Research In Action: Fugitive Pigments Reveal Their True Colors

 Posted on June 17, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  344 words  |  Trudie Dory

This Research in Action article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. In the above depiction of Winslow Homer's "For to Be a Farmer's Boy" (1887; Gift of Mrs. George T. Langhorne in memory of Edward Carson Waller, AIC 1963.760), the right side depicts the colors of the work as they now appear, while the left side reveals a digital recreation that shows how the masterpiece appeared before its paint faded. [Read More]

Slavers Burned the Last US Slave Ship to Hide Their Crimes. Now It's Been Found.

 Posted on June 17, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  494 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

After nearly 150 years, the last known ship used to bring kidnapped people to the United States to sell into slavery seems to have turned up off the coast of Mobile, Alabama. Slavers used the Clotilda, as it was known, to bring 110 people snatched from present-day Benin to Mobile in 1860, according to a statement. That voyage took place 52 years after an 1808 law banning slavers from bringing more people to the United States to sell into slavery, and the year before the start of the U. [Read More]

The new coronavirus: Your questions answered

 Posted on June 17, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  973 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

A new coronavirus is spreading around the world, having caused nearly 100,000 illnesses and thousands of deaths globally. Here are answers to some basic questions about the new coronavirus. What is the new coronavirus?Coronaviruses constitute a large family of viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. The new virus is a type of coronavirus that had never been seen before. It first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. [Read More]

Vulnerable Gorilla Owes Fate to Climate Change and Humans

 Posted on June 17, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  412 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

A now critically endangered group of gorillas had split off into its own subspecies about 17,800 years ago, say researchers, who concluded that the evolution of the animal, the Cross River gorilla, was shaped by ancient climate change and, more recently, humans. Some 1.6 million years ago at the start of the Pleistocene Epoch, a common population of gorillas diverged into two species, western and eastern gorillas. Although the two species now live far from one another, they still look and behave quite similarly. [Read More]

Watch Live: The longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years

 Posted on June 17, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  482 words  |  Patria Henriques

Attention all eclipse-watchers! The longest partial lunar eclipse of the century will take place tomorrow morning between Thursday (Nov. 18) and Friday (Nov. 19), and it will be visible in all 50 U.S. states. Here's how to catch the stunning event where you are, or watch it live here on Live Science. Earth's shadow will cover 97% of the full moon, blocking most of the sun's light and staining the moon a dark, rusty red. [Read More]

Way too many Americans have gargled with bleach, sprayed their bodies with disinfectants to prevent COVID-19

 Posted on June 17, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  601 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Nearly 4 in 10 American adults reported engaging in dangerous cleaning practices to prevent COVID-19, such as washing food with bleach, using household disinfecting products on their skin or intentionally inhaling vapors from cleaning products, according to a recent survey. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) follows an earlier study describing an increase in calls to poison control centers regarding exposure to household cleaners, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read More]

'Puppy Eyes' Help Dogs Bond with Humans, Study Suggests

 Posted on June 16, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  784 words  |  Fernande Dalal

When people call their dogs their "fur babies," they may be onto something, at least on a chemical level. Dogs that make so-called puppy eyes at their owners get a spike in the "love hormone" oxytocin — and their owners do too, according to a new study. This same positive feedback in oxytocin release occurs when a mom gazes at her newborn infant, studies have shown. Because dogs don't otherwise use eye contact as a way to cement bonds with other dogs, the study researchers suggest that man's best friend may have gotten its prized place in human hearts by tapping into an ancient human bonding pathway. [Read More]

'Time travel' to the 1890s in AI-remastered silent movies that look like HD video

 Posted on June 16, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  689 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Shot more than a century ago, a scene showing "Buffalo Bill" as he conducts an interview with an Oglala Lakota leader looks as if it were filmed yesterday. This old film clip was recently remastered using artificial intelligence (AI), and the result lookslike high-definition video. The artist behind this transformation is giving Live Science readers a first look at the astonishing result.  Though still black and white, the remastered footage no longer appears jittery and sped-up, as silent films usually do. [Read More]

4 Ways Owning a Dog Can Make You Healthier

 Posted on June 16, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  409 words  |  Patria Henriques

Ah, the age-old family discussion: Should we get a dog? Depending on the family, this question can range from being a no-brainer to setting off a heated discussion. Of course, the decision to get a pet is a very personal thing, and there isn't one answer that suits everyone. But if you're on the fence, it may help to review some of the research, because dog ownership has been known to provide some serious health benefits. [Read More]

Disaster Laws: Will Gulf Oil Spill Change Anything?

 Posted on June 16, 2023  |  7 minutes  |  1488 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Earlier this week, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) responded to the continuing Gulf oil leak by proposing new legislative action that would raise the liability BP could face for the disaster. Sen. Schumer’s action is merely the latest move in Washington’s month-long reaction to the Deepwater Horizon explosion, and if history is any guide, it won’t be the last. Throughout the last century, environmental and industrial catastrophes have often provoked an outraged citizenry to demand action from their elected officials, resulting in new regulations aimed at preventing future catastrophes. [Read More]