enough to restore healthy…
Most pandemics begin when a virus or other pathogen crosses from animals into people. Many scientists believe this is how COVID-19 emerged. The virus responsible for the disease, SARS-CoV-2, is closely related to coronaviruses found in bats. Now, a team of researchers from the UCSF Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), Icahn…
Kombucha has surged in popularity worldwide in recent years, becoming one of the most widely consumed fermented drinks. While many people choose it for its distinctive flavor, researchers are taking a closer look at what is happening inside the beverage during fermentation and how its ingredients may influence its properties.…
Scientists with the SETI Institute have completed a search for possible technological signals coming from 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to pass through our Solar System. Using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at Northern California’s Hat Creek Radio Observatory, researchers examined a broad range of radio frequencies for evidence…
When H5N1 bird flu began infecting U.S. dairy cattle in early 2024, veterinarians struggled to identify the cause. The virus was difficult to recognize because it behaved very differently in cows than it does in other mammals. Rather than primarily infecting the lungs, H5N1 caused severe infections in the udders…
Scientists have identified a previously unrecognized bird species in Japan after genetic research revealed that what was thought to be a single species is actually two. The discovery involves the Ijima’s Leaf Warbler, a rare migratory bird found only on two island groups in Japan. While new bird species are…
A remarkable fossil site in northwestern China has yielded hundreds of prehistoric bird remains, including clusters of shattered bones compressed into pellet-like masses resembling those produced by modern owls. For years, paleontologists suspected that a larger predator was responsible for hunting these birds, but no direct evidence of such an…
For many years, scientists believed the recipe for creating a queen honeybee was straightforward: give a developing larva plenty of royal jelly, and it becomes the colony’s ruler. A new study suggests the reality is far more complex. Researchers have discovered that future queens are raised inside specially designed nursery…
For decades, scientists recognized only two major types of magnets. One is the familiar ferromagnet, the kind found in refrigerator magnets and countless everyday devices. The other is the antiferromagnet, whose magnetic properties are hidden at the atomic level but have attracted growing interest because of their potential use in…
Learning a new language or recovering the ability to speak may rely less on the brain’s movement centers than scientists once believed. New research suggests that regions involved in processing sound and physical sensations play a much larger role in speech learning and memory. The study, conducted by researchers at…
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributes to an estimated 1.1 million to 1.4 million deaths worldwide each year. While this growing threat is typically linked to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, new research suggests another factor may also be playing a role: certain weedkillers. Scientists have found evidence that glyphosate, one…
A remarkable fossil discovery inside a cave near Waitomo on New Zealand’s North Island is giving scientists an unprecedented look at a long vanished ecosystem. Researchers from Australia and New Zealand have uncovered the remains of ancient birds and frogs that lived around 1 million years ago, including a previously…
More than 4.5 billion years ago, a huge world, potentially as large as the moon or even Mars, traveled around the young Sun before a violent collision shattered it into pieces. Scientists now say they have found the first direct evidence that this long-lost planetary embryo, known as a protoplanet,…
NASA’s upgraded Cold Atom Lab is back in operation aboard the International Space Station, giving researchers a powerful new way to investigate the fundamental nature of matter and advance the development of future quantum technologies. Taking advantage of the station’s microgravity environment, the facility enables experiments that cannot be performed…
A minimally invasive procedure for chronic knee pain is helping some patients find significant relief without undergoing major surgery. For Cynthia Schraf-Fletcher, 74, the results were “remarkably” successful. Nearly a year after receiving genicular artery embolization (GAE) on her right knee, Schraf-Fletcher says the improvement is comparable to the total…
A new paper published in Frontiers in Nutrition argues that current public health recommendations for exercise and protein intake are largely aimed at preventing deficiency, not helping people achieve the best possible long-term health, independence, and quality of life. The paper tackles several fundamental questions: How much protein do people…
Trees planted along farmland to shield crops from strong winds are often viewed as a simple way to support biodiversity. But new research suggests the picture is more complicated, especially in agricultural wetlands where many bird species depend on open landscapes. A team of researchers studying farmland wetlands on the…
Scientists have gained new insight into the dramatic event that created the Moon’s largest and oldest known impact crater, a discovery that could help future Artemis astronauts investigate some of the Moon’s deepest secrets. The findings come from two companion studies led in part by researchers from the Center for…
For months, Edward (Ed) Waldner knew something wasn’t right. At 55 years old, he felt constantly drained, no matter how much or how little he had done during the day. He wondered whether sleep apnea might be to blame. He also noticed subtle changes in the way he walked, including…
A group of tropical butterflies may have evolved an extraordinary way to stay healthy for longer by slowing the aging process itself, according to a University of Bristol-led study published June 16 in Nature Communications. The butterflies belong to the Heliconius tribe, a group found across the rainforests of Central…
Ebola virus disease and hantavirus have attracted renewed attention in recent weeks because of the serious risks they pose to public health. Although they are very different diseases, both can begin with similar symptoms and require strict infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures to limit the risk of transmission. Recent…
For years, scientists believed Tyrannosaurus rex reached its adult size at around age 25. But a major new study suggests the iconic predator may have taken much longer to mature. According to the research, T. rex likely continued growing for about 40 years before reaching its maximum size of roughly…
Researchers are taking a closer look at how different types of dietary fat may influence the risk of type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects millions of people worldwide and is linked to serious health complications and premature death. A new review published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism (Cell…
People age differently. Some remain free of major diseases well into old age, while others develop serious health problems much earlier. Understanding why this happens is becoming increasingly important as populations grow older around the world. Although life expectancy has risen dramatically over the past 200 years, the number of…
