Researchers looked into short, long and no deadlines to see which one works best. Deadlines motivate us to complete tasks and keep from procrastinating. But how does the length of a deadline affect us in getting things done? While extending a deadline gives us more time to finish something, there’s also the risk that postponing […]
Breast cancer predisposition genes exposed
Scientists know that a subset of genes are linked to familial breast cancer. However, this link has yet to be clearly determined or ruled out for many newly emerging genes. The FBC predisposition project aims to clear up remaining doubts. Of all women affected by breast cancer every year, 5 % to 10 % of […]
How Australia’s wildfires affected an ocean area thousands of kilometres away
A new study shows a link between the windborne iron aerosols from Australia’s 2019-2020 wildfires deposited in the Southern Ocean and the massive algal blooms observed there, raising new questions about oceanic carbon uptake. The wildfires that devastated Australia in 2019 and 2020 burned millions of hectares of land and resulted in nearly 3 billion […]
Have we found the first sign of animal life on Earth?
Canadian geologist claims to have discovered the oldest animal fossils. The earliest life forms we know of evolved around 3.7 billion years ago. The world’s oldest known animal, Dickinsonia, dates to about 540 million years ago. A discovery in a remote region of north-west Canada is about to change what we understood until now. According […]
Greek island Tilos picks up award for clean energy transition
The Greek island of Tilos places 3rd in EU-sponsored renewable energy production competition and wins a EUR 100 000 cash prize for its innovative energy model. When Greek islands are written about in the press, it’s usually to extol the beauty of their beaches. However, one little Greek island has broken the mould and made […]
Lying in plain sight, clay tablet revealed as oldest example of complex geometry
Australian mathematician discovers applied geometry on ancient tablet. © UNSW Sydney There it was, nestled snuggly at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum for over 100 years after it was unearthed in the 19th century in the ancient Babylonian city Sippar (present-day Iraq). Who knew what secrets the artefact had kept all these years? According to research […]
Have we found the first sign of animal life on Earth?
Canadian geologist claims to have discovered the oldest animal fossils. The earliest life forms we know of evolved around 3.7 billion years ago. The world’s oldest known animal, Dickinsonia, dates to about 540 million years ago. A discovery in a remote region of north-west Canada is about to change what we understood until now. According […]
Up to 78 million batteries will be discarded daily by 2025, researchers warn
An EU-funded project makes it plain: batteries need to live longer than the Internet of things (IoT) devices they power. A position paper published by the project outlines the key actions to power IoT devices reliably and sustainably. About 78 million batteries powering IoT devices will be dumped globally every day by 2025 if nothing […]
We’re not much different than Neanderthals, new study shows
Only a small fraction of human DNA is unique to modern humans. We like to think of ourselves as special in the human family tree. However, our genes seem to say otherwise. According to findings published in the journal ‘Science Advances’, only 7 % of our DNA is unique to us and not shared by […]