Patagonian ’living rocks’ trace their origins to the beginning of life on Earth

They’re actually little mountains giant biofilms that are billions of years old.

World’s oldest meteorite impact crater found

Researchers discovered the crater thanks to “shatter cones,” distinctive rock formations only formed under the intense pressure of a meteorite strike.

Engineers take apart EV batteries to see what’s inside

The team found that the two types of batteries had significant differences in the speed at which a battery charges (or discharges) relative to its maximum capacity.

Naturally occurring molecule rivals Ozempic in weight loss, sidesteps side effects

The peptide suppresses appetite and reduces weight gain in mice and pigs without causing nausea or food aversion.

== one of the other articles also looked at combining the two
Sneaky clocks: Uncovering Einstein’s relativity in an interacting atomic playground

Dynamical interplay between photon-mediated interactions and gravitational redshift can lead to entanglement generation and frequency synchronization dynamics.

== Canadian perspective
Chasing daylight

As provinces mull getting rid of time changes, sould you rather go to work in the dark or come home in the dark?

Why are whales getting tangled up in ropes?

What is behind such incidents and how common are they?

NASA is shutting down parts of Voyager 1 and 2 to extend their lifespan

The twin Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977.

Private spacecraft lands on moon - but may be on its side

Athena was designed to have 10 days to complete observations and measurements with scientific instruments.

US lost a fifth of its butterflies within two decades

A third of species saw serious decline, with some, like Julia’s Skipper, losing more than 90% of their populations.

Packets of freeze-dried bacteria can grow biocement on demand

Soil stabilization and concrete repair are major challenges facing civil engineers.

Why sizzling cities are mapping hot spots street by street

In metros like Reno, Nevada, citizen scientists hit the road to collect detailed temperature data — key to taming urban heat, saving lives and designing for a cooler future.

Global sea ice hit record low in February, scientists say

Scientists called the news ‘particularly worrying’ because ice reflects sunlight and cools the planet.

== very Canadian perspective
The global race for critical minerals is on.

Scarce resources are at the heart of a fight for tech supremacy between China and the U.S.

Scientists discover new part of the immune system

A part of the body known to recycle proteins has a secret mode that can spew out an arsenal of bacteria-killing chemicals.

Scientists crack how aspirin might stop cancers from spreading

Tantalising data from more than a decade ago showed people who were already taking a daily aspirin were more likely to survive if they were diagnosed with cancer. But how?

Study finds genetic factors behind aggressive prostate cancer

Scientists have uncovered new genetic clues that explain why some prostate cancers remain slow-growing while others become life-threatening.

World’s critical food crops at imminent risk from rising temperatures

Depending on the level of warming, up to half of the crop production in low-latitude areas would be at risk as climate conditions become unsuitable for production.

Novel stem cell therapy repairs ‘irreversible’ corneal damage in clinical trial

The innovative procedure consists of removing stem cells from a healthy eye with a biopsy, expanding them into a cellular tissue graft in a novel manufacturing process that takes two to three weeks, and then surgically transplanting the graft into the eye with a damaged cornea.

How heat from the sun plays a role in seismic activity on Earth

Researchers observed that when they included Earth surface temperatures into their model, the forecasting became more accurate, especially for shallow earthquakes.

Gravity from entropy: A radical new approach to unifying quantum mechanics and general relativity

The action for gravity is given by the quantum relative entropy between the metric of the manifold and the metric induced by the matter field and the geometry.

Ancient amphibians bounced back from Earth’s greatest mass extinction by exploiting freshwater prey

The Early Triassic was a time of repeated volcanic activity, leading to long phases of global warming, aridification, reductions in atmospheric oxygen, acid rain and widespread wildfires, creating conditions so hostile that the tropics became devoid of animal life.

Where will the ‘Blood Moon’ total lunar eclipse be visible in March 2025?

A total lunar eclipse on March 13-14, 2025, will be visible across Earth’s night side. See detailed maps of where and when to watch the dramatic ‘Blood Moon’.

NASA Uses GPS On the Moon For the First Time

Blue Ghost’s LuGRE system paves the way for astronauts navigating the lunar surface.

== lengthy
World’s First ‘Synthetic Biological Intelligence’ Runs On Living Human Cells

The human-cell neural networks that form on the silicon “chip” are essentially an ever-evolving organic computer.

Spitefulness linked to belief in conspiracy theories

Spite is the desire to ’level the playing field’ by trying to knock someone else down, because it feels like there is no other choice.

How a crucial DNA repair protein works—and what it means for cancer treatment

DNA damage is a constant problem for cells, occurring millions of times per day collectively throughout our bodies.

COVID-flu vaccine could provide broader immunity and lasting protection

The new modular technology that can accommodate glycoprotein antigens from many different viruses in a thermostable vaccine

Sea otters help kelp forests recover

But how slow or fast they grew back depended on the location—and until now, scientists didn’t understand why.

Wildfire season is changing in Canada

In recent years, we’ve seen a significant change in when wildfires burn; they are no longer a seasonal phenomenon.

A chemical ’trojan horse’

Polymers used in everyday products can degrade into toxic chemicals, study finds.

Melting Antarctic ice sheets are slowing Earth’s strongest ocean current

If this current ’engine’ breaks down, there could be severe consequences, including more climate variability, with greater extremes in certain regions. The ACC also works as a barrier to invasive species from other continents reaching Antarctica.

Immune ‘fingerprints’ aid diagnosis of complex diseases

Immune cells generate highly variable receptors by shuffling DNA segments to recognize threats like bacteria. Identifying ‘successful’ receptors (fourth) can help diagnose complex diseases.

Archaeologists Uncovered the Oldest Section of the Great Wall of China Yet

The ancient construction still has its secrets.

NASA Photo Captures Sound Barrier Being Broken

Specialized Schlieren photography, which shows air flow, was used by NASA to capture the sound waves as Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft broke the sound barrier.

World’s largest iceberg runs aground off remote island

Scientists say that huge amounts of nutrients are locked inside the ice, and that as it melts, it could create an explosion of life in the ocean.

Fossil footprints reveal what may be the oldest known handcarts

At White Sands, we found drag-marks made by the ends of wooden poles while excavating for fossil footprints.

== yjc
How Many Episodes Should You Watch Before Quitting a TV Show?

When to quit a subpar TV show, according to the data.

How Buildings Are Staying Cool and Saving Money - with Batteries Made of Ice

People have been making or harvesting ice and storing it to cool food, drinks and buildings for thousands of years.

== paywall?
What Happened When Conspiracy Theorists Talked to OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo?

Researchers found an AI bot is pretty good at helping people rethink false beliefs.

First Petawatt Electron Beam Arrives, Ready To Rip Apart Matter and Space

Superintense electron bunches might someday even probe the nature of empty space.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander successfully touched down on the moon

And it landed upright.

== yjc
27-Year-Old EXE Became Python In Minutes. Is AI-Assisted Reverse Engineering Next?

Running a VB4 exe in 2024 can be a real yak-shaving compatibility nightmare.

Why don’t pandas eat more meat?

Molecules found in bamboo may be behind their plant-based diet.