Protect Bees, Save the Future

Protect coastal wetlands in China to save endangered migratory birds.

Evaluating the significance of protected areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services is important for nature conservation. In a recent issue of PNAS, Xu et al. (1) present valuable information on provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services by China’s nature reserves. They conclude that reserves serve bird populations moderately well. However, the importance of coastal wetlands for migrat...

Save antibiotics for future of mankind.

Apes save tools for future use.

Planning for future needs, not just current ones, is one of the most formidable human cognitive achievements. Whether this skill is a uniquely human adaptation is a controversial issue. In a study we conducted, bonobos and orangutans selected, transported, and saved appropriate tools above baseline levels to use them 1 hour later (experiment 1). Experiment 2 extended these results to a 14-hour ...

Research and Development to save Costs on Future Carriers

Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are very expensive ships to build, own, and operate. The procurement cost for CVN 77 will be more than $5 billion. Each Nimitz-class carrier has an average annual operations and maintenance cost of approximately $240 million, slightly less than half of which is for shipyard availabilities. A little less than a third of the annual cost is for the pay and allowances...

Do preschoolers save to benefit their future selves?

Using a new paradigm for measuring children’s saving behaviors involving two marble games differing in desirability, we assessed whether 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds saved marbles for future use, saved increasingly on a second trial, saved increasingly with age, and were sensitive to the relative value of future rewards. We also assessed whether performance on the saving paradigm was related to theo...