Carp aquaculture in Neolithic China dating back 8,000 years

Researchers analyzed fish bones excavated from the Early Neolithic Jiahu site in Henan Province, China. By comparing the body-length distributions and species-composition ratios of the bones with findings from East Asian sites with present aquaculture, the researchers provide evidence of managed carp aquaculture at Jiahu dating back to 6200-5700 BC.

Read more

Look out, invasive species: The robots are coming

Researchers published the first experiments to gauge whether biomimetic robotic fish can induce fear-related changes in mosquitofish, aiming to discover whether the highly invasive species might be controlled without toxicants or trapping methods harmful to wildlife. Their findings indicate that even brief exposure to a robotic replica of the mosquitofish's primary predator can provoke meaningful avoidance behaviors and physiological changes associated with the loss of energy reserves, potentially translating into lower rates of reproduction.

Read more

Heart-healthy forager-farmers in lowland Bolivia are changing diets and gaining weight

A group of forager-farmers in Bolivia's tropical forests — known for having remarkable cardiovascular health and low blood pressure — experienced changes in body mass and diet over a nine-year period, with increased use of cooking oil being the most notable dietary change.

Read more

Antibiotic resistance surges in dolphins, mirroring humans


Scientists obtained a total of 733 pathogen isolates from 171 individual wild Bottlenose dolphins in Florida and found that the overall prevalence of resistance to at least one antibiotic for the 733 isolates was 88.2%. Resistance was highest to erythromycin, followed by ampicillin. It is likely that these isolates from dolphins originated from a source where antibiotics are regularly used, potentially entering the marine environment through human activities or discharges from terrestrial sources.

Read more