Tracing their evolution shows termites do much more than eat wood and destroy homes, other buildings, and trees, researchers report. “The fact is termites are mostly misunderstood and remain important ecological engineers,” says Thomas Chouvenc, an a

Leaving your camera off during a virtual meeting can do a lot to reduce your carbon footprint, a new study shows. The study says that despite a record drop in global carbon emissions in 2020, a pandemic-driven shift to remote work and more at-home en

People are more likely to believe the sexual harassment accusations of young, “conventionally attractive” women who appear and act feminine, research finds. That leaves people who don’t fit the prototype potentially facing greater hurdles when trying

Allergens in the environment are often to blame for episodes of acute itch in eczema patients, a new study shows. In addition to a skin rash, many eczema sufferers also experience chronic itching, but sometimes that itching can become torturous. Wors

Researchers have found changes in gene expression patterns across the brain between wild and domestic rabbits, which likely contributed to the evolution of tameness during domestication. By demonstrating that domestic animals acquired tolerance towar

The far-reaching effects of wildfires and wildfire smoke are no longer aberrations, researchers write in a new paper. Record-setting wildfires torched huge swaths of western states in 2020. They blotted out the sun, produced hazardous air pollution i

A relatively affordable remediation process can almost entirely remove lead left behind by unregulated battery recycling, report researchers. The finding raises troubling questions about how to effectively eliminate the poison from children’s bodies.

Warming ocean waters could reduce the ability of fish, especially large ones, to extract the oxygen they need from their environment, researchers report. For their new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers deve

New research measures the financial gains for companies with connections to President Donald Trump prior to and during his term in office. “S&P 500 firms connected to Trump reaped abnormal stock returns of up to 3.7% following the 2016 election, whic

Typically characterized as poisonous, corrosive, and smelling of rotten eggs, hydrogen sulfide may help protect aging brain cells against Alzheimer’s disease, according to new experiments with mice. The discovery of the biochemical reactions that mak

Before Dire wolves became extinct about 13,000 years ago, they genetically split off from other canids, making them the last of an ancient lineage, researchers report. The species, made famous by the show Game of Thrones, were different from other ca

Astronomers have observed a luminous quasar 13.03 billion light-years from Earth—the most distant quasar discovered to date. Dating back to 670 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only 5% its current age, the quasar hosts a superm

While most children need to show immunization records to attend school, the same may not be true for summer camps, according to a new study. Nearly half of summer camps researchers surveyed did not have official policies requiring vaccinations for ca

Using a new, noninvasive rodent model of ACL injury very similar to human’s, researchers have found the first known direct link between altered gait and knee osteoarthritis. Almost half of patients who undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior crucia

The violent breach of the Capitol was a culmination of communication between President Trump and his most fanatical supporters, says linguistic anthropologist Janet McIntosh. “The register of cryptic-yet-knowing talk among Trump supporters and Q afic

Researchers have created a novel film that is very effective in evaporating sweat from our skin to keep us cool and comfortable when we exercise. The moisture from sweat can also power wearable electronic devices such as watches, fitness trackers, an

A new study of students at seven public universities in the United States pinpoints risk factors that may place students at higher risk for negative psychological effects related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors associated with greater risk of negat

Researchers have created a way to look into the brains of two people simultaneously while they’re talking. What they found will not surprise anyone who has found themselves arguing about politics or social issues. When two people agree, their brains

A new treatment that combines physical therapy and a noninvasive method of stimulating nerve cells may offer some people with spinal cord injuries use of their hands and arms. Almost 18,000 Americans experience traumatic spinal cord injuries every ye

A new method uses artificial intelligence and poop to map intestinal bacteria. The intestines and their bacteria are sometimes called our “second brain,” but studying these bacteria in their natural environment is difficult. Researchers hope to gain

Mothers of multiple children report more fragmented sleep than do moms of one child, but the number of kids doesn’t seem to affect sleep quality for dads, research finds. A total of 111 parents (54 couples and 3 mothers in single-parent families) par

Researchers report progress on synthesizing and detecting ions that are among the most sensitive measures for time symmetry violations. Every field has its underlying principles. For economics it’s the rational actor; biology has the theory of evolut

Cats may help increase empathy and decrease separation anxiety for children with autism, research finds. The findings could be useful for families considering adopting a companion animal for their child. “Previous research has shown parents of kids w

Marijuana use increases throughout the calendar year, with use up 13% on average at the end of each year compared to the beginning, according to a new study. “We found that marijuana use is consistently higher among those surveyed later in the year,

Connecting leg prostheses to the nervous system helps amputees perceive their prosthesis as lighter, researchers report. Leg amputees are often not satisfied with their prosthesis, even though sophisticated prostheses are becoming available. One impo

In the wake of a mass shooting, National Rifle Association employees, donors, and volunteers have extremely mixed emotions about the organization, a new study shows. The findings show that people with some kind of affiliation report higher levels of

By the late 21st century, the global land area and number of people facing extreme droughts could more than double, going from 3% during 1976-2005 to 7%-8%, researchers report. “More and more people will suffer from extreme droughts if a medium-to-hi

Modeling how artificial hips hold up over time could make life better for people with replacement joints, researchers report. Their new computational study simulates and tracks how hips evolve, uniquely incorporating fluid dynamics and roughness of t

Between 2000 and 2008, over 3,600 marriage certificates were issued to children in Canada under the age of 18, research finds. Canada is at the forefront of global efforts to end child marriage abroad, yet the practice remains legal and persists acro

Media coverage focused on strategy over issues can harm the electoral success of Senate candidates, according to research on the news coverage of more than 150 races. The new study, published in the Journal Political Communication, focuses on how med