Are they watching you? The tiny brains of bees and wasps can recognise faces

Aug 13, 2018 13:29 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Recognising faces is essential for how we interact in complex societies, and is often thought to be an ability that requires the sophistication of the large human brain. But new evidence we published in Frontiers in...

I've Always Wondered: Why are the volcanoes on Earth active, but the ones on Mars are not?

Aug 09, 2018 15:14 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

This is an article from Ive Always Wondered, a series where readers send in questions theyd like an expert to answer. Send your question to [email protected] Ive always wondered why we still have...

Can the earthquake in Lombok trigger volcanic activities?

Aug 09, 2018 15:04 pm UTC| Nature

After a deadly 6.4-magnitude earthquake on July 29 hit the island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, the tourist destination faced a 7.0 magnitude shock on Sunday night. The National Disaster Management Agency...

Farmers are drawing groundwater from the giant Ogallala Aquifer faster than nature replaces it

Aug 08, 2018 13:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Every summer the U.S. Central Plains go dry, leading farmers to tap into groundwater to irrigate sorghum, soy, cotton, wheat and corn and maintain large herds of cattle and hogs. As the heat rises, anxious irrigators...

When temperatures rise, so do crime rates: evidence from South Africa

Aug 08, 2018 13:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Over the past few decades there has been a growing worldwide interest in examining the relationship between weather and various types of crime. Most research in this area has however produced inconsistent and often...

Giants: why we needed them

Aug 08, 2018 12:57 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Think of any sizeable water gap. It might be that between you and the island many kilometres off the coast, a place like Kangaroo Island (South Australia) or Sri Lanka as viewed from nearby India. It might be the gap...

Unique pollen signatures in Australian honey could help tackle a counterfeit industry

Aug 08, 2018 12:09 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Australian honey, produced from domesticated European honey bees mostly foraging in native vegetation, is unique. Under the microscope, most Australian honey samples can be distinguished from honey produced in other...