Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · 21h

Would have loved to attend but was told #nopress.

Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · 5d

Ik krijg een 404 wanneer ik in de laatste stap op 'Aanmelden' klik.

Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · 23d

Chimps ingest quite some alcohol, but they don't get drunk. “That would be very dangerous when you need to climb high up in a tree to build a nest to sleep at night.” New story for National Geographic, with comments by @kjhockings.bsky.social and others. www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Chimpanzees consume the equivalent of more than two alcoholic drinks per day

Scientists estimate chimps’ alcohol consumption for the first time, and find they seem to prefer boozier fruit.

www.nationalgeographic.com

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · 25d

My first story for @cenmag.bsky.social, with expert commentary by @she-paleo.bsky.social!

Christine Dell'Amore @cdellamore.bsky.social · 25d

Can blood vessels survive the eons? A new study claims to have identified hemoglobin in dinosaur fossils. @timvernimmen.bsky.social has the story for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/biological-c...

Dinosaur hemoglobin may have been discovered in fossils

A refined type of spectroscopy could advance a long-standing debate about the presence of dinosaur soft tissue

cen.acs.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Sep 10

My latest @knowablemag.bsky.social story explores what we have lost by destroying oyster reefs, and if they can be restored. knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Shucking the past: Can oysters thrive again?

Dredging and pollution devastated the once-bountiful reefs. Careful science may help bring them back.

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Sep 3

My latest story for @newscientist.com - the first in many years - is one of the craziest ant stories I've ever heard. Based on a @nature.com study by @selfishmeme.bsky.social and colleagues. www.newscientist.com/article/2494...

Queen ant makes males of another species for daughters to mate with

Bizarrely, Iberian harvester ant queens lay eggs that turn into male builder harvester ants, and some of her offspring are hybrids of the two species

www.newscientist.com

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Aug 25

Intrigued, but not an expert? Then you might want to start here. :) knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Born in thin air: Overcoming the challenges of pregnancy at high elevation

In people not adapted to life at altitude, the sparse oxygen can impair fetal growth, causing problems that can last a lifetime. Researchers are searching for remedies.

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Aug 11

Mexican tetras living on the surface (left) look dramatically different from populations that were washed into caves generations ago (right) – and not just on the outside. Featuring @rohner.bsky.social‬ and others. knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

How the cavefish lost its eyes — again and again

Mexican tetras that got swept into pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs. They lost their eyes in multiple ways — and gained some nifty traits too.

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Aug 6

A million years ago, someone was already making stone tools on the island of Sulawesi. But who was it, and how did they get there? My latest story for the National Geographic website, based on a new paper in @nature.com. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Did ancient ‘hobbit humans’ create these million-year-old tools?

Seven newly discovered stone tools, dating to between 1.04 and 1.48 million years ago, were found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

www.nationalgeographic.com

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Jun 18

My latest story is based on papers in @science.org and @cp-cell.bsky.social revealing Homo longi aka 'Dragon Man' was a Denisovan - or is it the other way around? Featuring @benceviola.bsky.social, @fridowelker.bsky.social and @chrisbstringer.bsky.social. www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...

This is the first ever confirmed skull of a Denisovan

Finally, we can put a face on a Denisovan.

www.nationalgeographic.com

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Jun 12

At what specific location will these meetings be held? Will it be near the red marker here?

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · May 28

My latest story for @knowablemag.bsky.social is all about the astonishingly plentiful fossils of foraminifera, featuring @chrislowery.bsky.social, @fraass.bsky.social and @tracyaze.bsky.social! knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

The history of the ocean, as told by tiny beautiful fossils

Bountiful remains of foraminifera reveal how organisms responded to climate disturbances of the past. They can help predict the future, too.

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · May 19

Capuchins surprising us again, this time rather unpleasantly... featuring @zoegoldsborough.bsky.social and @bjjbarrett.bsky.social! www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

These capuchins are abducting babies from howler monkeys—for fun?

A young male nicknamed Joker was probably the first to start carrying a howler monkey baby on his back for days on end. Then a group of other young males started to copy him.

www.nationalgeographic.com

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Mar 26

Intrigued, but not an expert? Here's a gentle introduction: knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Division of labor in ants, wasps, bees — and us

Social insects and humans share the trait of divvying up tasks, as do some fish. Researchers find that it emerges naturally, and it often doesn’t take a boss to keep things in order.

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Mar 20

My latest National Geographic story explores a study that shows seals are aware how much oxygen they've got left in their blood, inspired by the @science.org paper by @chrismcknight.bsky.social. www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

How do seals know how long to hold their breath?

The sea mammals may actually be able to sense the amount of oxygen in their blood—something we humans can't do.

www.nationalgeographic.com

Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Mar 10

My latest story for @knowablemag.bsky.social explores research on the challenges of pregnancy at high elevation, and how it might help prevent complications at high and low elevation. knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Born in thin air: Overcoming the challenges of pregnancy at high elevation

In people not adapted to life at altitude, the sparse oxygen can impair fetal growth, causing problems that can last a lifetime. Researchers are searching for remedies.

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Mar 6

Intrigued, but not an expert? Here's a gentle introduction! knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

When ribosomes go rogue

Unusual variations in the cellular protein factory can skew development, help cancer spread and more. But ribosome variety may also play biological roles, scientists say.

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Mar 5

More than 50 years ago, Terje Lømo and Tim Bliss discovered a process now called LTP that allows our brain to learn and remember. I had the pleasure of spending a few delightful hours with both of them in Oslo last year to learn about their own memories. knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

It began with a rabbit: Unraveling the mystery of memory

Half a century after the discovery of long-term potentiation, we’re still learning how the brain remembers

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Feb 19

Can't get enough of animal culture? Have some more: knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Cultural transmission makes animals flexible, but vulnerable

From monkeys washing potatoes to cockatoos raiding trash cans, socially spread behaviors allow creatures to adapt more rapidly to changing environments than conventional evolution would allow. But the...

knowablemagazine.org

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Tim Vernimmen @timvernimmen.bsky.social · Feb 19

Capuchins are incredible animals, and even if you already knew that, this Q&A with Susan Perry, who has studied them for decades, might contain some surprises. It certainly did for me. knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...