Contact with nature during childhood could lead to better mental health in adulthood

by

Exposure to natural outdoor environments has been associated with several health benefits, including a better cognitive development and better mental and physical health. However, few studies have explored the impact of childhood exposure to natural environments on mental health and vitality in adulthood. Furthermore, studies have more frequently considered green spaces (gardens, forests, urban parks) … Read more

Baby tiger sharks eat songbirds

by

Tiger sharks have a reputation for being the “garbage cans of the sea”–they’ll eat just about anything, from dolphins and sea turtles to rubber tires. But before these top predators grow to their adult size of 15 feet, young tiger sharks have an even more unusual diet. Scientists have just announced in a new paper … Read more

Boom time at Britain’s bird feeders

by

The latest research from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), published today in the journal Nature Communications, reveals the considerable consequences of an innocuous national pastime. Britain’s growing love affair with feeding the birds has significantly altered the composition of our garden bird communities over the past 40 years, helping the populations of some species … Read more

Hiding in plain sight: artisanal fishing gear threatens the world’s most important marine ecosystems

by

Fishing gears that are highly prevalent throughout the tropical seas, but largely hidden from fisheries management and the conservation radar, are creating large scale social, ecological and economic damage, threatening marine biodiversity and human livelihoods throughout the tropical seas. [rand_post] Research published this week in the journal Nature Communications reveals that the use of ‘fish … Read more

Psych patients’ new primary prescription

by

When it comes to inpatient treatment of a range of mental health and mood disorders – from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia, suicidality and acute psychotic episodes — a new study advocates for exercise, rather than psychotropic medications, as the primary prescription and method of intervention. Findings from the study reveal that physical exercise is … Read more

In a first, researchers identify reddish coloring in an ancient fossil

by

Researchers have for the first time detected chemical traces of red pigment in an ancient fossil – an exceptionally well-preserved mouse, not unlike today’s field mice, that roamed the fields of what is now the German village of Willershausen around 3 million years ago. The study revealed that the extinct creature, affectionately nicknamed “mighty mouse” … Read more

Gas insulation could be protecting an ocean inside Pluto

by

Computer simulations provide compelling evidence that an insulating layer of gas hydrates could keep a subsurface ocean from freezing beneath Pluto’s icy exterior, according to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. [rand_post] In July 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew through Pluto’s system, providing the first-ever close-up images of this distant dwarf planet and … Read more

Formation of the Moon brought water to Earth

by

The Earth is unique in our solar system: It is the only terrestrial planet with a large amount of water and a relatively large moon, which stabilizes the Earth’s axis. Both were essential for Earth to develop life. Planetologists at the University of Münster have now been able to show, for the first time, that … Read more