Major new telescope on Chilean summit opens window on universe

Thirty-four years after Cornell University scientists first conceived it, the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) now rises above the Atacama Desert, near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor in Chile. FYST will help answer some of the most important questions in astronomy, including how the universe works.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone isn’t shutting down—but it’s more complicated than previously thought

Recent seismic imaging off Vancouver Island has revealed something extraordinary: a tear in the subducting oceanic plate beneath the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The finding briefly raised the public’s hopes that Cascadia might be “shutting down,” potentially lowering earthquake risk in North America’s Pacific Northwest.

== yjc, couldn’t resist
Hat wars of early modern England reveal how manners make the rebel

“Hatiquette” is a matter of personal choice in modern Britain, but 400 years ago social conventions were very different and refusing to doff (“do off”) one’s hat could be a potent act of political defiance.

Medieval Japanese poetry and buried trees help elucidate volatile space weather

In 1972, a string of SPEs occurred between the Apollo 16 and 17 moon missions—had these coincided with either expedition, the astronauts would have been helplessly exposed to deadly particle radiation. As we return to the moon, understanding these sporadic events is becoming more urgent.

Back-to-back Amazon droughts trigger record forest stress

Two back-to-back droughts in 2023 and 2024 caused the most severe decline in forest moisture and biomass (the total mass of living vegetation such as leaves, trunks and branches) in the Amazon since 1992. And many of the hardest hit areas are unlikely to recover before the next major drought arrives.

Study finds hidden lake network beneath Arctic glaciers as climate change accelerates

The discovery could reshape how scientists understand glacier loss in Canada’s Arctic.

== yjc
Artemis II mission was a triumph. Now comes the hard part

The Orion spacecraft performed admirably and the images the astronauts captured have delighted a whole new generation about the possibilities of space travel. But does this mean that the children enthralled by the mission will be able to live and work on the Moon in their lifetimes? Perhaps even go to Mars, as the Artemis programme promises?

Oxygen sensing helps explain why amphibians regenerate limbs but mammals cannot

Some animals can regrow lost body parts. Salamanders and frog tadpoles can rebuild entire limbs after amputation. Mammals cannot. For decades, biologists have tried to understand why.

Summer is getting longer, and it’s happening faster than we thought

A new study by UBC researchers has found that between 1990 and 2023, the average summer between the tropics and the polar circles grew about six days longer per decade. That’s up from roughly four days per decade found in past research investigations up until the early 2010s.

AI trained like a Rubik’s Cube solver simplifies particle physics equations

For years, Rutgers physicist David Shih solved Rubik’s Cubes with his children, twisting the colorful squares until the scrambled puzzle returned to order. He didn’t expect the toy to connect to his research, but recently he realized the logic behind the puzzle was exactly what he needed to solve a problem involving particle physics.

Ancient tectonic processes are the key to locating rare minerals

Research shows a strong global link between ancient subduction zones—where tectonic plates collide—and the formation of rare earth element (REE) deposits and carbonatites, a type of hot molten rock called magma, known to host these valuable resources.

Canada is coming off 3 consecutive severe fire years. There are concerning signs for 2026

Hot summer forecast due to El Niño, drought lingers in some regions.

Particles seen emerging from empty space for first time

By tracing the origins of an unusual, short-lived particle, researchers have gathered some of the strongest evidence yet that mass can emerge from fluctuations in the vacuum.

A woman’s ‘push-up hack’ is trending on social media. An anatomist explains why it works

Push-ups can be a challenge for the best of us. But many women struggle to do them, even after months of training in the gym.

Solar-powered device disinfects drinking water in under an hour

For many people living in developed nations, towns and cities take care of ensuring that residents’ water is clean and safe. Municipalities have advanced filters and UV light disinfection technologies at their disposal. In many places in the Global South, however, these technologies are not widely available. These areas, such as parts of Africa and South America, do have one advantage when it comes to water filtration—sunlight.

== might have to give up sashimi and such?
Virus from seafood is linked to a persistent eye disease in humans

This is the first study to show that a virus originating from aquatic animals can be associated with a specific eye disease in humans. And it may not just be a problem in China.

First close pair of supermassive black holes detected

Supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies are one of the most active fields of research in astronomy. In order to accumulate their enormous masses, they must merge with each other.

‘Voorhees law’ explains why the slower car often catches up

Many drivers will know the feeling: you pull ahead of the slower car you’ve been stuck behind and cruise the open road ahead at your own, faster speed. By the time you reach the next stop light, you’re sure that you’ve left the slower car far behind you—but to your surprise, you see that same car cruise up right behind you in the mirror.

== had made no effort to verify any of this
CIA Reportedly Used Secret Quantum Tool To Find Downed Airman in Iran

The secret technology uses long-range quantum magnetometry to find the electromagnetic fingerprint of a human heartbeat and pairs the data with artificial intelligence software to isolate the signature from background noise

== yjc
From the Gobi Desert to Canada’s North: This Chinese visionary is betting on AI to power this country’s future

Is Canada ready for an AI-driven energy alliance with China?

Earliest known octopus is not an octopus after all

A 300-million-year-old fossil, previously thought to be the remains of the world’s oldest octopus, has been identified as a different animal.

A new Anthropic model found security problems ‘in every major operating system and web browser’

Project Glasswing, as it’s called, is billed as a way for large companies, and potentially even the government, to flag vulnerabilities in their systems with virtually no human intervention.

World’s First Megawatt-Class Hydrogen Turboprop Engine Completes Maiden Flight in China

The 16-minute test covered 36km at 220km/h and 300 meters altitude, with the aircraft returning safely after completing its planned maneuvers.

=== yjc
China is winning one AI race, the US another - but either might pull ahead

And each side has its strengths - something Nick Wright, who works on cognitive neuroscience at University College London (UCL), neatly sums up as the battle between “brains” and “bodies”.

== yjc
2 fighting bald eagles freed from power line in Surrey

Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society said bald eagles will often fight to protect a nest or chicks.

Detecting multiple cancers and other diseases from a single blood sample

nstead of searching for mutations, the team examined DNA methylation, chemical tags attached to DNA that help regulate gene activity. Methylation patterns differ by tissue type and can change when cells become cancerous or diseased.

A natural molecule present in the human body protects against the flu

Dermcidin, which is present in sweat and known for its antibacterial and antifungal activity, also exhibits antiviral activity against the influenza virus and can interfere with infection.

== yjc
Why cats stop eating—it’s not just fullness

hy do cats often leave food unfinished? Many cat owners have experienced this puzzling behavior. Domestic cats are well known for eating multiple small meals throughout the day. It has also often been assumed that cats leave food unfinished simply because they have a small appetite or a capricious nature.

Orcas never seen before in Seattle delight whale watchers with a visit

Researchers keep detailed records of killer whales that frequent the Salish Sea, the waters between Washington state and Canada. So it was a surprise when this pod of three orcas showed up in Vancouver, British Columbia, in March. The three weren’t in any catalogs of local whales.

Our modern vision evolved from an ancient one-eyed worm creature

It has long been known that our (vertebrate) eyes differ fundamentally from the ones of our distant relatives (invertebrates), because of their cell composition and how they develop before birth. However, answers to why or how these differences first emerged long remained elusive.

Insects in the tropics are already near their heat limits. Climate change could push many beyond survival

Insects make up to 90% of all animal species on the planet, and most of them can be found in the tropics, the regions around the equator. Yet we still know surprisingly little about how these species will cope with rising temperatures driven by climate change.

== guess that means it’s likely in coyotes in the lower mainland
Parasitic tapeworm-a risk to domestic dogs and humans-found in Washington coyotes

This parasite is concerning because it has been spreading across North America. There have been numerous cases of dogs getting sick, and a handful of people have also picked up the tapeworm.

Exploding primordial black holes might have reshaped the early universe, and created all matter as we know it

The early universe is absolutely so far outside our understanding of how the world works it’s hard to describe in words. Back then, the cosmos wasn’t filled with stars and galaxies but with a boiling soup of quarks and gluons, with a few microscopic black holes thrown in, occasionally detonating like depth charges.

Origins of Earth’s most powerful ocean current revealed

It transports far more than 100 times as much water as all of the Earth’s rivers combined: The Antarctic Circumpolar Current rushes around the southern continent unhindered by land masses and is therefore a fundamental component of the climate system.

Smart sensor decodes fatigue and stress from body signals on the move

Burnout and chronic fatigue carry a substantial economic cost and pose serious risks in professions where alertness is critical. Yet diagnosing fatigue and related mental health conditions today relies largely on self-reported questionnaires, which tend to be subjective, intermittent, and poorly suited to real-time evaluation.

Exposing secret night operations between hawkmoths and Japan’s black-nectar flowers

In ancient Greek mythology, nectar was the drink of the gods, the key to their immortality. Real-life nectar might not confer immortality to its consumers, but it certainly helps many a creature stay alive by providing them with rich nutrition.

Looking back to protect the future: New insights into influenza immunity

A new study shows that seasonal influenza vaccination does more than protect against viruses circulating that year; it can also prime the immune system to respond to future strains, including some that emerge decades later.

Tiny African fish caught climbing to the top of a 50-foot waterfall

For over half a century, people in Central Africa have told tales of the fish seen climbing waterfalls, but these claims have never been officially confirmed. Now, these fish have finally been caught on camera.

The depths of Neptune and Uranus may be ‘superionic’

Measurements of Uranus and Neptune’s densities indicate that the interiors of these giant planets contain intermediate layers of unconventional “hot ices,” which exist below their hydrogen and helium atmospheric envelopes and above their rocky cores.

== fun!
The secrets of black holes and the Higgs mass could be hidden in a 7-dimensional geometry

In the 1970s, Stephen Hawking demonstrated, through semi-classical calculations, that black holes are not truly black, but emit a weak radiation that causes them to gradually shrink until they disappear. This process, however, brings with it a massive problem: it seems to cause an irreversible loss of information, violating the unitarity principle of quantum mechanics.