Number 339
How did life develop on early Earth?
New source of nitrogen discovered.
Artificial photosynthesis converts organic waste into useful pharmaceuticals and energy
Degradation catalysts were transformed into dual catalysts for artificial photosynthesis.
Scientists match Earth’s ice age cycles with orbital shifts
Beginning around 2.5 million years ago, Earth entered an era marked by successive ice ages and interglacial periods, emerging from the last glaciation around 11,700 years ago.
An equation of state for dense nuclear matter such as neutron stars
Neutron stars have a typical radius of 10 km and their density can be several times that of atomic nuclei.
AI Solves Million-Step Math Problems
New algorithms developed for complex math might help find black swan outlier events.
== never ever heard of this procedure before
For the 1st time in Canada, surgeons put teeth in patients’ eyes to restore sight
Surgery aims to restore sight by implanting a telescopic lens in a tooth.
Thousands of Exposed GitHub Repositories, Now Private, Can Still Be Accessed Through Copilot
Security researchers are warning that data exposed to the internet, even for a moment, can linger in online generative AI chatbots long after the data is made private.
More Than 100,000 African Seeds Put in Svalbard Vault For Safekeeping
Seeds of 177 species from across Africa to be stored in Norway to preserve crop diversity in case of disaster.
Blue Ghost snapped the shots from an altitude of just 62 miles (100 kilometers).
Man’s brain turned to glass by hot Vesuvius ash cloud
Scientists now believe a cloud of ash as hot as 510C enveloped the brain then very quickly cooled down, transforming the organ into glass.
Fiber computer allows apparel to run apps and ‘understand’ the wearer
Clothing containing the fiber computer was comfortable and machine-washable, and the fibers were nearly imperceptible to the wearer, the researchers report.
== yjc
Life lessons from a coastal wolf pack
n Alaska, a biologist and her family learn how quickly these iconic predators can change the menu — and bend the rules.
The ‘Elegant’ Math Model That Could Help Rescue Coral Reefs
Physicists and marine biologists built a quantitative framework that predicts how coral polyps collectively construct a variety of coral shapes.
Mishing Is the New Phishing — And It’s More Dangerous
Cybercriminals are shifting their focus from emails to text messages.
Inception Emerges From Stealth With a New Type of AI Model
The company claims its DLMs can run up to 10x faster than traditional LLMs while costing 10x less.
Amazon uses quantum “cat states” with error correction
The company shows off a mix of error-resistant hardware and error correction.
Have we been wrong about why Mars is red?
We know that this red color is due to rusted iron minerals in the dust.
‘Ultra-rapid’ testing unlocks the potential for cancer genetics in the operating room
A novel tool for rapidly identifying the genetic “fingerprints” of cancer cells may enable future surgeons to more accurately remove brain tumors while a patient is in the operating room.
How ancient glaciers helped life evolve
Ancient glaciers reshaped Earth’s surface and paved the way for complex life.
How environmental variability influences birds’ survival and reproduction strategies
Some live fast, die young, and leave as many chicks as possible. Others live long and prosper by not breeding.
Laser-textured metal surfaces mimic shark skin to combat bacterial biofilms
Inspired by the naturally antimicrobial textures of cicada wings and shark skin, micro- and nanoscale textures at the scale of bacterial cells make it difficult for bacteria to attach. They also change the water-repellent properties of the surface, a key factor for bacterial growth.
A fluid discovery that defies logic.
== I find this kind of stuff (research) interesting
Archaeologists reveal the enigmatic burial practices of the Southern Jê
Archaeologists set out to answer questions about the spatiality, chronology, and symbolic aspects of Southern Jê burial caves and their relation to mound and enclosure complexes.
== a friend sent me this in response to me sending him the link below
Silent Letter Day
Instead of being embarrassed by the occasional failure to fulfill the complex pronunciation of our English language, let us annually celebrate the oddities of our speech.
== yjc, enjoyed this one; I couldn’t speak English when I started Grade 1
== took me until about grade 3 to get that fixed
Why English is such a strange language
No, English isn’t uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language
== yjc, somewhat lengthy
The slow death of the combustion engine
At Ford, combustion engine experts used to be rock stars. Not anymore.
== Canadian perspective?
New bans target PFAS in clothing
PFAS is being phased out of raincoats and gloves, but still in takeout bowls and microwave popcorn.
== whereas nearly all UK undergrads use AI in their studies
Most US Workers Avoid AI Chatbots Despite Productivity Benefits, PEW Finds
U.S. Workers Are More Worried Than Hopeful About Future AI Use in the Workplace.
Tin foam powers new battery electrode innovation
Tin can be processed into a highly porous foam. An interdisciplinary team investigated how this tin foam behaves as a battery electrode.
Scientists cook up a green recipe for recycling lithium-ion batteries using vegetable oil
To recycle batteries they are firstly shredded to produce a mixed black mass. The new process uses an oil nanoemulsion to float the graphite from the mixture.
Student refines 100-year-old math problem, expanding wind energy possibilities
The work expands research in aerodynamics, unlocking new possibilities in wind turbine design.
== seen similar article before I believe
Mice exhibit paramedic-like behaviors toward unresponsive peers, study finds
Mice can detect the unresponsive state of other individuals and exhibit rescue-like behavior.
Light-triggered process breaks down polymers into monomers for easier recycling
Plastics are polymers, substances made up of large molecules called macromolecules, which consist of smaller subunits called monomers.
== yjc
1,000 Artists Release ‘Silent’ Album To Protest UK Copyright Sell-Out To AI
The U.K. government is pushing forward with proposed changes that would allow developers to train AI models on artists’ content found online — without permission or payment — unless creators proactively “opt out.”
Anthropic Launches the World’s First ‘Hybrid Reasoning’ AI Model
Claude 3.7, the latest model from Anthropic, can be instructed to engage in a specific amount of reasoning to solve hard problems.
AI Reshapes Corporate Workforce as Companies Halt Traditional Hiring
The AI revolution isn’t just knocking on the door, it’s kicked it wide open. With layoffs mounting and employers openly admitting AI is replacing workers, the narrative of “AI will enhance productivity, not take jobs” is crumbling fast.
Ancient seafarers in Southeast Asia may have built advanced boats 40,000 years ago
The ancient peoples of the Philippines and of Island Southeast Asia may have built sophisticated boats and mastered seafaring tens of thousands of years ago
Researchers spin ‘wheel of fortune’ to find a fundamental proof of quantum mechanics
Electrons or protons, though quantum, when left to spin freely, they appear to behave in exactly the same way as a classical spinning item.
== yjc
Feynman Technique
The ultimate guide to learning anything faster.
Is the AI Boom Leading to More Natural Gas-Powered Utilities?
With Trump’s return to the White House, they are embracing his fervor for fossil fuels.
== worth a read I believe
Richard Dawkins Asks ChatGPT If It’s Conscious
Is AI truly conscious, or just an advanced illusion of thought?
Unexpected Shape of Lead-208 Nucleus of May Force Scientists to Reevaluate Atomic Nuclei Models
An international research collaboration has overturned the long-standing belief that the atomic nucleus of lead-208 (²°8Pb) is perfectly spherical.
== fup to article last e-mail/post
Archaeologists may have found pharaoh’s second tomb
The believe the second tomb lies below a 23-metre (75 ft) man-made pile of limestone, ash, rubble and mud plaster, that was designed by ancient Egyptians to look like part of a mountain in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis near the city of Luxor.
Will Consumer Data Collection Lead to Algorithm-Adjusted ‘Surveillance Pricing’?
A push by consumer advocates who warn that the threat of invasive, personalized pricing schemes is real.
New EV Batteries are Making Electric Cars Cheaper and Safer
Although American scientists invented LFP batteries in 1997, U.S. automakers didn’t invest in the technology.
The secretive X-37B space plane snapped this picture of Earth from orbit
X-37B has been in space since December 2023 for its seventh mission.
The asteroid hits and near-misses you never hear about
In the time since 2024 YR4 was first spotted through a telescope in the desert in Chile two months ago, tens of other objects have passed closer to Earth than the Moon, which in astronomical terms sounds like a near miss.
Encrypted Messages Are Being Targeted, Google Security Group Warns
Multiple russia-aligned threat actors actively targeting signal messenger.
Plant-rich, low saturated-fat diet associated with reduced psoriasis severity
The findings provide novel insights into how dietary patterns may be related to psoriasis severity in non-Mediterranean populations.
Breathing and vision may be linked
The study shows that the pupil is smallest during inhalation and largest during exhalation.
How genetics shape blood proteins during development from childhood to adolescence
Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics researchers measured more than 1,200 different proteins in blood samples from more than 2,100 children.
Hurricane-proofed downtown skyscrapers unexpectedly vulnerable to ‘bouncing’ winds
On May 16th, 2024, a derecho—a wide, long-lived windstorm associated with rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms—managed to cause unexpected damage to many of the tall buildings downtown.
An encroaching desert threatens to swallow Mauritania’s homes and history
As rainfall plummets, trees die, and more sand migrates into town.
Research on vanishing coastlines in Egypt offers solutions for protecting coastal cities
Alexandria’s coastline has undergone significant changes, with the western and eastern shores retreating dramatically between 1935 and 2022.
What can theoretical physics teach us about knitting?
To build their model, researchers borrowed mathematical techniques from an unexpected source: general relativity.
Scientists map the forces acting inside a proton
Showing in unprecedented detail how quarks respond when hit by high-energy photons.
High-speed videos show what happens when a droplet splashes into a pool
Rain can freefall at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. If the droplets land in a puddle or pond, they can form a crown-like splash.
Scientists discover unexpected decline in global ocean evaporation amid rising sea temperatures
Observations since the early 2000s have revealed a puzzling slowdown in the growth of global water vapor.
‘Devil’-like flower with ‘horns’ found in Texas is new species
In a rugged stretch of desert in one of the nation’s most remote national parks, a volunteer’s eyes were caught by a colorful sight sprouting up from the beige and brown of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Cuttlefish adjust their shape and color to suit conditions when seeking prey
Biologists have found that wild broadclub cuttlefish adapt their body shape and color in certain ways, depending on circumstances, to hide from unsuspecting prey.
Hypercharge breaking scenarios could explain the baryon asymmetry of the universe
The researchers showed that the breaking of the hypercharge symmetry in the Early universe could explain the observed imbalance between matter and antimatter in the universe.
NASA Rover Discovers Liquid Water ‘Ripples’ Carved Into Mars Rock
The finding is evidence that not all water on the Red Planet was covered in ice, as some Martian climate models suggest.
== yjc
Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2024
Each year, the contest showcases a stunning array of imaginative and artistic images, while raising awareness of the environment.
Usually our technologies give with one hand and sort of slap us round the back of the head with the other.
Charlie Brooker, the creator of Black Mirror, expresses a surprisingly even-handed view of tech development in an interview with Vox.