Digital map increases Roman Empire road network by 100,000 kilometers

At its height in the second century CE, the Roman Empire included over 55 million people and stretched from modern day Britain to Egypt and Syria.

== repeat?
Early-stage clinical trial demonstrates promise of intranasal influenza vaccine in generating broad immunity

Researchers report encouraging results from an early phase clinical trial that found an experimental intranasal vaccine triggered a broad immune response against multiple strains of H5N1 “bird flu.”

A long, bumpy caterpillar-like wormhole may connect two black holes

For obvious reasons, we do not know what the inside of a black hole looks like. But thanks to theoretical physics, we can ask what the inside should look like if Einstein’s theory of gravity and the rules of quantum mechanics are both true.

Rapa Nui’s catastrophic deforestation: Invasive rats, not just humans, may be to blame

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is among the most contested case studies of environmental archaeology.

A Carnivorous ‘Death Ball’ Has Emerged from the Deep

This newly-discovered species is being called the “death-ball sponge” for its appendages, which end in orbs and are covered in micro-hooks meant to capture prey.

Tiny diatoms, big climate impact: How microscopic skeletons rapidly shape ocean chemistry

If you know what diatoms are, it’s probably because of their beauty. These single-celled algae found on the ocean floor have ornate glassy shells that shine like jewels under the microscope.

East African Rift study uncovers why breaking up is hard for some continents

Researchers have discovered why some parts of Earth’s crust remain strong while others give way, overturning long-held assumptions about how continents break apart.

== yjc
Golf’s cruelest moment: The physics behind the ’lip out’ phenomenon

A sporting quirk that affects both seasoned pros and amateur players alike, the lip out putt sees the ball hit the edge (lip) of the hole but fail to go in and instead roll away without dropping in.

== a similar idea to article below
Nanobodies from camels and llamas offer promise for treating schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease

Nanobodies—tiny proteins derived from animals in the camelid family including camels, llamas, and alpacas—could be useful in treating brain disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Therapeutic brain implants that travel through blood defy the need for surgery

What if clinicians could place tiny electronic chips in the brain that electrically stimulate a precise target, through a simple injection in the arm? This may someday help treat deadly or debilitating brain diseases, while eliminating surgery-related risks and costs.

Termite ‘jumping genes’ provide template to resolve tree of life

Genomes are key to unlocking life’s evolutionary history. The presence and absence of certain genetic sequences and mutations can give us clues to the order in which species diverge. However, even state-of-the-art methods struggle to accurately map evolutionary events from hundreds of millions of years ago.

Are there different types of black holes? New method puts Einstein to the test

Black holes are considered cosmic gluttons, from which not even light can escape.

Many mini-Neptunes once thought to be lava worlds may actually have solid surfaces

As telescopes have become more powerful, it’s turned out our solar system is not the only game in town: There are millions of other planets out there in the galaxy. But we’re still teasing out clues about what they are actually like.

Sulfur cave spiders build an arachnid megacity and possibly the largest-ever spider web

Researchers may have discovered the world’s biggest spider web, a massive subterranean structure spanning over 100 square meters in a sulfur cave on the Albania–Greece border. This is believed to be the first documented case of colonial web formation for both species in the cave.

Universe expansion may be slowing, not accelerating, study suggests

Astronomers cast doubt on Nobel prize-winning theory and suggest universe could end in ‘big crunch’.

== yjc
How caffeine can help you manage headaches and other tips

Headaches are something almost all of us deal with at some point. They can last from a couple of minutes to days and the pain can be sharp, dull, throbbing or stabbing and sometimes spread beyond your head.

== yjc
Brazil Proposes a New Type of Fund To Protect Tropical Forests

Scheme aims to raise $125bn to invest in bonds, with returns used to reward tropical countries for conservation.

The world’s tallest chip defies the limits of computing: goodbye to Moore’s Law?

For decades, the progress of electronics has followed a simple rule: smaller is better. Since the 1960s, each new generation of chips has packed more transistors into less space, fulfilling the famous Moore’s Law. But this race to the minuscule is reaching its physical limits.

Black Hole Flare is Biggest and Most Distant Seen

The flare may be the result of a mega black-hole meal.

Unexpectedly high concentrations of forever chemicals found in dead sea otters

There is growing concern about the toxic effects of these chemicals on marine life, and the future negative impacts they will have on marine ecosystems as they continue to accumulate in marine food webs.

Climate intervention may not be enough to save coffee, chocolate and wine

These crops are vital to many economies and provide livelihoods for farmers worldwide. However, they are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Reactivating a fetal gene enables adult heart cells to regenerate after injury

Around the globe, heart disease remains one of the top causes of death. Once patients begin to suffer from serious heart problems, like heart attacks and heart failure, the heart muscles become damaged and are difficult to treat and repair.

Astronomers may have found the first stars that formed after the Big Bang

For years, astronomers have been on the hunt for the first generation of stars, primordial relics of the early universe. And now researchers may have just found them.

How fire-loving fungi help forests recover

These are specialized fungi that appear only after fire—unlike the typical cap-and-stem mushrooms we know. Many belong to a group called Ascomycota and produce tiny, cup-shaped fruiting bodies in vivid colors.

Scientists produce powerhouse pigment behind octopus camouflage

Octopuses, squids, cuttlefish and other animals in the cephalopod family are well known for their ability to camouflage, changing the color of their skin to blend in with the environment. This remarkable display of mimicry is made possible by complex biological processes involving xanthommatin, a natural pigment.

Prenatal exposure to specific fine particles linked to autism risk

A multi-institutional team including Health Canada researchers has found that prenatal air exposure to specific particulate matter components and early-life ozone is associated with autism spectrum disorder in Ontario children.

Scientists create new bullet-proof fiber that is stronger and thinner than Kevlar

o stop high-speed impacts, like a bullet, a material needs to resist breaking under force (high strength) and be able to absorb a lot of energy without shattering or failing (high toughness). However, there is a problem with current solutions. When scientists try to make these fibers stronger, they often become more brittle, making it difficult to achieve both simultaneously.

Dark matter does not defy gravity, study suggests

Does dark matter follow the same laws as ordinary matter? The mystery of this invisible and hypothetical component of our universe—which neither emits nor reflects light—remains unsolved. A team set out to determine whether, on a cosmological scale, this matter behaves like ordinary matter or whether other forces come into play.

Virus-loaded patches successfully kill bacteria in contaminated food

Every year, around 600 million people are struck down by foodborne illnesses. These pathogens are a particular concern in ready-to-eat products and have caused numerous food recalls.

== a bit of history
Inside the hunt for the most dangerous asteroid ever

As space rock 2024 YR4 became more likely to hit Earth than anything of its size had ever been before, scientists all over the world mobilized to protect the planet.

== yjc
What Happened When Small-Town America Became Data-Center, U.S.A.

Umatilla in northeast Oregon was not long ago known for a former chemical-weapons depot nearby, a state prison on the city’s outskirts and the strip clubs once dotting its main drag. But a growing fleet of Amazon data centers has turned the region around Umatilla into an unlikely nerve center for one of the most expensive infrastructure build-outs in U.S. history.

Australians To Get At Least Three Hours a Day of Free Solar Power - Even If They Don’t Have Solar Panels

Labor announces ‘solar sharer’ program for households in NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia.

The race to shore up Europe’s power grids against cyberattacks and sabotage

Ukraine first to demo open source security platform to isolate incidents, stop lateral movement.

== yjc, not sure, but expect these are Ontario prices, BC prices could be higher or lower
Food prices in Canada keep climbing, but these grocery items will give you sticker shock

Shoppers paid 4% more in September, but some products took a bigger toll than others.

Stone tool discovery suggests very first humans were inventors

Researchers have found that the primitive humans who lived 2.75 million years ago at an archaeological site called Namorotukunan used stone tools continuously for 300,000 years.

Antarctic glacier’s rapid retreat sparks scientific ‘whodunnit’

When an Antarctic glacier was sparked into rapid retreat three years ago, it left scientists scratching their heads as to what might have caused it.

== yjc, one clever engineer
Manufacturer Remotely Bricks Smart Vacuum After Its Owner Blocked It From Collecting Data

Would you allow a stranger to drive a camera-equipped computer around your living room? You might have already done so without even realizing it.

== yjc
Why brushing teeth twice a day is not always best

We all think we know how to brush our teeth - a scrub morning and night, a rinse with water and maybe a minty mouthwash for good measure.

Fluoride-based solid electrolyte surpasses voltage limits

For decades, battery engineers have sought to enhance energy density by increasing voltage, but conventional solid electrolytes, such as sulfides and oxides, tend to break down above 4 V.

Mature ecosystems show strong drought adaptability in karst areas, research finds

A research team has found that ecosystems with more complete ecological succession and longer existence exhibit strong adaptability to drought.

Tiny bat uses a lion-like strategy to save energy and capture large prey with surprising success

A new international study reveals that small bats can be just as efficient predators as lions—and often more successful.

Could a cancer vaccine developed long ago hold the key to long-term survival in breast cancer?

A small group of women with advanced breast cancer received a vaccine via a clinical trial more than 20 years ago. Today, they’re all still alive. Scientists say that kind of long-term survival is almost unheard of for patients with metastatic breast cancer, and it’s what caught the attention of researchers now.

How parasitic cuckoos lay host-matching eggs while remaining a single species

Bright blue, white, greenish, speckled, or striped—cuckoo eggs exhibit an extraordinary variety. This range of colors is the result of an evolutionary race with over 100 avian host species. Cuckoos famously do not incubate their eggs, but secretly lay them in the nests of other bird species.

Rapid brightening of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it nears sun surprises scientists

An interstellar comet that originated outside our solar system has just made its closest pass to the sun, brightening dramatically and rapidly as it did so. The reason for the sudden extreme activity is currently puzzling scientists.

MIT Physicists Find a Way To See Inside Atoms That May Aid Search For Antimatter

By binding radium atoms with fluoride to form radium monofluoride molecules, they used the atom’s own electrons as probes to momentarily enter the nucleus and carry back subtle “messages” about its structure.