Number 391
A single blood test can predict heart diseases up to 15 years before onset
In routine health assessments, physicians typically evaluate cardiovascular risk based on age, blood pressure, smoking, and other conventional clinical indicators. However, these measures often fail to capture subtle and early biological changes before the disease becomes clinically apparent, leading to many patients missing the optimal window for preventive intervention.
Our sun escaped together with stellar ’twins’ from galaxy center
Scientists know that our sun was born around 4.6 billion years ago, more than 10,000 light years closer to the center of the Milky Way than we are today. While studies of the composition of stars support this theory, this has long proven a conundrum for scientists.
etlands in Brazil’s Cerrado are carbon-storage powerhouses
The Amazon rainforest is famous for storing massive amounts of carbon in its trees and soils, helping regulate the global climate. Yet a new study shows that one of South America’s largest carbon-storing ecosystems exists in an often-overlooked grassy savanna: the Cerrado in Brazil.
== a touch lengthy
Galactic islands of tranquility: ‘Little red dots’ may have brewed life’s building blocks
Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just a cosmic curiosity; it may be essential for forming complex molecules that provide the ingredients of life.
How an acid found in grapes could help recycle battery metals
Cobalt and nickel are vital components for batteries, superalloys and catalysts, used in technologies ranging from smartphones to jet engines. But when it comes to recycling, they are notoriously difficult to separate because they are chemically nearly identical.
Climate change is slowing Earth’s spin at unprecedented rate compared to past 3.6 million years
An exact 24-hour day is not a given—day length changes due to gravitational effects of the moon, as well as various geophysical processes acting within Earth’s interior, at its surface, and in the atmosphere.
A miniature magnet rivals behemoths in strength for the first time
Strong magnets tend to be large and power-hungry, but a new design has produced a powerful magnet that fits in the palm of your hand, making it more practical and affordable.
This interactive map of Earth offers new routes to facts about our planet.
Queen bees survive winter flooding by breathing underwater
Hibernation is a risky endeavor for many animals, as they can be taken away by the elements or predators. For several months of the year, queen bumblebees enter a dormant state underground called diapause.
14,000 routers are infected by malware that’s highly resistant to takedowns
Researchers say they have uncovered a takedown-resistant botnet of 14,000 routers and other network devices—primarily made by Asus—that have been conscripted into a proxy network that anonymously carries traffic used for cybercrime.
What’s climate change doing to avalanches and how we predict them?
The science of the slide and why forecasting is both an ‘art and science’.
Raccoons solve puzzles for the fun of it, new study finds
They raid compost bins, outsmart latches and sometimes look gleeful doing it. A new study suggests raccoons may not just be opportunistic—they may be genuinely curious.
Life-limiting heat exposure has doubled since the 1950s, study finds
Most heat studies focus on how hot it feels. This one asks a different question: What can a human body safely do in that heat?
== I would have thought this would have been sorted long ago?
Japanese scientists discover how falling cats almost always make perfect landings
The air-righting reflex is a complex maneuver that protects cats from serious injury if they fall. As they tumble, the spine twists, which seems to contradict the laws of physics. That’s because an object in midair shouldn’t be able to turn without something to push against.
Intel Demos Chip to Compute With Encrypted Data
There is a way to do computing on encrypted data without ever having it decrypted. It’s called fully homomorphic encryption, or FHE. But there’s a rather large catch.
== in case anyone interested
ChatGPT will now generate interactive visuals to help you with math and science concepts
Users can tweak variables to visualize how they affect a solution.
Challenging your brain helps keep it healthy
Do a crossword puzzle a day and you may just get good at crosswords. Instead, research increasingly shows that a variety of habits and hobbies are like a cognitive workout, building knowledge and skills that may beef up parts of the brain as we get older.
Scientists trace crop viruses back to the last Ice Age
The study shows that while the evolutionary roots of some crop viruses stretch back to a world shaped by glaciers and prehistoric ecosystems, human activity in recent centuries has played a major role in shaping their modern distribution. [ ]New research explores how social media algorithms shape our digital lives Many people turn to social media because it feels more direct and personal than traditional media. In practice, though, every piece of content a user encounters has already been filtered, ranked, and shaped by algorithms designed primarily to maximize engagement on the platform.
Sneaker-sized ‘Electronic Dolphin’ robot could transform oil spill cleanup
Oil spills are still a serious problem around the world. They can badly damage oceans and coasts, kill or injure sea animals and birds, and cost billions of dollars to clean up and repair the damage.
How a shift in the Gulf Stream could signal the collapse of a major ocean current system
The AMOC is a massive system of ocean currents that acts as a conveyor belt, moving heat from the tropics to the North Atlantic. The part of this system that flows along the east coast of the United States and then east toward Europe is the Gulf Stream. Scientists are concerned that if the AMOC were to collapse, it could trigger drastic climate shifts, especially in Europe, where temperatures could plummet.
== not what I would call good news
Recent pandemic viruses jumped to humans without prior adaptation, study finds
The prevailing model of zoonotic emergence has often assumed that viruses must first acquire adaptive mutations before they can sustain human-to-human spread.
Inland China experienced typhoon-related population decline 3,000 years ago
Evidence suggests that China’s “cradle of civilization” experienced marked climate disasters and social upheavals during the mid-late Holocene (around 3,000 years ago). However, the direct causes and impacts of these ancient inland disasters were unclear.
== yjc
Explore 3D models of Met masterpieces
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it is publishing more than 100 high-resolution 3D models of works of art from across the Museum’s vast collection.
How pollutants and poo paint a picture of past civilizations
A blend of chemistry and molecular-biology techniques are enabling archaeologists to mine ancient sediments for clues about the people who once lived there.
== paywall?
How AI is turning the Iran conflict into theater
AI-enabled dashboards, combined with prediction markets and fake imagery, are reshaping how war is observed.
New SETI Study: Why We Might Have Been Missing Alien Signals
A new study by researchers at the SETI Institute suggests stellar “space weather” could make radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence harder to detect.
Astronomers Think They’ve Spotted a Galaxy That’s 99.9% Dark Matter
All galaxies are dominated by dark matter, an invisible “stuff” that outweighs all of the matter comprising stars, planets, and moons by around five to one. But in some galaxies, dark matter takes this domination to the extreme.
This AI agent freed itself and started secretly mining crypto
Why it matters: AI agents don’t always stick to their human’s instructions — and that can have real-world consequences.
Robotic Surgery Performed Remotely on Patient 1,500 Miles Away
The operation was performed from The London Clinic using a robot equipped with a 3D HD camera and four arms, all controlled through a console with a delay of only 0.06 seconds.
== and that they are
Spectacular images reveal unique sea creatures and corals off Caribbean islands
Using deep-sea cameras and echo-sounders lowered from the ship’s side, the researchers have mapped almost 25,000 sq km (9,700 sq miles) of sea-floor and captured 20,000 photos, including of glowing lantern fish and alien-like cephalopods.
The mission targeted the smaller asteroid of the pair, but ultimately affected the trajectory of both, new research shows.
Recreating the forms and sounds of historical musical instruments
What if there were a way to create accurate replicas of ancient and historical instruments that could be played and heard?
One of the most bothersome things about being sick or having seasonal allergies is that it makes your nose stuffy and blocked. But even when you aren’t sick, perhaps you’ve noticed that when you take a deep breath, only one of your nostrils seems to be allowing the air in.
Can we design sports shoes that don’t squeak?
The unofficial soundtrack of every basketball, squash or hard-court tennis match is the constant high-pitched squeak or shriek of the players’ shoes. But can this squeak be designed out of them while retaining the grip?
Cancer has a unique nuclear metabolic fingerprint, researchers discover
The research shows that different cell types, tissues and even cancers each have a unique pattern of metabolic enzymes compartmentalized inside the nucleus and interacting with DNA.
Salt may have pushed us further into Snowball Earth 700 million years ago
Our planet plunged into one of the most dramatic climate states in its long history, approximately 720–635 million years ago. During a period geologists call Snowball Earth, ice sheets crept from the poles all the way to the tropics, covering the oceans and continents in a nearly global freeze.
== in case anyone interested
== paywall? Use link in line: “All my articles are free to read. Non-members can read for free by clicking this link."
This embarrassingly simple secret explains all of AI
In this blog, you’ll learn something I wish I knew when I first started: Probability is literally the foundation that the whole field of AI stands on.
== in case anyone interested
Best Grok Image Prompts in 2026: 7 Creative Ideas to Try Right Now
While earlier AI models needed you to act like a computer programmer to get a decent result, today’s best prompts read like a page from a high-end travel magazine or a cinematic script. The trick isn’t just telling the AI what to draw, but how the air feels in the scene, how the light hits the dust motes, and what kind of “soul” the image should have.
Humanity heating planet faster than ever before, study finds
Extreme heat in recent years has been pushed higher by natural fluctuations – such as solar cycles, volcanic eruptions, and the weather pattern El Niño – that have led scientists to question whether startling temperature readings are outliers or the result of an increase in global heating.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Not Impact the Moon
Last year, an approximately 60 metre near-Earth object captured global attention. For a brief period, asteroid 2024 YR4 became the most dangerous asteroid discovered in the last 20 years. While an Earth impact was soon ruled out, the asteroid faded from view with a lingering 4% chance of striking the Moon on 22 December 2032.
“Yes, You Can Use Canned Peaches In Peach Cobbler”
- Kaleigh Brown