NewsPaleontologyHumans, not climate change, may have wiped out Australias giant kangaroosFossilized kangaroo teeth hint at varied diets, helping the animals weather climatic changes Simothenurus occidentalis (illustrated) was one of dozens of kangaroo species that went extinct by 40,000 years ago.Nobu Tamura (CC BY 3.0)By Carolyn Gramling1 hour agoThe demise of most of Australias kangaroo species by 40,000 years ago may have had less to do with climate-caused dietary pressures and more to do with human hunters.Dental analyses of ancient kangaroos reveal they werent such picky eaters as once thought, researchers report in the Jan. 10 Science. Instead, when it came to climate-related changes in food availability, the animals might have rolled with the punches, the scientists suggest.Between 65,000 and 40,000 years ago, more than 90 percent of Australias large animal species went extinct. Over half were kangaroos. The primary suspects behind these extinctions were thought to be human hunters, who had arrived sometime between 70,000 and 50,000 years ago, and rapid changes in the climate, which may have dramatically reduced the animals dietary options.

Nature, Published online: 09 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00012-7Previously undescribed cells look like fat cells, but they function to provide cushioning and support in cartilage.

Nature, Published online: 08 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08194-2This Review addresses the roles of type 2 immunity in cancer and the potential for cancer immunotherapies targeting this pathway.

Nature, Published online: 08 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04080-zChemicals derived from neurotransmitter molecules in the brain can act as epigenetic marks on histone proteins to regulate gene expression. These marks control circadian clock genes and influence behaviour.

A new study describes a type of cartilage that may have been discovered, forgotten and found again at several points in history.

Human brains take in sensory data at more than 1 billion bits per second, but only process that information at a measly 10 bits per second, new research has found.

NASA will explore two different strategies for fetching Mars rocks collected by the Perseverance rover, and there's a chance these samples contain evidence of alien life.

A few days ago, I asked for feedback on NSFW restrictions and received far more if it than I was expected. I intend to get around to creating polls to decide which exact rules around NSFW restrictions will enacted, but with such a wide range of opinions expressed, I think multiple polls will be necessary to work out the fine details. For the time being, I'll be addressing what is perhaps the simplest issue brought up in that thread, that being sexualizing comments. For the sake of clarifying the four options, real examples of sexualizing comments include: * "Would" * "Booobieesss.. love em " * Example image #1 * Example Image #2 and real examples of sexualizing comments which would be considered constructive include: * "Needs more subsurface scattering, it looks like a sex doll or a dead body." * "Looks like the artifical skin of a sex doll tbh ... its getting uncanny but the Skin texture needs work." * "...the bouncy beds is a lil too much for it to be appealing " * "OK horniness aside this is absolutely incredible" What constitutes an explicitly sexualized artwork is difficult to define, but for the purposes of this poll, assume that things similar in nature to a sculpt of a standing nude body or a depiction of a nude character laying in a field does not count, but that a character in a risqu outfit or posing suggestively would count, even if no nudity is depicted. Sexualizing comments should be... View Poll submitted by /u/Avereniect [link] [comments]

Monster Hunter fans don't have to wait much longer for the next mainline entry in Capcom's wildly popular action-RPG series. Monster Hunter Wilds is slated to launch February 28, and players can participate in a second open beta early next month. If you want to check out the series for the first time or are interested in owning Steam versions of the most recent games, Fanatical has brought back its terrific Build Your Own Monster Hunter Bundle. You can get Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter World for only 10 bucks total.We'd recommend snagging each game's sprawling expansion, too. You can get the base games as well as Rise's Sunbreak DLC and World's Iceborne DLC for only $18. Build your bundle at Fanatical Capcom Monster Hunter BundleMonster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak2 for $10 / 4 for $18 / All 8 for $25Continue Reading at GameSpot

A movie based on the video game Sleeping Dogs was in the works for years, but it's apparently no longer moving ahead. Actor Donnie Yen (Ip Man, John Wick, Rogue One) was announced as the lead years ago, and he's now confirmed the momentum there once was to make the movie happen has stalled."I spent a lot of time and did a lot of work with these producers, and I even invested some of my own money into obtaining the drafts and some of the rights," Yen told Polygon. "I waited for years. Years. And I really want to do it. I have all these visions in my head, and unfortunately I don't know, you know how Hollywood goes, right? I spent many, many years on it. It was an unfortunate thing."Yen didn't provide any other specifics on what happened to the Sleeping Dogs movie, but it's not uncommon for Hollywood films to fall apart or trudge through the so-called development hell and never see the light of day for any number of reasons.Continue Reading at GameSpot