Increased CO2 emissions could change the way human brains work, study says – ThePrint

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Increased CO2 emissions could affect human decision making

Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have suggested that increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels could alter basic human decision-making skills. Due to fossil fuel production, agriculture, and other human activities, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased exponentially. In 2019, the global average for CO2 in the atmosphere was a record 414 parts per million. More in ZME Science.

NASA celebrates Hubble’s birthday with its stunning space capture

The Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 30th anniversary on Friday, and to commemorate the occasion, NASA released a dazzling image called the Cosmic Reef, which was transmitted by the telescope. The image features the 2014 NGC red nebula and a smaller blue nebula called NGC 2020. A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and clouds in space, and some nebulae are regions where new stars form. The red nebula contains stars that are 10 to 20 times more massive than the sun, while the blue nebula contains a single star that is 2,00,000 times brighter than the Sun. The nebulae are 1.63,000 light years away. More in Space.com

Researchers Track Evolution of Bird Brain

An international team of evolutionary biologists and paleontologists has reconstructed the evolution of the avian brain using a huge brain volume dataset from dinosaurs, extinct birds, reptiles, and modern birds. The researchers discovered that two groups of birds with large brains and high intelligence evolved very recently: parrots and corvids (crow family). These two groups outperformed other birds to quickly develop larger than average brain size and displayed tremendous cognitive ability, including the ability to use tools and remember human faces. More in Phys.org.

The insect population has dropped 27% in 30 years.

Earth has lost more than 25 percent of its insect population in the past 30 years, according to an international team of researchers. Insects are crucial to the world’s food supply as pollinators, and their rapid decline will have devastating and alarming consequences worldwide. The loss has been linked to urbanization and habitat loss. More in Hour.

Also read: A treasure trove of Viking-era artifacts and an ocean creature that may be the world’s largest animal.

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