A trackway of footprints thought to have been left by a Paranthropus boisei individual Neil T. Roach Preserved footprints in Kenya appear to record two different species of ancient humans walking over the same muddy lakeshore, probably within days of each other. It is one of the most dramatic demonstrations ever found that the world…
Platforms like X can shape political views Algi Febri Sugita/ZUMA Press/Alamy The algorithms behind social media platforms can change your attitude towards people with different political views in just one day, suggesting that tech companies really can have a strong influence on how we perceive others. Most social media platforms use algorithms to sort a…
It is difficult to gauge when a person died from their decomposing body South_agency/Getty Images Establishing when a person died based on their decomposing body is a subjective problem with dozens of variables, so any two pathologists can arrive at different estimates. Now, researchers are developing an artificial intelligence model in an attempt to bring…
Health Feeling scared seems to reduce elevated levels of inflammation, which may help explain why some people enjoy a haunted attraction By Kamal Nahas 28 November 2024 Haunted house attractions could provide an unexpected health benefit Robert Stainforth/Alamy They say laughter is the best medicine, but a bit of fear might be a strong contender.…
Date palms Matilde Gattoni The world’s oases are at the forefront of an existential battle against climate change: limited rainfall and rising heat have dramatically affected these unique ecosystems and the culture they sustain. Morocco has lost two-thirds of its oases – lush, fertile areas in the desert – in just a single century. Local…
2024 has been a great year for sci-fi, from time travel stories to those set in space Matt Mawson/Millennium Images, UK It has been a good year for science fiction, with a novel set on the International Space Station winning the 2024 Booker prize. Orbital is a beautiful, sublimely written, hopeful book that takes place over…
John “Bud” Benson Wilbur MIT You have probably never heard of John “Bud” Benson Wilbur, but he is a low-key civil engineering legend. In the mid-20th century, he was chair of the civil and sanitary engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He built some major bridges in Massachusetts and helped prototype the…
Josie Ford COP a load of this Feedback has been watching bemusedly from a distance as the latest round of international climate negotiations, COP29, struggled along in Azerbaijan. In a previous life, we covered a few COPs, and are still on most of the relevant mailing lists. Hence we know that on 18 November, when…
Elaine Knox Optimus robots wandered around the party held after Elon Musk’s Tesla unveiled its robotaxi last month, doling out drinks and chatting with guests. They were also being photographed, as android butlers make for great social media content. Partygoers couldn’t believe their eyes – and they shouldn’t have. The robots weren’t fully autonomous, but…
Factory aerosols can transform the clouds above Getty Images/iStockphoto Plumes of pollution from large factories can trigger snowfall and leave holes in clouds that stretch over large areas, satellite images have revealed. It has long been known that tiny particles of pollutants like soot, known as aerosol pollution, can affect clouds in many ways. Water…