Number 342
Mediterranean neutrino observatory sets new limits on quantum gravity
Quantum gravity is the missing link between general relativity and quantum mechanics, the yet-to-be-discovered key to a unified theory capable of explaining both the infinitely large and the infinitely small.
World’s Tiniest LED Display Has Pixels Smaller Than a Virus
See images of another tiny display with pixels the size of a human hair.
AI-driven weather prediction breakthrough reported
The approach could be used to quickly provide bespoke forecasts for specific industries or locations.
Of the 8.7 million species on Earth, why are human beings the only one that paints self-portraits, walks on the moon and worships gods?
== worth a read I think
Is Google Maps brainwashing us? It might be if the theory of ’extended cognition’ is correct
They suggest that if the resources of an external tool are always there when we need them, then those resources are, in effect, “part of the basic package of cognitive resources that I bring to bear on the everyday world.”
Rarely seen cave art holds prehistoric secrets in France
The Cussac cave has more than 1,000 ancient carvings, including horses, bison, rhinos, ibex and stylised feminine forms.
Opinion#x003A; A ‘golden age’ of global free trade is over.
Security-driven trade requires shifting away from fragile multilateralism toward more selective, regional alliances.
== for the Canucks getting the list
As Europe rearms, Canada has what it needs. That can be the basis of a post-NATO alliance
Canada is an energy and natural resources superpower in need of a new key ally.
RNA-based substances open up new avenue to combat a widespread plant virus
The active ingredients have a broad spectrum effect; a series of RNA molecules support the plant’s immune system in combating the virus.
H5N1 influenza viral lineages beginning to evade human immunological defenses
New computational modeling reveals the H5N1 influenza virus is evolving to escape immunological defenses raised by previous infection or vaccination in mammals.
Scientists reveal a hidden, sunlight-driven source of a potent greenhouse gas
Molecule for molecule, N2O is 300 times stronger than CO2 and is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected.
== for those of you with Tesla stock
Tesla’s challenges run deeper than ’toxic’ controversy around Elon Musk
There have been protests outside dozens of Tesla dealerships, not only in the US, but also in Canada, the UK, Germany and Portugal.
== another article on the subject with a different perspective
Is Dark Energy Getting Weaker? New Evidence Strengthens the Case.
Last year, an enormous map of the cosmos hinted that the engine driving cosmic expansion might be sputtering. Now physicists are back with an even bigger map, and a stronger conclusion.
Latest dark energy survey data suggest possible variations in dark energy over time
The mysterious force called Dark Energy, which drives the expansion of the Universe, might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space, scientists have found.
More Than 150 ‘Unprecedented’ Climate Disasters Struck World in 2024, Says UN
Floods, heatwaves and supercharged hurricanes occurred in hottest climate human society has ever experienced
=== yjc
300-year-old Polish beech voted Tree of the Year
The Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills, a breathtaking 300-year-old beech, has won Poland the European Tree of the Year award for the fourth consecutive time.
Investigating the psychedelic blue lotus of Egypt, where ancient magic meets modern science
Few plants are more celebrated in Egyptian mythology than the blue lotus, a stunning water lily that stars in some of archaeology’s most significant discoveries.
Genetic study reveals hidden chapter in human evolution
Modern humans descended from not one, but at least two ancestral populations that drifted apart and later reconnected, long before modern humans spread across the globe.
Ghost rivers, hidden lakes#x003A; The long search for water on Mars
Martian lake beds and deltas reveal the Red Planet’s watery past. But many puzzles remain.
SpiderBot experiments hint at “echolocation” to locate prey
Experiments with robotic spiders and prey suggest spiders can detect differences in natural web frequencies.
Nvidia Says ’the Age of Generalist Robotics Is Here’
At GTC 2025, Nvidia demonstrated 1X’s NEO Gamma humanoid robot running its GR00T N1 foundation model.
Researchers Engineer Bacteria To Produce Plastics
A bacterial energy storage system is modified to make polymers.
== no don’t think I will be getting one, though have thought about it
NVIDIA’s Spark desktop AI supercomputer arrives this summer
The company is also making an even more powerful variant of the machine.
== yjc
The wildest details in the Facebook memoir Meta is trying to bury
Sarah Wynn-Williams doesn’t hold back in ‘Careless People.’
== yjc, don’t understand why people are even asking this question
Is Tim Hortons Canadian?
Patriotic fervour amid Trump tariff and annexation threats has stoked debate online.
Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28
Amazon is killing a privacy feature to bolster Alexa+, the new subscription assistant.
== yjc
Elon Musk’s extensive ties to China, explained
His business empire needs the Chinese government — and that could warp American policy.
Permian mass extinction linked to 10°C global temperature rise that reshaped Earth’s ecosystems
Huge volcanoes erupted, releasing 100,000 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This destabilized the climate and the carbon cycle, leading to dramatic global warming, deoxygenated oceans, and mass extinction.
New map of landscape beneath Antarctica unveiled
Known as Bedmap3, it incorporates more than six decades of survey data acquired by planes, satellites, ships and even dog-drawn sleds.
Violent supernovae ’triggered at least two Earth extinctions,’ study suggests
They believe a supernova explosion close to Earth could be to blame for both the late Devonian and Ordovician extinction events.
Why does nature love spirals? The link to entropy
The world is not chaos, nor is it blind randomness. There is an order, waiting to be seen.
What is AI vibe coding? It’s all the rage but it’s not for everyone
Caution#x003A; Experience required. Vibe coding feels like magic, until your AI assistant starts overwriting your work.
New Form of Parkinson’s Treatment Uses Real-Time Deep-Brain Stimulation
A new form of “adaptive” deep-brain stimulation adjusts itself based on the brain’s unique signals.
BYD Unveils New Super-Charging EV Tech With Peak Speeds of 1,000 kW
BYD has unveiled a new platform for EVs that it said could charge EVs as quickly as it takes to pump gas.
== seen something on this before
Subsea fibre cables can ’listen out’ for sabotage
Multiple reports of damaged telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea have raised alarm in recent months.
Sobering revenue stats of 70K mobile apps show why devs beg for subscriptions
Most apps fail to reach $1,000/month revenue within two years.
Heat Can Age You As Much As Smoking
Exposure to heat can change the way people’s genes work, potentially leading to long-term health impacts.
== yjc, I found this an interesting read, though it is rather lengthy, paywall?
In Pursuit of the Bitcoin God
Years of studying Satoshi Nakamoto led me to a new prime suspect. What if crypto’s creator is just a jerk?
There’s a Good Chance Your Kid Uses AI to Cheat
Of students who reported using AI, nearly 40% of those in middle and high schools said they employed it without teachers’ permission to complete assignments.
Ocean Levels Rise to a 30-Year High - and Faster Than Expected
Ocean water expands as it warms.
Ancient mammals had mostly dark brown coats during the dinosaur era
The study used scientific techniques that have similarly shown the colouring of various dinosaurs and ancient birds from their fossils.
How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health
We are surrounded by an invisible killer. One so common that we barely notice it shortening our lives.
340 European Cities Restrict Usage of Cars
In Norway, Oslo promotes “car-free livability.” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo touts the “end of car dependence.”
Is Our Universe Trapped Inside a Black Hole?
This new research suggests there is a preferred direction for galactic rotation.
Scientists discover how to reactivate cancer’s molecular ‘kill switch’
They discovered that cancer cells suppress poison exon activity in a critical gene called TRA2ß. As such, levels of TRA2ß protein increase inside cancer cells, causing tumor proliferation.
How geneticists are reawakening hibernating follicles.
Artificial photosynthesis#x003A; Chemists develop dye stack that mimics plant energy conversion
The structure consists of four stacked dye molecules from the perylene bisimide class.
‘Microlightning’ in water droplets may have sparked life on Earth
They found that larger droplets often carried positive charges, while smaller ones were negative. When the oppositely charged droplets came close to each other, sparks jumped between them.
I have constantly been looking ahead for the next thing that's going to crush all my dreams and the stuff that I built.
Tony Northrup, a stock image photographer, explains to the Wall Street Journal generative AI is finally killing an industry that weathered the advent of digital cameras and the internet.