Top news stories of October 12, 2024

Physicists reveal nonlinear transport induced by quantum geometry in planar altermagnets

In recent years, many physicists and materials scientists have been studying a newly uncovered class of magnetic materials known as altermagnets. These materials exhibit a unique type of magnetism that differs from both conventional ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, marked by electrons whose spin varies depending on their momentum.

Hidden in the teeth: DNA study finds these 19th century lions preyed on humans and giraffes

In 1898, two male lions terrorized an encampment of bridge builders on the Tsavo River in Kenya. The lions, which were massive and maneless, crept into the camp at night, raided the tents and dragged off their victims. The infamous Tsavo "man-eaters" killed at least 28 people before Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson, the civil engineer on the project, shot them dead. Patterson sold the lions' remains to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in 1925.

One-third of European plant species could be in trouble due to declining seed disperser populations

A team of ecologists at the University of Coimbra, Aarhus University and the University of Bristol has found that approximately one-third of plant species in Europe are under threat of population reduction as the number of seed dispersals declines.

Bat data study reveals conservation priorities in San Diego County

A team of wildlife managers at the U.S. Geological Survey in San Diego, California, working with a colleague from the San Diego Natural History Museum, have uncovered the areas in San Diego County that need the most scrutiny if bat populations in the area are to be saved.

Gazing at your dog can connect your brains, research suggests

It might sound far-fetched, but recent research suggests that dogs' and humans' brains synchronize when they look at each other.