How the dinosaur-killing extinction could help save modern bivalves

Bivalves are some of the most diverse marine animals alive today—but even they’re not safe from extinction.

Nocturnal pollinators just as important as their daytime colleagues, study finds

For over 60 years, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are pollinated primarily during the day or at night—without reaching a clear conclusion.

Opening the door to mass production of green hydrogen using natural sunlight

Researchers have developed a technology that stably generates high photocurrent under natural sunlight to efficiently produce hydrogen.

A new approach could fractionate crude oil using much less energy

MIT engineers developed a membrane that filters the components of crude oil by their molecular size, an advance that could dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed for crude oil fractionation

Dwarf galaxy clustering challenges standard cold dark matter paradigms

A research team has made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying for the first time an exceptionally strong clustering pattern in diffuse dwarf galaxies.

A newly discovered type of superconductor is also a magnet

Researchers observed this exotic superconductivity in a surprisingly ordinary material: graphite, the primary material in pencil lead.

Ancient DNA used to map evolution of fever-causing bacteria

Researchers have analyzed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and how it gained and lost genes in the process.

Penguin guano may help reduce effects of climate change in Antarctica

Ammonia released from penguin guano may help to reduce the effects of climate change in Antarctica by contributing to increased cloud formation.

Possible dwarf planet discovered at solar system’s edge

The trans-Neptunian object is potentially large enough to qualify as a dwarf planet, the same category as the much more well-known Pluto.

We’ve Got the Beat—in Our Genes

Research shows that our capacity to feel moved by music is at least partly heritable.

Weird Planet Is Orbiting Backwards Between Two Stars

After years of observation, researchers finally understand how a pair of stars can maintain a stable orbital dance with an elusive planet.

Infrared Contact Lenses Allow People To See In the Dark, Even With Eyes Closed

Unlike infrared night vision goggles, the contact lenses do not require a power source—and they enable the wearer to perceive multiple infrared wavelengths.

== yjc
How to prepare for heat, smoke and wildfire

Glennis Harwig has noticed that summers are getting hotter where she lives in Lanark County, Ont. But electricity is expensive, so she tries to keep her portable air conditioner off.

Google Has a Big AI Advantage: It Already Knows Everything About You

Google is slowly giving Gemini more and more access to user data to ‘personalize’ your responses.

Expect an above-average hurricane season, says NOAA

The climate and weather agency’s main message was to prepare ahead of the season.

Sluggish sloth’s secrets of success revealed in new study

Only tree-living sloths are found on the planet today, but the group was once much more diverse.

Usage of Semicolons In English Books Down Almost Half In Two Decades

Usage of punctuation down almost half in two decades as further research finds 67% of British students rarely use it.

New Bacteria Have Been Discovered on a Chinese Space Station

On Earth there is no record of Niallia tiangongensis, a bacterium found aboard the Tiangong station that appears to be well adapted to conditions there.

Brembo develops brakes with almost no brake dust and less wear

Called “Greentell,” the brakes and pads feature a laser metal deposition coating.

Smaller clownfish sound alarm on ocean heat

Scientists say the discovery was a big surprise and could help explain the rapidly declining size of other fish in the world’s oceans.

Natural compound found in rice and coffee may help relax heart arteries

Sudden narrowing of the coronary arteries—called coronary artery spasms—can lead to chest pain (angina), heart attacks, and other serious heart problems.

What the strength of your grip can tell you about your overall health

Grip strength is a very cheap, easy and noninvasive measure of muscle strength. This test has been used since the mid-1950s as a measure of overall health.

Boredom gets a bad rap. But science says it can actually be good for us

We have all experienced boredom—that feeling of waning interest or decreased mental stimulation. Eventually we lose focus, we disengage. Time seems to pass slowly, and we may even start to feel restless.

Does drawing on memory help us solve problems?

== yjc
Is it better to shower in the morning or at night?

Morning shower enthusiasts will say this is the obvious winner, as it helps you wake up and start the day fresh. Night shower loyalists, on the other hand, will argue it’s better to “wash the day away” and relax before bed.

Pets might be adding to antibiotic resistance, say researchers

Steps are being taken to use antibiotics more judiciously in humans, but it might all be to naught if those same measures aren’t also applied to our household pets.

Bees facing new threats, putting our survival and theirs at risk

Pollinators like bees, butterflies, some birds and bats are vital to nature and our food supply, with almost 90% of flowering plants and over three-quarters of the world’s staple crops depending on them.

Sex-specific climate responses in plants reveal flaws in biodiversity forecasts

A new study highlights the need to refine biodiversity forecasts to account for the sex-specific responses to Earth’s rapidly changing climate.

== continuning the theme of the article below
Ancient pollen reveals stories about Earth’s history, from dinosaurs to the Mayan collapse

Pollen grains are far more than allergens—they are nature’s time capsules, preserving clues about Earth’s past environments for millions of years.

Flowers have been blooming on Earth for 123 million years, pollen grains reveal

They are very tiny, but they are a key source of information when it comes to Earth’s evolutionary history: pollen grains are usually no larger than 20 micrometers, or 0.02 millimeters.

Stopping infections before they can start

Promising approach blocks bacteria from binding to cells.

Largest rodent in Oceania documented for first time

This elusive nocturnal species inhabits the cool, misty montane forests and grasslands at elevations of around 3,700 meters.

Deep-sea ‘flapjack’ octopus with umbrella-like body found at 1,500-meter depths

The Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus is a small, gelatinous deep-sea octopus that grows to around 4 centimeters diameter.

Water-based flow battery could break solar storage barrier for homeowners

The team’s new membrane design fixes the speed problem, making it ideal for households and a promising key player in the energy transition market.

Advance brings CO2 ‘breathing’ batteries closer to reality

Lithium–CO2 “breathing” batteries release power while capturing carbon dioxide, offering a greener alternative that may one day outperform today’s lithium-ion batteries.

A simple, scalable flutter-driven wind energy harvester

When we think about renewable energy, images of sprawling solar farms or towering coastal wind turbines usually come to mind.

Color-correcting algorithm removes the effect of water in underwater scenes

The ocean is teeming with life. But unless you get up close, much of the marine world can easily remain unseen. That’s because water itself can act as an effective cloak:

Overshooting 1.5°C: Even temporary warming above temperature limit could have permanent consequences

Earth’s surface temperature has been 1.5°C hotter than the pre-industrial average for 21 of the last 22 months.

== worth a read
Do photons wear out? An astrophysicist explains light’s ability to travel vast cosmic distances without losing energy

The light from the Pinwheel traveled for 25 million years across the universe—about 150 quintillion miles—to get to my telescope. My wife wondered: “Doesn’t light get tired during such a long journey?”

Humpback whales give birth while migrating and carry on traveling, research reveals

It turns out humpback whales’ epic migrations to tropical waters aren’t as essential as previously thought for giving birth.

== yjc
This popular Korean side dish may have a distinct funky flavor, but it offers heart health benefits

Fermenting foods can extend their shelf life. But can eating fermented foods do the same for people?

== my uncle grew rye on his farm/ranch, my aunt made it into a mean rye bread
Rye’s rise: Study finds evidence of intensive cultivation in northern Central Europe since the Roman Empire

While other cereals such as wheat and barley have been cultivated in Central Europe since the beginning of the Neolithic Age, rye had been considered a weed for thousands of years. This only changed about 2,000 years ago.

Green metallurgical process uses surface energy to extract and refine metals from waste alloys

This new method, based on electrocapillary principles, enables the selective separation of metals from liquid alloys using differences in their surface energy, a concept previously unexplored in metallurgy.

The deepening mystery around the JWST’s early galaxies

When the JWST found Little Red Dot galaxies, astronomers were puzzled. They appeared to be brighter, and more massive, than galaxies should be in the very early Universe. New research is deepening this mystery.

Grad students find missing link in early Martian water cycle

Billions of years ago, water flowed on the surface of Mars. But scientists have an incomplete picture of how the red planet’s water cycle worked.

Streaked slopes on Mars probably not signs of water flow, study finds

For years, scientists have spied strange streaks running down Martian cliffsides and crater walls. Some have interpreted those streaks as liquid flows.

Amazon forest loss leads to measurable drop in regional rainfall

The Amazon Basin lost about 27,000 square kilometers of forest each year from 2001 to 2016. By 2021, about 17% of the basin had been deforested.

== yjc, we slice a lot of onions every week, we buy onions 50 lb at a time
Physicists determine how to cut onions with fewer tears

If you’ve ever watched a flock of birds move in perfect unison or seen ripples travel across a pond, you’ve witnessed nature’s remarkable ability to coordinate motion.

Capuchin monkeys develop bizarre ‘fad’ of abducting baby howlers, cameras reveal

On an island off the coast of Panama lives a population of wild primates with a remarkable culture. White-faced capuchins on Jicarón Island in Coiba National Park use stone tools.

3D modeling demystifies the Parthenon’s lighting conditions in ancient Greece

The Athena statue’s placement within the temple’s dim interior has tantalized many scholars with questions such as: What lighting did the artist and architect envision for this sacred space?

== lots of ‘jargon’
Better than stitches: Researchers develop biocompatible patch for soft organ injuries

The engineered hydrogel demonstrated substantial improvements in tissue adhesion strength and hemostatic efficacy in preclinical models involving lung and arterial injuries.

Living beings emit a faint light that extinguishes upon death, according to a new study

The light of someone’s life might not be just another person, but light in the literal sense.

Starfish Space Announces Plans For First Commercial Satellite Docking

A new mission will aim to complete the first commercial satellite docking in low Earth orbit (LEO). However, the satellite it aims to dock with isn’t equipped with a docking adapter.

Jupiter Was Formerly Twice Its Current Size and Had a Much Stronger Magnetic Field

Jupiter’s gravity, often called the “architect” of our solar system, played a critical role in shaping the orbital paths of other planets and sculpting the disk of gas and dust from which they formed.

A nesting crunch sees the true story of ‘Avian Sister Wives’ unfold on St. Thomas, Ont., porch

Up to four robins have visited the nest including different males helping to feed babies.

The Quiet Collapse of Surveys

Surveys are the bedrock of political polling, market research, and public policy. But there is a fundamental problem: fewer and fewer people are answering - and more and more of those who do are AI agents.

Tech Job Market Is Shrinking as AI Reshapes Industry Requirements

During times of uncertainty, companies are gun-shy: They take their time, fill only critical roles and raise the bar for hiring.

CERN Gears Up To Ship Antimatter Across Europe

There’s a lot of matter around, which ensures that any antimatter produced experiences a very short lifespan. Studying antimatter, therefore, has been extremely difficult.

Coastlines in danger even if climate target met, scientists warn

The last time there was as much planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as today - about 3 million years ago - sea levels were about 10-20m higher.

Scientists in a race to discover why our Universe exists

Scientists believe that the answer to understanding why matter won – and we exist – lies in studying a particle called the neutrino and its antimatter opposite, the anti-neutrino.

Microsoft’s plan to fix the web: letting every website run AI search for cheap

NLWeb starts by offering ChatGPT-level search to any site or app, with just a few lines of code. It’s a new vision for the web.

The Danes are finally going nuclear. They have to.

Green grids need the resilience of synchronous turbines.

Since 2022 Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough, US Researchers Have More Than Doubled Its Power Output

None of the shots to date have been effective enough to feed electrons back into the grid, let alone to offset the energy required to power the entire facility — the facility wasn’t designed to do that.

== a touch lengthy
Why we’re unlikely to get artificial general intelligence anytime soon

Claims of AGI’s imminent arrival are based on statistical extrapolations – and wishful thinking.

== maybe Canada can learn something from this
How the Dutch built the world’s largest freshwater wind farm

Windpark Fryslân faced local opposition, but offers benefits to local communities.

Solving the mystery of a dinosaur mass grave at the ‘River of Death’

Thousands of dinosaurs were buried here, killed in an instant on a day of utter devastation.

== think COBOL
The People Stuck Using Ancient Windows Computers’

As technology marches on, some people get trapped using decades-old software and devices. Here’s a look inside the strange, stubborn world of obsolete Windows machines.

3D-printed wearable monitors health through skin gases

A new study describes a longer-lasting, 3D-printed, adhesive-free wearable capable of providing a more comprehensive picture of a user’s physiological state.

New discovery about how acetaminophen works could improve understanding about pain relievers

Their discovery, which details a previously unknown way the drug targets pain, could change how pharmacologists think about treating pain, and aid in designing safer and more effective pain medications.

Very different mammals follow the same rules of behavior

New research suggests there may be an underlying architecture that orders the movements of animals as they go about their very different lives.

Scientists identify new defense mechanism in CRISPR system

Every living creature on Earth needs to protect itself from things that would do it harm. Bacteria are no different. And despite their relative simplicity, they deploy remarkably savvy defensive strategies against viral invaders.

Novel molecular maneuver helps malaria parasite dodge the immune system

It turns out that the parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, can shut down a key set of genes, rendering itself “immunologically invisible.”

Synthetic materials mimic seashells to enhance energy absorption

Millions of years of evolution have enabled some marine animals to grow complex protective shells composed of multiple layers that work together to dissipate physical stress.

Could dark matter be evolving over time, and not dark energy?

For a while now, there has been a problematic mystery at the heart of the standard cosmological model.

Ancient ocean sediments link changes in currents to cooling of Northern Hemisphere 3.6 million years ago

The changes in sediments imply that profound changes in the circulation of deep water currents occurred at this time.

Theoretical model provides fresh route to more efficient cooling using light and heat

Self-sustaining thermodynamic system boosts radiative cooling power by coupling a heat engine with a thermoradiative diode.

== yjc
‘Manu jumping’: The physics behind making humongous splashes in the pool

Whether diving off docks, cannonballing into lakes or leaping off the high board, there’s nothing quite like the joy of jumping into water.

== a might technical and short, but…
Designing the future of clean energy: 2D Janus heterobilayers lead the way

What if there were an efficient method to produce a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels using the power of sunlight?

Are mountain species on the brink? They may be more resilient than we thought.

As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists have long worried that mountain species are on an “extinction elevator”—forced to move uphill for cooler temperatures, ultimately accelerating extinction as they run out of space.

Thousands of cardiac ‘digital twins’ offer new insights into the heart

Researchers have created over 3,800 anatomically accurate digital hearts to investigate how age, sex and lifestyle factors influence heart disease and electrical function.

Light-to-electricity nanodevice found in cyanobacteria reveals how early life utilized sunlight to make oxygen

The discovery provides an unprecedented glimpse into how early life harnessed sunlight to produce oxygen—a process that transformed our planet forever.

== lengthy, at touch repetitive
Is the Altruistic OpenAI Gone?

“We’re definitely going to build a bunker before we release AGI.”

Scientists gobsmacked by never-seen footage of earth rupturing during Myanmar quake

7.7 magnitude quake in March created 460-km rupture and caused widespread damage and death