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CNN —President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced his picks for critical remaining public health roles in his incoming administration. He or she also serves as vice admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, overseeing this group of uniformed officers who seek to promote the nation’s health. “And if you remember, under the President Trump administration’s leadership, you’ll recall that we had incredible public health policies, President Trump’s unparalled creation of Operation Warp Speed was one like we’ve never seen before. Chan School of Public Health. “The superiority of natural immunity over vaccinated immunity is clear.”CDC directorThe director of the CDC leads the nation’s foremost public health agency, which deals with disease prevention and control and environmental health.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Janette Nesheiwat, Marty Makary, Dave Weldon, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Trump’s, Kennedy, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “ We’re, ” Nesheiwat, you’ll, we’ve, Johns Hopkins, Makary, ”, Weldon, “, Terri Schiavo, Brian Stelter, Meg Tirrell Organizations: CNN, Friday, Food and Drug Administration, US Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health, Human Services, Senate, CDC, US Public Health Service, Corps, Fox News, American Board of Family Medicine, American University of, University of Arkansas, Medical Sciences, FDA, Johns Hopkins University, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Harvard, of Public Health, National Academy of Medicine, World Health Organization, Street, Journal, Agency, Toxic Substances, SUNY, Army, Letterman Army Medical Center, Army Reserve, American Board of Internal Medicine, Assurance, Agency for Vaccine, HHS, Disease Control Locations: Florida, Caribbean, St, Maarten, New York, Chan, Buffalo

☆ 2 lions made a mile-long swim across a crocodile-infested channel in search of mates. It's a sign of how desperate the animals are getting.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewTwo lions recently proved that there's no river wide enough to keep them from potential mates. In February, the pair of brothers, Jacob and Tibu, swam for nearly a mile across a channel between two lakes in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Advertisement"We didn't know lions could do this," Braczkowski, told Business Insider in an email. And when it does come down to a fight, Jacob probably wouldn't be all that helpful to Tibu, Packer said, "but he's still better than nothing."

Persons: —, Jacob, Tibu, Alexander Braczkowski, Braczkowski, Craig Packer, Bosco Atukwatse, King, Packer, wouldn't Organizations: Service, Uganda's Queen Elizabeth, Griffith University, Business, Lions, New, University of Minnesota's Lion Locations: Uganda's Queen, Uganda, what's

☆ Scientists discovered 50,000-year-old viruses in Neanderthal DNA that could help explain their mysterious extinction
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Researchers studying ancient Neanderthal DNA found traces of three viruses that cause colds, cold sores, genital warts, and cancer. And ancient humans might have been the ones who started spreading these bugs, according to the scientists who recently published their work in the peer-reviewed journal "Viruses." This isn't the first time researchers have found inert (no longer infectious) ancient human viruses. That means tools used to study ancient human DNA might not work for viruses, Sally Wasef, a paleogenetics researcher at Queensland University of Technology, told New Scientist. Massilani also had some concerns with how the researchers were interpreting the ancient DNA.

Persons: —, Marcelo Briones, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology Hendrik Schmidt, papillomavirus, Briones, Sasha Tabachnikova, Epstein, Barr, wasn't, Sally Wasef, Massilani Organizations: Service, Business, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology, Getty, Yale School of Medicine, Yale, Queensland University of Technology, New Locations: Chemnitz, Chagyrskaya Cave, Southern Siberia, Briones, Siberia

☆ Mars could be creating 'giant whirlpools' deep within our planet's oceans
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mars may be 140 million miles away, but its gravitational pull could be impacting Earth's oceans. Scientists at the University of Sydney in Australia believe the red planet's tug is creating "giant whirlpools" in the oceans called eddies, which can shift the deep-sea floor. This, they claim, is part of a 2.4-million-year climate "grand cycle" on Earth that has been ongoing for at least 40 million years. The red planet's orbit and ours are locked in an intricate dance, and every so often, these line up so that Mars' gravitational pull on Earth is just a little more intense — this is called resonance. This information is crucial when refining models helping us see how our planet's intricate climate will progress over time.

Persons: Adriana Dutkiewicz, NASA's, Dietmar Müller, Malin, Matthew England, Benjamin Mills, wasn't, Mills Organizations: Service, University of Sydney, Business, NASA's Goddard Space, geosciences, Nature Communications, Mars NASA, JPL, Systems, University of New, New, University of Leeds Locations: Australia, Japan, New, University of New South Wales, Sydney

☆ Microplastics have been linked to a higher risk of heart attacks and stroke for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

People with microplastics in their plaque were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. This is the first time microplastics have been linked to health problems in humans. AdvertisementPeople who had microplastics in their blood vessels in a study were more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or die earlier than those who didn't. Younger men were more likely to have microplastics in their plaqueIt's important to note that the findings don't prove that microplastics cause heart attacks and strokes but rather suggest a link between the two. This might suggest that microplastics in the bloodstream exacerbate inflammation, which increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke, study author Francesco Prattichizzo told New Scientist.

Persons: Microplastics, —, Raffaele Marfella, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Marfella, Francesco Prattichizzo, Vahitha Abdul Salam, Abdul Salam Organizations: microplastics, Service, New England, of Medicine, University of Campania, New, Queen Mary University of London Locations: microplastics, Mount Everest, Naples, Italy

☆ AIs are more accurate at math if you ask them to respond as if they are a Star Trek character — and we're not sure why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementUsing AI to speak with AIMachine learning engineers Battle and Gallapudi didn't set out to expose the AI model as a Trekkie. Instead, they were trying to figure out if they could capitalize on the "positive thinking" trend. AdvertisementThis would suggest it's not only what you ask the AI model to do, but how you ask it to act while doing it that influences the quality of the output. Still, giving the models positive statements provided some surprising results. CBS via Getty ImagesThis doesn't mean you should ask your AI to speak like a Starfleet commanderLet's be clear: this research doesn't suggest you should ask AI to talk as if aboard the Starship Enterprise to get it to work.

Persons: —, chatbots, Rick Battle, Teja, Gallapudi didn't, it's, Gollapudi, Spock, Let's, Catherine Flick, Flick Organizations: Service, Star, VMware, Business, New, Machine, AIs, CBS, Getty, Enterprise, Staffordshire University Locations: California

☆ A starch supplement was linked to weight loss in a study. The same substance is found in leftover pasta.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Rachel Hosie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Taking a resistant starch supplement before meals has been linked to weight loss in a small study. AdvertisementAfter a four-week break, participants were given sachets containing regular starch and asked to do the same for another eight weeks. AdvertisementStool samples taken during the study suggested that the resistant starch helped levels of several bacterial species in the participants' guts to increase. AdvertisementResistant starch converts into sugar more slowly than regular starch and means the carbs' fiber content is higher. However, more resistant starch isn't necessarily beneficial for everyone — those with irritable bowel syndrome sometimes find that it leads to bloating and discomfort, McManamon said.

Persons: —, Rhiannon Lambert, Rebecca McManamon, Lambert, McManamon Organizations: Service, British Dietetic Association, New

☆ A strange wall submerged in the Baltic Sea may be the oldest man-made megastructure in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Stone Age hunting wall was discovered in Europe's Baltic Sea. The wall was estimated to have been built more than 8,500 years ago to hunt reindeer. AdvertisementA Stone Age wall discovered in the Baltic Sea may be the oldest man-made megastructure in Europe. Researchers believe this particular hunting wall was used to catch reindeer, which used the region as a habitat 11,000 years ago, according to the article. It could also allow scientists to find other Stone Age walls submerged by water.

Persons: —, Jacob Geersen, Marlize Organizations: Service, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Leibniz Institute, New, Stone, University of Johannesburg, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Baltic, Europe, Germany, Rerik

☆ Ancient human DNA suggests Columbus may not have brought syphilis to Europe after all
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThe idea that Christopher Colombus brought back syphilis from the New World might be completely wrong. Interim Archives/Getty ImagesThe timing of the arrival of syphilis in Europe is suspiciousLooking at historical literature, you would think syphilis definitely arrived with the conquistadors. There was a big outbreak of syphilis in Europe in the late 1400s, mostly in harbor towns, seemingly out of the blue. AdvertisementThis suggests that the bones lesions alone don't guarantee that syphilis was present in South America before Columbus, poking holes in the evidence used to support the hypothesis. AdvertisementWith this ancient genome, Schünemann and colleagues were able to discover that the whole Treponema family is much older than had ever been expected.

Persons: —, Christopher Colombus, didn't, Verena Schünemann, Christopher Columbus, Columbus, Brenda Baker, Schünemann Organizations: Service, Business, University of Basel, Arizona State University, Getty Locations: Europe, South America, Barcelona, Spain, Brazil, Asia, Japan, Columbus, India, Americas

☆ Remnants of life in ancient rocks reveal Earth had a rich ecosystem 3.4 billion years ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scientists have managed to extract evidence from an ancient fossil of early life on Earth. Studying these samples can reveal clues about life on Earth over 3.4 billion years ago. Life on Earth more than 3 billion years agoScientists think that life on Earth began around 4.3 billion years ago, but tracking down evidence dating back to that time is a difficult task. Still, by drilling straight into ancient rock, scientists have found peculiar, carbon-rich layers in several cores taken from around the world. And what they've found is that Earth was already teaming with life more than three billion years ago.

Persons: Frances Westall, Reinhardt, et, it's, Westall Organizations: Service, University of Göttingen, French National Centre for Scientific Research, New, Google, Research Locations: South Africa, Germany, Pilbara, Australia

☆ The mystery of Siberia's strange exploding craters may have finally been solved
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

They may be due to hot time bombs made of natural gas building up under the frozen ground. AdvertisementScientists are putting forward a new explanation for the giant exploding craters that seem to be randomly appearing in the Siberian permafrost. AdvertisementNow scientists are proposing that hot natural gas seeping from underground reserves might be behind the explosive burst. The natural gas building up over a layer of sediment is represented in purple. The area is rife with natural gas reserves, which lines up with Hellevang and colleagues' theory, per the study.

Persons: —, Helge Hellevang, VASILY BOGOYAVLENSKY, It's, Sofie Bates, Hellevang, Helge Hellevang et, Lauren Schurmeier, Thomas Birchall, Hellenvang Organizations: Service, University of Oslo, Gas, Getty, NASA, University of Hawai'i, New, University Locations: Siberia, Norway, AFP, Northern Russia, Canada, Svalbard

☆ Iceland scientists want to drill a hole straight into a reservoir of molten magma about a mile underground. It could generate limitless energy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Scientists in Iceland want to drill straight into an underground magma chamber. AdvertisementScientists in Iceland want to drill a hole into a magma chamber about a mile underground in an attempt to generate limitless energy. KMTIngólfsson expects one well on a magma chamber could be as productive as 10 other wells elsewhere. I'm not sure how much more efficient systems would be if drilled into a magma chamber," he said. AdvertisementA short time to get a lot of moneyKMT hopes to break ground on the first hole into the magma chamber in 2026.

Persons: —, Ingólfsson, Mika Mika, Paolo Papale, Jon Gluyas, Iceland Layne Kennedy, Gluyas, Hafsteinn Karlsson, it's Organizations: Service, Scientists, Italy's National, of Geophysics, Volcanology, New, KMT, Durham University, Global Geothermal Energy Advancement Association, KMT Ingólfsson, Gluyas Locations: Iceland, Namafjall, Pisa, Northern Iceland, Landmannalaugar, Krafla, Mexico, Kenya, Ethiopia, Italy

☆ A 'lost valley of cities' built thousands of years ago has been found in the Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scientists found a group of lost cities dating back thousands of years in the Amazon rainforest. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementArchaeologists discovered a group of cities that the Amazon jungle had hidden for thousands of years in Ecuador, The Associated Press reported. "It was a lost valley of cities," Rostain told The AP.

Persons: —, Antoine Dorison, Rostain, Dorison, Michael Heckenberger Organizations: Service, Associated Press, National Centre for Scientific Research, New, BBC, University of Florida Locations: Ecuador, France

☆ A rogue star could save Earth from extinction in a billion years by knocking it out past Pluto
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An unexpected rescue mission could come in the form of a star flying by the solar system. There's a slim chance the star could pull the Earth to a more habitable zone, a study suggested. The researchers ran 12,000 simulations to see what would happen if a star passed within 100 astronomical units (about 9.3 billion miles) from Earth. In 92% of cases, the solar system would remain almost intact even as a star passed by the solar system. In some simulations, Earth remained in the solar system but was pulled to a region beyond Pluto that's about 10% cooler than our current orbit.

Persons: —, Sean Raymond, there's, Raymond, that's Organizations: Service, University of Bordeaux, Planetary Science Institute, New, Royal Astronomical Society Locations: France, Tucson , Arizona

☆ The Pentagon is moving toward letting AI weapons autonomously decide to kill humans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is among countries arguing against new laws to regulate AI-controlled killer drones. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe deployment of AI-controlled drones that can make autonomous decisions about whether to kill human targets is moving closer to reality, The New York Times reported. Lethal autonomous weapons, that can select targets using AI, are being developed by countries including the US, China, and Israel. AdvertisementFrank Kendall, the Air Force secretary, told The Times that AI drones will need to have the capability to make lethal decisions while under human supervision.

Persons: Critics, —, Israel —, Alexander Kmentt, Kathleen Hicks, Army's, We'll, Frank Kendall Organizations: Service, New York Times, UN, Times, Defense, PLA, Reuters, Air Force, Pentagon Locations: China, Israel, Russia, Australia, Ukraine

☆ Solar flares bathe swathes of Siberia in scarlet 'northern lights'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Swathes of Russia and Ukraine were bathed in some of the strongest scarlet and green "northern lights" for years on Monday due to solar flares, according to pictures posted on social media and Russian media. The so-called "aurora borealis" bathed swathes of Siberia, the Urals, southern Russia and Ukraine in green, scarlet and purple overnight. Pictures posted on social media showed the night sky across Russia shining red and green. The lights are generated by streams of charged particles from the sun which penetrate the earth's atmosphere and collide with gas molecules which then release photons of light. The New Scientist magazine said in September that the northern lights are expected to be stronger this year than for at least a decade due to a surge in activity in the sun.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: New, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Urals

☆ Solar Flares Bathe Swathes of Siberia in Scarlet 'Northern Lights'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Swathes of Russia and Ukraine were bathed in some of the strongest scarlet and green "northern lights" for years on Monday due to solar flares, according to pictures posted on social media and Russian media. The so-called "aurora borealis" bathed swathes of Siberia, the Urals, southern Russia and Ukraine in green, scarlet and purple overnight. Pictures posted on social media showed the night sky across Russia shining red and green. The lights are generated by streams of charged particles from the sun which penetrate the earth's atmosphere and collide with gas molecules which then release photons of light. The New Scientist magazine said in September that the northern lights are expected to be stronger this year than for at least a decade due to a surge in activity in the sun.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: New, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Urals

☆ Russia's Lancet drone is its most effective weapon in Ukraine, and it's only getting deadlier
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Rise of the lancetA Russian Lancet loitering munition shot down in the Zaporizhzhia region in July 2022. At first only a handful of Lancet strike videos were posted each month. Target setUkrainian soldiers shoot at what Ukraine said were Russian Lancet drones in a still image from a video released in May. AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to Lost Armor, as of October 3 there are 667 Lancet strike videos. These are typically kept several miles back from the front line, but not far enough to be out of Lancet range.

Persons: —, Samuel Bendett, 19FortyFive, Yuriy Sak, Dmytro Smoliyenko, Crews, Bendett, Zala, David Hambling Organizations: Service, Russia, Strategic Communications, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Zala Aero Group, Special Operations Forces, CNA, CNAS, Lancet, Reuters, Ukraine Defense Ministry, Analysts, Publishing, Getty, Artillery, Oryx, Russia's RIA, Telegram, Vostok, Volunteer, Aviation, Forbes, The, New, Popular Mechanics, WIRED Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Syria, Russia, Russian, Ukrainian, German, Kyiv, Lancets, London

☆ Moscow has been surrounded by air defenses for a century, but they were never designed to stop the drones Ukraine is using now
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In recent months, Moscow has seen high-profile drone attacks thought to be launched by Ukraine. Moscow has had air defenses for a century, but they haven't been designed for what Ukraine is doing. This is actually the inner defensive ring: The A135 system originally had an outer ring of 51T6 Gorgon missiles with megaton-class warheads. STR/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesAs far back as this January, Russian planners realized that Moscow was wide open to drone attacks. AP PhotoThe first drones hit Moscow in May, with waves of subsequent attacks continuing through July, August and September.

Persons: Yuriy Shipilov, Sefa, David Hambling Organizations: Ukraine, Service, UK's Ministry of Defense, Central Press, Kremlin, Ballistic, US Safeguard, Sprint, Spartan, Anadolu Agency, Getty, 1st Air Defense Army, National Security, Russian Federation, Aerospace Defense, Ministry of Defense, SA, Defense Ministry, Arsenal, Fatherland, Moscow Investigators, AP, Aviation, Forbes, The, New, Popular Mechanics, WIRED Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Filatov Lug, Lug, American, North Dakota, Soviet, Crimea, Syria, Libya, Russian, London

☆ A mysterious Arctic shark that can live for 500 years got lost and ended up swimming in the balmy waters of the Caribbean, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A shark was found in the Caribbean — thousands of miles away from its usual habitat in the Arctic. The Greenland shark, which has a lifespan of 250 – 500 years, surprised researchers in Belize. When they retrieved their scientific catch, they were astonished to find the ancient Greenland shark. Greenland sharks are primarily scavengers, eating everything (dead or alive), including fish, seals, polar bears, and whales. AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to a 2016 study, Greenland sharks don't reach sexual maturity until they are at least 134 years old.

Persons: Hector Daniel Martinez, Demian Chapman, they're, Julius Nielsen Organizations: Service, Florida, Mashable, National Ocean Service, Caribbean, Sharks, Rays Conservation Research, Mote Marine Laboratory, Aquarium, New Locations: Caribbean, Belize, Wall, Silicon, Greenland, Baffin, Nova Scotia, Svalbard, Norway

☆ Russia has lost more than 2,200 tanks in Ukraine, and it may be reaching the limit of its ability to 'rebuild' older ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russia has lost more than 2,200 main battle tanks since invading Ukraine in February last year. Russian storage depots are deep, but they don't have an unlimited supply of armor to throw into a new fight. In fact, Russia is rebuilding tanks rather than building them, and their capacity to do so may be reaching its limit. Russia has vast stockpiles of old tanks, from T-90s barely 20 years old to rusting T-62s from the 1960s. More importantly, Russia's supply of old tanks for rebuilding is showing signs of running down.

Persons: Alexander Zemlianichenko, Stalin, UVZ, Sergio Miller, Abrams, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Shoigu, Putin's, Dmitry Medvedev, OLGA MALTSEVA, Jakub Janovsky, Medvedev, Nobody, Putin, David Hambling Organizations: Service, Russia, Victory Day, AP, Stalin Ural Tank, British Army, Sierra Army, Omsk Transport Machine Factory, —, Getty, Defence, Moscow Times, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, Aviation, Forbes, The, New, Popular Mechanics, WIRED Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, AP Russia, Nizhny Tagil, Moscow, Stalin Ural, Doyle , California, Omsk, St Petersburg, Siberia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Russian, Rostov, Izyum, AFP, OmskTransMash, Laos, St . Petersburg, Buryatia, Mongolia, Urals, USSR, Germany, Kremlin, London

☆ How bricks, a screwdriver, and a 'demon core' of radioactive material killed 2 Manhattan Project scientists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Experiments on a so-called "demon core" of plutonium caused the deaths of two Manhattan Project physicists. The recreation of the experiment involving the plutonium "demon core" that killed Harry Daghlian. In seconds, the "demon core" of plutonium core had bathed him in a lethal dose of radiation. He again attempted to experiment on the demon core, sliding the screwdriver between the metal halves. The two deadly incidents earned the plutonium core the nickname "the demon core."

Persons: J, Robert Oppenheimer, Harry Daghlian, Louis Slotin —, Daghlian —, Daghlian, Louis Slotin, Slotin, Johns Hopkins, Enrico Fermi, Alvin Graves, Graves Organizations: Manhattan, Manhattan Project, Service, Los, Atomic Heritage Foundation, MIT, Los Alamos National Laboratory, United Energy Workers Healthcare, Louis Slotin . Los Alamos, BBC, Applied Physics Laboratory, Alamos National Laboratory, New Locations: Wall, Silicon, Los Alamos, New Mexico, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Los Alamos , New Mexico, Los, Canadian, Louis Slotin . Los, Alamos

☆ Scientists discover gay behaviors are not only common in male monkeys, but may give them an evolutionary edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists found that male rhesus monkeys have sex more frequently with other males than females. This behavior could provide the monkeys with an evolutionary edge over heterosexual counterparts. The researchers reported 72% of the 236 male monkeys either mounted, or were mounted, by other males, whereas only 46% participated in heterosexual sex. Moreover, these male monkeys weren't strictly homosexual. Gay sex in male monkeys is partially heritableBy using genetic tests and family trees, they found that same sex behavior was 6.4% heritable.

Persons: China Istvan Kadar, weren't, Vincent Savolainen, Savolainen Organizations: Service, Imperial College of London, New Locations: Wall, Silicon, Puerto Rico, China

☆ There's an enormous gravity hole in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Scientists say they've finally worked out what's causing it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a gravity hole in the Indian Ocean, where ocean levels are about 300 feet lower than surrounding areas. The gravity hole may have been caused by an ancient ocean bed that sank millions of years ago. But a new study suggests researchers should have been looking around, not under, the gravity hole to solve the mystery of how it formed. The blue dot over the Indian Ocean is a gravity 'hole' that has scientists baffled. But scientists have struggled to explain the gravity hole in the Indian Ocean, known as the Indian Ocean geoid low.

Persons: Attreyee Ghosh, Debanjan Pal, Steinberger, Himangshu Paul Organizations: Service, ESA, Research, of Geosciences, NASA, Goddard Space, Indian Institute of Science, National Geophysical Research Institute, New Locations: Bangalore, Africa, Australia, India, Eastern Africa

☆ Video may show an octopus waking up from a nightmare, scientists believe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A video shows an octopus appearing to wake up from sleep in distress. The behaviour looked similar to waking up from a nightmare, scientists said. One of the study's co-authors noted that it would be difficult to study an octopus' brain activity and determine whether they actually dream. Robyn Crook, an associate professor of biology at San Francisco State University, told Live Science that the octopus' behavior could have been due to senescence, which is when an octopus' body starts to break down before death. "I don't exclude that senescence could be one of the drivers of this," Ramos told Live Science.

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