Sophisticated stone tools may predate humans, study suggests | CNN

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN  —  The discovery of 330 stone artifacts in Kenya that date back 2.9 million years is throwing light on a key question in human evolution — who first used…

Single-dose antibiotic prevents maternal sepsis and death

A single oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin can reduce the risk of postpartum sepsis and death among women who deliver vaginally by one-third, according to a large multi-country clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. Only 1.6% of women in the study who received azithromycin during labor…

2.9-million-year-old butchery site reopens case of who made first stone tools: Discovery of stone tools and cut-marked animal bones in Kenya offers window into the dawn of stone technology

Along the shores of Africa’s Lake Victoria in Kenya roughly 2.9 million years ago, early human ancestors used some of the oldest stone tools ever found to butcher hippos and pound plant material, according to new research led by scientists with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and Queens…

Southwest explains its meltdown to Congress | CNN Business

Washington CNN  —  Congress is receiving new evidence Thursday of internal chaos at Southwest Airlines over the Christmas holiday meltdown. The Senate Commerce committee is questioning Southwest executive Andrew Watterson, alongside Southwest pilot union president Casey Murray, Sharon Pinkerton of the Airlines for America trade group, Paul Hudson of Flyers’…

Live updates: Suspected Chinese spy balloon latest

This image provided by the U.S. Navy sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina of February 5. (US Navy via AP) The FBI investigation into the suspected Chinese spy balloon recovered in the Atlantic Ocean is…

Researchers link 27 genetic variants to ADHD

Why do some people get ADHD, while others do not? And how early in life or in the womb is the seed of ADHD sown? Researchers from Aarhus University have come closer to answering this question in a large study, which has just been published in the journal Nature Genetics.…

Calorie restriction slows pace of aging in healthy adults

In a first of its kind randomized controlled trial an international team of researchers led by the Butler Columbia Aging Center at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health shows that caloric restriction can slow the pace of aging in healthy adults. The CALERIE™ intervention slowed pace of aging…

Carbon emissions from fertilizers could be reduced by as much as 80% by 2050

Researchers have calculated the carbon footprint for the full life cycle of fertilisers, which are responsible for approximately five percent of total greenhouse gas emissions — the first time this has been accurately quantified — and found that carbon emissions could be reduced to one-fifth of current levels by 2050.…

Scientists boost quantum signals while reducing noise

A certain amount of noise is inherent in any quantum system. For instance, when researchers want to read information from a quantum computer, which harnesses quantum mechanical phenomena to solve certain problems too complex for classical computers, the same quantum mechanics also imparts a minimum level of unavoidable error that…

Hubble captures the start of a new spoke season at Saturn

New images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope herald the start of the planet’s “spoke season” surrounding its equinox, when enigmatic features appear across its rings. The cause of the spokes, as well as their seasonal variability, has yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists. Like Earth, Saturn…

The cod population off the coast of Sweden is not extinct

The rumour that the coastal cod is extinct is not true. Through DNA analyses, researchers at the University of Gothenburg have identified that there are still juvenile coastal cod off the west coast of Sweden. However, it is still difficult to find any mature adult cod in the area. By…

How to really reach students with online teaching

Even though students’ grades are no worse with online teaching than with face-to-face teaching, many report that the learning process is not sufficient. In 2022, researchers from Ruhr University Bochum’s Faculty of Medicine proved that the body actually reacts differently to online teaching than to face-to-face formats, specifically with a…

Packaged DNA: New method to promote bone growth

DNA can help to stimulate bone healing in a localised and targeted manner, for example after a complicated fracture or after severe tissue loss following surgery. This has been demonstrated by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the University of Leipzig, the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the Fraunhofer…

Make them thin enough, and antiferroelectric materials become ferroelectric

Antiferroelectric materials have electrical properties that make them advantageous for use in high-density energy storage applications. Researchers have now discovered a size threshold beyond which antiferroelectrics lose those properties, becoming ferroelectric. “Electronic devices are getting smaller and smaller, which makes it increasingly important for us to understand how a material’s…

Fighting climate change: Ruthenium complexes for carbon dioxide reduction to valuable chemicals: A novel technology facilitates hydride transfer to carbon dioxide, converting it into formic acid at a high turnover number

Climate change is a global environmental concern. A major contribution to climate change comes from excessive burning of fossil fuels. They produce carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. In this light, governments globally are framing policies to curb such carbon emissions. However, merely curbing carbon emissions…