Number 404
First global map of mycorrhizal fungi reveals true scale of underground networks across the planet
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (known as AM fungi) form symbiotic trade relationships with ~70% of plant species on Earth. The fungi provide nutrients and water in exchange for carbon produced by plants.
Why shame is an evolution-based defense mechanism
It is unpleasant, strange and often comes as a surprise: shame. But why do we feel it?
Cosmic acceleration holds up as new analysis rebuts slowdown claim
Our universe’s expansion is still accelerating despite recent claims suggesting otherwise, an international team of astrophysicists says.
Programmable wound zipper adapts to complex skin injuries, improving healing in rats
Skin is our protective barrier from the outside world, and it is highly susceptible to damage. To prevent infection, restore protective skin cells, and reduce scarring, it is essential to quickly and robustly close a wound.
How a shape-shifting tiny rover inspired by Japanese toys autonomously explored the moon
Moon missions come in all shapes and sizes, from car-sized rovers packed with scientific equipment to towering rocket payloads—and now, a small, shape-shifting machine that is about the size of the average palm.
Researchers are developing textiles that can produce drinking water from the air
The advance in fabric technology comes alongside a new benchmark for atmospheric water harvesting.
CRISPR enzyme precisely detects and shreds DNA in cancer mutations once considered ‘undruggable’
CRISPR-Cas12a2 is a molecular scissor that can cut both RNA and DNA when it detects a specific RNA target. It is present in bacteria as a defense mechanism against viral infection. This tool recognizes viral RNA and destroys the cell’s own genetic material, killing the cell before the virus can spread further.
Entirely new way of making espresso shakes up the coffee world
They have developed a completely new brewing process that uses room-temperature water to create an espresso-strength coffee with the same rich flavor, body and caffeine kick.
How a spacesuit keeps astronauts alive on the moon
The human body and the vacuum of space aren’t a good match. Without protection, space would have its way with you. You’d be unconscious in around 15 seconds. Within minutes, you’d be dead. So, you want to be wearing the right suit. Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis III and IV missions will wear a new one designed by Axiom Space, with an assist from… Prada?
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
The test took place two years ago and involved quadcopter drones that were programmed to fly towards the front line, cover between 3 and 5 kilometres over around 10 minutes and then engage “Terminator mode”, in which an AI model searches for and intercepts targets.
Humans prefer to walk anticlockwise, scientists find – but reason is unclear
From Spain to Japan, experiments have repeatedly shown a left-turn bias, but exact mechanic ‘is still an open question’.
Experts said the El Niño, a natural warming cycle, should further heat a globe already warming from fossil fuel pollution and will likely turbocharge extreme weather across the planet. Meteorologists forecast it will rival — or exceed — a record El Niño that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.
== yjc, use the “Non-Member’s Link!"
Anthropic Looked Inside Claude’s Brain. What They Found Changes Everything.
Researchers built a list of 171 emotions — happy, afraid, desperate, vindicated, brooding, resentful, and 165 others. They asked Claude to write stories involving each one.
Whale graveyard dating back five million years discovered
An enormous whale graveyard around 1,200km (745 miles) long has been discovered in the south-eastern Indian Ocean.
Four minutes of daily resistance training can quadruple fitness in older adults
Mobility, a component of physical fitness, is a critical indicator of quality of life for adults 65 and older, allowing them to complete daily tasks and move around. Unintentional injuries such as tripping or falling are among the leading causes of death for adults 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rocket launches and reentries harm Earth’s ozone layer
Rocket engine exhaust, as well as the burnup of inactive satellites and rocket parts reentering Earth’s atmosphere, releases a suite of pollutants. These chemicals have long been considered to pose little threat to our climate, given the historically small size of the space industry.
California’s tectonic stress has reached record level, earthquake model reveals
Earthquakes usually occur along fracture zones in Earth’s crust, where large tectonic plates slide past one another and become locked. Stress builds up over long periods and is suddenly released in the form of an earthquake. In Southern California, the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults are among the most significant of these zones, accommodating most of the plate motion in the region.
Wonderwerk Cave bones reveal possible fire use by human ancestors 1.79 million years ago
The discovery of fire was a major milestone in human evolution, giving our ancestors a way to stay warm, ward off predators, and eventually start cooking food. But exactly when this first happened is still intensely debated, as unambiguous evidence is difficult to find.
A part of the Atlantic Ocean, just south of Greenland and Iceland, has been cooling off while the rest of the world gets hotter. This enigmatic patch is often referred to as the “cold blob” and scientists have been trying to figure out the mechanisms behind its cooling.
Finding highly venomous spider in produce ‘becoming more common,’ says entomologist
The world has a mosquito problem
But experts warn climate change and evolving environmental factors — including deforestation — are rapidly expanding the geographical range of the world’s deadliest animal, and the way it lives and breeds.
Tests suggest Russian satellites can jam GPS on a continental scale
Russian satellites have been identified as the cause of mysterious, seconds-long bursts of GPS interference across Europe—a rare example of human-made GPS interference coming from space.
AI-designed universal vaccine clears first human trial
The trial, involving 39 healthy volunteers, tested a vaccine designed to provide protection against multiple Sarbeco coronaviruses—the large group of viruses that occur in nature including SARS-CoV-2, which caused the COVID pandemic.
After empty promises, string theory finds new uses
For decades, string theory promised a “theory of everything” that described all particles and forces as tiny vibrating strings. Physicists hoped it could also solve one of the field’s deepest problems: reconciling quantum mechanics with gravity. But as string theory grew increasingly elaborate—and experimentally unreachable—many physicists lost hope.
Biohybrid microrobots repair spinal cord by combining stem cells with magnetoelectric nanoparticles
Spinal cord injuries can have devastating consequences for those affected. Nerve cells in the spinal cord rarely regenerate naturally, while scarring often prevents the regrowth of nerve fibers. Modern therapies attempt to influence implanted stem cells using electrical stimulation to promote the growth of new nerve cells. This approach has several drawbacks.
Scientists Edited Human Embryo Genes. But Questions Remain
A team in the US has reported promising results after using an improved form of CRISPR to gene-edit human embryos, but a major issue remains unsolved.
Can a pigeon’s liver really help it navigate long distances?
When skies are overcast or flights stretch into the night and those cues disappear, she says, pigeons appear to also rely on the Earth’s magnetic field. But what’s really stumped scientists for decades is how pigeons actually tap into that magnetism. They’ve known the birds can do it, but they’ve never been able to figure out exactly how this internal “compass” works.
Early Research Suggests a Path to Predict and Prevent Lung Cancer
Researchers have identified a 14-protein signature in blood that is associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer more than five years before diagnosis.
== click the non-member link to read
Small Language Models and Edge AI: The Quiet Revolution Happening in Your Pocket
How tiny AI models are revolutionizing privacy, speed, and accessibility while processing intelligence right on your devices.
Yes, you really can be allergic to exercise—and the symptoms can be serious
People who don’t like to workout will sometimes joke that they’re “allergic” to exercise. But what many don’t realize is that an allergy to exercise is a real thing—and it can be dangerous if not caught in time.
Fasting after 60 changes more than waistlines, exposing a trade-off many dieters never see coming
Most folks know intermittent fasting helps with weight loss, usually by limiting your daily eating window or cutting calories a couple of times a week. But does your age change how well this works for you—and might there be some hidden dangers?
== UK persspective, but…
Study shows indoor air contains greater diversity of airborne fungi than previously thought
Researchers have conducted the U.K.’s largest-ever longitudinal study of indoor fungal air pollution, revealing that homes are active fungal ecosystems rather than passive recipients of outdoor air.
Deep-sea supergiant isopods last years without food by using a two-part survival system
The supergiant bathynomid is a deep-sea isopod famous for surviving more than five years without food. Despite residing in an extremely low-nutrient habitat, these organisms exhibit pronounced body gigantism, a trait that requires substantial energy. This raises an energy paradox: How do these apparently energy-hungry isopods sustain their enormous size given the sporadic availability of food in the deep sea?
‘The Heaven Sword’ crowned as East Asia’s tallest tree after a nearly decade-long search
Taiwan, historically known as Formosa, holds a secret deep within its rugged interior: it is one of the rare locations on Earth capable of supporting “giant” trees—specimens that tower over 80 meters in height.
Hidden meltwater found deep in Antarctic coastal waters reveals stronger climate impacts
Freshwater from melting Antarctic glaciers may be influencing the Southern Ocean in ways scientists have largely overlooked. New research has found that glacial meltwater is not confined to the ocean’s surface, as previously assumed, but can also be detected much deeper in coastal waters along the Western Antarctic Peninsula.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on August 30
NASA is targeting an August 30, 2026 launch date for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, eight months earlier than originally planned and sooner than the September schedule it announced earlier this year.
Small modular nuclear reactor reaches criticality in first test
On Thursday, a startup called Antares announced that a test reactor it had placed at the Idaho National Laboratory had reached criticality, making it the first new design to cross this threshold. Criticality means that the nuclear reactions inside the hardware had become self sustaining; it does not mean the reactor had started to generate power.
The US Military Quietly Turned GPS Into a Global ‘Numbers Station,’ Evidence Suggests
A random sequence in an innocuous GPS message field is likely encrypted traffic from the U.S. military’s system for remotely updating cryptographic keys around the world.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
— Thomas Edison