== yjc
Newly Unsealed Records Reveal Amazon’s Price-Fixing Tactics

Hundreds of previously redacted records reveal how Amazon has put pressure on independent sellers using its platform into raising their prices on the sites of competitors such as Walmart and Target, so that Amazon can appear to have lower prices, California authorities allege.

A hidden Oregon basin and a shallower slab sharpen the Cascadia megaquake threat

The Juan de Fuca plate dives beneath the North American plate to form the Pacific Northwest’s Cascadia subduction zone, which has produced devastating magnitude 9 earthquakes historically.

Atlantic current system could be weakening faster than expected

While it was already known to be weakening, most climate models disagree on the exact magnitude of the decline, but generally point to a one-third reduction by 2100.

Gravity follows Newton and Einstein’s rules, even at cosmic scales

Gravity, as most people understand it, is the familiar force that pulls a falling apple toward Earth. But for astronomers and theoretical physicists, it is also a vexing invisible architect that guides the shape and evolution of the largest cosmic structures across the universe.

== yjc
Shakespeare’s ‘missing’ London house mapped with new discovery

The finding sheds new light on a mystery that has puzzled academics since the eighteenth century. It has long been known that in his later years Shakespeare owned a property in Blackfriars and it was thought to be part of what was known as “the Great Gate” over the entrance to the Blackfriars precinct, a major 13th-century Dominican friary.

Scientists capture superconductivity’s ‘dancing pairs’ for first time, revealing missing pieces in a decades-old theory

For the first time, scientists have directly imaged the quantum process underlying superconductivity, a phenomenon in which paired electrons cause electric current to flow without resistance at sufficiently low temperatures. The results weren’t quite what they expected.

Sperm whale clicks follow similar rules to human speech

Sperm whales produce powerful clicks to communicate. To our ears, they sound nothing more than a series of repetitive, mechanical taps. Previous research has shown that these clicks, known as codas, resemble human vowels acoustically.

Nature might have a universal rhythm

Animal communication can look wildly different—flashing lights, chirping calls, croaking songs and elaborate dances. But new research suggests many of these signals share a surprising feature: they repeat at nearly the same tempo.

Math framework could explain dark matter without invisible particles

At the heart of the approach is a deceptively simple question: what if the same physical system could be described consistently in curved spacetime, flat spacetime, classical mechanics and quantum theory with the help of one method? That is what the Alena Tensor is meant to help with.

How hidden soil fungi ‘steal’ bacterial DNA to control the rain

For a cloud to turn into rain or snow, it needs a “seed”– a tiny particle for water molecules to grab onto so they can crystallize into ice, then fall from the clouds as rain.

People who consume ultra-processed foods have worse muscle health

The researchers found that the more ultra-processed foods people consumed, the more intramuscular fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of caloric intake.

Nature Is Still Molding Human Genes, Study Finds

Hundreds of genes selected in West Eurasia since farming began, many linked to health.

A dark energy tool just created the most comprehensive 3D map of our universe ever

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has completed its five-year mission to build the largest 3D map of the cosmos ever constructed in order to investigate dark energy, the mysterious force driving the accelerating expansion of the universe.

BYD Is Rolling Out 5-Minute Charging on Several Popular EVs

The new Blade Battery 2.0 Flash Charging system can recharge EV batteries from 10% to 70% in five minutes.

This site beautifully visualizes Curiosity’s 13 years on Mars.

Follow the rover across mars, sol by sol.

Feeling distracted? How hobbies can help you find ‘flow state’ and save your brain

We live in what has been called the “distraction economy”: an environment full of triggers that are engineered to demand our attention at every turn. The result is often fragmented attention, loss of focus, and sometimes even increased rumination and anxiety.

From river stain to your cup of tea: The secret world of tannins

Tannins are astringent and bitter-tasting chemicals found in many leaves; they’re what add flavor to red wines, chocolate and tea. Oak timber is high in tannins, and it’s the tannins in oak barrels that enrich the flavor of some wines.

== believe this is a repeat, but too lazy to check
Irish bog plant revives ancient remedy as a new weapon vs superbugs

Long before we had modern antibiotics to rely on, people often turned to traditional medicines from plants to treat infections. [The root of tormentil (Potentilla erecta), a small yellow wildflower that grows across Ireland, the UK and Europe, was used for centuries in Irish and European traditional medicine. It was used to treat wounds, sore throats, diarrhea and gum disease.] Beneath this cemetery, 5.5 million wild bees form a giant underground city vital to spring pollination Fordyce’s jar of bees led to the discovery that the Ithaca cemetery is home to one of the largest and oldest recorded aggregations of ground nesting bees in the world, with an estimated 5.5 million individual bees. That’s the equivalent of more than 200 honeybee hives in a 1.5-acre plot of land, and more than three times the population of Manhattan.

== may have seen something on this before, different spider?
How does spider venom damage human cells?

Spiders are among Earth’s most resourceful predators, nabbing prey by any means necessary. Orb weavers spin webs for capture. Wolf spiders ambush on the ground at night. Almost all spiders use venom when they hunt.

Why the Persian Gulf has more oil and gas than anywhere else on Earth

Other areas with huge volumes of oil and gas have been found, such as West Siberia in Russia and, more recently, the Permian Basin in the U.S., but none compare either with the scale of reserves or the high rates at which oil and gas can be produced in the Persian Gulf.

Coffee’s sweet spot may help mental health in the long run

For years, the evidence on coffee and mental health has been all over the place, with studies debating whether it helps at all and, if so, how much might be beneficial.

== touch technical
New biological marker of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease uncovered

Past studies have uncovered a link between AD and a reduced or altered sense of smell. In fact, an impaired ability to smell is often one of the early signs of AD and could thus help to diagnose the disorder early.

Astronomers find the strongest evidence yet for the universe’s first stars

For decades, astronomers were only able to study the universe’s very first stars using theoretical models. Now, observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed what may be the most compelling evidence to date for these ancient “Population III” stars, finding them clustered around a small companion object that formed just 400 million years after the Big Bang.

Robot Birds Deployed by Park to Attract Real Birds - Built By High School Students

Engineers deploy robotic grouse decoys to simulate mating and attract birds back to restored habitats in Wyoming.

== paywall? (turning off javascript for technologyreview.com might help)
You have no choice in reading this article—maybe

Does free will exist? Neuroscientist Uri Maoz devises experiments to illuminate how—or if—the brain makes decisions.

DNA-Level Encryption Developed by Researchers to Protect the Secrets of Bioengineered Cells

Engineered cells are a high-value genetic asset that is key to many fields, including biotechnology, medicine, aging, and stem cell research, with the global market projected to reach $8.0 trillion USD by 2035. Yet the only ways to keep the cells safe are strong locks and watchful guards.

== yet to be proven in the real world
Oxygen Made From Moon Dust For First Time

Scientists and engineers want to extract the oxygen to repurpose it as breathable air or rocket fuel. Transporting oxygen to space from Earth would be too dangerous and expensive, so making it on the Moon is seen as a key step for long-term habitation.

Cancer remains top cause of death in Canada as new study shows multiple types rising

Despite advancements in treatment, surveillance and screening programs, cancer continues to touch the lives of thousands of Canadians every year.