The Science Life

Archaeology

Indigenous input revealed early hints of fiber making in the tropics

To decipher marks on nearly 40,000-year-old stone tools and figure out what they were used for, researchers turned to the Philippines’ Pala’wan people.

Tech

How understanding horses could inspire more trustworthy robots

Computer scientist Eakta Jain pioneered the study of how human-horse interactions could help improve robot design and shape human-robot interactions.

Plants

A hunt for fungi might bring this orchid back from the brink

Identifying the fungi that feeds the Cooper’s black orchid in the lab may allow researchers to bank seeds and possibly regrow the species in the wild.

Animals

This marine biologist is on a mission to save endangered rays

Jessica Pate and the Florida Manta Project confirm that endangered mantas are mating and sicklefin devils are migrating along the East Coast.

Plants

Ultrasound reveals trees’ drought-survival secrets

Scientists used ultrasound sensors and electrical probes to reveal how drought affects the tissues of living trees.

Math

Here’s a peek into the mathematics of black holes

The universe tells us slowly rotating black holes are stable. A nearly 1,000-page proof confirms it.

Anthropology

Two scientists’ trek showed how people of Chaco Canyon may have hauled logs

By carrying a log with the aid of head straps called tumplines, the duo demoed how people may have hauled timbers to Chaco about 1,000 years ago.

Environment

Air pollution made an impression on Monet and other 19th century painters

The impressionist painting style can be partly explained by the reality of rising air pollution from the industrial revolution, an analysis finds.

Chemistry

These chemists cracked the code to long-lasting Roman concrete

Roman concrete has stood the test of time, so scientists searched ruins to unlock the ancient recipe that could help architecture and climate change.

Anthropology

How mythology could help demystify dog domestication

The path that dog myths took around the world closely parallels that of dog domestication, a new study finds.

Animals

How death’s-head hawkmoths manage to fly straight for miles in the dark

By tailing death’s-head hawkmoths in an airplane, scientists have found that the nocturnal insects appear to navigate using an internal compass.

Chemistry

These researchers are unlocking Renaissance beauty secrets

An art historian has teamed up with chemists to uncover the science behind cosmetics used around 500 years ago.