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Elephant-sized sloths once roamed from Alaska to Argentina, carving caves with massive claws and diving into oceans for seagrass meals. These ancient giants, some weighing 8,000 pounds, dominated the Americas for over 30 million years before vanishing around 15,000 years ago—just as humans spread across the continents. A new study published in Science reveals how these remarkable creatures evolved their enormous sizes and why they disappeared so suddenly, painting a picture of an [...]

A global study has revealed that ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) contribute to as many as 124,000 premature deaths annually in the United States alone, with similar concerning patterns emerging worldwide. Researchers analyzing dietary patterns across eight countries found that the more ultraprocessed foods people consume, the higher their risk of early death. Each 10% increase in UPF consumption raises mortality risk by approximately 3%, according to findings published in the American Journal of [...]

How far back does our ability to speak stretch? A new analysis of genomic data suggests that the capacity for human language existed at least 135,000 years ago, a timeline that places its origins deep within the history of Homo sapiens. This finding, published in Frontiers in Psychology, offers a fresh perspective on a question that has long intrigued scientists: when did humans begin to communicate in the ways we recognize today? The study, led by Shigeru Miyagawa, an MIT professor [...]

In an advance for neglected tropical disease research, scientists have developed a promising new compound derived from a Brazilian tree that could lead to better treatments for visceral leishmaniasis, a devastating parasitic disease that claims up to 50,000 lives annually. The compound, synthesized from a substance found in the canela-seca tree (Nectandra leucantha), successfully targeted and killed the Leishmania infantum parasite in laboratory studies while leaving healthy host cells [...]

Brazilian researchers have proposed an elegant solution to a long-standing physics debate, suggesting that in our relativistic universe, everything could theoretically be measured using just a single unit: time. This finding challenges decades of conventional thinking about how we measure the physical world. Published in Nature Scientific Reports The research team, comprising scientists from multiple Brazilian institutions, has tackled a fundamental question that sparked debate among [...]

A team of Brazilian researchers has demonstrated that a common food coloring derived from the tropical achiote plant, combined with blue light therapy, could offer an effective and accessible treatment for chronic bad breath in children who breathe through their mouths. This innovative approach could provide dentists with an affordable alternative to traditional treatments, potentially improving quality of life for affected children during crucial developmental years. Published in PLOS ONE | [...]

Brazilian researchers have reconstructed the tree of life from the evolutionary history of amoebas and other organisms, revealing a surprisingly diverse ecosystem during the Neoproterozoic era. Summary: New research suggests that Earth's biodiversity 800 million years ago was more complex than classical theory indicates, with multiple lineages of eukaryotes surviving through major climate events. Estimated reading time: 5 minutes A study published in the Proceedings of the National [...]

The event that wiped out the dinosaurs wasn't all bad. The low-light environment caused by the meteor impact some 66 million years ago favored the   spread of fungi that feed on organic matter, which was abundant at the time as plants and animals were dying in droves. It was the perfect opportunity for the ancestor of a group of ants to start cultivating these microorganisms, according to a study published on October 3 in the journal Science “The origin of [...]

The event that wiped out the dinosaurs wasn’t all bad. The low-light environment caused by the meteor impact some 66 million years ago favored the spread of fungi that feed on organic matter, which was abundant at the time as plants and animals were dying in droves. It was the perfect opportunity for the ancestor of a group of ants to start cultivating these microorganisms, according to a study published on October 3 in the journal Science. “The origin of fungus-farming ants [...]