A new study suggests that the fundamental abilities underlying human language and technological culture may have evolved before humans and apes diverged millions of years ago. The findings will be published 5th December 2024 in the journal PeerJ.

In the past, chemicals like asbestos and lead have caused widespread harm before their dangers were fully understood. Today, many unknown chemicals similarly pose potential risks. Recently, Chiba University researchers developed a new analysis method for detecting such chemicals in the human body. By studying blood samples from pregnant women, they identified 106 compounds, including potentially harmful substances like phthalates and parabens. This innovative approach could inform new regulations to better protect public health.

Increasing heat, droughts, floods, and salinization caused by climate change are lowering the amount of edible food produced by our staple crops. Since taking over more land for agriculture isn’t sustainable, our only path forward is to adapt the crops themselves to the new conditions. We have two options—domestication of crops’ wild relatives which are more resilient but have a lower yield, or including resilience genes in modern high-yield crops. Writing in Frontiers in Science, researchers discuss these possibilities and the critical need for more funding, research, and public understanding.