Richard Kemeny

Jan 15, 2025 | sciencenews.org | Richard Kemeny

As a volcanic eruption darkened the sun roughly 4,900 years ago, a Stone Age culture sacrificed hundreds of decorated stone plaques to try to coax it back. A trove of engraved stones unearthed from ritual gathering sites on Bornholm, an island in Denmark, display motifs that most commonly represent the sun and croplike plants. What’s more, an analysis of ice cores points to a volcanic eruption around the time the stones were intentionally buried.

Dec 2, 2024 | sciencenews.org | Richard Kemeny

Neandertals really knew their way around a fire. In a sea cave sheltered from the blustery winds of Gibraltar, our ancient cousins created a hearth capable of making tar from nearby plants, a new study suggests. Previous research has shown Neandertals used tar as an adhesive for crafting weapons, and that they used fires for heat and cooking (SN: 8/31/17).

Nov 4, 2024 | inews.co.uk | Richard Kemeny

I pull up my quad bike next to a mostly-cooled lava field that stretches out like a crusty black lake. Steam rises out of cracks from where it is still hot underneath and is whipped away into the icy air. “Grab a piece, hold it up to the sun, see how it shines,” says my guide, Ali, who is showing me around Iceland’s western Reykjanes peninsula. He tells me not to walk on the young lava. It is probably from an eruption in August and could still cave in.

Oct 1, 2024 | sciencenews.org | Richard Kemeny

When building a bird nest in ant territory, the best defense could be an offensive fungus. Swollen-thorn acacia trees are aggressively defended by multiple species of ants. And yet, several species of birds across Central America and Africa choose to nest in these trees. It seems that fungal fibers in the nests deter the ants who encounter them and alter their behavior, making them apparently alarmed and intoxicated, researchers report in the October Animal Behaviour.

Sep 19, 2024 | sciencenews.org | Richard Kemeny |Jake Buehler |Abby Wallace

Science News is collecting reader questions about how to navigate our planet's changing climate. What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can lead to extreme weather events? Limiting social contact — through social distancing, for example — is thought to be an effective barrier against the spread of disease (SN: 3/13/20). Humans also alter what the researchers call spatial networks by, for instance, using parts of a building or city as quarantine zones or expanding urban spaces.