The Curiosity rover has made a significant discovery on Mars, finding large carbon deposits that suggest an ancient carbon cycle. Researchers exploring the domestication of cats believe they may have originated from Tunisia. Meanwhile, scientists have also discovered new insights into human friendships, alien life signatures, and bee behavior.
A study by Cornell researchers found that personal odor is a strong predictor of friendship potential in heterosexual women. The researchers took participants’ photos, issued them T-shirts to wear for 12 hours, and then had them evaluate the scent of those T-shirts to determine if two people might be friends. The results showed that the smell-only evaluations were highly similar to in-person evaluations.
Furthermore, a team from the University of Cambridge has reported the strongest signs yet of an exoplanetary biosignature outside our solar system. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, they detected the chemical signature of dimethyl sulfide and/or dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b.
Additionally, researchers in Germany have found that individual personalities play a significant role in determining bee behavior. They discovered that bees’ likelihood to attack intruders depends on their unique personality traits, rather than conforming to group norms or chemical signals.
These discoveries demonstrate the complex and subtle cues that underlie human interactions, alien life signatures, and even insect behavior.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-04-saturday-citations-exoplanetary-biosignature-diplomacy.html