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A new study verifies the age and origin of one of the oldest specimens of Homo erectus -- a very successful early human who roamed the world for nearly 2 million years. In doing so, the researchers also found two new specimens at the site -- likely the earliest pieces of the Homo erectus skeleton yet discovered. Details are published today in the journal Nature Communications. advertisement "Homo erectus is the first hominin that we know about that has a body plan more like our own and [...]

The academic community in Brazils So Paulo state is breathing a sigh of relief after the state government has amended a controversial bill that threatened to cripple scientific research. But another dramatic cut is already looming. The bill, presented by the So Paulo government in August, authorized the state to seize the economic reserves of the three state universities and the So Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), a state agency that funds fellowships and scientific projects. The move was [...]

Academic researchers in So Paulo, Brazils wealthiest and most populous state, are warning that proposed legislation before the state assembly could cripple major universities and long-term research projects. The state is home to three of the most prestigious universities in Latin America and produces 40% of Brazils scientific publications . The bill, which could be voted on as soon as this week, aims to avoid a forecast 10.4 billion reais ($1.9 billion) shortfall in So Paulos 2021 budget, [...]

Biofuel and bioenergy systems are integral to scenarios for displacing fossil fuel use and producing negative emissions through carbon capture and storage. But the net greenhouse gas mitigation benefit of these systems has been controversial, due to concerns around carbon losses from changes in land use and foregone sequestration benefits from alternative land uses. A new study led by Colorado State University -- including an interdisciplinary team of plant scientists, ecologists and engineers [...]

As flowers bloom and fruits ripen, they emit a colorless, sweet-smelling gas called ethylene. MIT chemists have now created a tiny sensor that can detect this gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts per billion, which they believe could be useful in preventing food spoilage. The sensor, which is made from semiconducting cylinders called carbon nanotubes, could be used to monitor fruit and vegetables as they are shipped and stored, helping to reduce food waste, says Timothy Swager, the John D. [...]

A team of Brazilian researchers have succesfully bioprinted tiny organoids that perform all of the human liver’s functions, Brazilian news service Agência FAPESP reports — functions including building proteins, storing vitamins and secreting bile. The researchers had to cultivate and reprogram human stem cells, and then 3D print them in layers to form tissue. While the “mini-livers” perform the functions of a liver, they’re unfortunately still a far cry [...]

A paper published in Scientific Reports describes how researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo s Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil and colleagues at institutions in Europe evaluated behaviors leading to weight gain in adolescents. Childhood obesity can favor the premature emergence of health issues such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The main finding is that skipping breakfast, a common habit among teenagers, correlates directly with increased waist [...]

Biologists Laura Carolina Leal and Felipe Passos performed a series of experiments in Brazil s Northeast region -- specifically in the interior of Bahia State, where the semiarid Caatinga biome predominates -- to determine how plants with extrafloral nectaries interact with ants. Extrafloral nectaries are nectar-secreting glands not involved in pollination which supply insects with carbohydrates in exchange for defense against herbivores. The nectar attracts predatory insects that consume both [...]

Heat flows from hot to cold objects. When a hot and a cold body are in thermal contact, they exchange heat energy until they reach thermal equilibrium, with the hot body cooling down and the cold body warming up. This is a natural phenomenon we experience all the time. It is explained by the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the total entropy of an isolated system always tends to increase over time until it reaches a maximum. Entropy is a quantitative measure of the disorder in a [...]