Number 382
== yjc
“Ungentrified” Craigslist may be the last real place on the Internet
People still use Craigslist to find jobs, love, and even to cast creative projects.
Dark stars could help solve three pressing puzzles of the high-redshift universe
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observed the most distant objects yet to be studied, and those discoveries pose significant challenges to standard models of the formation of the first stars and galaxies. Specifically, the unexpected discovery of “blue monster” galaxies, the numerous early overmassive black hole galaxies, and the “little red dots” in images.
Tree bark microbes also clean the air by removing greenhouse and toxic gases
Counting all trees on Earth, the total global surface area of bark covers an area roughly the same as all seven continents combined. This microbial activity across this massive ‘bark continent’ is potentially removing millions of tons of climate-active gases every year.
Ultrasonic sensor capable enables cuffless, non-invasive blood pressure measurement
A new technology has been developed that enables cuffless noninvasive blood pressure monitoring by using ultrasonic to track real-time changes in vascular diameter—without the need for a traditional cuff. The technology is expected to serve as a core component in future wearable health care devices and smart medical monitoring platforms.
Facial expressions decoded: Brain regions work together in surprising new ways
When a baby smiles at you, it’s almost impossible not to smile back. This spontaneous reaction to a facial expression is part of the back-and-forth that allows us to understand each other’s emotions and mental states.
One image is all robots need to find their way
While the capabilities of robots have improved significantly over the past decades, they are not always able to reliably and safely move in unknown, dynamic and complex environments. To move in their surroundings, robots rely on algorithms that process data collected by sensors or cameras and plan future actions accordingly.
record ocean heat is intensifying climate disasters, data shows
Oceans absorb 90% of global heating, making them a stark indicator of the relentless march of the climate crisis.
== yjc
The ‘superhero’ oyster species helping to clean water
Thousands of European oysters have been placed on the Belfast Lough seabed, in a bid to bring back native reefs that had almost disappeared.
== yjc
Please, Lego, let this engineer bring your computer brick to life
James Brown loves building weird displays. Like animatronic skulls, or mechanical bit-flipping cellular automatons. Or, in this case, an entire computer inside a mock Lego brick.
Nature-inspired computers are shockingly good at math
Partial differential equations are essential for simulating real-world systems, from predicting weather patterns to modeling the behavior of materials under stress. Traditionally, solving PDEs requires vast computational resources. Neuromorphic computers, however, offer a fundamentally different approach that more closely resembles how the brain processes information.
CRISPR discovery could lead to single diagnostic test for COVID, flu, RSV
Across all domains of life, immune defenses foil invading viruses by making it impossible for the viruses to replicate. Most known CRISPR systems target invading pathogens’ DNA and chop it up to disable and modify genes, heading off infections at the (cellular) pass.
Scientists use string theory to crack the code of natural networks
For more than a century, scientists have wondered why physical structures like blood vessels, neurons, tree branches, and other biological networks look the way they do. The prevailing theory held that nature simply builds these systems as efficiently as possible, minimizing the amount of material needed.
The two clay cylinders were made in the common style of foundational documents often found in the Neo-Babylonian period and the time of Nebuchadnezzar II (the famous biblical king of Babylon). The contents of the cylinders relate to the restoration of the ziggurat dedicated to the worship of the god Zababa and the goddess Ishtar.
How a biological version of rock-paper-scissors determines if lizard colors are maintained or lost
Two new studies into lizard colors reveal how one species maintains its colorful diversity while others are losing their ancient colors.
Geometry shapes life: Embryo curvature acts as instruction manual for coordinated cell division
Life begins with a single fertilized cell that gradually transforms into a multicellular organism. This process requires precise coordination; otherwise, the embryo could develop serious complications.
Psychological traits that may fuel conspiracy theorist mindset identified
Conspiracy theories are one of the banes of the modern world, exacerbated by the internet and social media. What was once relegated to the fringe has now been pushed into the mainstream, actively shaping public discourse and policies. But why do so many people buy into these narratives even when they are contradicted by empirical facts?
Former Google CEO plans to singlehandedly fund a Hubble telescope replacement
Prior to World War II the vast majority of telescopes built around the world were funded by wealthy people with an interest in the heavens above. However, after the war, two significant developments in the mid-20th century caused the burden of funding large astronomical instruments to largely shift to the government and academic institutions.
Germany’s Dying Forests Are Losing Their Ability To Absorb CO2
Vast swathes of the country’s trees have been killed off by droughts and infestations, in a trend sweeping across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answers.
IXI’s autofocusing lenses are almost ready to replace multifocal glasses
While wave upon wave of smartglasses and face-based wearables crash on the shores of CES, traditional glasses really haven’t changed much over the hundreds of years we’ve been using them. The last innovation, arguably, was progressive multifocals that blended near and farsighted lenses — and that was back in the 1950s.
== yjc
Longbow Motors shows off its Speedster EV with Donut Lab’s in-wheel motors
The high-performance British EV weighs just 2,200 pounds.
Western Canada glaciers suffered 2nd-greatest ice loss on record in 2025
B.C. researcher estimates some 30 gigatonnes of ice melted last year, warns “glaciers are going to disappear”.
Rubin Observatory Spots an Asteroid That Spins Fast Enough To Set a Record
2025 MN45 is one of more than 2,100 solar system objects that were detected during the observatory’s commissioning phase. Over time, the LSST Camera tracked variations in the light reflected by those objects. Greenstreet and her colleagues analyzed those variations to determine the size, distance, composition and rate of rotation for 76 asteroids.
How Dad’s Fitness May Be Packaged and Passed Down in Sperm RNA
Research into how a father’s choices — such as diet, exercise, stress, nicotine use — may transfer traits to his children has become impossible to ignore.
The secret weapon that could finally force climate action
An ambitious form of climate modelling aims to pin the blame for disasters – from floods to heatwaves – on specific companies. Is this the tool we need to effectively prosecute the world’s biggest carbon emitters?
How Dad’s Fitness May Be Packaged and Passed Down in Sperm RNA
Research into how a father’s choices — such as diet, exercise, stress, nicotine use — may transfer traits to his children has become impossible to ignore.
Rare mountain gorilla twins born in the wild
Virunga National Park in war-ravaged eastern Congo is home to many of last mountain gorillas.
== seen some of these before, but…
‘Death ball’ sponge, tiny opossum among cool new species of 2025
About 16,000 new species are ‘discovered’ each year — and that rate is accelerating
Turbulence is getting worse. Would it be better if planes looked more like birds?
Severe clear-air turbulence is up 55% in the North Atlantic, and forecast to get worse. Unlike other types of turbulence, caused by flying through a storm or near a large mountain, you can be flying through “clear blue skies” and still hit it.
Century-old tumours could reveal why more young people are getting bowel cancer
Despite the majority of bowel cancers still being found in older adults, the rise in younger patients has been seen around the world.
Study casts doubt on potential for life on Jupiter’s moon Europa
Jupiter’s moon Europa is on the short list of places in our solar system seen as promising in the search for life beyond Earth, with a large subsurface ocean thought to be hidden under an outer shell of ice. But new research is raising questions about whether Europa in fact has what it takes for habitability.
Pod of killer whales seen rubbing bellies on rocks off B.C.’s Sunshine Coast
Whale expert says the phenomena is a specialized behaviour specific to northern resident killer whales .
== yjc
Lego announces Smart Brick, the ‘most significant evolution’ in 50 years
An entire computer and myriad sensors in a 2x4 Lego brick.
Northern Greenland ice dome melted before and could melt again
The melting of the Greenland ice sheet could unleash anywhere from tens of centimetres to 1 metre of sea level rise this century. To narrow that prediction, scientists need to better understand how fast different parts of the ice sheet will disappear.
== yjc
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Shut Down After 58 Years
he CPB announced Monday that its board of directors voted to close the organization after 58 years, rather than continue to exist and potentially be “vulnerable to future political manipulation or misuse.”
Flu Is Relentless. Crispr Might Be Able to Shut It Down
Innovative research into the gene-editing tool targets influenza’s ability to replicate—stopping it in its tracks.
As US Communities Start Fighting Back, Many Datacenters are Blocked
Tech companies and developers looking to plunge billions of dollars into ever-bigger data centers to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing are increasingly losing fights in communities where people don’t want to live next to them, or even near them.
Hidden clay intensified 2011 Japan megaquake, study confirms
In most subduction zone earthquakes, rupture starts deep on the fault and the amount of slip decreases as the rupture travels upward towards the sea floor. But in 2011, the slip grew larger as the rupture neared the surface, a surprising result that geoscientists like Fulton have been trying to explain for more than a decade.
Ancient Puebloans kept macaws and parrots in great houses for ceremonial use
Chaco Canyon was inhabited from the mid-800s to around the mid-1100s. During this time, thousands of archaeological sites were created, including larger pueblo sites called ‘great houses’ and smaller pithouses, known as “small sites.”
The Star of Bethlehem might have actually been a comet described in an ancient Chinese text
Many researchers have spent decades attempting to decode biblical descriptions and link them to verifiable historical events. One such description is that of the Star of Bethlehem—a bright astronomical body that was said to lead the Magi to Jesus shortly after his birth.
A built-in odometer: New study reveals how the brain measures distance
Whether you are heading to bed or seeking a midnight snack, you don’t need to turn on the lights to know where you are as you walk through your house at night. This hidden skill comes from a remarkable ability called path integration.
Saturn’s biggest moon might not have an ocean after all
The Cassini mission, which began in 1997 and lasted nearly 20 years, produced volumes of data about Saturn and its 274 moons. Titan—shrouded by a hazy atmosphere—is the only world, apart from Earth, known to have liquid on its surface.
Ancient hunter-gatherer DNA may explain why some people live to 100 years or more
Italy has one of the highest concentrations in the world of people living to 100 or more. To help understand why, researchers analyzed the genomes of 333 centenarians and 690 healthy adult controls aged around 50. They compared the DNA of these individuals with 103 ancient genomes of the four groups that make up the modern Italian gene pool.
AI learns to build simple equations for complex systems
The trajectory of a cannon ball depends on many variables such as exit velocity and angle, air drag, varying wind speeds, and even ambient temperatures, among many others. However, a very close approximation can be found by a simple linear equation that only uses the first two.
Nanoparticle therapy reprograms tumor immune cells to attack cancer from within
Within tumors in the human body, there are immune cells (macrophages) capable of fighting cancer, but they have been unable to perform their roles properly due to suppression by the tumor.
3D fossil scans investigate the origins of bipedal locomotion in human evolution
Knowing the type of locomotion used by many fossil species—walking upright on the ground or climbing from branch to branch with the strength of their arms—has been one of the most classic questions in the study of the process of hominization.
Evidence of upright walking found in 7-million-year-old Sahelanthropus fossils
Sahelanthropus was discovered in Chad’s Djurab desert by University of Poitiers’ paleontologists in the early 2000s, with initial analyses focusing on its skull.
A urine-based biological aging clock
Aging, as we tend to understand it through chronological dating, is the primary driver behind many chronic diseases. But chronological age and biological age can differ, as some people age more rapidly or slower than others.
Stardust study resets how life’s atoms spread through space
To understand the origins of life on Earth, it’s important for astronomers to understand how giant stars power their winds. For decades, scientists have believed that winds from red giant stars—which seed the galaxy with carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and other elements essential for life—are powered when starlight pushes against grains of newly formed dust.
Turning plastic waste into valuable chemicals with single-atom catalysts
The rapid accumulation of plastic waste is currently posing significant risks for both human health and the environment on Earth. A possible solution to this problem would be to recycle plastic waste, breaking it into smaller molecules that can be used to produce valuable chemicals.
How China built its ‘Manhattan Project’ to rival the West in AI chips
China’s EUV machine is undergoing testing, and has not produced working chips, sources say
Electric Spoon and Cup Bring Salty Flavor Without Extra Sodium
Salt makes food taste good. We also eat far too much of it. Globally, adults consume more than double the daily recommended amount of sodium, according to the World Health Organization.
What’s inside Mexico’s Popocatépetl?
In the predawn darkness, a team of scientists climbs the slope of Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano, one of the world’s most active and whose eruption could affect millions of people. Its mission: figure out what is happening under the crater.
Scientists have uncovered evidence of Ireland’s largest prehistoric hillfort settlement
Brusselstown Ring is unique for its size and density, characterized by two widely spaced ramparts encompassing the enclosure. The outermost enclosing element encompasses both the Brusselstown Ring and the Neolithic enclosure of Spinas Hill 1, hillforts that encompass more than a single hill are exceedingly rare in Britain and Ireland, and uncommon even on continental Late Iron Age (150–50 BC) Europe.
Mechanism that enables regeneration after extensive damage solves a 50-year-old mystery
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, our skin tissue—and in fact many types of epithelial tissue that lines and covers the body’s organs—can respond to death and destruction with a burst of regeneration.
What’s the value of one animal? When a wild animal is found badly injured, the most humane option is often euthanasia to prevent further suffering. That’s what usually happens, and often for good reason.
New image sensor breaks optical limits
Imaging technology has transformed how we observe the universe—from mapping distant galaxies with radio telescope arrays to unlocking microscopic details inside living cells. Yet despite decades of innovation, a fundamental barrier has persisted: capturing high-resolution, wide-field images at optical wavelengths without cumbersome lenses or strict alignment constraints. Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed in animal models to achieve full neurological recovery
New reactor produces clean energy and carbon nanotubes from natural gas
The Cambridge team wanted to perfect a technique called methane pyrolysis, which converts methane into hydrogen and solid carbon without producing carbon dioxide. However, until now, no one has been able to perform this process efficiently enough for large-scale use because traditional reactors waste too much gas.
We know that the initial splash of raindrops on soil contributes to erosion, but a new study finds that the journey of the raindrop downhill might have an even bigger impact on erosion than the initial splash.
How the global fish trade is spreading ‘forever chemicals’ around the world
A new study has revealed that the global seafood trade is acting as a massive delivery system for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), industrial pollutants that persist in the environment for decades.
What’s powering these mysterious, bright blue cosmic flashes? Astronomers find a clue
Among the more puzzling cosmic phenomena discovered over the past few decades are brief and very bright flashes of blue and ultraviolet light that gradually fade away, leaving behind faint X-ray and radio emissions.
A universal law could explain how large trades change stock prices
Financial markets are often seen as chaotic and unpredictable. Every day, traders around the world buy shares and sell assets in a whirlwind of activity. It looks like a system of total randomness—but is it really?
Possible ‘superkilonova’ exploded not once but twice
When the most massive stars reach the ends of their lives, they blow up in spectacular supernova explosions, which seed the universe with heavy elements such as carbon and iron. Another type of explosion—the kilonova—occurs when a pair of dense dead stars, called neutron stars, smash together, forging even heavier elements such as gold and uranium.
Pahon Cave provides a look into 5,000 years of surprisingly stable Stone Age tool use
The Pahon Cave in Gabon offers archaeologists a well-preserved look into the Late Stone Age time period in central Africa, thanks to the stratified layers of guano-based sediment. This is in contrast with much of the surrounding areas, which are rich in acidic soils that make preservation difficult.
Rare brown dwarf discovered orbiting ancient star
Brown dwarfs (BDs) are intermediate objects between planets and stars, occupying the mass range between 13 and 80 Jupiter masses. However, although many brown dwarfs have been detected to date, these objects orbiting other stars are a rare find.
Microsoft’s Risky Bet That Windows Can Become The Platform for AI Agents
In the 1990s, the bigger breakthrough for the company wasn’t the graphical interface. It was Windows’ ability to serve as a platform for applications made by others.
Furiosa’s Energy-Efficient ‘NPU’ AI Chips Start Mass Production This Month, Challenging Nvidia
The startup that is now one of a handful of chip makers nipping at the heels of Nvidia began in a hospital bed in Seoul a decade ago.
The US Effort to Break China’s Rare-Earth Monopoly
Every few hours, two furnaces in a New Hampshire office park quietly transform batches of taupe-colored powder into rough ingots. These mottled chunks of metal, about the size of a few bricks, ultimately will be used to make electric vehicle motors or maybe a fighter jet.
After Half a Decade, the Russian Space Station Segment Stopped Leaking
A small section of the International Space Station that has experienced persistent leaks for years appears to have stopped venting atmosphere into space.
The man taking over the Large Hadron Collider
But it is hard not to wonder, when looked at from a certain angle, whether he has taken one for the team.
UK Company Sends Factory With 1,000C Furnace Into Space
It sounds like science fiction - a factory, located hundreds of kilometres above the Earth, churning out high-quality materials.
The Arctic Is in Dire Straits, 20 Years of Reporting Show
The Arctic has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, a new report shows, as temperatures skyrocket and ice rapidly melts.
Racks of AI Chips Are Too Damn Heavy
Old data centers physically cannot support rows and rows of GPUs, which is one reason for the massive AI data center buildout.
== yjc
High-Speed Traders Are Feuding Over a Way To Save 3.2 Billionths of a Second
A millisecond used to be a big deal for the world’s quickest traders. A dispute over huge trading profits at one of the world’s largest futures exchanges shows they now think a million times faster.
=== yjc
The Entry-Level Hiring Process Is Breaking Down
Even in the best of times, searching for a first job after college is an exercise in patience, resilience, and coping with rejection. And these are not the best of times.
[The world will soon be losing 3000 glaciers every year]== alternate source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2508713-the-world-will-soon-be-losing-3000-glaciers-every-year/?mc_cid=23bb81a51b&mc_eid=3d28de017b (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/15/alpine-glaciers-rate-extinction-climate-crisis)
Under current climate policies, 79 per cent of the world’s glaciers will disappear by 2100, endangering the water supply for 2 billion people and raising sea levels dramatically.
== yjc, paywall?, worth a read I think
How the RESISTORS Put Computing into 1960s Counter-culture
Teenage nerds in New Jersey were hacking before the PC and the Internet.
Massive rock layer beneath Bermuda may explain island’s unusual elevation
Bermuda may well be associated with exaggerated stories of missing ships and planes, but there is another mystery about this part of the Atlantic that has been puzzling scientists for decades: Why does the island appear to float above the surrounding ocean?
Deep-sea squid caught masquerading as sponge stalks in Pacific abyss
ephalopods—the class of animals that comprises octopuses and squids—are ubiquitous throughout the ocean, including in the deep sea. However, researchers still don’t know very much about the distribution, diversity and behaviors of cephalopods in areas like the abyssal plains of the ocean floor.
Sub-millimeter-sized robots can sense, ’think’ and act on their own
Robots small enough to travel autonomously through the human body to repair damaged sites may seem the stuff of science fiction dreams.
Supernova immersion model suggests Earth-like planets are more common in the universe
New research suggests that when our solar system formed, a nearby supernova bathed it in cosmic rays containing the radioactive ingredients to make rocky, dry worlds. This mechanism could be ubiquitous across the galaxy.
== work to be done, but…
High-energy photons drive conversion of greenhouse gases into high-value chemicals, no catalyst needed
Converting carbon dioxide and methane into other molecules is difficult due to their chemically stubborn nature. Methane’s strong C–H bonds and carbon dioxide’s stable C=O bond make them chemically inert, thereby requiring additional steps to effect any chemical transformation.
Cloudflare reveals how bots and governments reshaped the internet in 2025
Cloudflare has dropped its sixth annual Year in Review, and the picture it paints of the internet in 2025 is both impressive and unsettling.
== also lengthy, but worth a read
Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water
Your environment of yours—the sum of all your exposures, from conception to the grave—could be making you sicker than you realize. In a study of half a million Britons, Oxford researchers determined that lifestyle and the environment is 10 times more likely to explain early death than genetics.
== yjc, paywall?, lengthy
How Did the CIA Lose a Nuclear Device?
A team of American climbers, handpicked by the C.I.A. for their mountaineering skills — and their willingness to keep their mouths shut — were fighting their way up one of the highest mountains in the Himalayas.
== yjc
The Global Rush to Build Entire Cities From Scratch
How nations are using new cities to shape power, policy, and profit.
== yjc, thought it was an interesting perspective and a bit of history; touch lenghty
The Politics Of Superintelligence
Today’s tech “prophets” push a narrative that God-like artificial superintelligence is inevitable, and only they can ensure humanity’s safety from their creations.
Scientists Discover the Earliest Human-Made Fire, Rewriting Evolutionary History
Previously the earliest known use of iron pyrite and flint to strike fire came from Neandertals in northern France about 50,000 years ago.
== likely too late for this year, but…
== a little short on the formulae
How maths can help you wrap your presents better
Wrapping awkwardly shaped Christmas presents is always a headache, but here’s the formula for perfect gift wrap.
Polar Bears are Rewiring Their Own Genetics to Survive a Warming Climate
“Polar bears are still sadly expected to go extinct this century,” with two-thirds of the population gone by 2050," says the lead researcher.
Antarctica’s only native insect is already eating microplastics
Belgica antarctica is a non-biting midge (a small fly) about the length of a grain of rice. It is the southernmost insect on Earth and the only one found exclusively in Antarctica.
Astronomers spot star ‘wobbling’ around black hole
The cosmos has served up a gift for a group of scientists who have been searching for one of the most elusive phenomena in the night sky. Their study reports on the very first observations of a swirling vortex in spacetime caused by a rapidly rotating black hole.
== yjc
How a 23-Year-Old in 1975 Built the World’s First Handheld Digital Camera
In 1975, a young engineer in the company that made Kodak film took the first picture on a handheld digital camera. Photography would never be the same again.
== yjc
How These Nations Outsmart Natural Disasters
Revealing the strategies that make these places amongst the world’s safest.
RoboCrop: Teaching robots how to pick tomatoes
In the agricultural sector, labor shortages are increasing the need for automated harvesting using robots. However, some fruits, like tomatoes, are tricky to harvest.
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for