The fact we can confidently balance on top of a pair of meat-sticks without toppling over is the very symbol of human evolution. Yet just how we came to stand upright in the first place remains a hotly debated topic.Now we have a new piece in the puzzle. Recently discovered fossils left by a relative who lived during the some 11.6 million years ago has provided compelling new evidence that our journey onto open ground could be compared to a toddler learning to walk, rather than a baby rising from a crawl.Thanks to an assortment of well-preserved hominid bones uncovered from a German dig...…The fact we can confidently balance on top of a pair of meat-sticks without toppling over is the very symbol of human evolution. Yet just how we came to stand upright in the first place remains a hotly debated topic.Now we have a new piece in the puzzle. Recently discovered fossils left by a relative who lived during the some 11.6 million years ago has provided compelling new evidence that our journey onto open ground could be compared to a toddler learning to walk, rather than a baby rising from a crawl.Thanks to an assortment of well-preserved hominid bones uncovered from a German dig...WW…

Scientists have discovered a unique form of cell messaging occurring in the human brain that's not been seen before. Excitingly, the discovery hints that our brains might be even more powerful units of computation than we realized.Early last year, researchers from institutes in Germany and Greece reported a mechanism in the brain's outer cortical cells that produces a novel 'graded' signal all on its own, one that could provide individual neurons with another way to carry out their logical functions.By measuring the electrical activity in sections of tissue removed during surgery on...…Scientists have discovered a unique form of cell messaging occurring in the human brain that's not been seen before. Excitingly, the discovery hints that our brains might be even more powerful units of computation than we realized.Early last year, researchers from institutes in Germany and Greece reported a mechanism in the brain's outer cortical cells that produces a novel 'graded' signal all on its own, one that could provide individual neurons with another way to carry out their logical functions.By measuring the electrical activity in sections of tissue removed during surgery on...WW…

Every winter in the Northern Hemisphere, a cold wind circles the North Pole like water around a drain. It's an annual weather pattern meteorologists keep an anxious eye on – any significant changes could suggest Europe is in for a serious cold snap. Right now, that wind is ripping in two. Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Exeter, and Bath have come up with a new way to predict the knock-on effects of various changes to this major air current high up in the , 10 to 50 kilometres (6 to 30 miles) overhead.Ironically, the cause of this chill is a sudden burst of heat...…Every winter in the Northern Hemisphere, a cold wind circles the North Pole like water around a drain. It's an annual weather pattern meteorologists keep an anxious eye on – any significant changes could suggest Europe is in for a serious cold snap. Right now, that wind is ripping in two. Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Exeter, and Bath have come up with a new way to predict the knock-on effects of various changes to this major air current high up in the , 10 to 50 kilometres (6 to 30 miles) overhead.Ironically, the cause of this chill is a sudden burst of heat...WW…

Having dominated the planet's surface for hundreds of millions of years, diversity came to a dramatic conclusion some 66 million years ago at the hot end of an impact with what is today Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.It's a theory that it's hard to imagine any room for doubt remains that this is indeed what happened. Were it a cold case, it'd be rubber-stamped and filed under 'Solved' by now.But scientists are a nitpicky bunch, and a tiny gap in the chain of evidence linking signs of a global apocalypse with the scene of the crime has been begging to be closed.An international team of...…Having dominated the planet's surface for hundreds of millions of years, diversity came to a dramatic conclusion some 66 million years ago at the hot end of an impact with what is today Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.It's a theory that it's hard to imagine any room for doubt remains that this is indeed what happened. Were it a cold case, it'd be rubber-stamped and filed under 'Solved' by now.But scientists are a nitpicky bunch, and a tiny gap in the chain of evidence linking signs of a global apocalypse with the scene of the crime has been begging to be closed.An international team of...WW…

After tracing the origins of to genes while in utero, scientists have now zeroed in on the combination of risk factors that could predict which infants are at greatest risk of developing the condition later in life.The findings of schizophrenia as a genetic disorder, with a fate determined by complications that can arise during pregnancy.Researchers from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development at Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina in the US analysed the relationship between key genes and cognitive development in the first few years after birth."By identifying...…After tracing the origins of to genes while in utero, scientists have now zeroed in on the combination of risk factors that could predict which infants are at greatest risk of developing the condition later in life.The findings of schizophrenia as a genetic disorder, with a fate determined by complications that can arise during pregnancy.Researchers from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development at Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina in the US analysed the relationship between key genes and cognitive development in the first few years after birth."By identifying...WW…

To artists and romantics, the twinkling of stars is visual poetry; a dance of distant light as it twists and bends through a turbulent ocean of air above our heads.Not everybody is so enamoured with our atmosphere's distortions. To many scientists and engineers, a great deal of research and ground-to-satellite communication would be a whole lot easier if the air simply wasn't there.Losing our planet's protective bubble of gases isn't exactly a popular option. But Australian and French researchers have teamed up to design the next best thing – a system that guides light through the...…To artists and romantics, the twinkling of stars is visual poetry; a dance of distant light as it twists and bends through a turbulent ocean of air above our heads.Not everybody is so enamoured with our atmosphere's distortions. To many scientists and engineers, a great deal of research and ground-to-satellite communication would be a whole lot easier if the air simply wasn't there.Losing our planet's protective bubble of gases isn't exactly a popular option. But Australian and French researchers have teamed up to design the next best thing – a system that guides light through the...WW…

Find any two people with a diagnosis of , and there's one of them will also experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life.While the triggers for each condition are undoubtedly complex, it's clear the can play a strong part in setting us up for a lifetime of bad mental health.A new study led by researchers from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia has now identified 509 genes shared by both psychiatric disorders.Studies to identify genes associated with mood disorders and have uncovered a vast library of candidates in the past. But most of these are like...…Find any two people with a diagnosis of , and there's one of them will also experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life.While the triggers for each condition are undoubtedly complex, it's clear the can play a strong part in setting us up for a lifetime of bad mental health.A new study led by researchers from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia has now identified 509 genes shared by both psychiatric disorders.Studies to identify genes associated with mood disorders and have uncovered a vast library of candidates in the past. But most of these are like...WW…

Seeing our world through the eyes of a migratory bird would be a rather spooky experience. Something about their visual system allows them to 'see' our planet's magnetic field, a clever trick of quantum physics and biochemistry that helps them navigate vast distances.Now, for the first time ever, scientists from the University of Tokyo have directly observed a hypothesised to be behind birds' (and many other creatures') talents for sensing the direction of the planet's poles.Importantly, this is evidence of quantum physics directly affecting a biochemical reaction in a cell – something...…Seeing our world through the eyes of a migratory bird would be a rather spooky experience. Something about their visual system allows them to 'see' our planet's magnetic field, a clever trick of quantum physics and biochemistry that helps them navigate vast distances.Now, for the first time ever, scientists from the University of Tokyo have directly observed a hypothesised to be behind birds' (and many other creatures') talents for sensing the direction of the planet's poles.Importantly, this is evidence of quantum physics directly affecting a biochemical reaction in a cell – something...WW…

"I've often seen a cat without a grin," thought Alice. "But a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!"It's an experience eminent physicist can relate to. Together with fellow Israeli physicist Daniel Rohrlich, he's shown theoretically how a particle might show its face in a corner of an experiment without needing its body anywhere in sight.To be more precise, their analysis argues information could be transferred between two points without an exchange of particles.The theory dates when researchers based in the US and Saudi Arabia suggested a kind of...…"I've often seen a cat without a grin," thought Alice. "But a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!"It's an experience eminent physicist can relate to. Together with fellow Israeli physicist Daniel Rohrlich, he's shown theoretically how a particle might show its face in a corner of an experiment without needing its body anywhere in sight.To be more precise, their analysis argues information could be transferred between two points without an exchange of particles.The theory dates when researchers based in the US and Saudi Arabia suggested a kind of...WW…

To understand how atoms unite to turn into molecules, we need to catch them in action. But to do that, physicists must force atoms to pause long enough for their exchanges to be recorded. That's no easy task, and one physicists from the University of Otago have only just recently achieved.Until now, the best physicists could do to understand the finer points of various atomic interactions was to calculate correlations based on averages among a crowd that's been chilled down to the point that they all share an identity. This crowd-sourced version of atomics provides plenty of useful...…To understand how atoms unite to turn into molecules, we need to catch them in action. But to do that, physicists must force atoms to pause long enough for their exchanges to be recorded. That's no easy task, and one physicists from the University of Otago have only just recently achieved.Until now, the best physicists could do to understand the finer points of various atomic interactions was to calculate correlations based on averages among a crowd that's been chilled down to the point that they all share an identity. This crowd-sourced version of atomics provides plenty of useful...WW…