Congratulations to the finalists of the 2023 Cozzarelli Prize for their paper titled “Horizontal gene transfer underlies the painful strings of asp caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Megalopygidae).” Explore their award-winning research: ow.ly/cIAs50Rf3R7

Inner workings: #DeepSea Mining poses serious threats to ocean #ecosystems . Yet, studying these #DeepSea effects presents a huge challenge in terms of logistics, resources, and research. ow.ly/4WiW50Rf4AF #PolyMetallicNodules #DeepSea Mining #CleanEnergy #RareMetals

In this issue: environmental footprint of cardboard packaging in China, detecting fossil fuel-sourced carbon dioxide, and wooden artifacts of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. ow.ly/LPRa50Rf3Ay

Face pareidolia is a tendency to see faces everywhere, from electrical outlets to clouds. A brain imaging study shows pareidolia occurs at late processing stages in the high-frequency range of 80–85 Hz over areas constituting the social brain. In PNAS: ow.ly/GY9450Rf3v4

Opinions on guns are hyper-polarized in the United States. But a survey shows that people from both political parties are averse to having neighbors who own AR-15s or who do not keep their guns properly locked up. In PNAS: ow.ly/npur50ReoWx

A study of 825 young women in the Philippines finds that those who were pregnant more often experienced an acceleration of biological aging during that period, as measured by epigenetic markers of cellular aging, health, and mortality risk. In PNAS: ow.ly/LtZW50ReoNm

As an eastern diamondback rattlesnake grows older and larger, its venom changes to match its changing prey. Smaller snakes mostly eat mice and rats; larger snakes move on to rabbits. A study identifies the epigenomic changes behind this shift. In PNAS: ow.ly/PKAi50RemIl

Opinion: #Wildlife inspectors are pivotal in safeguarding #biosecurity , preventing the spread of #InvasiveSpecies , and regulating the trade of #EndangeredSpecies . To achieve these objectives, we need better high-tech tools. In PNAS Front Matter: ow.ly/VYci50Remum

Removing invasive barred owls significantly boosts the survival rates of threatened spotted owls, demonstrating the importance of targeted management strategies for preserving biodiversity.

In @Guardian: ow.ly/Wo9350RcJnE

In PNAS: ow.ly/Wsyi50RcJnF

A 3D reconstruction of Tiktaalik roseae suggests that adaptations for head mobility, body support, and pelvic fin buttressing evolved in a fish group known as elpistostegalians before the origin of limbs. In PNAS: ow.ly/1F5I50RcJfb

Why do humans blink more often than is necessary to keep the eye well-lubricated? A study suggests blinks can create changes in luminance that emphasize low-resolution information about the global structure of the visual scene. In PNAS: ow.ly/zCYK50RcJ7b

Opinion piece: How can we ensure that #NatureBasedClimateSolutions fulfill their promise when it comes to mitigating #CO2Emissions ? In PNAS Front Matter: ow.ly/W6GR50RcB7t #ClimateChange #GreenhouseGases #biodiversity #agriculture

Congratulations to the finalists of the 2023 Cozzarelli Prize for their paper titled “Carbon-cement supercapacitors as a scalable bulk energy storage solution.” Explore their award-winning research: ow.ly/xnVW50RbjVa

Social media exposure can increase visitor numbers at US National Parks by up to 22% compared to parks with low social media exposure. But official park social media accounts aren’t driving the trends. In PNAS: ow.ly/ceeo50RaNTH

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Cozzarelli Prize for their paper titled “Reversal of an existing hearing loss by gene activation in Spns2,” for its contribution to the physical and mathematical sciences. Explore their award-winning research: ow.ly/g1lv50RaNCv

Wooden tools from a Pleistocene archaeological site in Germany expand understanding of ancient woodworking techniques and provide insight into early human hunting strategies, range expansion, technical and social skills, and cognition. In PNAS: ow.ly/cGws50RasXJ

A study of marine fossils suggests that climate warming could allow tropical species, which are currently separated from the Mediterranean by cold upwelling off north-west Africa, to colonize the Mediterranean, altering its ecosystem. In PNAS: ow.ly/WFVp50Rasm7

In computer simulations, agents equipped with AI learned to move like chemotactic bacteria as they searched for resources. But the synthetic agents also acquired movement patterns even more efficient than those seen in nature. In PNAS: ow.ly/bMvL50Ras4I

Undocumented immigrants have lower felony arrest rates than legal immigrants and native-born US citizens. Findings challenge assumptions about the effectiveness of aggressive immigrant removal programs.

In The Associated Press: ow.ly/pEWe50RatPb

In PNAS: ow.ly/r0Rf50RatPc

Watching the solar eclipse today? Dive into this classic research article from the inaugural volume of PNAS about solar eclipses titled, “Results of an Investigation of the Flash Spectrum Without an Eclipse.” Read now: ow.ly/VWV150Ratg4