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An international team of researchers has uncovered evidence of the largest solar storm ever identified by studying ancient tree rings.

The evidence points to a colossal spike in radiocarbon levels from 14,300 years ago, found in tree rings from the French Alps.

The colossal storm discovered by the scientists originated from the Sun and was so powerful that a similar event would be catastrophic with modern technology.

With support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research initiative, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will partner with outside institutions to improve diversity in the #STEM workforce and provide training to underrepresented students and researchers.

The study explains how variation in male traits and female preferences is maintained and evolved over time.

What makes a male animal irresistible to a female? Is it his looks, smell, skills, or genes? Scientists have been trying to answer this question for a long time. However, they have not been able to explain why some males are more attractive than others or why female preferences change over time and across species.

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Continue reading “Study says female animals teach each other to choose male partners” »

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New research from a team including a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist reaffirms that human footprints found in White Sands National Park, New Mexico, date to the Last Glacial Maximum, placing humans in North America thousands of years earlier than once thought. Explore the role of radiocarbon dating of pollen in the discovery:

We support diverse research activities with talented staff, state-of-the-art facilities and core competencies. From internal collaboration to external partnerships, we work together to advance scientific discovery.

Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda first proposed umami as a basic taste—in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter—in the early 1900s. About eight decades later, the scientific community officially agreed with him.

Now, scientists led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences have evidence of a sixth basic taste.

In research published in Nature Communications, USC Dornsife neuroscientist Emily Liman and her team found that the tongue responds to ammonium chloride through the same protein receptor that signals sour taste.

WIRED asked experts from all corners of society and academia to answer questions about the future of technology, artificial intelligence, and humanity itself.

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Continue reading “Experts Predict the Future of Technology, AI & Humanity” »

According to a new theory presented by researchers at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus and their colleagues at University College London, how useful a memory is for future situations determines where it resides in the brain.

The theory offers a new way of understanding systems consolidation, a process that transfers certain memories from the hippocampus – where they are initially stored – to the neocortex — where they reside long term.

Under the classical view of systems consolidation, all memories move from the hippocampus to the neocortex over time. But this view doesn’t always hold up; research shows some memories permanently reside in the hippocampus and are never transferred to the neocortex.