Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country

Science

Science

[:es]Ancient DNA reveals a Bronze Age bias for male horses[:]

[:es]Myths about horses and gender abound. Many equestrians, for example, say they prefer “predictable” geldings over “moody” mares, despite no real difference in their behavior while ridden. Now, a new study suggests our biased views of horses may have ancient origins. Based on ancient DNA from hundreds of horse skeletons, researchers suggest Bronze Age Eurasians…
Science

[:es]Pools in the Mexican desert are a window into Earth’s early life[:]

[:es]The landscape—more than 300 turquoise-blue pozas scattered across 800 square kilometers, among marshes and majestic mountains—wasn’t the only draw. The waters, whose chemistry resembled that of Earth’s ancient seas, teemed with microbes; unusual bacterial mats and formations called stromatolites carpeted the shallows.[:]
Science

[:es]NASA’s new rover will collect martian rocks—and clues to planet’s ancient climate[:]

[:es]NASA’s newest Mars rover, Perseverance, is going back in time to the bottom of a vanished lake. If all goes well, in February 2021 it will land in Jezero crater and pop the dust covers off its camera lenses. Towering in front of it, in all likelihood, will be a 60-meter cliff of mudstone: the…
Science

[:es]The chicken first crossed the road in Southeast Asia, ‘landmark’ gene study finds[:]

[:es]It is the world’s most common farm animal as well as humanity’s largest single source of animal protein. Some 24 billion strong, it outnumbers all other birds by an order of magnitude. Yet for 2 centuries, biologists have struggled to explain how the chicken became the chicken.[:]
Science

[:es]Alaskan megaeruption may have helped end the Roman Republic[:]

[:es]For ages, the shadow of a volcano has hung over the fall of the Roman Republic. Ancient historians told of the Sun’s mysterious disappearance after Julius Caesar’s murder in 44 B.C.E., which was followed by bouts of cold and crop failures. Now, a team of scientists and historians has discovered that one of the largest…
Science

[:es]A controversial Russian theory claims forests don’t just make rain—they make wind[:]

[:es]Every summer, as the days get long, Anastassia Makarieva leaves her lab in St. Petersburg for a vacation in the vast forests of northern Russia. The nuclear physicist camps on the shores of the White Sea, amid spruce and pine, and kayaks along the region’s wide rivers, taking notes on nature and the weather. “The…
Science

[:es]Baby planets are born exceptionally fast, study suggests[:]

[:es]Planets are forming around young stars far faster than scientists expected, arising in a cosmic eye blink of less than half a million years, according to a new study. That finding could inform models of planet formation and help resolve a problem plaguing astronomers since 2018, when data indicated that planetary nurseries contained far too…
Science

[:es]Plastic dust is blowing into U.S. national parks—more than 1000 tons each year[:]

[:es]Remote wilderness areas and national parks in the western United States are getting a dusting of plastic every year, perhaps 1000 tons or more, according to a new study. Up to one-quarter of the microscopic pieces of plastic—which come from carpets, clothing, and even spray paint—may originate in storms passing over nearby cities, whereas the…
Science

[:es]Coronavirus rips through Dutch mink farms, triggering culls to prevent human infections[:]

[:es]In a sad sideshow to the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities in the Netherlands began to gas tens of thousands of mink on 6 June, most of them pups born only weeks ago. SARS-CoV-2 has attacked farms that raise the animals for fur, and the Dutch government worries infected mink could become a viral reservoir that could…