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Scientists have discovered that future robots might be able to gauge how you are feeling by just touching human skin. According to a new study published in the journal IEEE Access, researchers used skin conductance as a way to figure out how an individual was feeling. Skin conductance is a measure of how well skin conducts electricity, which usually changes in response to sweat secretion and nerve activity, signifying different human emotional states.
Traditional emotion-detection technologies such as facial recognition and speech analysis, are often prone to error, especially in suboptimal audio-visual conditions. However, scientists believe that skin conductance offers a potential workaround, providing a non-invasive way to capture emotion in real-time.
For the study, the emotional responses of 33 participants were measured by showing them emotionally evocative videos and measuring their skin conductance. The findings revealed distinct patterns for different emotions: fear responses were the longest-lasting, suggesting an evolutionary alert mechanism; family bonding emotions, a blend of happiness and sadness, showed slower responses; and humour triggered quick but fleeting reactions.
The magnetic north pole is movingâand not how you might expect. With the release of the World Magnetic Model 2025, scientists reveal shocking details about its unpredictable journey and why itâs slowing down after decades of acceleration. Whatâs driving these mysterious shifts deep inside Earth? And how does it impact the tech we rely on every day? The answers might surprise you.
Focaccia, with its flaky crust and rich olive oil flavor, is a beloved stapleâbut just how far back does the delicious breadâs history stretch?
While experts know it was made in ancient Rome, new research suggests that its origins may be even older: According to a recent study in the journal Scientific Reports, Neolithic communities were making their own focaccia-like bread between 7,000 and 5,000 B.C.E.
âStudying past dietary behaviors can provide valuable information about the social and cultural aspects of ancient populations,â first author Sergio Taranto, an archaeologist at UAB Barcelona, tells ZME Scienceâs Rupendra Brahambhatt. âThis is particularly useful for studying prehistoric communities about which we have limited knowledge due to the lack of written records.â
A giant anaconda, a vampire hedgehog, a dwarf squirrel, and a tiger cat were among the new species named by science in 2024. Found from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the mountaintops of Southeast Asia, each new species shows us that even our well-known world contains unexplored chambers of life.
This year, in Peruâs Alto Mayo Landscape alone, scientists uncovered 27 new-to-science species, including four new mammals, during a two month expedition. Meanwhile, the Greater Mekong region yielded 234 new species, and scientists from the California Academy of Sciences described 138 new species globally. The ocean depths continued to surprise, with more than 100 potentially new species found on an unexplored underwater mountain off Chileâs coast. Two new mammal species were found in India this year, including the worldâs smallest otter.
Scientists estimate only a small fraction of Earthâs species have been documented, perhaps 20% at best. Even among mammals, the best-known group of animals, scientists think weâve only found 80% of species. Yet most of the hidden species are likely bats, rodents, shrews, moles and hedgehogs.
Tiny balls of mineral are opening a new window into the history of life on Earth.
These millimeter-sized objects are more than half a billion years old â the fossilized embryos of animals that lived during the early Cambrian period, some 535 million years ago.
They belong to a group called Ecdysozoa, which includes insects, spiders, crustaceans, and worms.