A single genetic mutation may have made humans more vulnerable to cancer than chimpanzees

New research has uncovered an evolutionary change that may explain why certain immune cells in humans are less effective at fighting solid tumors compared to non-human primates.

== repeat?
Food competition among gut microbes offers new strategy to remove drug-resistant E. coli

If an intestinal inhabitant such as the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) becomes resistant to many antibiotics, it can cause serious health problems if it enters the bloodstream.

Meet the ‘weird’ sea spider that’s mapping the evolution of eight-legged creatures

It’s not easy to look at a sea spider and see an animal so representative of its kind that it may help scientists sort out the evolution of almost everything with eight legs.

Hurricane forecasters are losing 3 key satellites ahead of peak storm season—meteorologist explains why it matters

The satellite data helps meteorologists create weather forecasts that keep planes and ships safe and prepare countries for a potential hurricane landfall.

What is the optimal setting for your air conditioner?

Heat (a form of energy) flows naturally from warm to cold. An air conditioner is that principle but reversed. Work is required to do this—meaning we need electricity to make that work and power the compressors.

Climate change may separate wild vanilla plants from pollinators, risking future supply

Vanilla flavoring is widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The primary source, Vanilla planifolia, however, is vulnerable to diseases, drought, and heat.

Loofah-like polymer can filter viruses while adapting flexibility with pH changes

Porous materials have a wide range of applications due to their capacity to act as filters, or lightweight structural materials that use less material than a solid substance.

At the frontier between two lives—the evolutionary origins of pregnancy

The team’s discoveries were made possible by combining two powerful tools: single-cell transcriptomics—which captures the activity of genes in individual cells—and evolutionary modeling techniques that help scientists reconstruct how traits might have looked in long-extinct ancestors.

AI predicts patients likely to die of sudden cardiac arrest

Many patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy will live normal lives, but a percentage are at significant increased risk for sudden cardiac death. It’s been nearly impossible for doctors to determine who those patients are.

Dentist may have solved 500-year-old mystery in da Vinci’s iconic Vitruvian Man

The pen-and-ink drawing of a nude male figure in two superimposed poses, with arms and legs enclosed within a circle and a square, was created by the Renaissance polymath around 1490.

Affectionate ’tongue nibbling’ observed for the first time among orcas in the wild

A study details the remarkable chance encounter between a group of citizen scientists on a snorkeling expedition in the Kvænangen fjords of Norway and a pair of killer whales (Orcinus orca).

Mimicking the benefits of exercise with a single molecule

Precise molecular explanations for how sustained exercise reshapes human biology remain incomplete.

Ancient Egyptian genome reveals North African roots and Fertile Crescent ancestry

Researchers have extracted and sequenced the oldest Egyptian DNA to date from an individual who lived around 4,500 to 4,800 years ago.

Was Mars doomed to be a desert? Study proposes new explanation

One of the great unsolved problems in modern planetary science is written on the surface of Mars. How—and why—did it become a barren desert today?

== yjc
Elon Musk isn’t worried about Tesla’s crashing EV sales

As profits fall and market rivals grow, Musk shifts focus to robotaxis and AI robots.

Hitachi Energy CEO Warns: AI Will Exacerbate Power Consumption Fluctuations, Grid Stability at Risk

The global transformer market is experiencing a supply-demand imbalance, entering a seller’s market phase.

You Can Now Rent a Flesh Computer Grown In a British Lab

The world’s first commercial hybrid of silicon circuitry and human brain cells will soon be available for rent.

Sterilized Flies To Be Released In Order To Stop Flesh-Eating Maggot Infestation

Sounds like the plot of a horror movie, but it is part of the government’s plans for protecting the U.S. from a bug that could devastate its beef industry, decimate wildlife and even kill household pets. This weird science has worked well before.

Researchers hide AI prompts in papers

Instructions in preprints from 14 universities highlight controversy on AI in peer review.

Climate-proofing homes more important than ever, say experts

Using 12-inch screws for roof-to-wall connections would make homes more resilient to tornadoes.

== yjc, I know its politices but it is a truly serious situation
Scientists Warn US Will Lose a Generation of Talent

Political interference and chaotic cuts to staff, programs and grants at the National Science Foundation are producing ‘devastating consequences’.

New Evidence That Some Supernovae May Be a ‘Double Detonation’

It may be possible to blow up a white dwarf before it reaches a critical mass.

== yjc, I know its politices but…
Proposed Budget Seeks To Close Mauna Loa Observatory’s Climate CO2 Study

The president’s budget proposal would defund many climate labs, including instrument sites comprising the US government’s greenhouse gas monitoring network. But it’s the Mauna Loa laboratory that is the most prominent target of the President Donald Trump’s climate ire.

Astronomers may have discovered 3rd-known interstellar visitor

It appears our solar system is getting more popular with out-of-towners.

Gold from e-waste opens a rich vein for miners and the environment

The use of mercury in gold mining is one of the largest sources of mercury pollution on Earth.

Robotic Heart Transplant Marks Surgical Breakthrough

Benefits of the robotic approach include faster recovery, reduced infection risk, and less blood loss, crucial for transplant patients on immunosuppressants.

A neural brain implant provides near instantaneous speech

Focusing on sound production instead of word choice makes for a flexible system.

== yjc, had a deck of tarot cards since my early 20s, still in one of my book cases
The Colorful History of Tarot Is as Mesmerizing as the Decks Themselves

The original meaning behind the cards, first created 500 years ago, still remains elusive.

== not sure how easy this would be in current vehicles, but…
RisingAttacK: New technique can make AI ‘see’ whatever you want

Researchers have demonstrated a new way of attacking artificial intelligence computer vision systems, allowing them to control what the AI “sees.”

Ammonia: From fertilizer to energy source of the future

Ammonia has been traditionally known for fertilizer production. In the future, it could also play a key role in the Energy Transition as an efficient source of hydrogen and a climate-friendly substitute for fossil fuels.

Animals living at higher elevations found to have decreased sense of smell

A recent study has found that animals living at elevations of 1,000 meters and higher have a reduction in genes related to smell and a smaller olfactory bulb than similar low-altitude species.

Bees’ secret to super-efficient learning could transform AI and robotics

Researchers have discovered how the way bees move their bodies during flight helps shape visual input and generates unique electrical messages in their brains.

Central Asia faces ’extreme unsustainability’ as land and biosphere limits breached, study warns

As one of the world’s largest arid regions, Central Asia faces mounting ecological stress. Rapid population growth is intensifying demands for water and energy resources.

== yjc
Hymn to Babylon, missing for a millennium, has been discovered

Babylon was founded in Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE. Once the largest city in the world, it was a cultural metropolis in which works were written that form part of our global literary heritage today.

== likely related to article below, possibly as the cause for sea ice loss before calving
Antarctic sea ice may be in terminal decline due to rising Southern Ocean salinity

Since 2015, the frozen continent has lost sea ice similar to the size of Greenland. That ice hasn’t returned, marking the largest global environmental change during the past decade.

Mathematical modeling links sea ice loss to Antarctic ice shelf calving events

New research has, for the first time, tracked ice shelf, sea ice and ocean swell wave conditions over multiple years in the lead-up to three large-scale iceberg “calving” events in Antarctica, revealing common patterns.

Nanoparticle-based targeted delivery unleashes the full power of anti-cancer drugs

A new study details the development of a nanoparticle-based system that delivers concentrated chemotherapy specifically to cancer cells and not normal cells.

New geometry discovery could stop lunar landers from falling over

In 1966, the eminent British mathematician John Horton Conway and his partner, Richard Guy, wondered whether it was possible to construct a tetrahedron made of uniform material with an even weight distribution that would always flip to its stable side. They believed that an unevenly balanced monostable tetrahedron was possible, although they could never prove it.

Who in the world can afford healthy food?

The importance of meeting dietary needs has been recognized for a long time, but measuring whether people can actually do that has been elusive until now.

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Researchers questioned more than 1,000 students about the quality of their sleep, their eating habits, and any perceived link between the two, and found a strong association between nightmares and lactose intolerance.

NIH-Funded Science Must Now Be Free To Read Instantly

From 1 July, researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be required to make their scientific papers available to read for free as soon as they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.

How Robotic Hives and AI Are Lowering the Risk of Bee Colony Collapse

Lifting up the hood of a Beewise hive feels more like you’re getting ready to examine the engine of a car than visit with a few thousand pollinators.

Early bedtimes are associated with more physical activity

The study examined whether sleep duration and sleep timing were associated with the duration of moderate-to-vigorous and overall physical activity the following day.

Plankton can investigate crime, affect the climate and influence science

Not much attention is paid to plankton because these creatures are usually hidden from sight. They are mostly microscopic in size and live in aquatic environments.

Killer whales, kind gestures

Orcas offer food to humans in the wild.

== Australian perspective, but…
Common farm fungicide may be contributing to ‘insect apocalypse’

A widely-used agricultural chemical sprayed on fruits and vegetables to prevent fungal disease is also killing beneficial insects that play a critical role in pollination and wider ecosystems.

Bacteria hijack tick cell defenses to spread disease, study shows

Researchers have discovered how the bacteria that cause anaplasmosis and Lyme disease hijack cellular processes in ticks to ensure their survival and spread to new hosts, including humans.

== always thought this should be the case at major intersections in the lower mainland
== And I was involved in a left turn accident a number of years ago.
Here’s a way to save lives, curb traffic jams and make commutes faster and easier: Ban left turns at intersections

More than 60% of traffic collisions at intersections involve left turns.

Five surprising facts about AI chatbots that can help you make better use of them

AI chatbots have already become embedded into some people’s lives, but how many really know how they work?

Hardware security tech can hide and reveal encryption keys on demand using 3D flash memory

With the rapid advancement of AI and big data, the use of data has skyrocketed, making data security more critical than ever. Traditional password systems are proving insufficient.

== have had article on this subject before
Growing evidence for evolving dark energy could inspire a new model of the universe

If the universe only contained ordinary matter and dark matter, we would expect the gravitational pull of all the mass in the universe to be slowing down the universe’s expansion.

Santorini earthquakes traced to sideways magma movement in crust, not traditional volcanic centers

When the island of Santorini was rattled by thousands of small earthquakes earlier this year, many people were left mystified about the source of the tremors.

Discovery in quantum materials could make electronics 1,000 times faster

Researchers have discovered how to change the electronic state of matter on demand, a breakthrough that could make electronics 1,000 times faster and more efficient.

Genetic bottlenecks help explain which cholera strains become pandemic pathogens

A new study sheds light on one of the great enigmas of microbiology: why only certain strains of common bacteria become pandemic pathogens.

Engineering nano-clouds that can change color, temperature and outwit heat sensors

In nature, phenomena like white cumulus clouds, gray storm systems, and even the hollow hairs of polar bears offer remarkable lessons in balancing temperature, color and invisibility.

Switching on a silent gene revives tissue regeneration in mice

Some vertebrates such as salamanders and fish can regenerate complex tissue structures with precision.

Snails get stressed: Invertebrate model sheds light on biological basis of anxiety

nxiety, the psychological and physiological state characterized by an anticipation of potential threats and a heightened sense of vigilance, is regularly experienced by many humans worldwide.

== yjc
Serenity in Nature Captured Through Hatched Fountain Pen Drawings in Blue Ink

Nature has always been a go-to source of inspiration for artists, both past and present. Trees, clouds, mountains, and oceans have been interpreted in countless ways, each reflecting the unique vision of the artist.

== perhaps a touch lengthy
Watching the world, one quintillionth of a second at a time

An attosecond is no time at all for a person. Not so for electrons, atoms and molecules. Laser-wielding scientists are revealing the action.

== paywall?
Cloudflare will now, by default, block AI bots from crawling its clients’ websites

The company will also introduce a “pay-per-crawl” system to give users more fine-grained control over how AI companies can access their sites.

VP.net Promises “Cryptographically Verifiable Privacy”

VPN providers require subscribers to trust them with their online traffic. VP.net, a new provider, takes a different approach. The company promises ‘cryptographically verifiable privacy’ by using special hardware ‘safes’ (Intel SGX), so even the provider can’t track what its users are up to. Trust in technology and hardware is still required, of course.

== yjc, used Lotus 1-2-3 for many years
After 45 Years, 74-Year-Old Spreadsheet Legend/EFF Cofounder Mitch Kapor Gets His MIT Degree

MIT professor Bill Aulet chuckled to himself when he decided to invite his old friend and famed software programmer and investor Mitch Kapor to give a speech about entrepreneurship at the school this spring.

Earth is Trapping Much More Heat Than Climate Models Forecast

How do you measure climate change? One of multiple approaches can give us a very clear sense of what’s going on: track how much heat enters Earth’s atmosphere and how much heat leaves.

What are the chances of Earth being hit by a big asteroid?

The last significant event was over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013.

Engineers turn toxic ancient tomb fungus into anti-cancer drug

After isolating a new class of molecules from Aspergillus flavus, a toxic crop fungus linked to deaths in the excavations of ancient tombs, the researchers modified the chemicals and tested them against leukemia cells.

Syntax on the brain: Researchers map how we build sentences, word by word

While much of our understanding of language production has been built on single-word tasks such as picture naming, this new study directly tests whether those insights extend to the far more complex act of producing full sentences.

Powerful magnets could unlock detection of high-frequency gravitational waves

New research suggests that superconducting magnets used in dark matter detection experiments could function as highly precise gravitational wave detectors, establishing an entirely new frequency band for observing these cosmic ripples.

NASA shares new views of our galactic neighbor, Andromeda

Astronomers use Andromeda to understand the structure and evolution of our own spiral, which is much harder to do since Earth is embedded inside the Milky Way.

Better heating method makes legumes easier to digest

While they have been part of our human diet for centuries, legumes like peas and beans are ultimately seeds for the next generation of plants. To protect themselves from being eaten by animals and insects, they contain “antinutrients” that are hard for animals—and humans—to digest.

Sharks freeze when you turn them upside down—and there’s no good reason why

For some animals, this freeze response—called “tonic immobility”—can be a lifesaver. Possums famously “play dead” to avoid predators.

= yjc Why cats prefer to sleep on their left side may be part of a survival strategy

Asymmetries in behavior can have advantages because both hemispheres of the brain specialize in different tasks.

A neural brain implant provides near instantaneous speech

Focusing on sound production instead of word choice makes for a flexible system.

Has an AI Backlash Begun?

As generative artificial intelligence tools continue to proliferate, pushback against the technology and its negative impacts grows stronger.s

Just How Much Space Data Will the Rubin Observatory Collect?

With just a few nights of data, the Rubin Observatory team was able to identify 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids in our solar system — seven of which are categorized as near-Earth objects. For context, there are approximately a million known asteroids in our cosmic neighborhood.

Carbon Record Reveals Evidence of Extensive Human Fire Use 50,000 Years Ago

With the arrival of humans, fire began to transition from a purely natural force to one that could be harnessed to achieve specific goals.

== I believe we had an article on this radio burst
Mysterious Radio Burst Turns Out to Be From a Dead 1967 NASA Satellite

The signal detected last year came from Relay 2, a communications satellite that has been defunct since 1967.

AI Improves At Improving Itself Using an Evolutionary Trick

Researchers use evolutionary algorithms to enhance AI coding skills.

== can’t confirm any of this, but thought one or two of you might want to rry
People Are Being Involuntarily Committed, Jailed After Spiraling Into “ChatGPT Psychosis”

As we reported earlier this month, many ChatGPT users are developing all-consuming obsessions with the chatbot.

Solving the mystery of an ancient enzyme could lead to new carbon capture strategies

From the beginning of life on Earth microscopic organisms have found ways to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) into useful biomolecules.

Fossil fungi trapped in amber reveal ancient origin of parasitic zombie-ants

Entomopathogenic fungi have evolved extraordinary ways to turn insects into unwitting accomplices in their own demise.

Injury to specific brain connections could explain some people’s criminal behavior, study finds

Over the past decades, some lawyers have started using brain imaging scans as evidence during criminal trials, to provide a possible explanation for the criminal behavior of defendants.

Discovery of ‘mini halo’ points to how the early universe was formed

Astronomers have uncovered a vast cloud of energetic particles—a “mini halo”—surrounding one of the most distant galaxy clusters ever observed.

Denmark To Tackle Deepfakes By Giving People Copyright To Their Own Features

Amendment to law will strengthen protection against digital imitations of people’s identities, government says.

Cars’ Forward Blind Zones Are Worse Now Than 25 Years Ago

A newly devised measurement technique shows drivers can’t see as much out the windshield and side windows in newer vehicles—in one case, visibility declined from 68 to just 28 percent.

Renewables Soar, But Fossil Fuels Continue To Rise as Global Electricity Demand Hits Record Levels

All-time records were reached across ALL forms of energy (coal, oil, gas, renewables, hydro and nuclear).

I found a bacteria-eating virus in my loo - could it save your life?

There’s a type of virus that’s not interested in infiltrating our bodies, instead it preys on bacteria.

Beneath the canopy: Pioneering satellite reveals rainforests’ hidden worlds

But rainforests are dense and sprawling. Scientists have struggled to understand what lies beneath the treetops.