Baby Seals Can Change Their Tone of Voice – And May Help Unravel the Mystery of Speech
Hoover the seal was initially kept in a family home and could imitate human speech, barking catch phrases in a gruff accent (“Come over here”)….
Max Planck Institute
Songs of Indri – The “Singing Primates” From Madagascar – Feature “Uniquely Human” Rhythms
Songbirds share the human sense of rhythm, but it is a rare trait in non-human mammals. An international research team led by senior investigators Marco…
COVID-19 Case Estimations From SARS-CoV-2 Genome Mutations
A new study published in Nature Communications reconstructs regional incidence profiles of COVID-19, highlighting the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) and different testing strategies. Daily…
Singlet Exciton Fission: Breakthrough for More Efficient Solar Cells and Light-Based Technologies
Researchers from the Fritz Haber Institute (FHI) in Berlin, the MPSD and the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg have provided important new insights into a key process for…
The Strange Afterglow of a Gamma-Ray Burst – Unusual Features Challenge Models
Using the H.E.S.S. observatory, researchers at GRB 190829A observe unusual features that challenge models. Researchers from the H.E.S.S. Collaboration succeeded to derive the intrinsic spectrum…
Human Sustainability Challenges: Deep Roots of the “Anthropocene” Can Be Found in Tropical Forests
Tropical forests regularly appear in the news as the front line of climate change and human sustainability challenges. They are some of the most threatened…
Late Persistence of Human Ancestors at the Margins of the Monsoon Zone in India
The longest lasting tool-making tradition in prehistory, known as the Acheulean, appears more than 1.5 million years ago in Africa and 1.2 million years ago…
Bronze Age Mystery Surprise: Milk Enabled Massive Steppe Migration
From the Xiongnu to the Mongols, the pastoralist populations of the Eurasian steppe have long been a source of fascination. Amongst the earliest herding groups…
Peering Into the Moon’s Shadows: AI Provides Sharper Images of Lunar Craters That Contain Water Ice
Permanently shadowed lunar craters contain water ice, but are difficult to image. A machine learning algorithm now provides sharper images. The Moon’s polar regions are…
Archaeological Evidence Shows Early Homo sapiens in Europe Faced Subarctic Climates
New insights into the climatic backdrop for an early wave of dispersal of our species into Europe during the last glacial period. The process how…
Benefit of Having a Fifth Leg: Geckos Glide, Crash-Land, but Don’t Fall
Soft perching robot validates the benefit of having a fifth leg. Geckos’ impressive climbing abilities give them agility rarely surpassed in nature. With their highly…
Theory of Mind: Dogs Can Understand Human Intentions
Dogs Can Tell the Difference Between Intentional and Unintentional Human Actions Over our long shared history, dogs have developed a range of skills for bonding…
DNA From Modern Human Buried 7,000 Years Ago Shows Previously Unknown Ancient Human Relations
International research team isolates DNA from modern human buried 7,000 years ago on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The international study was accomplished through close…
First Lethal Attacks by Chimpanzees on Gorillas Observed in the Wild
Research team now examines impact of food competition and climate change. A research team from Osnabrück University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology…
Reconstructing Genetics To Shed Light on Past Human Histories
Research team reconstructs genetic histories and social organization in Neolithic and Bronze Age Croatia. Present-day Croatia was an important crossroads for migrating peoples along the…
The Wendelstein 7-X Nuclear Fusion Device Concept Proves Its Efficiency
Part of the optimization strategy experimentally confirmed / energy losses of the plasma reduced. One of the most important optimization goals underlying the Wendelstein 7-X…
Resonant Modes: Long-Period Oscillations of the Sun Discovered
Ten years of data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory combined with numerical models reveal the deep low musical notes of the Sun. These motions were…
Nitrogen Inputs in the Ancient Ocean: Underappreciated Bacteria Step Into the Spotlight
Nitrogen is vital for all forms of life: It is part of proteins, nucleic acids, and other cell structures. Thus, it was of great importance…