Number 369
Etruscan chamber tombs made accessible in digital portal
Imagine stepping into a 2,500-year-old tomb—without ever leaving your sofa.
Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies
Researchers studied 121 marmalade hoverflies that landed on an oil rig in the Britannia oil field, 200 km off the coast of Scotland.
Dogs can extend word meanings to new objects based on function, not appearance
In humans, “label extension” is a cornerstone of early language development. In non-humans, until now, it had only been documented in a few so-called language-trained individual animals, after years of intensive training in captivity.
Jaguar swims over a kilometer, showing dams are not absolute barriers to large carnivores
Previous records indicated a maximum swimming distance of around 200 meters for jaguars.
New light-powered gears fit inside a strand of hair
Gears are everywhere—from clocks and cars to robots and wind turbines. For more than 30 years, researchers have been trying to create even smaller gears in order to construct micro-engines.
Over the past decades, the incidence of cancer in the GI tract and some other conditions affecting the digestive system has risen substantially.
Scientists pinpoint the brain’s internal mileage clock
Letting rats loose inside a small, rat-sized arena, the researchers recorded from a part of their brains that is known to be important in navigation and memory.
A new explanation for Siberia’s giant exploding craters
First spotted in the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas of Western Siberia in 2012, these massive holes, known as giant gas emission craters (GECs) can be up to 164 feet deep.
How a corpse plant makes its terrible smell
Corpse plants are rare, and seeing one bloom is even rarer. They open once every seven to 10 years, and the blooms last just two nights. But those blooms—red, gorgeous and massive at over 10 feet (3 meters) tall—stink.
Chameleons shine in black for better camouflage
New research has revealed that the lizards do alter their skin color to blend into their background—just as long as it’s certain colors or shades.
Evidence of cosmic impact discovered at classic Clovis archaeological sites
Researchers continue to build on a body of evidence for a fragmented comet that is thought to have exploded over Earth almost 13,000 years ago, which may have had a role in the disappearance of mammoths, mastodons and most of other megafauna, in both North and South America, at that time.
Gemini AI solves coding problem that stumped 139 human teams at ICPC World Finals
Every year, thousands of college-level coders participate in the ICPC event, facing a dozen deviously complex coding and algorithmic puzzles over five grueling hours. This is the largest and longest-running competition of its type.
== yjc
Darkest Nights Are Getting Lighter
For most of us, to see a truly starry night isn’t easy. The main reason that city dwellers can no longer see a starry night is simply all the artificial light we waste into the sky.
OpenAI Says Models Programmed To Make Stuff Up Instead of Admitting Ignorance
The fundamental problem is that AI models are trained to reward guesswork, rather than the correct answer.
Corals Won’t Survive a Warmer Planet, a New Study Finds
Most coral reefs will soon stop growing and may begin to erode – and almost all will do so if global warming hits 2°C, according to a new study in the western Atlantic.
Here’s how many ‘risky heat’ days climate change added to our summer this year
All 12 heat waves this summer ‘much’ or ‘far’ more likely due to climate change: Environment Canada.
== expect something similar in Canada, though likely darker here winter mornings than in much of the US
Permanent Standard Time Could Cut Strokes, Obesity Among Americans
he human circadian cycle isn’t exactly 24 hours, researchers noted. It’s about 12 minutes longer for most people, and it can be changed based on a person’s exposure to light.
Double harvest: Vertical solar panels and crops thrive side by side
Measurements show that wheat and grass-clover mixtures grow just as well between vertical solar panels as in open fields. At the same time, the panels produce electricity in a daily pattern that better matches energy demand.
Solar desalination technology converts sunlight into fresh water without external power
This advanced system addresses common issues, such as salt accumulation, which can impair performance over time, offering a promising solution for water-scarce regions worldwide.
Scientists discover how nanoplastics disrupt brain energy metabolism
Their findings may have implications for better understanding neurodegenerative diseases characterized by declining neurological or brain function, and even shed new light on issues with learning and memory.
Google releases VaultGemma, its first privacy-preserving LLM
Google Research shows that AI models can keep training data private.
DNA metabarcoding uncovers woodrats’ selective approach to eating toxic plants
It’s not easy eating green. Most plants are heavily defended with chemicals to deter plant eaters. For these herbivores, getting enough to eat, while minimizing exposure to toxins, is a persistent challenge that shapes their foraging choices.
Bay Area scientists helping restore coral reefs damaged by climate change
The main problem is an increasingly widespread process called coral bleaching, which is a stress response when the ocean gets too warm due to climate change.
Most Earth-Like Planet Yet May Have Been Found Just 40 Light-Years Away
In exciting new JWST observations, the Earth-sized exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e shows hints of a gaseous envelope similar to our own, one that could facilitate liquid water on the surface.
Bacteria help fight against cancer
Most people are familiar with the microbes on the skin or in the gut, but recent discoveries have revealed that tumors also host unique communities of bacteria. Scientists are now investigating how these tumor-associated bacteria can affect tumor growth and the response to chemotherapy.
== light on content, but…
New study links blood proteins to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss
Researchers have found new clues in the blood that could help explain why Alzheimer’s disease develops and how it affects memory.
Fluorescent ‘zoom lens’ exposes hidden protein changes for earlier disease detection
The research team engineered a fluorescent probe into precise subdomains of proteins, creating a tool that monitors microenvironmental shifts in real time.
The more carbon dioxide a planet has in its atmosphere, the longer it can sustain a biosphere and photosynthesis for, and prevent the atmosphere from escaping into space, but it’s a careful balance: too much carbon dioxide and it can lead to a runaway greenhouse effect, or render the atmosphere too toxic for life.
Models explain mysterious feature controlling magnetic properties of the sun
In the late 1980s, scientists realized they could understand the interior properties of the sun by observing the sound waves that resonate inside it. This technique, called helioseismology, revealed a mysteriously thin dynamical layer in the interior of the sun that became known as the tachocline.
Research reveals how certain aromas are interpreted as taste.
Ancient DNA reveals deeply complex Mastodon family and repeated migrations driven by climate change
An ancient DNA analysis of the remains of several mastodons has revealed the giants migrated vast distances in response to shifting climates and were far more genetically diverse than previously known.
Hundreds of new bacteria, and two potential antibiotics, discovered in soil
Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab—and that’s been bad news for medicine.
Could Heart Attacks Be Triggered By Infections?
Heart attacks may not just be caused by cholesterol, they could be sparked by hidden bacterial biofilms that awaken after viral infections.
A Single Exercise Session May Slow Cancer Cell Growth, Study Finds
Scientists know contracting muscles release a slew of hormones and biochemicals, known as myokines, into our bloodstreams and have long suspected these myokines fight cancer.
Here’s what astronomers know so far about the 3rd interstellar visitor ever found
3I/ATLAS is hurtling through space at 60 km/s and will soon be lost to the sun’s glare.
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert, you can't remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain