Study explores why chimp mothers keep carrying lost infants
An Oxford-led analysis has compared 83 reported cases in which chimpanzee or bonobo mothers carried infants after death.
University of Oxford ·
THE GLOBAL BRIEFING
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22 storiesStories move here after 24 hours, or when replaced in the selection. Grouped by the date they left the briefing (UK time). Original source dates stay visible.
21 Sept 202614 stories
Museum fossils reveal a new Tanzanian prehistoric animal
Researchers have identified a new species of Dinodontosaurus from Tanzanian fossils, including material collected more than 60 years ago.
University of Bristol ·
Physicists catch sound making a quantum jump
Stanford researchers have observed abrupt changes in the energy of tiny units of sound inside a mechanical resonator.
Stanford University ·
A supercomputer offers an explanation for Webb’s little red dots
Simulations suggest some of the tiny red objects seen in the early universe could be black holes growing inside dense clouds of gas.
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan ·
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Tracking study follows wild dogs over 4,000 kilometres
A study of African wild dogs in Zambia documents exceptionally long journeys connecting distant wildlife areas.
Ecology ·
Mars Express reveals a surprisingly purple polar landscape
ESA’s latest Mars Express feature shows how light, dust and frost can give a landscape near the south pole pink and purple tones.
ESA ·
Webb panorama includes objects only twice Jupiter’s mass
ESA has highlighted extremely small brown dwarfs in a new presentation of Webb observations of the star-forming cluster IC 348.
ESA ·
Fossil teeth put T. rex’s temperature close to our own
Chemical measurements of fossil tooth enamel suggest a Tyrannosaurus rex body temperature of about 36°C, UCLA researchers report.
UCLA ·
A snail shell preserves clues to two Australian cyclones
Researchers have used the growth bands in a snail shell to investigate how the animal responded to extreme rainfall.
University of Queensland ·
Shark journeys cross oceans and national boundaries
A University of Queensland review maps how sharks and rays recorded in Australian waters travel far beyond them.
University of Queensland ·
A paint additive is being designed to respond to its own scratches
University of Queensland researchers are developing tiny containers that release rust-inhibiting molecules when a protective coating is damaged.
University of Queensland ·
Ocean bacteria share the work of dismantling a stubborn molecule
MIT researchers have found that different marine bacteria can cooperate to break down fucoidan, a complex carbohydrate produced by algae.
MIT ·
Human-derived nerve tissue integrates into a mouse research model
Researchers have developed a mouse model containing transplanted cortical organoids grown from human stem cells, according to a Nature paper published on 16 September.
Nature ·
Less dust in the atmosphere may be adding to warming
A UCLA study estimates that atmospheric desert dust fell by about 10% between 2003 and 2023.
UCLA ·
20 Sept 20266 stories
DNA puts a Bolivian forest cat in a species of its own
Researchers have identified Leopardus tilcayo as a distinct wild-cat species native to Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest.
National Geographic Society ·
A giant planet is still emerging from its dusty nursery
Astronomers have confirmed a planet less than a million years old, embedded in material surrounding a young star.
NASA ·
A fresh look at the Moon reveals a 728-foot scar
Researchers examining lunar-orbiter images have described a large crater created by an impact in 2024.
NASA ·
Earth’s balancing point does not quite stay put
NASA researchers are using satellite tracking to follow tiny changes in the planet’s centre of mass.
NASA ·
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Could Venus have pulled a former moon down towards it?
Computer simulations suggest that Venus’s slow rotation could cause a hypothetical moon to spiral inwards.
UC Riverside ·
A toy’s 67 days in orbit lead to a museum collaboration
ESA has announced a space-themed Pokémon programme after a Pikachu plush travelled aboard the International Space Station earlier this year.
European Space Agency ·
19 Sept 20262 stories
The galaxy whose centre turns a different way
A newly released Hubble view highlights NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy with an unusually oriented central bulge.
NASA / ESA Hubble ·
A chance to look behind the doors of a space laboratory
ESA’s technical centre in Noordwijk is preparing to welcome visitors on 27 September for its annual open day.
European Space Agency ·