Improved method for producing sustainable hydrogen offers a surprising side benefit

Producing hydrogen is essential for some of the world’s biggest industrial and agricultural needs, but it also comes with a steep environmental cost: Most hydrogen made today is generated through processes that release large amounts of CO2. This is due to a combination of high-heat requirements and direct emissions from the process.

== yjc
Newly discovered 1666 manuscript may trace four-lens telescope experiments to Galileo

Galileo famously insisted that he had never and would never sell any of his telescopes. None of the eight telescopes manufactured in the first half of the 17th century that have survived to the present day can unequivocally be attributed to him. Two telescopes housed in the Museum of Florence have been credited to him, but the attribution is not universally accepted. Galileo also did not leave behind any technical analyses of his own telescopes.

== theoretically at least, though still likely of value everywhere
How cities can use rain gardens to help prevent flooding

Canada’s capital, Ottawa, was bombarded with 167 millimeters (6.6 inches) of rain in five hours earlier this summer in what the city called a 1-in-200-year event. Close to 5,800 reports of basement flooding followed, and the worst of it hit the city’s west end, including the Crystal Beach neighborhood.

== not much real info, but…
Healthy aging shaped by more varied biology than previously thought

Molecular aging involves the steady accumulation of cellular damage alongside chemical changes in key molecules like DNA, proteins and lipids. Over time, this progression drives a gradual deterioration of tissue function, heightened physical vulnerability and a higher risk of age-related conditions, including cancer as well as cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative disorders.

Key path to Alzheimer’s-like brain damage starts outside the brain

Immune cells that normally protect the body from damage by attacking foreign or infected cells are found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders at much higher levels than in healthy brains. The cells appear to contribute to neurodegeneration, but where they come from and how they are primed to accumulate in the brain was not known.

Diabetes drug metformin could be repurposed to help slow aging mechanisms

Metformin, a widely prescribed, safe and inexpensive drug for type 2 diabetes, is a first-line treatment that lowers blood sugar and improves the body’s response to insulin. The drug appears to trick cells into sensing an energy shortage, similar to what happens during fasting or dieting.

Salt may have helped turn Earth into a frozen world 700 million years ago

Around 700 million years ago, Earth entered periods of extreme glaciation known as Snowball Earth, when ice is thought to have spread across much or potentially all of the planet’s surface. Scientists have long known that expanding ice could have helped drive this transition: As bright ice replaces darker ocean water, more sunlight is reflected back into space, causing the planet to cool further and allowing even more ice to form.

Genetically Modified Pig Kidney Keeps Man Alive For Record Nine Months

A genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months and successfully acted as a “bridge” to a human transplant in a world first.

== for us Canucks
Canadians should prepare for a 5 C hotter future, report warns

The report finds that if global governments keep pursuing their current climate policies, Canada will still see intensified warming, which “corresponds to a future climate for Canada that is far from benign,”

Tau’s surprise birthplace offers a clue to how Alzheimer’s tangles begin

Where and how does an Alzheimer’s tangle begin? A new study by neuroscientists at Columbia University challenges a long-held assumption about the source of toxic tau proteins, which form neurofibrillary tangles and are closely linked to memory decline in Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists discover the key ingredients that make birdsong pretty

What makes birdsong beautiful? Answering this question could help us understand how soundscapes make the natural world relaxing for humans, opening the door to improving parks, upgrading the design of stressful places like waiting rooms and promoting conservation through birds with especially lovely songs.

Global heating will hit at least 1.8C, UN warns, and there are ‘no good outcomes’

The report by the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme confirmed overshooting the 1.5C goal inscribed in the landmark Paris agreement of 2015 was now “unavoidable” and, despite some progress in addressing the human-caused climate crisis driven by burning fossil fuels, likely in the next few years.

Scientists discover how fructose may help drive obesity

High-fructose corn syrup is just one of many food additives linked to obesity. It is typically found in sweetened beverages and processed foods and is added to enhance flavor and sweetness. However, exactly how it contributes to weight gain and obesity is not completely understood.

Weak sea-surface temperature gradients may fuel stronger tropical cyclones

Forecasting tropical cyclone intensity is currently more difficult than forecasting where the storm will go. This is mostly because tropical cyclone intensity is affected by many conditions in the atmosphere and ocean.

Sorry, this neutrino laser won’t work, physicists say

Since their discovery in 1956, neutrinos have continued to surprise physicists with their unexpected properties and behaviors. For instance, the particles come in multiple “flavors” and can morph from one to another like subatomic shape-shifters. Neutrinos may also be their own antiparticles, in a Jekyll-and-Hyde-like quantum duality.

More than 120 molecular species found in giant cloud near Milky Way’s center

Astronomers have discovered a second interstellar cloud near the center of the Milky Way that is extraordinarily rich in complex molecules, including several molecules associated with prebiotic chemistry. The newly studied cloud contains more than 120 identified molecular species and is the first confirmed chemical twin of another famous molecule-rich cloud.

== yjc
Salt of the Earth: How Egypt’s coastal sabkhas tell a story of climate and changev

Have you ever walked across a salt flat so expansive it feels like another planet? That’s what it’s like standing in Egypt’s coastal sabkhas—those otherworldly landscapes where the ground crunches beneath your feet and the air shimmers with heat. These aren’t just barren wastelands; they’re living laboratories that record the pulse of our changing climate.

== this is a known issue for the city of Richmond, expect might be concern for other parts of the lower mainland
Los Angeles Basin map shows deep sediments that could amplify earthquake shaking

Deeper sediments lead to longer-period shaking—long wavelengths of vibration analogous to a low musical note—which affects larger buildings more than shorter-period shaking, which is more like a high-pitched note.

‘One-pot’ CRISPR platform delivers lab-like sensitivity in 30 minutes for at-home testing

With a single reaction tube, users can obtain results comparable to those of professional laboratory tests in as little as 30 minutes. The breakthrough has the potential to bridge the technological gap between existing rapid tests and laboratory-based nucleic acid diagnostics, offering a more convenient solution for future infectious disease surveillance and genetic screening.

Giant impact could have formed an intact moon within five hours, simulations suggest

New modeling shows fundamental differences in how the moon may have formed from the giant impact that created the Earth–moon system. The new results used state-of-the-art computational techniques that factor in the material strength of the two colliding planets. These impact simulations could change how researchers understand moon formation and may help constrain the timing of the event.

A new kind of AI that does its thinking cheaply without words

The AI that most people use every day, like ChatGPT, Claude or Google Gemini, relies on large language models that can work through difficult problems step by step. While this may ultimately give us the answers we are searching for, the process can increase response times and use a lot of computing power.

Geomagnetic superstorm shook GPS accuracy across the US—its timing may have averted agricultural losses

On Nov. 11, 2025, Earth experienced a severe geomagnetic storm triggered by solar flares and coronal mass ejections from an active sunspot region. While this kind of storm brings beautiful auroras admired in many areas around the world, it can also cause ionospheric disturbances that disrupt radio waves and affect crucial technologies.

Low-dose THC keeps breast cancer cells in tumor models from reverting to an aggressive state

Recent discoveries have revealed that breast cancer cells are more flexible than previously thought. Some can change from a differentiated state, when a mature cell has taken on a specific function, back to a more stem-like state. From there, they can become more invasive and resistant to treatment.

== repeat??
LZ Experiment Sees Surprising Result In Search For Dark Matter

While dark matter has never been detected directly, scientists have seen evidence of its existence through its gravity. The extent to which light bends as it passes by large galaxies suggests there’s more mass in those galaxies than can be accounted for by normal matter (like stars and planets) alone. That extra mass, scientists surmise, could be particles that neither emit nor reflect light, and interact only very rarely with other forms of matter.

Precise giants: New research reveals how blue whales find food in a vast ocean

Blue whales must take in an enormous amount of calories to sustain their massive bodies and long-distance migrations. We know that they need very dense swarms of krill to make the intensive effort of feeding worthwhile, but krill swarms can be difficult to find in the vast ocean.

3D-printed boat advances future of maritime manufacturing

A 9-m, 3D-printed composite boat was launched for offshore operation at speeds near 40 knots. Large-scale printing rates increased to ~500 lb/h, enabling mold-free digital design changes and faster production. Further testing will assess durability, repeatability, inspectability, and cost for maritime applications.

3D atomic-level snapshots reveal ketamine binds to human opioid receptors

Ketamine is a clinical breakthrough, but it comes with serious drawbacks. It can cause hallucinations and cognitive side effects while also carrying a high risk of abuse and addiction. The goal is to keep ketamine’s rapid effects on pain and depression without the high or addictive potential. To make that possible, scientists need to know the atomic-level details of how and where ketamine acts.

Immune cells may have a biological memory that makes weight loss harder after obesity

According to the World Health Organization, one in eight people lives with obesity. Yet despite numerous health education programs, books, articles and treatments, many individuals still struggle to lose weight once they have developed obesity. Why this is so difficult remains a complex puzzle for scientists.

Physicists finally put Feynman’s path integral to the test

Thought experiments have always been a key element of quantum mechanics. In 1948, Richard Feynman proposed a new thought experiment to describe how a quantum particle travels from one point to another. His “path integral” idea suggests a particle doesn’t take a single route between two points. Instead, every conceivable path contributes, and they all add together to produce the outcome we observe.

== yjc
Seabirds, silting and salt: Photos show some of the early effects of El Niño

El Niño weather pattern won’t peak for several months, but some effects already visible.

== yjc, going to be a lot more of this, m’thinks. AI makes it easier for everyone to do this sort of thing.
Berlin is being blackmailed by hackers, mayor says

Berlin is being blackmailed by hackers who were able to compromise city systems and steal data earlier this month, its mayor has said.

AI could cause global economic downturn, Andrew Bailey warns G20

Bailey told the G20 finance ministers that a combination of highly priced stock markets, increased borrowing by investors, and the growing concentration of money into a small number of major technology companies could amplify any future market correction.

Nasa launches powerful new space telescope

The mission begins with a 100-day journey to a vantage point roughly one million miles from Earth, where the telescope will then start charting planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.

== ??? repeat
With the Snip of a Gene, Scientists Hope To Erase High Cholesterol For Life

Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as “bad” cholesterol. It plays a major role in heart disease — the No. 1 killer of adults in the United States and worldwide. Triglycerides are a different type of fat in the blood that is also linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.