Environment

1. Researchers map neurons in the brain involved with social interactions with others in groups

   In social experiments, three monkeys sat around a rotary table and took turns offering food to one of the other two monkeys. Certain neurons in the brain responded to the actions of other monkeys in the group and influenced an animal's upcoming decisions to reciprocate or retaliate.

   

2. Scientists part of team that points to strong connection between climate change, plastics pollution

   At the root of global climate change and the worldwide plastics problem are two related carbon-based fuels -- oil and natural gas. Not only are the two among the key drivers of climate change, they are instrumental in the manufacturing of plastics. As storms intensify and become more frequent, the movement of trash from land to our oceans and, and vice versa, is only going to get worse.

   

3. Bat study reveals secrets of the social brain

   Neuroscientists used wireless devices to record the neural activity of freely interacting Egyptian fruit bats, providing researchers with the first glimpse into how the brains of social mammals process complex group interactions.

   

4. New material could pave the way for better, safer batteries

   A material derived from trees could potentially replace liquid electrolytes in next-generation batteries.

   

5. How pearls achieve nanoscale precision

   In research that could inform future high-performance nanomaterials, a study has uncovered how mollusks build ultradurable structures with a level of symmetry that outstrips everything else in the natural world, with the exception of individual atoms.

   

6. Hidden costs of global illegal wildlife trade

   Researchers have highlighted that the illegal and unsustainable global wildlife trade has bigger ramifications on our everyday lives than you might think.

   

7. Northern lakes warming six times faster in the past 25 years

   Lakes in the Northern Hemisphere are warming six times faster since 1992 than any other time period in the last 100 years, new research has found.

   

8. ‘Raptor-like’ dinosaur discovered in Australian mine, actually uncovered as a timid vegetarian

   Fossil footprints found in an Australian coal mine around 50 years ago have long been thought to be that of a large 'raptor-like' predatory dinosaur, but scientists have in fact discovered they were instead left by a timid long-necked herbivore.

   

9. Africa-wide great ape assessment reveals human activity, not habitat availability, is greatest driver of ape abundance

   The first-ever Africa-wide assessment of great apes -- gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees -- finds that human factors, including roads, population density and GDP, determine abundance more than ecological factors such as forest cover.

   

10. Tap water produces a protective shield against microplastics

    Tap water produces a natural protective shield against harmful microplastics, which can help prevent household products such as plastic kettles from releasing them.

    

11. Early dinosaurs may have lived in social herds as early as 193 million years ago

    Scientists believe they have found the earliest evidence for complex herd behavior in dinosaurs. Researchers say Mussaurus patagonicus may have lived in herds some 193 million years ago -- 40 million years earlier than other records of dinosaur herding.

    

12. A new Earth bombardment model

    A team has updated its asteroid bombardment model of the Earth with the latest geologic evidence of ancient, large collisions. These models have been used to understand how impacts may have affected oxygen levels in the Earth's atmosphere in the Archean eon, 2.5 to 4 billion years ago.

    

13. Some of the world’s oldest rubies linked to early life

    While analyzing some of the world's oldest colored gemstones, researchers discovered carbon residue that was once ancient life, encased in a 2.5 billion-year-old ruby.

    

14. African grey parrots may have better self-control than macaws

    African grey parrots may be better able than macaws to delay gratification -- rejecting an immediate reward in favour of a better one in the future -- according to a new study.

    

15. Rise of the war machines: Identifying key drivers of the evolution of military technology in pre-industrial societies

    A new analysis spanning 10,000 years of history and ten major world regions has identified world population size, major technological advances, and geographical connectivity as key drivers of the evolution of military technology prior to the Industrial Revolution.