Inequality: What we've learned from the 'Robots of the late Neolithic'

Seven thousand years ago, societies across Eurasia began to show signs of lasting divisions between haves and have-nots. Scientists have now charted the precipitous surge of prehistoric inequality and trace its economic origins back to the adoption of ox-drawn plows.

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Elusive compounds of greenhouse gas isolated

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent atmospheric pollutant. Although naturally occurring, anthropogenic N2O emissions from intensive agricultural fertilization, industrial processes, and combustion of fossil fuels and biomass are a major cause for concern. Researchers have isolated elusive transition metal compounds of N2O that provide clues into how it could be used in sustainable chemical technologies.

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Large transnational corporations play critical role in global natural resource management

Researchers have identified six corporate actions that, combined with effective public policy and improved governmental regulations, could help large transnational corporations steer environmental stewardship efforts around the world.

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Americans would rather drive themselves than have an autonomous vehicle drive them

Are you willing to ride in a driverless car? Researchers studied how Americans' perceived cost of commute time changes depending on who's driving.

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Are existing laws enough to cope with accelerating environmental change?

Do you think that major statutory reform is necessary address global environmental challenges? Think again. New research by a group of environmental law scholars explores the untapped capacity of existing environmental and natural resources management statutes to address accelerating environmental change in the absence of major legislative reform.

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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.

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