A small team of archaeologists and anthropologists from the University of Wyoming , Michigan State University , and the Desert Research Institute , all in the U.S. , has used radiocarbon dating of bone and other artifacts found at various sites across North America to learn more about Indigenous population fluctuations before the arrival of Europeans .

The research team found that the population of North America reached its maximum by approximately 1150 .

Researchers at Soochow University , Nanyang Technological University and the Beijing Institute of Technology recently carried out a study exploring the effects of surface roughness on the glass transition observed in elongated particles called colloidal ellipsoids.

Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters , shows that introducing tiny irregularities on the surface of these particles to increase their roughness can disrupt their transition into glass.

Government unveils two-year investment of 2.65 billion to build and repair flood defences.

52,000 properties set to benefit from new defences by March 2026 .

Funding will be reprioritised for investment in much-needed maintenance, benefitting a further 14,500 properties.

Floods Resilience Taskforce meets today to discuss lessons from recent storms.

The government is committed to delivering a refreshed and updated approach to flood defences, fit for the challenges we face.

The existing funding formula for allocating money to defences slows down the delivery of new schemes through a complex application process.

A consultation to update the formula will be launched shortly.

Osaka University researchers have developed a nanogate that can be open or shut by applying electricity.

Nanogate shows various behaviors depending on materials in the solutions on both sides of the gate and the applied voltage.

System could be attractive for different applications including sensing and controlled chemical reactions.

Leading scientists say long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius is now "impossible" The Paris climate accord of 2015 had pledged to hold end-of-century warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

At 2C , the impacts would be even greater, including irreversible loss of ice sheets, mountain glaciers and snow, sea ice and permafrost.

Camp Hill virus is a genus of viruses that is zoonotic, which means it can be spread from animals to humans.

It is thought to be the first "henipavirus" in North America .

Researchers at The University of Queensland plan to work on developing vaccines for this family of viruses.

Light pollution, the term for the brightening of the night sky by unnatural lights, is increasing worldwide.

One third of all humans, including 80% of North Americans , cannot see the Milky Way.

Research has linked light pollution to obesity, depression, sleep disorders, diabetes, and cancer.

Light pollution poses a threat to 30% of vertebrates and more than 60% of invertebrates that are nocturnal.

DarkSky International has worked with communities and nature reserves in 22 countries to provide support and give official accreditation to areas that have made positive changes.

As of October 2022 , 20 pieces of nationwide legislation that concern the mitigation of light pollution had been introduced in nine member states of the European Union since 2000 , according to the Czech Republic’s Ministry of the Environment .

A 54-year-old man in Rotterdam , Netherlands , visited the ER after experiencing shortness of breath, sweating, urination and thirst.

Over the past two days , he drank nearly 6 gallons ( 22 liters) of whole milk per day "to quench his thirst," doctors said.

The man's blood sugar levels were extremely high and his triglycerides were also dramatically elevated.

President Donald Trump 's executive order banning offshore wind projects has brought New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm to a standstill.

Federal permitting uncertainty and Shell pulling back on clean energy halted negotiations, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities said.

Gov. Phil Murphy has led the state's push for offshore wind development since he took office in 2018 .

Trump has long said he doesn't like wind turbines.

A team led by a Rutgers- New Brunswick scientist has concluded water did not arrive as early during Earth 's formation as previously thought.

The finding bears directly on the question of when life originated on the planet.

Scientists seek to learn when the constituent materials necessary for life appeared so they can understand how and when life began.

More information: K.R. Bermingham et al , The non-carbonaceous nature of Earth 's late-stage accretion, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta ( 2024 ). DOI: 10.1016 /j.gca.2024.11.005 Provided by Rutgers UniversityThis story was originally published on Phys.org . Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates..