The average person takes thousands of steps each day, instinctively walking heel-to-toe. Although they hardly register them, those consistent heel-first strides are more unique to humans than previously thought and allowed early hominins to walk farther more efficiently, but at the cost of higher impact forces on bones and joints, according to a new study led by a researcher at Penn State.

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has overturned decades of assumptions about Miracinonyx trumani, the extinct predator popularly known as the American "cheetah.” By analyzing nuclear paleogenomes and stable isotopes from fossils found as far north as the Yukon, scientists have discovered that this iconic cat was not a true cheetah, but a highly adaptable relative of the puma that specialized in eating fish to survive the Arctic.

Rice University researchers have used a magnetically levitated particle to search for ultraheavy dark matter, extending the hunt for some of the heaviest possible forms of the invisible matter thought to hold galaxies together. Led by Christopher Tunnell, associate professor of physics and astronomy, the researchers used a tiny floating magnet as a highly sensitive detector designed to register the faint push an ultraheavy dark matter particle could produce as it passed through.

Iowa State's Wenjie Xia is leading a team developing data-driven, materials-by-design approaches to discover organic electronic materials. The materials could be used for flexible electronics, wearable sensors, bioelectronics and other emerging technologies.

A new study led by scientists at Penn State shows that proteins that contain a certain type of structure are more likely to misfold and be targeted for removal, yet nearly half still manage to evade the cellular maintenance crew. The misfolded proteins that persist could accumulate in cells, disrupting the balance of protein production and recycling and potentially contributing to aging and disease, according to the researchers.

Michigan State University researchers are uncovering the secrets of how some plants adapt to toxic salt, with help from coastal wildflowers that thrive in salt-laden ocean spray that kills other plants. The research could lead to ways to make crops more resilient to salt exposure from other sources, such as winter road salt or worsening storm surges.

A new study has used a type of machine learning called a neural network to reveal how different kinds of training can change how learning happens. As neural networks learn, they adopt patterns of activity that are strikingly similar to real-life neuron firing patterns. What’s more, the type of training affects both the activity pattern, and the ability to solve a task, in similar ways between neural networks and living brains.

University of Washington researchers gathered eight kids on campus to explore how they played with AI toys. The kids initially were curious, asking introductory questions, such as “What is your name?” But after communication breakdowns, the kids turned to antagonizing the toys, calling them “ugly” and “evil” and joking about throwing them in the ocean.