Leonardo Augustus Patterson was born on April 15, 1942 in Limon, the Caribbean coastal town of Costa Rica. Little is known about his family history. He said his father left home when he was very young and his farmer mother died when he was a teenager.
He said he found his first ancient, ancient pottery shard in the Yam field when he was seven years old.
He moved to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, when he was 15 years old. There he found a job with a jeweller.
After selling items locally for several years, he moved to Miami, where he imported them to a local gallery. A chance encounter with a wealthy collector led to an opportunity in New York, where he had moved by the late 1970s.
Patterson kept his family’s life a lot secret. He claimed that five women had at least 13 children. The list of survivors was not available immediately.
Few people suspected that Patterson had committed a long list of crimes, but even some of his opponents have admitted that he has a loving side. They cited his gentle personality and his dry wit – a quiet charisma that appears to take on his entire career.
“He was adorable guy,” Brand said.
When he told Patterson he was planning to write a book about him, Brand recalled, and Patterson replied, “Wait until you’re dead.”
New research suggests that the peeps, cries, and groans of wild bonobos, a species of great apes living in Africa’s rainforests, can convey complex ideas in ways that resemble elements of human language.
According to a study published in the Journal Science, the closest living genetic relatives of humans can combine different calls to construct phrases that modify the meaning of another, challenging the notion that only humans possess such abilities.
Simon Townsend, a professor at the University of Zurich and the author of the study, stated that while language is not unique to humans, bonobos seem to exhibit language features in their communication systems.
Experts have found the research to be persuasive, suggesting that bonobos may be beyond chimpanzees in their communication abilities, with other species possibly exhibiting similar behaviors as well.
Young male bonobo scratching his head. Lukas Bierhoff / Kokolopori Bonobo Research Project
Witness
Melissa Bursett, the lead author of the University of Zurich study, spent about six months in the Democratic Republic of the Congo studying wild bonobos at the Kokoropoli Bonobo Reserve, documenting their various vocalizations and behaviors.
The study mapped over 700 vocal calls in relation to their meanings and highlighted instances where bonobos combined different calls to convey new meanings, demonstrating their complex communication abilities.
Researchers believe that bonobos, along with chimpanzees, share common ancestors with humans, providing insights into the evolution of language and communication among early humans.
The origin of language
Bonobos, with their sophisticated communication systems, serve as a link to understand the evolution of human language and shed light on how early humans developed complex forms of verbal communication.
The study raises questions about the ancient origins of human language and how bonobos and chimpanzees exhibit building blocks of communication that help in understanding the transition to more advanced languages in humans.
Despite the challenges in studying wild bonobos, researchers see them as a unique opportunity to reflect on human history and evolution, emphasizing the importance of preserving these endangered species.
Public domain sources from CBW/Alamy/Access rights
The base of future moons could be powered by solar cells made on-site from the melted moon dust.
Building items on the moon using materials already there is more practical than shipping them from the Earth. when Felix Lang He heard about this idea at the University of Potsdam in Germany and knew what to do right away. “We have to make solar cells like this, we have to make them right away,” he says.
Two years later, Lang’s team built and tested several solar cells that featured lunar dust as an ingredient. Another important component is a crystal called halide perovskite, which contains elements such as lead, bromine, and iodine, as well as long molecules of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen.
The team melted a synthetic version of the lunar regolith, a layer of loose rock and dust that covers the moon, into “Moonglass.” Because they did not refine the regolith, the mungrass was less transparent than traditional solar cells. However, Lang says the team’s best prototype still reached around 12% efficiency. More traditional perovskite solar cells typically reach an efficiency close to 26%. Lang said the computer simulation suggests that his team could reach that number in the future.
In general, researchers agree that perovskite solar cells are superior to more traditional silicon-based devices in both space and Earth. From a lunar perspective, the use of perovskite materials is also attractive. This is because it can be kept very thin and reduces the weight of the material transported on the moon. Team estimates that a solar cell with an area of 400 square meters requires only about a kilogram of perovskite. This is an impressive claim, I say Ian Crawford at Birkbeck, University of London.
It is equally important that the regolith does not need to be purified. This means that no special reactor is needed. In fact, Lang says that the large curved mirror and sunlight can create a beam of light that is warm enough to make the mungrass. One of his colleagues has already tested the technology on their university roofs and saw signs of legolith melting, he says.
Nicholas Bennett At the University of Technology, Sydney says that while past research has tried to process the lunar regolith into clear glass, this is the first time that solar cells have been shown to work with fine moonglass instead. The challenge now, he says, is to make a lot of mungrass outside the lab. If successful, such melting techniques could help create other items that the moon base needs, such as tiles, Crawford says.
Michael Duke The Lunar and Planetary Institute states that manufacturing moongrass-based solar cells will require many technological advances, from excavating the legend to connecting individual cells. Still, if a solar plant is established on the moon, there could be a positive knock-on effect. In this future, space-based systems like satellites will need less energy to fire payloads from the moon, allowing solar cells covered in the moon rather than what was created on Earth.
Lang and his colleagues are currently working on increasing the efficiency of solar cells. For example, we know whether choosing iron before using magnets to melt Regolith can improve the quality of mungrass.
Ultimately, they want to expand the process to other dusty residents. “We’re already thinking, ‘Can we make this work on Mars Regolith?”,” says Lang.
Feedback is the latest science and technology news of new scientists, the sidelines of the latest science and technology news. You can email Feedback@newscientist.com to send items you believe readers can be fascinated by feedback.
Streisand strikes again
Some things are sadly inevitable: death, taxes, another ColdPlay album. One such inevitability is that, as it was proven beyond reasonable doubt, if you try to suppress an embarrassing story, it only draws more attention to it.
This phenomenon is called the Streisand effect after the 2003 incident in which Barbra Streisand appealed to take aerial photographs from the Internet. The shot was part of a series that documented coastal erosion in California, but identified her cliff top mansion. She lost and in the process she turned her attention to the public to the photos. It has been accessed hundreds of thousands of times after downloading six times (two by lawyers).
So, with the tired inevitability, we come to the meta again. Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s personal empire covers Facebook, Instagram, threads, WhatsApp and a fair amount of Hawaiian chunks. In March, Sarah Wynn-Williams – former Facebook’s director of public policy – published a memoir of time at a company that has a Gatsby-esque title Careless people. Meta has a very strong honorary lawyer and we don’t want to be held liable, so feedback is not going to repeat certain claims. New Scientist“All of the in-house lawyers have dropped heart attack deaths, and just say it is enough, it is a real page turn.
Meta responded by taking legal action. By leveraging the non-disclosure agreement, Meta blocked her from being promoted as Wynn-Williams signed when he left the company Careless people. An interview that she might have seen with was conducted before Meta was given an injunction.
result? This book has become a global bestseller and you just read about it New Scientist.
Aggressive Paris Dae
Feedback recently told the story of researcher Nicholas Gegen. Nicholas Gegen retracted some of his papers on the benefits of having a big breast while hitchhiking, as a result of an investigation by Data Detective and James Heathers (March 15).
So we were naturally intrigued to receive emails from Brown. We wondered if the details were wrong or if they packed them with stories.
However, he wrote according to another item in the same column. This is related to the issue of perennial Scunthorpe. Because it is the fact that completely innocent words can contain isolated and offensive strings, automated systems that block suspicious words often catch harmless words in the web.
“I worked there before I became a scientist,” explains Brown. “Maybe around 1999, someone came to me with a question. Her email to the Royal Bank of Scotland bouncing back. The rejection notice literally said this: “Reason: Smell: Boobs.”
Reader: Take some time to recover from the shock. We were also amazed at how automated systems used the phrase “dirty words.” We were not aware that the RBS system was based on elementary school behavioral guidance.
Brown looked into the message that it was “completely harmless and did not contain any references to birds of the Palidae family.” He then used a text editor to look at the email header where he found “slutty words.”
“We were in France and used that name. Asterix Our server cartoon was named “Petitsuix” by one of the email servers the message passed through. “This is the inn that appears in three different places. Asterix volume: His name is a parody of Petit Sau cheese.if you didn’t get it. So, the email header “contains something,” Brown says.Via: Petitsuix.domain.com‘, and therefore you run into the Scunthorpe problem.’
This led Brown to wonder what would have happened if his employer had used the same spam spam software by accident in hell. Did our spam filter server come back saying, “You’re ‘boobs'” and “No, ‘boobs'”? ”
So what happened next? “I remember back then saying, ‘Well, the bank is going to burst,'” Brown says. He had to wait until 2008. And we must say that legal feedback, despite Brown’s pun glory, did not happen. The government has bailed out the banks.
I’m in line
Sometimes feedback comes across solutions to a brilliant, rocky problem at the same time. Such a solution was drawn to our attention by reporter Matthew Sparks.
As three researchers were trying to make queuing fatal, they developed a robot for the people in Queu to play. As they explained, the robots areSocial Queue“It’s a robot pole.[s] Together with people through three modes of interaction: “attraction”, “running away” and “friendly.” “It apparently “enhanced people’s enjoyment.”
Feedback is not a robot player: not from a complete lack of technical capabilities, but destroying ideas – that’s what we saw Battlestar Galactica I decided not to conspire with the robot apocalypse. Still, this sounds like an engineering feat.
However, we wondered why everyone cares about designing a cue robot when they can set up a timing entry system to eliminate queues.
Have you talked about feedback?
You can send stories to feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Include your home address. This week and past feedback can be found on our website.
The three Gorge dams in China are the main sources of hydroelectric power generation
costfoto/nurphoto/shutterstock
China’s vast electric grids cause more fuss than any other country with renewable energy, but the system is also vulnerable to electricity shortages caused by adverse weather conditions. The need to ensure reliable power supply could encourage Chinese governments to use more coal-fired power plants.
China’s energy systems are rapidly becoming cleaner, setting new records for wind power and solar energy generation almost every month. The country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions – the highest emissions in the world are expected to peak soon and begin to decline. Wind, solar and hydroelectric power currently account for about half of China’s generation capacity, and is expected to increase to almost 90% by 2060, when the country promised to reach “carbon neutrality.”
This increasingly reliance on renewables means that the country’s electricity system is becoming increasingly vulnerable to changes in weather. Intermittent winds and sun can be replenished by more stable hydropower produced by huge hydroelectric dams enriched in southern China. But what happens when the wind and sun slump coincides with drought?
Jinjiang Shen Darian Institute of Technology in China and his colleagues modeled how power generation on increasingly renewable grids corresponds to these “extreme weather” years. They estimated how future mixing of wind, solar and hydropower behaves under the most favourable weather conditions seen in the past.
They found that future grids are much more sensitive to weather changes than they are today. In a very unfavourable year, 2060, it could reduce the amount of generation capacity by 12% compared to today’s grid, leading to a power shortage. In 2030, in the most extreme cases, they found that this leads to over 400 hours of blackout times, a power shortage of nearly 4% of total energy demand. “That’s not a number that everyone can ignore.” Li Shuo At the Institute of Policy Studies in Asia Association, Washington, DC.
In addition to the overall lack of force, drought could specifically limit the amount of hydroelectric power available to smooth out irregular winds and solar generation. This could also lead to a shortage of electricity. “It is essential to equip a suitable proportion of stable power sources that are less susceptible to weather factors to avoid large-scale, large-scale power shortages,” the researchers wrote in their paper.
One way to help is to run excess electricity more efficiently across states. By expanding the transmission infrastructure, researchers found that it could eliminate the risk of power shortages on today’s grids and reduce half of the risk by 2060. Adding new energy storage in tens of millions of kilowatts, whether using batteries or other methods, would also be alleviated against hydroelectric droughts.
According to Li Shuo, any additional storage amounts China needs to be added to achieve carbon neutrality “becomes an astronomical number.”
These changes are difficult, but they add that many storage is viable given the enormous amount of batteries already produced in China. Lauri Myllyvirta At the Finland Energy and Clean Air Research Centre. He says the country is also building 190 gigawatts of pumped hydropower storage. This says that it can provide long-term energy storage by using surplus electricity to pump water over the dam and releasing it when more electricity is needed.
But so far, the electricity shortage has primarily spurred the Chinese government to build more coal-fired power plants. For example, in 2021 and 2022, hydroelectric droughts and heat waves increased enough electricity demand to cause serious power outages; Continuous expansion of coal. Record hydropower generation in 2023 resulted in record time for emissions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said coal would peak this year, but he has entrenched political support for power sources. “If China is struggling with another round of these episodes, more coal-fired power plants shouldn’t be the answer,” says Li Shuo. “It’s difficult to abolish coal. China loves coal.”
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope took an incredible new photo of the Spiral Galaxy NGC 4941.
This Hubble image shows NGC 4941, a spiral galaxy in Virgo’s constellation, about 67 million light years away. The color image consists of near-infrared, optical and ultraviolet observations from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Six filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Colors are attributed to assigning different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/D. Thilker.
NGC 4941 It is approximately 67 million light years away from Earth, the Virgo constellation.
Also known as AGC 530009, IRAS 13016-0516, Leda 45165, or UGCA 321. 60,000 light years Crossing.
It was discovered on April 24, 1784 by German and British astronomer William Herschel.
NGC 4941 is a member of two galaxy groups, the NGC 4941 group and the NGC 4697 group.
“Because this galaxy is nearby, in cosmic terms, Hubble’s sharp instruments can choose exquisite details such as individual star clusters and filament clouds of gas and dust,” said the Hubble astronomer.
“The Hubble data used to construct this image was collected as part of an observation program that investigates star formation and stellar feedback cycles in nearby galaxies.”
“When stars form in densely cold gas clusters, they start to affect their surroundings.”
“The stars heat and stir the gas clouds created by exploding as supernoves for the wind, starlight, and ultimately the large stars.”
“These processes collectively are called stellar feedback and affect the rate at which galaxies can form new stars.”
“After all, stars aren’t the only entities that provide feedback in NGC 4941,” they added.
“When a black hole accumulates gas from the surroundings, it swirls into an overheated disk that glows brightly at wavelengths throughout the electromagnetic spectrum.”
“It resembles a star, but on a much larger scale – the active galactic nucleus shapes its surroundings through wind, radiation and powerful jets, changing not only the formation of stars but also the evolution of the entire galaxy.”
in paper Published in the journal BMC Biologypaleontologists described an extinct species of the parasite hornet, found in the cretbone system in the Kachin region of Myanmar. It has been named Sirenobethylus charybdisthis species may have used abdomen like Venus’ flight laps to capture and immobilize prey.
Sirenobethylus charybdis. Scale bar – 0.5 mm in (a), 0.3 mm in (b), 0.2 mm in (c). Image credits: Woo et al. , doi: 10.1186/s12915-025-02190-2.
“Insects are the most diverse group of animals on the planet, with more than a million described species, and perhaps fewer than several times listed,” said Taipingao, a paleontologist at a regular university in the capital.
“Recent estimates suggest a total of about 5.5 million species.”
“Their highly adaptable exoskeletons have enabled them to radiate and colonize a wide range of habitats and develop highly efficient and innovative solutions to the various challenges posed by their surroundings.”
“Among other mechanisms, carnivorous insects have evolved a variety of prey capture mechanisms.”
“However, insect predation strategies in the fossil record are still poorly understood.”
In the new study, the author examined 16 adult women Sirenobethylus charybdis Found on Kachin Amber.
The new species lived in the mid-Cretaceous period, about 99 million years ago.
Form of Sirenobethylus charybdis It indicates that the insects were parasites – insects that cause larvae to live as parasites and ultimately kill their hosts.
“Modern parasitic wasps from Superfamily Chrysidoidea include cuckoo and vetirido hornets,” the researchers said.
“but, Sirenobethylus charybdis The specimen has a unique venous pattern in the hind wing suggesting that the species belongs within its own family, Sirenovetiridae. ”
Scientists also discovered that this species is likely to be Koinobion. This is a parasitic wasp that allows the host to continue to grow during the host’s diet.
“A hornet specimen has an abdominal device made up of three flaps, and its decay forms a paddle-shaped structure with dozens of hair-like hairs that are visually reminiscent of the Venus flight lap plant,” they explained.
“Abdominal device Sirenobethylus charybdis Unlike that of known insects, it may have served as a mechanism to temporarily suppress the host during egg sales. ”
“The wasps were unable to pursue their prey over long distances, so potential hosts would have opened their devices and waited to activate the capture response.”
“Easy grasping devices are permitted Sirenobethylus charybdis Target highly mobile prey such as small, winged or jumping insects. ”
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Q. Woo et al. 2025. Cretaceous flight lap? Remarkable abdominal modifications in fossil hornets. BMC Biol 23, 81; doi:10.1186/s12915-025-02190-2
From a global perspective, the early Jurassic was characterized by the steady division of the Supercontinent Pangaea and associated climate change that produced alternating greenhouses and ice house conditions.
These paleoenvironmental changes coincided with radiation in various reptile groups. Plesiosauria.
The early Jurassic fossil records of the Plesiosaurus are particularly diverse, with members of Plesiosauroidea, Pliosauridae and Rhomaleosauridae being represented by numerous species in Europe, particularly in Germany and the UK.
3 m long skeleton Plesioptery Wildi It provides new clues about the evolution and geographical distribution of early Jurassic Precio Sources.
Fossils that were 180 million years ago posidonienschiefer layer Near Holtzmadden in southern Germany.
The specimen, called MH 7, is one of the most complete and distinct plesioaurus skeletons found in the region.
“Unlike the fishy scallions and marine crocodile parents who dominate the fossil record of this formation, Pleciosaurus is relatively rare,” said Miguel Marx, a paleontologist at Lund University and his colleagues.
“Therefore, new discoveries offer rare glimpses into the biodiversity of these long-necked marine reptiles.”
“MH 7 represents someone who refines this type of known trait and refines its validity as a clear taxa.”
Phylogenetic analysis shows that Plesioptery Wildi It is a close-related early potential plesiosaualoid Franconiasaurus Brevispinus.
“This finding suggests a progressive evolutionary transition to more derived cryptocrizids in the late Jurassic period,” the paleontologist said.
“It supports the idea that Prisiosaurus species may have been regionally different in the Epicontoninent Seas of early Jurassic Europe, reinforcing the pattern of paleobiogeographic segregation.”
“The Holtzmadden specimen gives us an unprecedented view Plesioptery Wildi At a more mature stage of development, we can refine our understanding of this species and its place in the evolution of plesiosaurus,” said Dr. Marx.
“It also suggests that different plesiosaurus communities may have evolved in different regions of the European sea during the early Jurassic region.”
“Our research reinforces the Pleciosoaurus already evolves specialized adaptations and distinct regional lineages much faster than we believed,” added Dr. Sven Sachs, a researcher at the Naturkunde Museum Bielefeld.
“This has important implications for understanding how marine reptiles responded to changes in the Jurassic ocean environment.”
M. Marx et al. 2025. New specimen of Plesioptery Wildi We reveal the diversification and possible uniqueness of Cryptocrizia precursors in the early European Jurassic Plecioaurauro assembly. Peerj 13:E18960; doi:10.7717/peerj.18960
Light from the very distant spiral galaxy was bent and expanded by the gravity of the members of the Galaxy Cluster SMACSJ0028.2-7537 to form a ring-like structure known as the Einstein ring.
This composite image combines data from Webb’s near-infrared camera (Nircam), Hubble’s Widefield Camera 3 (WFC3), and advanced cameras for survey (ACS) equipment, showing Einstein’s rings around the elliptical galaxy of the Galaxy Cluster. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/Webb/G. Mahler.
Einstein RingAlso known as Einstein-Chwolson Rings or Chwolson Rings, occurs when light from very distant objects bend around a large intermediate object.
“This is possible because space-time, the fabric of the universe itself, is bent by mass, so light passing through space and time is also bent,” said Guillaume Mahler, an astronomer at the University of Ligiju and a colleague.
“This effect is too subtle to observe at a local level, but dealing with the curvature of light on a huge astronomical scale can make it clearly observable.”
“When light from one galaxy is bent around another galaxy or cluster of galaxies.”
“If the lensed and lens objects are perfectly aligned, the result is a unique Einstein ring.”
“This will appear as a complete circle or a partial circle of light around the lens object, depending on the accuracy of the alignment.”
“Objects like this are the ideal laboratory for studying how galaxies are so faintly far away.”
“The lens galaxy at the heart of this Einstein ring is an oval galaxy that can be seen by the galaxy’s bright core, smooth, uncharacteristic body,” the astronomer said.
“This galaxy belongs to a galaxy cluster named smacsj0028.2-7537.”
“Galaxies with lenses wrapped in elliptical galaxies are spiral galaxies.”
“The image is distorted as the light travels around the galaxy in its path, but the individual star clusters and gas structures are clearly visible.”
Since it was discovered during the excavation of Heinrich Schlimann in the legendary fortress city of Troy, Depas Amphikypellon – The cylindrical goblet with two curved handles, considered to be the goblet mentioned in Homer’s epic, is considered a potential drinking container for wine. New research by archaeologists at the University of Tübingen, Bonn and Jena University confirms this hypothesis by identifying high concentrations of fruit acids that exhibit regular use exclusively for wine, but these same acids were also found in Troy cups and beakers. This raises questions about the social and cultural significance of beverages. Although previously recognized as the exclusive coat of arms of the early Bronze Age, wine consumption may have been more widespread than previously assumed.
Height 15 cm Depas Amphikypellon It was excavated by Heinrich Schlimann of Troy. Image credit: Valentin Marcard / University of Tübingen.
‘Hefaestus spoke, then rose to his feet and handed the double goblet to his beloved mother.” says the first book iliadtells us how fire gods, metalworking and volcanoes encourage mothers.
‘As he spoke, the white goddess Hera smiled. She reached for her son’s goblet.‘
‘He pulled out the sweet nectar from the mixing bowl, right to left to left for all the other gods.‘
This drinking container Depas Amphikypellonwell known to archaeologists.
The object is a thin clay goblet with two handles narrowed to a pointed base.
Over 100 ships have been previously discovered in Troy from 2500 to 2000 BC.
They are also scattered from the Aegean Sea to Asia and Mesopotamia, and can hold between 0.25 and 1 liter.
“Heinrich Schlimann has already speculated that Depas’ goblet was handed over to celebrate. iliadsaid Dr. Stephen Blum, an archaeologist at the University of Tubingen.
“The classic archaeological collection at the University of Tübingen has two fragments and depas goblets from the Schliman terrorist attack.”
In the new study, researchers heated 2 grams of samples from two fragments and studied the resulting mixture using Gas Chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
“The evidence for succinic acid and pyruvate was conclusive. It only occurs when grape juices ferment,” said Dr. Maxim Reigeot, a researcher at the University of Bonn.
“So now we can confidently state that the wine is actually drunk not only from grape juice but also from DePas’ goblet.”
Wine was the most expensive drink of the Bronze Age, and DePas’ goblets were the most precious ship. DePas’ goblets have been found in a temple and palace complex.
Therefore, scientists speculated that wine drinking took place on special occasions in elite circles.
But did the lower classes of Troy drink wine as everyday food and luxury?
“We also studied ordinary cups where chemicals were found in the outer settlements of Troy.
“So it’s clear that wine was a daily drink for the public as well.”
Team’s paper It was published in American Journal of Archeology.
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Stephen We are Bram et al. 2025. Wine consumption problems in Troy in the early Bronze Age: organic residue analysis and Depas Amphikypellon. American Journal of Archeology 129(2); doi:10.1086/734061
Paleontologists have discovered 131 large theropods and sauropods in the formations of the central Jurassic Kirmalag at Prince Charles’s point, located on the northwest coast of the Troternas Peninsula in Sky.
A 167 million-year-old dinosaur trackway located at Prince Charles’s point on the Isle of Skye. Image credit: Blakesley et al. , doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319862.
The rocks of Isle of Skye are rich in dinosaur footprints, providing insight into the distribution and behavior of dinosaurs at critical times of evolution.
The newly discovered footprint was left in the wavy sands of an ancient subtropical lagoon dating back to the mid-Jurassic period about 167 million years ago.
The footprint is 25-60 cm long and comes in two types. This is a round “Tyre-Size” track, made by three untidy trucks left by Bipedal: a carnivorous theropod, a tetrapod, and a long-necked sauropod.
Based on comparisons with previous fossil discoveries, the most likely truck maker is Megalosaurus Similar to early branching members of the Neosauropod group CethiosaurusBoth are known from British skeletal ruins.
According to paleontologists, many of these footprints occur together in successive steps.
The longest of these trackways is over 12m, among the longest known examples from the Isle of Skye.
The spacing and orientation of these trackways represent slow walking without consistent orientation or interaction with each other, and what is probably left by the dinosaurs is casually crushed at slightly different times.
The site at Prince Charles’s point supports previous evidence that the Jurassic Sauropod frequently visited Scottish lagoons.
However, this site contains a higher percentage of theropod tracks than similar locales, perhaps indicating differences in the environment between these ancient lagoons.
The site also does not have footprints from other dinosaurs such as Stegosaurus and Ornithopods, but it remains unclear whether these animals really do not exist in this environment or simply did not leave a mark on this site.
“Prince Charles’s footprint at points provides fascinating insight into the behavior and environmental distribution of meat-eating theropods and plant-eating long-necked sauropods during key periods of evolution.”
“In Sky, these dinosaurs obviously preferred shallow, submerged lagoon environments to muddy air exposed.”
“Interestingly, this site also has historical significance as a location for Skye, where Prince Bonnie landed and hidden while flying through Scotland following the Battle of Culloden.”
Discoveries are reported in a paper Published online in the journal PLOS 1.
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T. Blakely et al. 2025. A new central Jurassic Lagoon margin assembly of theropod and sauropod dinosaur trajectories from the Isle of Skye, Scotland. PLOS 1 20(4): E0319862; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319862
Ralph Hollogay, a pioneering anthropologist who emphasized the importance of changes in brain structure in human evolution, passed away on March 12th at his Manhattan home at the age of 90.
His death was announced by the School of Anthropology at Columbia University, where he had been a professor for nearly 50 years.
Holloway’s theory challenged the notion that brain size alone distinguished humans from apes and early ancestors, highlighting the significance of brain organization.
Although no brains from millions of years ago exist, Dr. Holloway focused on creating fossil skull endocasts from latex to overcome this limitation.
In a 2008 paper, he detailed how he obtained information from these casts, providing insight into brain structure by examining the outer edges of the brain.
Using endocasts, Dr. Holloway concluded that the fossil skulls from South Africa’s Town’s Children quarry belonged to early human ancestors, supporting Raymond Dart’s controversial discovery.
His meticulous research included studying natural endocasts found in the quarry to validate his conclusions, emphasizing the importance of independent investigation in scientific discovery.
Dr. Holloway’s focus on the Lunath groove behind the endocast provided evidence that aligned with human brain positioning, confirming the accuracy of Dr. Dart’s initial findings.
The contentious debate surrounding the Town’s Children’s findings has subsided, with Dr. Holloway’s and Dr. Dart’s conclusions about the Lunate Sulcus now widely accepted in the scientific community.
Dr. Holloway’s emphasis on brain structure over volume played a pivotal role in validating human ancestry, highlighting the significance of reorganization in evolutionary development.
Throughout his career, Dr. Holloway’s dedication to studying brain evolution through three-dimensional modeling remained unwavering, emphasizing the importance of understanding the human brain’s journey to its current complexity.
His contributions, such as his work on TaungChild, continue to shape our understanding of human origins and evolution.
Dr. Holloway’s legacy extends beyond his scientific achievements, as he leaves behind a lasting impact on the field of anthropology and evolutionary studies.
His commitment to rigorous research, innovative methods, and interdisciplinary collaboration sets a standard for future generations of scientists.
Dr. Hollogay’s contributions will continue to inspire and guide anthropologists, researchers, and educators in their quest to unravel the mysteries of human evolution.
His impact will be felt for generations to come, shaping the future of evolutionary studies and advancing our understanding of human origins.
Ralph Hollogay’s legacy lives on through his groundbreaking research and profound influence on the field of anthropology.
His work continues to shape our understanding of human evolution and the complexities of brain development.
The country’s most polluted coal burning power plant has called on President Trump to exempt it from stricter restrictions on dangerous air pollution after the administration recently invited businesses to apply for presidential pollution exemptions via email.
Aging Corstrip power plants in Corstrip, Montana release more harmful particulate matter contamination or soot than any other power plant in the country, the Environmental Protection Agency. The diagram is shown. The new rules adopted by the Biden administration in 2023 would have forced facilities to install new equipment because they lack modern pollution prevention, the country’s only coal plant.
The Colstrip Factory is currently applying for a two-year exemption from these rules, according to the Montana Legislature delegation that backed the request.
The new pollution standards “have at stake the economic viability of plants that will damage the local electrical grid if closed,” Sen. Steve Daines and other members of the delegation wrote in a letter sent Monday to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin. “Without the corstrip, consumers will bear a burden of higher energy costs and grid reliability, and their closure will hinder economic development in the region.”
Health experts pointed out that the letter does not address the health effects of fine contaminated particles. Many studies have shown that particles penetrate deep into the lungs and are small enough to enter the bloodstream, where they migrate to the heart and other organs, increasing mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
A 2023 study showed that it emits coal-fired power plants, particularly fine particles containing sulfur dioxide. Related to higher mortality rates More than other types of pollution.
The contamination “can be extremely harmful, especially for young children with lung disease,” said Robert Merchant, a pulmonary surgeon at Billings, Mont. He said the delegation’s letters showed “complete indifference to health.”
Colstrip Plant’s stricter pollution rules exemption came after the EPA last month told businesses that they could apply for exemptions from key clean air rules by sending emails to agents. The EPA pointed to some of the Clean Air Act, which allows the president to temporarily exempt industrial facilities from the new rules if the technology necessary to meet these rules is not available, and if it is for national security.
The Trump administration has also announced its intention to roll back many of the rules completely. This could mean that plants like Corstrips ultimately do not need to meet new contamination standards.
The move was part of Zeldin’s broad efforts to guide energy and cars from its original role in environmental protection and regulation to make them more affordable.
Northwestern Energy Group and Talen Energy, which operate the factory along with other minority owners, did not immediately respond to comments.
The exemption granted by the Trump administration could face legal challenges from environmental groups. In creating the new rules, the Biden administration had identified already available technologies that would allow corstrip facilities to meet more stringent standards.
The Biden administration also estimated that new pollution prevention technology would cost much less for installations than the $500 million that the Corstrip factory said it would cost.
“These technologies are available,” said Amanda Levin, director of Policy Analysis for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group.
The significant federal health workers layoffs that began Tuesday will result in a substantial reduction in the scope and impact of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the world’s premier public health agency.
The Department of Health and Human Services reorganization will trim the CDC workforce by 2,400 employees, representing about 18% of the total workforce, and eliminate some core functions.
Some Democrats in Congress have criticized the reorganization of the entire HHS as potentially illegal.
“We cannot dismantle and reconstruct HHS without congressional approval,” said Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat and member of the Senate Health Committee.
“Not only is this potentially illegal, but it is also incredibly damaging, putting the health and well-being of Americans at risk,” she added.
Murray highlighted that the Trump administration has not specified which units within the CDC and other health agencies have been affected by the layoffs. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated last week that the layoffs would primarily impact management functions.
However, information obtained from numerous workers by the New York Times indicates that the cuts were more widespread. Scientists working on environmental health, asthma, injuries, lead poisoning, smoking, and climate change have been let go.
Researchers studying blood disorders, violence prevention, and vaccine access have also been terminated. The HIV and Sexually Transmitted Disease Agency Centre experienced the most significant staff reduction, losing around 27% of its workforce.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, which offers recommendations for maintaining workplace safety, has been mostly dissolved.
Public health experts noted that what remains of the CDC has been severed from its global influence, resulting in fewer resources for environmental health, occupational health, and disease prevention.
The U.S. Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit alleging that the National Institutes of Health violated federal law by engaging in an unconstitutional “continuous ideological purging.”
The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts District Court on behalf of members, four researchers, and three unions that rely on NIH funding, claims that federal scientific agencies have abruptly cancelled hundreds of research projects without providing scientifically sound explanations.
According to the lawsuit, the cancellations were justified by the NIH based on “ideological purity instructions” regarding research areas such as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), vaccine reluctance, and gender identity.
The lawsuit argues that this new arbitrary regime lacks any legal or policy basis, and accuses the NIH of failing to establish clear guidelines, definitions, or explanations for the restrictions on research related to DEI, gender, and other areas that do not align with the agency’s standards.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include the NIH, its director Jay Battacharya, the American Department of Human Health Services, and Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both federal agencies have declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.
The ACLU is working with the Science Center for the Public Interest and Conservation Democracy Project on this litigation.
This lawsuit is just one of several legal challenges facing the NIH as the Trump administration seeks to reduce research funding, change allocation methods, and diminish the emphasis on diversity in academia.
After facing legal challenges, a Massachusetts judge halted the NIH’s efforts to restrict overhead funding in February. Other lawsuits are challenging the freeze on federal-wide funding and the administration’s ban on DEI programs.
Olga Axelrod, senior attorney for the ACLU Racial Justice Program, emphasized the importance of maintaining a fair grant review process and ending NIH’s alleged lawless grants that have disrupted numerous research projects and affected the careers of many scientists.
According to the lawsuit, at least 678 research projects, including studies on breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and HIV prevention, have been terminated by the NIH, amounting to over $2.4 billion in cancelled grants.
The lawsuit highlights the significant impact of these cancellations not only in terms of financial loss but also in the disruption of years of dedicated research aimed at addressing critical biomedical issues.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include researchers like Brittany Charlton, a Harvard Medical School professor who focuses on LGBTQ health inequality, and Katie Edwards, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work who studies sexual violence prevention in minority communities.
These researchers, along with others, have had their grants abruptly cancelled by the NIH, prompting the lawsuit to seek justice and protection for the affected research projects and scientists.
The Trump administration has suddenly laid off all staff running the $4.1 billion program to help low-income households across the United States pay for heating and cooling bills.
The shooting was threatened to paralyze a low-income housing energy assistance program created by Congress in 1981, helping to offset the high utility bills of around 6.2 million from Maine to Texas during the cold and hot summers.
“They fired everyone. No one will do anything,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which works with the state to secure funding from the program. “This was incredibly sloppy or I’m going to kill the program entirely.”
The layoffs were part of a broader purging Monday of approximately 10,000 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moving to dramatically reorganize the agency. Approximately 25 employees I was directing An energy support program also known as Liheap. Everything had been fired, Wolf said.
meeting It approved $4.1 billion In the 2025 fiscal year program, around 90% of that money had already been sent to the state in October, supporting households struggling with mass heating costs. There is still about $378 million left to help households turn up their air conditioners and cool them down the summer. The US heat wave is stronger and longer-lasting as a result of climate change.
Typically, the federal government uses complex formulas to allocate funds and conduct various reviews and audits before sending money to state agencies. Some states, like Maine, use money to support low-income families to offset the cost of buying fuel oil to warm their homes in the winter. The state also uses money to weather homes and provide emergency assistance to households at risk of being separated from their practicality.
Now, despite Congress explicitly ordering the federal government to spend money, it is not clear how the remaining funds will be paid to the state.
“If we don’t have staff, how do we allocate the rest of this money?” Wolf said. “My fear is they’re going to say we have this funds, but we can’t send it because no one is left to manage it.”
In an emailed statement, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said the agency would “continue to comply with federal law.”
For the past two months, the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to freeze or withhold expenses approved by Congress. These moves have led to an increase in legal challenges and judicial rulings that it is unconstitutional to do so.
The shootings at the Energy Aid Bureau sparked a furious response from several democratic lawmakers.
“What is achieved by firing everyone in Maine, the job of helping Maine buy heating oil when it’s cold,” wrote Jared Golden, a Democrat who represents Maine’s mostly rural areas who voted for President Trump. Social media posts.
Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat of Massachusetts, said he will work to unlock funds for the program. “Eliminating the entire federal staff of Liheap’s heads — relying on millions of households to stay warm in the winter, and summer is not a cool program — is not a reform,” he said in a statement. “That’s an obstruction.”
“Senator Collins is a longtime advocate for LIHEAP and provides the important financial support we provide to help low-income families stay warmer during the winter,” said Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican.
a Research published in the Economic Journal Last year, it was found that about 17% of US households spend more than a tenth of their income on energy. The study also found a strong relationship between affordable energy and winter mortality.
“When heating your house is not affordable, many people die every winter,” said Sheema Jayachandran, Princeton economist and one of the authors of the study. I wrote it on Monday. “That’s what our analysis found during the time Liheap was in place. Without Liheap, the effect would probably be much greater.”
April is watching the release of a new space opera trilogy from Neil Usher
Arami Stock Photo
When the sun comes out, it’s almost warm to read outside here in northeast London. So it’s time to take out the best new science fiction and find a protected place. Whether it’s aging or artificial intelligence, I love the way this genre continues to tackle today’s biggest issues. At the top of my mountain, Lucy Lapinska sees how robots deal with being freed from human governance, and while Nick Halcaway’s latest latest (at a huge price) is looking forward to the set in a world where you stop aging, it will also make you grow very big. And I would like to try Sayaka Murata’s vision of a strange and disturbing future, The world that disappears.
Our Science Fiction Hub is where you can read all the roundups, reviews and interviews with leading science fiction writers.
New novels with interesting sounds from bestselling authors Convenience store woman. Amane lives in a society where children are pregnant through artificial insemination and are raised by parents in a “clean” sexually unsexual marriage. When she and her husband heard about an experimental town where residents are randomly chosen to be artificially inseminated and children are raised collectively and anonymously, they decide to try and live there.
We loved Nick Halcaway’s first titanium noir novel here New ScientistThe world is set in which Megarich can take anti-aging medications, but grow them into a giant, Titanic-proportion. This latest in Halcaway, fresh from continuing his father’s John Le Carré legacy Carla’s Choicehe tells the story of a detective and Titan Cal investigating the murder of a young woman in a devastated holiday town.
This is the first in a new cosmic opera trilogy from Usher, following the story of Captain Bright, who is continuing to kill someone. The mysterious black diamonds left behind him by the “dark AI” keep him alive, but each attempt in his life creates a temporary anomaly. Bright is trying to reveal the true nature of dark diamonds…
For Jamie Pike, Fair Harbor is a city stuck in eternal winter. In the case of Esther Pike, it is stuck in a constant summer. In both versions, intense forces were controlled after the cataclysm and fell apart into a once united city. Jamie and Esther have found a way to communicate across a broken world, but can they solve the mystery that split Fair Harbor?
Highly praised by our sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson, this follows the story of Abigail, a robot set during the final days of humanity and embedded in the image of David’s late wife. However, the law is about to change, and soon Abigail can go where she likes and do what she wants. Recently, there have been many interesting and fictional take on robot ethics and freedom, and I am keen to read this “robot liberation” story.
Abigail is a robot about to be released in Lucy Lapinska’s novel
Getty Images/Istockphoto
For me, time travel counts as sci-fi, so I plan to relax in this time travel romance where student Joe dreams of a future where he becomes a famous writer. Meanwhile, ESI (People from the Future) heads out on a time-travel tour to witness the biggest moments in history, including Joe Falls for Diana, the subject of his famous love poem. However (of course!) Fate is disappointed by the arrival of ESI, and she and Joe begin to fall for each other instead…
In this speculative thriller, injections were invented to slow aging. Of course, the super-rich people are ruining things and getting upgrades that further expand human lives. As dangerous side effects of vaccines appear and planets are under threat, populations are skyrocketing…
This sounds like a fun thought experiment. Humanity has dipped to the height of the Handspan, not only has its world a place full of danger, but it has also brought richness. Giles awakens with his new body on a remote coastal road and sets out on a quest to find his loved one.
Ray Naylor is an incredible writer – I loved his previous novels, Sea mountainsand he wrote an article with great comments for me. New Scientist The government argues that speculative fiction should be used to predict the future. In this latest in a horrifying sound, the President of the Authoritarian Federation maintains a grip of power by downloading his mind to a series of new organisations, while Western Europe is plump for AI-driven prime ministers rather than human governance. However, the artificial mind is malfunctioning and disaster is looming.
This story, countering East London’s swamp, is a story that is left out of the corrupt government and is left out of the outsider, and a climate-stricken city goes back three centuries, moving from the next 100 years to save her present.
Arts and Sciences in Writing Science Fiction Courses: England
Explore the world of science fiction and learn how to create your own fascinating science fiction stories in this immersive weekend break. Hosted by New Scientist Comments and Culture Editor Alison Flood, along with author and former new scientist editor Emily H. Wilson.
Keygene’s new potato variety (center) has pimpernel (left) skin and Bintje meat (right)
Provided by Keygene
New techniques for producing fruits and vegetables with one varieties of skin and another meaty skin can make crops more resistant due to pests and droughts.
Many of the fruits and vegetables we eat come from grafted plants created by blocking off one plant and replacing it with another plant. What makes grafting useful is that even plants that are too far associated with hybridization can be implanted together. For example, you can graft the desired variety of fruit plants onto another type of rootstock that is resistant to pests and diseases.
Very occasionally, buds arise from the junction between grafted plants, two strange mixtures called graft chimeras, with the outer layer of one plant and the inside of another plant. This can occur because shoots arise from three different stem cell layers at the tip, one of which forms the skin of the plant. Coincidentally, shoots from the graft junction result in a mixture of stem cell types from two plants.
Usually, to create a specific type of grafted plant, you need to run the graft for each graft you want to grow. However, graft chimeras can be reproduced by taking cuttings from them, or simply from tubers.
However, researchers sometimes deliberately created graft chimera, but that’s not easy. Many known graft chimeras, such as Bizzarria Citrus, are very rare and accidental by-products of traditional grafts.
now, Jeroen Stuurman At Kigen, a Dutch crop technology company, he says he was the first to develop a reliable method of producing graft chimera. He won’t reveal any details about this method, but he says he used it to create many different graft chimeras from the types of potatoes, tomatoes and aubenin, and between sweet and chili peppers.
In the case of one graft thimella potato with a type of skin called pimpanell and another meaty skin called vintee, keygene is awarded the right of a plant breeder, that is, the right to horticultural, equivalent to copyright. This is the first time for a graft chimera. Getting these rights indicates that producing them is a potentially viable business, Suurman says. “For us, this was a signal that we could move on to the next step.”
The company is currently planning to create graft chimeras with properties such as resistance to pests and diseases. Pest resistance is often due to hair-like structures called trichomes on the surface of plants, which can secrete repellents or sticky substances to trap insects, Stuurman said. Trichomes are very difficult to move between plant varieties with traditional reproduction and genetic engineering, as many genes are involved, but his method effectively gives existing varieties “skin grafts.”
Potatoes are already grown from tubers rather than seeds, so if farmers choose, they could start growing such graft chimera tomorrow, Stuurman said. “There’s no need to change the way things grow.”
“It’s really interesting to be able to create a stable graft chimeras with commercially relevant properties.” Charles Menick At the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. “I don’t know that this has been done before, so their findings are really important.”
Graft chimeras tend to be unstable. So you can go back to one of the original forms, but the keygene must have overcome this to get the plant breeders right, says Colin Turn Bull Imperial College London. “The novelty appears to be the stability of “skin grafting,” and there are marketable types. ”
Getting vaccinated from shingles reduces the risk of developing dementia. Large-scale new research I’ll find it.
This result provides some of the most powerful evidence that several viral infections can affect brain function in a few years and can interfere with them.
The study, published in Nature on Wednesday, found that those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia seven years later than those who were not vaccinated.
“If you are reducing your risk of dementia by 20%, that’s very important in the public health context. Given that there aren’t too many at this point in slowing the onset of dementia,” Dr. Harrison was not involved in the new study. Other studies The shingles vaccine indicates a lower risk of dementia.
Whether protection can exceed seven years can only be determined by further research. However, with few effective treatments or prevention currently available, Dr. Harrison said the shingles vaccine appears to have “some of the most potent potential protective effects against dementia that we know are actually potentially potentially available.”
The case of shingles comes from a virus that causes water cell-zoster, a childhood chicken pox. As the age and the immune system weakens, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles, with symptoms such as burning, tingling, painful blisters and numbness. Nerve pain can be chronic and ineffective.
In the US, 1 in 3 Develop a lifetime centre for disease control and prevention of at least one case of shingles, also known as Herpes Zoster. Approximately one-third of eligible adults have received the vaccine in recent years. According to the CDC
While several previous studies suggest that shingles vaccinations may reduce the risk of dementia, most people were unable to rule out the possibility that vaccinated individuals may have other dementia protective properties, such as a healthier lifestyle, better diet, or more education.
New research ruled out many of these factors.
“That’s very strong evidence,” said Dr. Anupam Jena, a health economist and physician at Harvard Medical School.
This study emerged from an unusual aspect of the development of the shingles vaccine in Wales on September 1, 2013. Welsh officials have established strict age requirements. That date, 79 people were eligible for the vaccine for a year, but those over 80 were ineligible. When the young people turned 79, they qualified for the vaccine for a year.
Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the study, said the age cutoff was imposed because of limited supply and the vaccine was deemed ineffective to people over 80 years of age.
Scientists were able to compare relatively equal groups. I’m with people who qualify for the vaccine and people who couldn’t get it. “If you hire 1,000 people born a week and 1,000 people born a week later, there shouldn’t be any difference between them, except for the big differences in vaccinations,” Dr. Geldsetzer said.
Researchers tracked health records of around 280,000 people, ages 71-88, without dementia when the development began. Over seven years, almost half of those eligible for the vaccine received it, but only a small number of ineligible groups received it, providing a clear front-and-after distinction.
To limit the likelihood of differences between groups, researchers used statistical analysis to measure data from people who only had one week on either side of the cutoff.
They also looked at medical records for possible differences between vaccinated and non-vaccinated. They evaluated whether unvaccinated people received more dementia diagnoses and took more medications that could increase their risk of dementia simply because they visited their doctors more frequently.
“They do a pretty good job with that,” Dr. Jena said. I wrote an explanation about nature research. “They are seeing nearly 200 drugs that have been shown to be linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease at least.”
He said, “They are making a lot of effort to understand whether there may be other things to suit that age cutoff, other health policy changes, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
The study included Zostavax, an older form of shingles vaccine. This includes a fixed version of the live virus. It was then discontinued in the US and several other countries as protection against shingles declined over time. Singlix, a new vaccine containing the inactive portion of the virus, is more effective and permanent, research shows.
Last year’s research Dr. Harrison and his colleagues suggested that Singlix may be more protective against dementia than the older vaccine. Based on another “natural experiment,” the shift from Zostavax to Shingrix in the US in 2017 found that people who received the new vaccine for more than six years had fewer dementia diagnoses than those who received the old vaccine. Of those diagnosed with dementia, those who received the new vaccine were nearly six months longer than those who received the old vaccine, and nearly six months before they developed the condition.
There are various theories as to why the shingles vaccine protects against dementia. One possibility is that by preventing shingles, the vaccine reduces neuroinflammation caused by virus reactivation, Dr. Geldsetzer said. “Inflammation is a bad thing for many chronic diseases, including dementia,” he said.
Both new and Singlics research support that theory.
Another possibility is that vaccines will make the immune system more broad. New research also provides some evidence of that theory. Dr. Geldsetzer found that women with a more reactive immune system and greater antibody response to vaccination than men experience greater protection against dementia than men. The vaccine also provided a greater protective effect against dementia among people with autoimmune conditions and allergies.
Dr. Maria Nagel, a professor of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was not involved in the study, but said both theories were true. “There is evidence of direct and indirect effects,” said Dr. Nagel, who consulted the manufacturer of GSK’s Shingrix.
She said that while other vaccines, including those against the flu, produce common neuroprotective effects, there are several studies that have found that it makes sense that the shingles vaccine is especially protected against cognitive impairment, as the shingles virus is hidden in the nerves.
Although this study did not distinguish between types of dementia, other studies suggest that “the effect of the shingles vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease is much more pronounced than that of another dementia.” Recent research Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia and vaccines. She said that some cases of Alzheimer’s are linked to immunity compromise.
The Welsh population in the study was mostly white, Dr. Geldsetzer said, but the report suggested similar protective effects by analyzing UK death certificates for deaths caused by dementia. His team also replicated the results in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Dr. Jena said there is a need to further study the connection, noting that reducing the risk of dementia is not the same as preventing all cases. Still, he suggests that the evidence “something about exposure or access to the vaccine will have this effect on the risk of dementia in a few years.”
A recent study conducted by the University of Bristol presents evidence that many mammals had already transitioned towards a more ground-based lifestyle prior to the final Cretaceous mass extinction that eradicated the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Dryolestes late Jurassic relatives of Cretaceous treatment mammals. Image credits: James Brown/Pamelagill/University of Bristol.
Present-day mammals thrive in a varied environment mainly dominated by angiosperms (flowering plants).
In contrast to the habitats provided by coniferous vegetation, forests and woodland environments possess intricate lower levels and towering trees, offering rich biodiversity and resources for terrestrial mammals of all sizes.
Yet, the angiosperm-dominated habitat is relatively recent in Earth’s history, primarily characteristic of the Cenozoic era (66 million years ago to the present), with initial developments towards the end of the Cretaceous period.
“Mesozoic mammals were typically small, mostly weighing under 5 kg, with few surpassing 10 kg,” noted Professor Christine Janice from the University of Bristol and a colleague.
“While it holds true that the majority of present-day mammals are small, averaging around 0.5 kg, the Cenozoic era saw the evolution of greater mammal diversity.”
“The small size of Mesozoic mammals has commonly been attributed to dinosaur predation, but recent recognition of the late Cretaceous proliferation of angiosperms and the habitats they offered may be more crucial than dinosaurs in elucidating the patterns of Mesozoic mammal evolution and diversification.”
“Did these mammals prefer trees or terrestrial substrates? And did this preference alter towards the close of the Cretaceous period with the changes in angiosperm habitats?”
In their research, the authors scrutinized tiny bone fragments of ancient mammalian taxa (marsupials and placentals) unearthed in western North America, specifically the extremity bone edges.
They identified indications that these mammals were adapting to a terrestrial lifestyle.
The analysis of extremity bone edges entailed signatures of locomotive patterns that could be statistically compared to modern mammals.
“There was a known shift in plant life towards the Cretaceous boundary, characterized by angiosperms,” stated the researchers.
“It was also acknowledged that arboreal-dwelling mammals faced challenges post-asteroid impact.”
“However, what remained undocumented was whether mammals were inclining towards a more ground-dwelling lifestyle alongside habitat transformations.”
Former studies utilized complete skeletons to study the movement patterns of ancient mammals, but this study was among the first to employ small bone elements to track alterations across the community.
“The plant habitat appears to have played a pivotal role in the trajectory of Cretaceous mammal evolution beyond dinosaur influences,” remarked Professor Janice.
Published in the March/April 2025 issue of the journal Paleontology, the study unveils intriguing insights into ancient mammal adaptations.
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Christine M. Janice et al. 2025. Paleontology 68(2): E70004; doi: 10.1111/pala.70004
According to a new study from the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, certain lichen species can withstand a 50 Gy (gray) Mars-like condition expected at a 50 Gy (gray) X-ray radiation dose of strong solar activity over a year on the surface of Mars.
Morphological and anatomical properties of Setoria Acleatta (a,d,g,j) and diploschistes muscorum (B, C, E, F, H, I, K, L).
Liches live in a wide variety of ecosystems around the world, but are especially important in extreme environments such as hot deserts and cold polar regions.
They are known as extremes and can survive under extreme temperatures, intense radiation, and prolonged water shortages.
The prominent ability of lichens to withstand harsh conditions led to the suggestion that it is suitable for survival in extreme environments of outer space.
The successful life strategy of lichen depends on the symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, allowing them to colonize extreme terrestrial habitats where other multicellular organisms cannot survive.
The key to understanding their impressive resistance lies in the “stress tolerant” organisms, namely the characteristics of low nutritional requirements for metabolic rates and extended lifespans. These are further supported by radiation screening, heat dissipation and antioxidant protection.
Moreover, they can even deal with long periods of water shortage and total lack of liquid water.
This is associated with a lack of ability to regulate moisture content, allowing long-term, severe dryness without damage from dormant states, but can withstand high levels of UV/photosynthetic active radiation and extreme temperatures associated with drought conditions.
Mars is the main focus of interest in astrobiology due to the presence of water and the related possibilities of life.
The current atmospheric conditions on Mars keep people at bay, and the potential habitat for existing living is limited.
Nevertheless, during more favorable climate times, habitable environments may be present below or on the surface.
These niches can serve as isolated habitats that protect against harsh conditions.
The atmosphere is mainly composed of carbon dioxide (95%), but the effectiveness of greenhouse warming is limited.
Mars’ temperature is mainly below the freezing point of water, with atmospheric pressure of 6 mbar.
As a result, a significant portion of Mars’ existing water is ice and atmospheric water vapor. However, certain amounts of water may be present temporarily as liquid water.
Both ionizing radiation and deindependence always reach the surface of Mars and pass through the Mars atmosphere much easier than Earth.
This factor is most restrictive in the Martian habitability context, as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation are very harmful to living things.
“In our study, lichen symbiotic fungal partners remained metabolically active when exposed to atmospheric conditions like Mars in the dark, including the expected X-ray radiation levels on Mars, which are expected to have strong solar activity over a year.”
In their study, the authors focused on two lichen species, diploschistes muscorum and Setoria Acleattaselected for different properties and exposed to Mars-like conditions for 5 hours in simulations of planetary atmosphere composition, pressure, temperature variation, and X-ray radiation.
The findings suggest particularly lichens diploschistes muscorumdespite the high doses of X-ray radiation associated with solar flares and energy particles reaching the surface of the planet, it can survive on Mars.
These results challenge the assumption that ionizing radiation is an insurmountable barrier to Mars’ life and set the stages of further research into the possibilities of extraterrestrial microorganisms and symbiotic survival.
“Our study is the first to demonstrate that the metabolism of fungal partners in lichen symbiosis remains active while in an environment similar to the Martian surface,” Dr. Sukibauwa said.
“We found it diploschistes muscorum It was able to carry out metabolic processes and effectively activate the defense mechanism. ”
“These findings expand our understanding of biological processes under simulated Mars conditions and reveal how hydrates respond to ionized radiation.
“Ultimately, this study will deepen our knowledge of the adaptation of lichens and the possibility of colonizing the extraterrestrial environment.”
Survey results It will be displayed in the journal IMA bacteria.
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K.Skubała et al. 2025. Ionized Radiation Resilience: How metabolically active lichens endure simulated exposure to the Martian atmosphere. IMA bacteria 16:E145477; doi:10.3897/imafungus.16.145477
The Mid-Lestic Age is considered a dynamic period in European and African history, but is generally considered a static period in East Asia. The discovery of a series of refined stone tools at Long Tang Sight in southwestern China, 50,000-60,000 years ago, challenges that recognition.
A product from the Quina system located at Longtan Site, China. Image credits: Luan et al. , doi: 10.1073/pnas.2418029122.
The Paleolithic period in the Central era occurred about 300,000-40,000 years ago and is considered an important time in human evolution.
This period is related to the origins and evolution of modern African people.
In Eurasia, it is associated with the development of several archaic human groups, such as the Neanderthals and Denisovan.
However, there is a widely believed belief that in most of the Paleostemic period, China’s development had slowed.
“Our discoveries challenge our current understanding of human history and technological development in East Asia,” said Professor Beau Lee of the University of Wollongong.
“This finding challenges a long-established general theory among archaeologists that China-China tools are relatively simple and unchanged.”
Professor Li and colleagues unearthed a rich collection of stone tools at the Longtan archaeological site in Yunnan, China.
This tool revealed a complete kina technology system that includes the cores used to generate large and thick flakes.
The Kina Industry is one of the most representative tool creation strategies developed in the Mid Paleolithic period around 300,000-40,000 years ago.
It is characterized by a steeply scaled retouch of thick flakes, which often produces robust scrapers with heavy edge modifications associated with neanderthals, representing strategies developed during marine isotope stage 4 as a response to open forest grassland environments and cool/dry climates.
The Kina Technical System was discovered in Western and Southern Europe during this period, but was not thought to have existed in East Asia.
The wear traces of Longtanquina scrape suggest that they are used in a variety of materials, including bones, horns, wood, meat, skin, and non-slow plants.
“Evidence has shown that the discoveries at Longtan significantly broadened the geographical distribution of human species, the tools used, and the adaptability to adapt to a variety of climates and environments,” Professor Li said.
“The discovery of Longtan also provides a perspective to understand how the human-leeze species evolved and evolved in East Asia prior to the massive arrival of early modern people 45,000 years ago.”
“Understanding rather old artifacts forces us to rethink models of human migration patterns and technology evolution in this part of the world.”
“This opens an exciting new avenue for research and, as we know, can rewrite East Asia’s prehistoric period.”
a paper The survey results were published this week Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Qi-Jun Ruan et al. 2025. Kinarithic technology demonstrates the diverse late Pleistocene human dynamics of East Asia. pnas 122 (14): E2418029122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2418029122
Separated by more than 600 miles of land, the epicenter of Friday’s earthquake in Myanmar was far from the skyscrapers of Bangkok. The collapse of a 33-storey building under construction raises questions about how the shaking in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, compares to past earthquakes.
One of the answers lies in low-frequency seismic waves that can travel long distances and impact high-rise buildings.
During a significant earthquake event, different frequencies of shaking are emitted simultaneously. Some produce rapid vibrations, while others generate low-frequency shaking.
This was evident during the Myanmar earthquake when violent, high-frequency seismic waves caused destruction near the epicenter, taking down low-rise buildings and structures made of brittle materials.
High-frequency seismic waves released during an earthquake dissipate within the Earth, while low-frequency waves can travel further along the Earth’s crust.
Low-frequency waves were observed during the 2002 Denali earthquake in Alaska, causing vibrations as far as Texas and Louisiana.
These seismic waves resonate with tall buildings, affecting them differently based on their design and height.
Similar to tuning forks producing varied sounds, buildings react uniquely to earthquakes depending on their characteristics.
Low-frequency seismic waves played a crucial role in the 1985 earthquake that caused extensive damage in Mexico City.
Seismic waves resonated through the soft soils of the Chao Phraya River Delta in Bangkok during the recent earthquake event.
Engineers have realized the underestimated risks posed by soft soils amplifying earthquake effects in recent years.
Cities like Bangkok, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and others are subject to basin effects, increasing earthquake forces, especially at low frequencies.
In 1985, the frequency of seismic waves was critical in understanding earthquake damage in Mexico City, particularly affecting buildings between 7-18 stories tall.
Old low-rise masonry buildings performed better during earthquakes in comparison to taller structures, highlighting vulnerability despite seeming stability.
Engineers shifted to building more flexible skyscrapers in earthquake-prone regions starting from the 1950s.
Concerns persist about the vulnerability of tall buildings to less frequent but more destructive earthquakes.
The fault destruction under modern cities during a major earthquake event can have devastating effects on tall buildings, despite engineering precautions.
Dr. Heaton warns about the rapid and violent movement caused by fault slip during earthquakes, potentially leaving tall buildings unsupported.
Buildings’ bases in earthquake-prone regions must be engineered to withstand such movements to prevent catastrophic collapses.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican; On Monday, he said he decided to support him. Dr. Oz’s appointment to lead Medicare and Medicaid because Dr. Oz said he didn’t support transgender care for minors and was “clearly pro-life.”
The Senate plans to vote for Dr. Oz’s appointment later this month to become the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Holy had spoken out about withholding support for Dr. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon who has become a daytime television celebrity, concerns about his previous position in transgender care and abortion laws in certain states. Dr. Oz featured the segment on a television program on transgender care, raising the possibility of dissenting previously proposed state law banning abortions based on fetal heartbeat.
In response to Mr. Holly’s written questions, Dr. Oz assured the Senator that he “denies previous support for trans-snary and drugs for minor children.” Posted on x, Social media site. He added, “We’ve come back after overcoming criticism of the state’s pro-life law.” Dr. Oz “works to end funding for abortion providers,” Holly said.
Mr Holy’s opposition may have put Dr. Oz’s confirmation at stake given that Democrats appear likely to vote against him along the party line. CMS is a $1.5 trillion institution responsible for providing healthcare coverage to almost half of Americans.
Last month, Holly managed to expel new Food and Drug Administration chief counsel, Hilary Perkins, for his job as a Biden administration lawyer who claimed to be defending the availability of abortion drugs. She is an anti-abortion conservative.
A spokesman for Dr. Oz did not reply to requests for comment.
The high cost of living in America not only drives up egg prices and housing costs but also contributes to the unhappiness of its citizens. The affordability of healthcare remains a major concern for millions of people. A recent investigation published on Wednesday sheds light on the challenges many individuals face in affording doctor visits and prescription medications, even before discussions about reducing government aid.
According to the survey, 11% of respondents reported being unable to afford necessary medication and care in the past three months, marking the highest level in the four years of the survey. More than a third of those surveyed, approximately 91 million adults, stated they would be unable to pay for medical care if needed.
The survey, conducted by Western Health and Gallup from mid-November to late December 2024, revealed a widening disparity between black and Hispanic adults and individuals with lower incomes. A quarter of respondents earning annual household incomes under $24,000 expressed inability to afford care in the past three months.
“The extent to which this issue is magnified highlights the vulnerability of these particular groups,” noted Dan Witters, a senior researcher at Gallup.
While white adults and high-income earners reported no significant change in their ability to afford care, the rising premiums, additional physician costs, and recent reductions in Medicaid coverage all contribute to the financial burden on individuals. The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers’ arguments about repealing Medicaid cuts and tax reductions under the Obamacare plan could further exacerbate the issue, experts warn.
“This puts additional strain on already burdened systems and leads to financial toxicity,” stated Tim Rush, president of the West Health Policy Center. Many families are already grappling with medical debt. Rush emphasized that avoiding necessary care due to financial constraints could result in severe health consequences or even death.
Sarah R. Collins, vice president of healthcare coverage and access at the Nonprofit Commonwealth Fund, pointed out that even with insurance, many individuals lack sufficient coverage to meet their healthcare expenses. She warned that proposed cuts by Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration could lead to a rise in the number of people unable to afford care.
Collins remarked, “We’re regressing to pre-Affordable Care Act levels.”
Recently, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made headlines by defending his decision to terminate thousands of employees in his department.
Last week, he announced plans to eliminate 10,000 jobs, in addition to the 10,000 positions cut during the early days of the Trump administration.
Kennedy referred to the Department of Health and Human Services as “the largest agency in the government, twice the size of the Pentagon, with a budget of $1.9 trillion.” News Nation. He suggested that the department does little to enhance the health of Americans.
Despite having a discretionary budget of around $850 billion, HHS spends more than the Department of Defense. However, experts argue that the majority of the HHS budget is not allocated to staff expenses.
According to three budget experts, a small fraction of the federal health agency budget goes towards officials’ salaries. This includes FDA staff, CDC, and NIH.
The majority of funds are spent on Medicare and Medicaid for elderly and low-income individuals, respectively. These funds support private insurance plans, hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, and more.
Melinda Bunting, a health policy professor, stated that HHS staff costs represent less than 1% of the department’s budget, despite overall spending increases.
Bobby Cogan, from the Center for Progress in America, criticized Kennedy’s depiction of HHS budgeting as “misleading.”
Kogan argued that the focus should be on the aging population, not misleading budget claims. HHS seeks to reduce federal spending by $1.8 billion annually through workforce cuts.
Another HHS institution, the administration for children and families, allocates billions to programs like Head Start and welfare support.
Christounner, from the Responsible Federal Budget Committee, estimated HHS staff costs to be less than 1% of spending, accounting for highly qualified health professionals.
While the Trump administration has focused on Medicare fraud, Congress is exploring potential fraud within Medicare Advantage Plans, involving hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Hundreds of Billions Annual dollars.
The entire forest explodes as lightning hits a tree in the tropical region.
“To the most extreme, the bombs look like they’ve disappeared,” said Evan Gola, a forest ecologist at the Carrie Ecosystem Institute in Millbrook, New York, who is a forest ecologist with dozens of trees around what was touched. Within a few months, a considerable forest ring will die.
For some reason, there is one survivor standing there who looks healthier than ever. New research Dr. Gora was published last week in the New Phytologist journal, revealing that some of the rainforest’s biggest trees will not survive the lightning attack. They thrive.
The tropical rainforest at the Baro Colorado Nature Monument in Panama is a great place to study whether some trees are immune to lightning. It is home to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and is one of the world’s most studied tropical forests. Dr. Gola tried to study whether individual trees in the forest would benefit from being hit by lightning. And if so, does that help species populations survive on a large scale?
Early on, he spent a lot of time climbing trees, searching for signs of lightning damage. However, making critical observations is painful and inefficient. Dr. Gola began climbing one tree, convinced that it was the trunk struck, and went up 50 feet and wanted him to actually be the tree next to him. The bees also crowd Dr. Gora’s eyes and ears.
“Your whole life is just bustling,” he said. “That’s scary.”
Dr. Gola needed a more efficient way to find the trees he attacked, so he and his collaborators developed a method to monitor lightning strikes and triangulate electromagnetic signals. This technique led him to the correct tree more quickly and could be evaluated using a drone.
From 2014 to 2019, the system captured 94 lightning strikes on trees. Dr. Gola and his team visited the site to see which species were hit. They were looking for dead trees and “flashover points.” There, the leaves are sung as lightning jumps between the trees. From there, the canopy dies and the tree eventually dies.
Eighty-five species were hit, seven survived, while one literally stood out figically. The DipteryxOleifera is a towering species hit nine times, including one tree that has hit twice and appears to be more active. D. oleifera has a crown about 30% higher than the remaining trees and about 50% larger than the other trees.
“It appears there is an architecture that can be attacked more frequently,” Dr. Gola said.
All D. oleifera trees struck survived the lightning attack, but 64% of the other species died within two years. The trees surrounding D. oleifera could be 48% higher than those around other species. In one notable break, one strike killed 57 trees around D. oleifera. Lightning also D. Blowing out parasite trees from the oleifera tree.
Cleaning adjacent trees and choking grapes, D. This meant that the oleifera tree would have less competition from the light and make it easier to produce more seeds. A computer model is a D when it is hit multiple times. We estimated that the lifespan of oleifera trees could be extended by almost 300 years.
“It seemed impossible for lightning to be good for trees,” Dr. Gola said before the study. However, the evidence is D. It suggests that oleifera will benefit from each impact.
“Trees are constantly competing with each other, so you need an edge compared to what surrounds you,” said Gabriel Arellano, a forest ecologist at the University of Michigan, who was not involved in the research.
The physical mechanisms that help trees survive the intense lightning strike remain unknown. Dr. Gora suggested that different trees may be more conductive and conductive, or that there may be an architecture that will escape damage.
This study was only in Panama, but similar patterns have been observed in other tropical forests. “It’s very common,” said Adrian Esquibel Muerbert, a forest ecologist at the University of Birmingham in the UK who worked with Dr. Gola but was not involved in the research. “It’s very clear when that will happen.”
Climate change is set to increase the frequency and severity of tropical thunderstorms. It appears that some trees may be more suited to the future of storms than others.
NASA’s funding cuts have already impacted US research and education programs
dcstockphotography/shutterstock
NASA has cancelled contracts and grants worth up to $420 million, following guidance from the Trump administration’s government efficiency (DOGE). The reductions will impact research projects and education programs in the United States, but NASA says it’s perfect for checking exactly which organizations are affected.
After Doge, an independent task force led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, NASA confirmed the amount but refused to specify which programs were cancelled. Casey Drier The Planetary Association, a California-based nonprofit organization, list of a program that has recently lost funds using the agency’s public grant database. NASA has since deleted the database and did not respond to questions about the accuracy of the list.
Much of the cuts on Dreyer’s list coincides with President Donald Trump’s skepticism about climate science and his administration’s active targets regarding his interpretation of the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) program.
Climate-related cancellations include a Massachusetts Institute of Technology project that uses satellite sensors to map the impacts of extreme heat, air pollution and flooding. Another target was a University of Oklahoma study to develop digital twin simulations that predict the impact of flooding on tribal lands.
However, it is unclear why NASA has ended support for other research, such as using bioengineering cells to investigate how spaceflight affects the human body and modelling how lunar dust can contaminate future lunar missions.
NASA spokesman Bethany Stevens said New Scientist The agency is “to work with the Ministry of Government Efficiency initiative to optimize the workforce and resources.” Doge urged agencies across the US government to cut funding or shut down altogether.
But it says that ongoing grants and contract cancellations will fly in the face of a “strict” review process that selected them in the first place as “the most scientifically appropriate proposal.” Michael Batario At Yale University. “Politics cannot and should not define what is scientifically worth studying at the level of individual grants,” says Batario, who is studying the atmosphere of Mars and Titan in preparation for future missions.
“DEI related cuts get me the most out of the way.” Bruce Jacoski He was the lead scientist at NASA’s Maven Mission to Mars at the University of Colorado, Boulder. “These grants are about reaching out to underrepresented groups and making people accessible to training and education. None of them appears to promote people who are less qualified than more qualified.”
For example, NASA cut funding for a conference hosted by the National Association of Black Physicists, a longtime nonprofit that promotes the professional well-being of African-American physicists and physics students. “We were told that the reason for cancelling the contract is to comply with the president’s executive order regarding the DEI,” he said. Stephen Robersonpresident of the National Association of Black Physics. “We would like to appeal this decision and explain further why an annual conference, in which people of all races and academic levels present scientific research, is considered a DEI.”
New Scientist They reached out to researchers and organizations that they thought were affected, but few responded to the National Association of Black Physicists. The San Diego Aerospace Museum, featured on Drayer’s list, said NASA’s funding for educational events appears to be still intact, despite the NASA database indicating changes to the grant’s end date. NASA did not respond to requests to verify the status of this fund.
It is called an unexpected phenomenon Convection It helps to explain many of the other features of the volcano and Venus landscape.
The artist’s impression is that a volcano erupts on Venus. Image credit: ESA/AOES Mediaab.
The University of Washington, Professor Slava Solomatov of St. Louis, said:
“Our calculations suggest that convection is possible and likely is likely. If so, it gives us new insight into the evolution of the planet.”
Convection occurs when the heated material rises towards the surface of the planet, and the cold material sinks, creating a constant conveyor belt.
On Earth, convection deep in the mantle provides the energy that drives plate tectonics.
The Earth’s crust, about 40 km thick on the continent and 6 km in the sea basin, is too thin to cool and cannot support convection.
However, Professor Solomatov and his colleague Dr. Chabi Jain of St. Louis suspected that Venus’ crust had a proper thickness (probably 30-90 km, and in some places 30-90 km), temperature and rock composition.
To confirm this possibility, researchers applied a new theory of fluid dynamics developed in the lab.
Their calculations suggested that Venus’ crust could indeed support convection. This is a whole new way of thinking about the geology of planetary surfaces.
In 2024, scientists used a similar approach to determine that convection would likely not occur in the mercury mantle. Because the planet is too small and has been cooled quite a bit since it formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Venus, on the other hand, is a hot planet both inside and outside. The surface temperature reaches 465 degrees Celsius (870 degrees Fahrenheit), and its volcano and other surface features show clear signs of melting.
Scientists have been wondering how heat from the interior of the earth is transferred to the surface.
“Crustal convection can be an important missing mechanism,” Professor Solomatov said.
“Convection near the surface can also affect the type and placement of volcanoes on Venus’ surface.”
The author hopes that future missions to Venus can provide more detailed data on crust density and temperature.
If convection occurs as expected, some areas of the crust must be warmer and less dense than others. This is a difference that can be detected using high-resolution gravity measurements.
But perhaps an even more interesting target is Plput, a frozen dwarf planet outside the solar system.
Images from NASA’s New Horizons mission revealed a prominent polygonal pattern in the Sputnik Planitia region of Pltune, which resembles the plate boundary on Earth.
These polygons are formed by the slow convection current in a 4-km thick layer of solid nitrogen ice.
“Pluto is probably the second planetary body in the non-Earth solar system, and the convection driving tectonics is clearly visible on the surface,” Professor Solomatov said.
“It’s an attractive system that we still need to understand.”
result Published in the journal Physics of the interior of Earth and Planets.
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Viatcheslav S. Solomatov & Chhavi Jain. 2025. The possibility of convection in the Venus crust. Earth and Planet Physics 361:107332; doi:10.1016/j.pepi.2025.107332
The 20-year Hubble study of Uranus provides valuable data to help you understand the atmospheric dynamics of this distant ice giant. This serves as a proxy for studying the deformation of similar sizes and compositions.
The image sequence shows changes in Uranus over the past four years when Hubble’s STIS instrument observed Uranus over 20 years. Over that period, astronomers saw Uranus season as the Antarctic region (left) entered winter shadows, and the Arctic region (right) brightened, and began to become more direct view as summer approached the north. The top row of visible light shows how Uranus’ colours look to the human eye, as can be seen by even amateur telescopes. In the second line, false-colored images of the planet are assembled from visible and near-infrared light observations. The color and brightness correspond to the amount of methane and aerosol. Both of these quantities were indistinguishable before STI first targeted Uranus in 2002. Generally, the green area has less methane than the blue area, and the red area does not show methane. The red area is in the limbs, where the stratosphere of Uranus is almost completely free of methane. The two bottom rows show the latitudinal structures of aerosols and methane, inferred from those visible from 1,000 different wavelengths (colors) to near-infrared. In the third row, bright areas show cloudy conditions, while dark areas show clearer conditions. In the fourth row, the bright areas show depleted methane, and the dark areas show the total amount of methane. At mid- and low-latitude latitudes, aerosol and methane depletion has a unique latitude structure that has changed little over 20 years of observation. However, in polar regions, aerosol and methane depletion behave very differently. In the third row, aerosols near the Arctic show a dramatic increase, becoming very dark in the early days of the Northern Spring and very bright in recent years. It appears that aerosols also disappear in their left limbs when solar radiation disappears. This is evidence that solar radiation alters aerosol haze in Uranus’s atmosphere. On the other hand, methane depletion appears to remain very high in both polar regions throughout the observation period. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Erich Karkoschka, LPL.
Uranus is a giant ice planet about four times the diameter of Earth.
It has a hydrogen and helium feel and has a bit of methane that gives it a blue tint.
Uranus lies to its side and rotates, its magnetic field is biased – it tilts at the center 60 degrees from its axis.
When Voyager 2 passed Uranus in 1986, it provided a close-up snapshot of the planet facing sideways. What it saw resembled a bland blue-green billiard ball.
In comparison, Hubble recorded the story of 20 years of seasonal changes from 2002 to 2022.
During that period, it was used by a team of astronomers led by Dr. Erich Karkoschka of the University of Arizona and Dr. Larry Slomovsky and Dr. Pat Free of the University of Wisconsin. Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (stis) Draw an accurate picture of Uranus’ atmosphere structure.
Researchers observed Uranus four times in 20 years: 2002, 2012, 2015, and 2022.
They found that unlike gas giants Saturn and Jupiter, methane was not evenly distributed on Uranus.
Instead, it is heavily depleted near the pole. This depletion remained relatively constant for 20 years.
However, the structure of aerosols and hazes changes dramatically, and brightens significantly in the Arctic region as the planet approaches the northern summer solstice in 2030.
Uranus takes Earth age just over 84 years to complete the single orbit of the Sun.
Therefore, for over 20 years, the team has seen the spring almost north to make the Northern Pole shine directly in 2030, before shining the equator of Uranus.
“Hubble’s observations suggest a complex atmospheric circulation pattern for Uranus during this period,” the scientists said.
“The data most sensitive to methane distribution shows polar inundation and upwelling in other regions.”
The US has ended financial support for family planning programs in developing countries, separating nearly 50 million women from access to birth control.
This policy change has attracted little attention in the wholesale demolition of US foreign aid, but it has great significance, including mother deaths and an overall increase in poverty. It derails the efforts that have in recent years brought long-acting birth control pills to some of the world’s poorest and most isolated regions.
The US contributed to family planning programs in 31 developing countries last year, providing about $600 million in 2023, according to the health research institute KFF.
According to an analysis by the sexual health research institute, the US funding provides birth control pills and medical services to deliver them to more than 47 million women and couples, reaching over 47 million women and couples. Without this annual contribution, 34,000 women could die from preventable mother deaths each year, Guttmacher’s calculation concluded.
“The magnitude of the impact is daunting,” said Mariva, who leads the coordination team for the Ouagadougou Partnership, an initiative to accelerate access to investment and family planning in nine West African countries.
The funding ended as part of the Trump administration’s breakdown of the US International Development Agency. The State Department, whose USAID skeletal remains were absorbed on Friday, did not reply to a request for comment on its decision to cease funding for family planning. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explains that he wasted the fired aid project and is not in line with America’s strategic interests.
Supporting family planning in the world’s poorest and most populous countries has been a consistent policy priority for both Democrats and Republican administrations for decades, considered a breakwater against political instability. It also reduced the number of women seeking abortions.
Among the countries that will be heavily affected by the decision are Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Funds to support the International Family Planning Program have been allocated by Congress and have been extended to the latest expenditure bill, which the government is operating until September. Moves by the State Department to cut these and other aid programs are now the subject of multiple lawsuits before federal courts.
The Trump administration has also fired US funding for UNFPA, the UN’s sexual reproductive health organization, the world’s largest procurement of birth control pills. The United States was the organization’s largest donor.
The US was not the sole supplier of birth control in any country, but the sudden termination of US fundraising has created disruption to the system and has already run out of products in clinics.
The estimated $27 million worth of family planning products already raised by USAID are stuck at various points in boats, ports and warehouses. Programs and employees have no programs or employees left to take them down or hand them over to the government. One plan proposed by Washington’s new USAID leadership is for the rest of the employees to destroy them.
Supply chain management is a major focus for USAID in all areas of health, with the US paying for transporting contraceptive products such as hormone implants, for example, from Thai manufacturers to ports in Mombasa, Kenya.
“It will be extremely difficult to put your work back on,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, executive director of UNFPA.
The US has also paid for data and information systems that help the government track what is in stock and what needs to be ordered. None of these systems have been working since the Trump administration sent halt work orders to all programs that received the USAID grant.
Bellington Wwalika, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Zambia, said contraceptives have already begun running in some parts of the country, with the US supplying a quarter of the national family planning budget.
“Wealthy people can buy the products they want. It is the poor who have to think, ‘What should I get between food and birth control?'” he said.
Even before the US retracted its family planning program, the survey found that globally, 1 billion women of reproductive age wanted to avoid pregnancy, but modern methods of birth control were inaccessible.
At the same time, there have been great progress. Demand for contraception is steadily increasing in Africa, a region of the world with lowest coverage, in long-acting ways that provide women with greater privacy and safe protection. Supply has been improved with better infrastructure and helped deliver products to rural areas. And the “Demand Creation” project, which is the main funder in the US, used ads and social media to inform people of the various options available and the benefits of pregnancy intervals or delays. The rise in education levels among women has also increased demand.
Two weeks ago, Thermasibanda, a 27-year-old engineering graduate who lives in a low-income community on the edge of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, received a hormone implant that prevents pregnancy for five years.
Shibanda has a two-year-old son and says he can’t afford more children. She can’t find a job in Zimbabwe’s broken economy and her husband can’t. They follow the $150 presence he earns from the vegetable stand every month. She relied on “hope, faith and natural methods” to prevent another pregnancy from happening after her son was born, Shibanda said, hoping for something more reliable, but that was simply impossible on her family’s budget – until a free clinic came to her neighborhood.
With USAID funding, the Zimbabwean organization that provided implants last year has been able to purchase six robust Toyota vehicles and camping equipment so that outreach teams can travel to the country’s most remote parts and provide vascular removal and IUD at pop-up clinics. Since Trump’s executive order, they have had to stop using all of that equipment.
International nonprofit MSI reproductive options intervened with temporary funds to ensure that they could continue to provide free care to women they could reach, such as Shibanda.
Shibanda said her priorities are to provide her son with the best possible education and that there are no more children as tuition costs. However, many African women have no way of making this choice. In Uganda, the national fertility rate is 4.5 children per woman, but it is not uncommon to meet women in rural areas with limited education with eight or 10 children, said Dr Justin Bukenya, lecturer in community health and behavioral sciences at Makerele University in Kampala. These women become pregnant for the first time as teenagers, with little space between pregnancy.
“By the time they were 30, they were able to get their 10th pregnancy. These are the women affected,” she said. “We’re missing the opportunity to make progress with them. The United States was doing a very strong job of creating the demands of birth control with these women here and mobilizing young men and women to go to family planning.”
Some women who rely on free or low-cost services through the public health system may now seek to buy birth control pills in the private market. However, the prices of tablets, IUDs and other devices are likely to rise significantly without guaranteed to buy large quantities from the US.
“As a result, women who relied on free or affordable options through the public health system could now be forced to rely on private sector sources.
The next biggest donor to post-US family planning is the Netherlands, which provided about 17% of donor government funding in 2023, and the UK provided 13%. The two countries recently announced plans to cut their aid budget by more than a third.
BA said the focus of the West African countries she works for is to mobilize domestic resources and come up with ways for governments to try and relocate money to cover what the US supplies. Charities such as the Gates Foundation and financial institutions, including the World Bank, which are already important contributors to family planning, could provide additional funding to try to move products into the country.
“We were very optimistic. Even with all the political instability in our area, we’ve been using modern methods to add millions of women over the last few years,” BA said. “And now, it’s all, US support, policy, it’s all gone completely. The gap is too big to fill.”
Amazing new genera and species of Gnathosaurine Pterosaur Garudapterus buffetauti It has been identified from the upper jaw of fossils found in eastern Thailand.
“Pterosaulia is the order of extinct flying reptiles that once lived among dinosaurs during the Mesozoic era, with fossil records from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous period.”
“Traditionally, Pterosaurs had two major groups.”
“The first branches generally have a long tail and a long fifth toe (traditionally known as the vacuum subsystem Rhamphorhynchoidea, now abolished).”
“The second one is Pterodactyloidea a large group with a high tail shrinking, relatively long metacarpal, short or non-existent fifth toe. ”
Garudapterus buffetauti It belongs to Gnathosaurinae a subfamily of pterodas within the Pterodactyloidea group.
The new species lived in what is now Thailand 130 million years ago, 130 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period.
Fossilized sites of flying reptiles were found in the Pra Prong area in the southern region of the Phanom Dong Lac Mountains in Sa Keo province, Thailand.
Holotype of Garudapterus buffetauti – The first pterocortic skull material in Thailand – consists of a partial stud and five incomplete teeth from one individual.
“The anterior of the platoon is flattened dorsoventral and laterally expanded (spoon-shaped) shows an affinity for Gunasosaurnae,” the paleontologist said.
“The alveolar boundaries are severely scalloped and are like a collar, and the surface of the palate shows a pair of sine wave grooves.”
“These features have strong similarities to Gunasosaurin from the late Jurassic period. Gnathosaurus suburatus, Tacuadactylus luciae and Lucegnatos Almadrava. ”
Team phylogenetic analysis shows this Garudapterus buffetauti It is closely related to these Gnathosaurines.
“Even so, Thai gunasosaurin is unique and recognized as a new species for displaying the kite-shaped podium expansion,” the researchers said.
“This new specimen provides important information about Pterosaurs, including updated data to help us better understand diversity and distribution across Southeast Asia.”
Team’s paper It was published in the journal this month Cretaceous Research.
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Shitamanitokoon et al. The first ganaurin (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) in the early Cretaceous period in eastern Thailand. Cretaceous Research Published online on March 28th, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106135
Approximately 1,900 leading researchers have denounced the Trump administration Open Letter On Monday, it conducted a “wholesale assault on National Science” that could backtrack research for decades, threatening the health and safety of Americans.
All signatories of the letter were warned by the damages caused by layoffs in health and science institutions, all elected members of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and by the cuts and delays in funding that have historically supported research within government and across American universities.
“For over 80 years, wise investments by the US government have built up national research companies and are a global hope,” the letter states. “Amazingly, the Trump administration is destabilizing the company by stripping funds for research, firing thousands of scientists, removing public access to scientific data, and pressures researchers to change or abandon their work on ideological basis.”
The letter stated that many universities and research institutes have so far “became antagonistic to the administration and remained silent in order to put their funds at risk.” However, he said, “The country’s scientific enterprises are undoubtedly undoubtedly.”
The signatories urged Americans to appeal to Congress to protect scientific funds.
With Elon Musk’s efforts to cut spending on institutions he considers as ideological enemies and President Trump’s crackdown, the administration has sought to dismantle some of the federal government’s scientific fundraising equipment.
Funding from the National Institutes of Health, which supports jobs by more than 300,000 scientists across the country, has down billions of dollars from typical levels in the early months of the Trump administration.
The White House has also moved to cancel research in certain areas, including transgender health and climate science.
The Trump administration announced last week that it had fired 10,000 Health and Human Services Department employees as part of a broader restructuring that reflects the priorities of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The department hired unreliable vaccine skeptics to study the links that have been exposed by scientists for a long time between vaccines and autism. On Friday, the country’s top vaccine regulator resigned, citing Kennedy’s “misinformation and lies.”
Over the past few weeks, members of the National Academy of Medicine, a nonprofit that provides independent health policy advice, have begun discussing concerns with members of the National Academy of Science and Engineering.
Dr. Stephen Wolf, the organizer of the letter studying health policy at the Federal University of Virginia, said the conversations produced open letters.
The letter was drafted by a group of 13 scientists representing fields such as medicine, climate science, sociology and economics.
“We know what this does to the US life expectancy, mortality rates and the mental health crisis we have,” Dr. Wolf said. “These changes in research companies are going to lead to harm to everyday Americans.”
Dr. Wolf cited the planned reorganization of the Agency for Medical Research and Quality, a small institution responsible for protecting patient safety and ensuring Americans’ access to free preventive services like mammograms.
“The person responsible for protecting the quality of healthcare in the United States has just been demolished,” Dr. Wolf said.
The letter outlines the results of funding cuts, including a pause in research studies, faculty layoffs, and reduced enrollment of graduate students.
It also condemns the management of “censorship involvement” among other things by “blocking research on topics that appear undesirable, such as climate change, or topics that have unfavorable outcomes on topics from vaccine safety to economic trends.”
President Trump’s tariffs can increase prices, and efforts to reduce the federal workforce may lead to higher unemployment. Many economists are concerned about administration policies that will cut federal support for scientific research.
The Trump administration has recently canceled or frozen billions of dollars in federal grants for researchers, resulting in significant cuts to funding for academic medical centers and other institutions. It has also attempted to dismiss hundreds of workers at the National Science Foundation and has revoked visas for numerous foreign-born students.
These policies could jeopardize the US’s competitiveness in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, affecting the nation’s health and productivity in the long run.
“Universities play a crucial role in innovation,” says Sabrina Howell, a professor at New York University. “These policies are detrimental to our ability to innovate and grow.”
Scientists warn that the US risks losing its position as a leading research hub and a top destination for scientific talent globally.
Laboratories across the country are already laying off workers and halting projects, potentially affecting ongoing clinical trials. Top universities like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have announced employment freezes. Other countries are actively recruiting American scientists, offering a more welcoming environment.
Economists argue that taxpayer-funded research is crucial for early-stage studies that may not attract private investors. Research has shown that every dollar invested in research and development yields about $5 in economic returns, including intangible benefits like increased longevity and leisure time.
“Research is a high-return activity that benefits society in many ways,” said economist Benjamin F. Jones from Northwestern University. “We need to invest more in research to stay competitive.”
Unexpected discovery
Hudson Freeze’s groundbreaking research in microorganisms in the 1960s led to important discoveries in DNA replication and genetic sciences. His work showcases the vital role of government funding in scientific research.
Dr. Freeze’s discoveries underscore the importance of government support for scientific breakthroughs. While private investors may overlook research on rare disorders, government funding has led to significant advancements in medical science.
The US research and development system, established during World War II, has been instrumental in driving economic growth and innovation. Federal investments in research have led to key technologies like the Internet and modern medicine.
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Immigration plays a crucial role in driving scientific and technological advancements in the US. Despite accounting for a small percentage of the population, immigrants have contributed significantly to innovation, patents, and entrepreneurial ventures.
Changes in immigration policy and the perception of the US as unwelcoming could deter foreign students and scientists from choosing the US for education and research. Research has shown that restrictions on immigration during the Trump administration led to a decline in Chinese students studying in the US.
“International students and scientists are responsive to the environment in the US,” said economist Britta Glennon from the University of Pennsylvania. “A welcoming atmosphere is crucial for attracting global talent.”
The Stentor, a giant in the world of single-celled creatures, is a trumpet-shaped organism that ranks among the largest of its kind, stretching to the size of a sharp pencil tip. Despite its impressive size, the Stentor sometimes struggles to capture the swimming bacteria and microscopic algae it feeds on.
A recent study reveals that Stentors, part of the Protist group, have found a way to overcome this challenge by adopting a “family style” approach to feeding. In a paper published in the journal Natural Physics on Monday, scientists shared their discovery that Stentor colonies can create currents to draw in prey more efficiently.
These new findings suggest that Stentors are capable of cooperation despite lacking neurons and brains.
“These single-cell organisms exhibit behaviors that we typically associate with more complex life forms,” said Shashank Shekhar, a biophysicist at Emory University and lead author of the study. “They form these higher structures, much like we do as humans.”
Scientists believe that the ability of single-cell organisms to form groups is a critical step in the evolution towards multicellular life on Earth. Recent discoveries emphasize the role of physical states and predator-prey interactions in these cellular collaborations.
In their natural habitat, Stentors are commonly found near the surface of ponds. They have cilia at the wider ends of their bodies that wave in patterns, creating water streams to capture prey.
To observe these currents in a laboratory setting, Dr. Shekhar placed a drop of milk in a Petri dish with a Stentor and watched the fluid movements under a microscope. “You can see them creating swirls around their mouths,” he described, likening it to the swirling cosmos in Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”
When food is abundant, Stentors often come together in clusters, but little research has been done to explore the reasons for this colony formation.
Dr. Shekhar and his team observed the interactions between pairs of Stentors by analyzing microscope video footage of the organisms in a Petri dish capturing food particles to measure liquid dynamics.
The video unveiled intriguing patterns as the Stentors were drawn towards each other before moving apart, resembling a magnetic repulsion. “They seem to oscillate between ‘I like you’ and ‘I don’t like you,'” explained Dr. Shekhar.
Further analysis revealed that Stentor pairs often had unequal connections, with one organism producing stronger currents. When they gathered, the combined streams benefited both creatures, allowing weaker Stentors to benefit from the stronger ones.
These dynamics among Stentors lead to what Dr. Shekhar terms “indiscriminate behavior.” By forming colonies and choosing stronger partners, Stentors enhance their feeding efficiency, increasing the overall flow rate and enabling them to capture prey faster and from greater distances, ultimately boosting nutrient intake for the group.
The grouping behavior of single-cell organisms like Stentors to enhance survival represents a crucial stage in the evolution towards multicellularity. Uniting against single-cell prey makes them more formidable as predators, prompting vulnerable prey to band together for survival.
According to evolutionary biologist William Ratcliffe from Georgia Tech, who was not involved in the study, the improved feeding efficiency of group predators like Stentors can drive the evolution of multicellularity in prey organisms. “As a single cell, you’re vulnerable to being consumed. But as part of a larger group of cells, you become a less appealing target for predators,” Dr. Ratcliffe explained.
These new discoveries underscore the significance of physical forces in shaping biological evolution.
“While we often focus on genes and chemicals, the role of physics in the development of multicellular life is equally important,” noted Dr. Shekhar. “Even simple factors like water flow can influence evolutionary pathways.”
Following an unexpected extended stay at the International Space Station lasting nine and a half months, NASA astronaut Suni Williams is back on Earth, enjoying herself once more.
“I actually went out and ran three miles yesterday,” Williams mentioned during a press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday. “So I’ll give myself a little pat on the back.”
Williams, along with her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, expressed their gratitude multiple times. Williams thanked the two astronauts who shared the Dragon Capsules of the SpaceX Crew, NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, and the medical team for helping them readjust to gravity.
These expressions of gratitude, much like many federal workers, were likely well received by individuals in the space agency who have faced uncertainty about their mission, direction, and ongoing employment since President Trump’s inauguration.
Williams and Wilmore embarked on a test flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft last June, initially planned as a brief visit to the International Space Station. However, due to issues with the Starliner’s propulsion system, NASA officials decided to bring the Starliner back to Earth, extending Williams and Wilmore’s stay until February.
Upon their return to Earth, they returned to a transitioning NASA, the trajectory of which remains uncertain.
Elon Musk and his government’s focus on efficiency aim to disrupt traditional bureaucratic structures. Meanwhile, SpaceX CEO Musk envisions sending settlers to Mars, sparking speculation about NASA’s current primary focus, the Artemis program, aimed at sending astronauts back to the moon.
In January, Williams and Wilmore found themselves caught in a political quarrel, as Trump and Musk insinuated they were left stranded in space to undermine favorable publicity for Musk, a Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, without providing any concrete details or evidence.
Both astronauts have publicly maintained that they were not abandoned in space for political reasons.
During a press conference at the Johnson Space Center, Williams, Wilmore, and Nick Haag, commanders of the SpaceX Crew Dragon mission that brought them back home, steered clear of political controversy and emphasized the cooperation and shared purpose essential for their astronaut mission.
“When you link with a nation that stands by, cares about human spaceflight programs, and supports us and our endeavors,” Wilmore stated.
Haag noted that much of the turmoil on Earth remains distant:
“When we are working in space, politics fade away,” he remarked. “It’s solely focused on the mission.”
He highlighted Williams’ nearly six-month tenure as commander of the space station.
“The magic of human spaceflight lies in our ability to concentrate on positive elements that unite people together,” Haag concluded.
Wilmore, who led the Starliner Mission, refused to place blame solely on Boeing for the issues with the Starliner capsule that led to their prolonged stay. “I dislike that term,” he commented.
Wilmore stated that both Boeing and NASA share responsibility for the malfunctioning system.
“I won’t point fingers and place blame,” Wilmore mentioned. “I might have posed some questions, and the responses could have altered the outcome.”
NASA officials anticipate the next Starliner flight could take place later this year or the following year. When asked if they would be willing to embark on another such flight, both Williams and Wilmore quickly responded affirmatively.
“Because we will address all the challenges we encountered,” Wilmore affirmed. “We will resolve them. We will make it work. Boeing and NASA are fully committed to this endeavor.
“I concur,” added Williams. “Spacecraft are incredibly capable.”
The International Space Station’s operations are scheduled until 2030, at which point a specially designed SpaceX spacecraft will guide the station out of orbit into the Pacific Ocean. Recently, Musk has suggested that space stations should increase their utility and be discarded sooner, within a few years. However, the astronauts spoke enthusiastically about the research they conducted aboard.
Haag remarked on the significant advancements in complexity of experiments compared to his prior mission six years ago.
“It gives you the sense that we are currently in the golden age of space stations in terms of the return on investment,” Haag concluded.
A device has been created by scientists that can translate speech ideas into spoken words in real time.
Although still in the experimental stage, the goal is to develop a Brain Computer Interface that can give voice to individuals unable to speak.
In a recent study, the device was tested on a 47-year-old woman with quadriplegia who had been speech-impaired for 18 years since experiencing a stroke. The device was implanted in her brain during surgery as part of a clinical trial.
According to Gopala Anumanchipalli, co-author of the study published in Nature Neuroscience, the device “translates the intent to speak into fluent text.”
Most brain computer interfaces for speech experience a delay between thought and speech, which can disrupt conversations and cause misunderstandings. However, this new device is considered a significant advancement in the field.
The device works by recording brain activity using electrodes and generating speech based on this activity. An AI model is then trained to translate this neural activity into spoken words.
The UCSF Clinical Research Coordinator will connect a neural data port to the head of the ANN, a participant in El Cerrito, California, on May 22, 2023.Noah Berger/UCSF, via AP files via UC Berkeley
Anumanchipalli of the University of California, Berkeley, explains that the device operates similarly to existing systems used for transcribing meetings and phone calls in real time.
Located in the brain’s speech center, the implant translates signals into spoken sentences as they are heard. This “streaming approach” ensures a constant flow of audio to the recorder without waiting for the sentence to finish.
Rapid speech decoding enables the device to keep up with natural speech pace, enhancing language naturalness according to Brumberg.
Funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, further research is necessary before the technology can be widely available. Anumanchipalli suggests that with sustained investment, the device could potentially be accessible to patients within the next decade.
Freshwater essential for lithium mining is found in parts of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, situated in the world’s “lithium triangle” on the Andean plateau, boasting half of all global lithium reserves.
A recent study in Communications Earth and the Environment revealed that available freshwater for lithium extraction in these regions is significantly lower than previously believed. With global demand for lithium expected to surge by 2040, this poses a challenge as it surpasses the limited annual rainfall supplying water to the dry lithium triangle.
Minimizing freshwater usage in the lithium industry is crucial to prevent disruption in mining activities. Extracting one ton of lithium requires approximately 500,000 gallons of water, which also sustains small indigenous communities and unique wildlife habitats in the region.
Water scarcity affects both the ecosystem and the industry in the lithium triangle, as lithium is a key component in batteries driving the global shift towards clean energy technologies. Despite the projected quadrupling demand for lithium batteries by 2030, delays in mining operations due to resource availability raise concerns about meeting this growing demand.
Freshwater plays a vital role in determining the supply of lithium available for mining in the lithium triangle. Rainfall washes lithium-rich minerals out of rocks, creating lagoons filled with lithium-rich water where mining companies extract the mineral. However, limited weather data and overestimation of freshwater supply in the region pose challenges to sustainable mining.
Research into water and resource availability for lithium mining operations is ongoing, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the entire lithium supply chain. Studies in lithium-rich regions worldwide are essential to grasp the environmental and social impacts of lithium extraction.
One in five people (an estimated 64 million people in the US) has increased levels of small particles in their blood. It can significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
But few people knew about it and there was not much to do, so little doctors would have checked it. Dieting is useless. I don’t even exercise. There were no medicines.
But that may change in the near future.
On Sunday, the cardiologist announced that the experimental drug created by Eli Lily of Repodisilan can lower particle levels by 94% with a single injection. The effect lasted for 6 months and there were no serious side effects.
However, it has not yet been confirmed that lowering LP(a) levels reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It awaits a massive clinical trial currently underway.
Lily’s research was presented on Sunday at the American Society of Cardiology’s Annual Meeting and was presented simultaneously Published New England Journal of Medicine. At least four companies are also testing innovative drugs that block the production of the body of LP(A) and the mixing of lipids and proteins.
Dr. David Maron, a preventive cardiologist at Stanford University who is not involved in Lily’s research, said evidence of a severe and long-term reduction in lipoprotein levels by repodisilans is “thrilling.”
Dr. Martha Gulati, a preventive psychologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was also not involved in the exam, saying the study was “really elegant.”
Eli Lilly is currently conducting large clinical trials asking whether the drug can prevent heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular death. It will end in 2029. Clinical trials of other drugs targeting LP(a) end more quickly. The first is a study of Novartis drugs that are injected monthly, with results expected in 2026.
However, cardiologists warn that there is no guarantee that medicine will protect people. They remember too well the lessons they learned, assuming that changing risk factors could change risk. Cardiologists were once keen on drugs that raise HDL levels known as “good cholesterol.” People with naturally higher HDL levels had a lower incidence of heart disease. These HDL raming drugs did not help.
Dr. Daniel Rader, a preventive psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, says LP(A)-lowering “is a huge new frontier in cardiovascular medicine.” Dr. Radar is a member of Novartis’ Scientific Advisory Committee and has written editorials to accompany new papers.
Treatments targeting LP(a) took a long time.
Lipoprotein was identified as a in 1974 Risk factors for heart disease This is controlled by genes rather than lifestyle or environment.
People with slightly higher than normal LP(a) levels have an approximately 25% increase in their risk of heart attacks and stroke. And very high levels can double the risk, as seen in 10% of the population.
Cardiologists say patients with no obvious reason for heart attacks or stroke (with normal cholesterol levels and blood pressure and not smoking) often know that their LP levels are high. Usually, it is found that they have a family history of heart disease of unknown cause.
The same applies to people who are experiencing heart attacks at a young age, says Dr. Stephen Nissen, a preventive psychologist at Cleveland Clinic, is an academic leader in the Lilly drug trials, and for clinical trials of three other new drugs.
“If you go to the coronary care unit and see a 40-year-old with an acute myocardial infarction, you need to know your LP(a) level,” he said, referring to a heart attack. Often they said their levels were 250 nanomoles or even higher per liter. The normal limit is 75.
Dr. Maron said his clinic is full of people who don’t know why they developed heart disease until they learn that they have high levels of LP.
One is Montewood, a 71-year-old retired firefighter who lives in Reading, California. His LDL cholesterol levels rose to moderately. His blood pressure was normal. He didn’t smoke. However, he had his first heart attack in 2006 while taking cholesterol-lowering statins.
It appeared that almost all of Mr. Kisae’s family had died of heart disease.
His paternal grandmother had her first heart attack when she was in her 40s. She died of a heart attack at the age of 63. His father and his father’s brother died of heart disease. Mr. Kisae’s brother died of a heart attack.
When Dr. Maron tested Wood’s LP level, it was above 400.
Dr. Maron and other preventive psychologists say they regularly test LP(a) levels in all patients, like Dr. Grati, Dr. Nissen and Dr. Radar. Because LP(a) levels are gene-controlled, patients should only test once.
Dr. Nissen is dull with LP(a) patients.
“We say: You have a disability that has serious meaning. I want to take all the risk factors you’ve been off the table,” he said.
But Dr. Grati said that a study found it. 0.3% The US population is receiving insurance-paid LP(a) tests, with only 3% of heart disease patients being tested.
She and other preventive cardiologists say that all adults should take the LP(a) test. If the level is high, your doctor should actively treat all other risk factors.
For Kisei, it meant taking Repatha, a powerful cholesterol-lowering drug that lowered his LDL cholesterol levels to 30.
However, Mr. Kisae’s case did not end there. Dr. Maron led one of the new drugs that lower LP(a) levels to clinical trial testing.
During the exam, Kisae had no symptoms of heart disease. I had no chest pain or shortness of breath. When the exam was finished, his symptoms returned, leading to a square bypass operation.
“It’s anecdotal,” Dr. Maron said. “But these drugs can prevent heart attacks.”
E-cigarettes have been credited with helping millions of people in the UK quit smoking, but that doesn’t mean they are without risks.
Vaping may contain fewer harmful substances like nicotine, TAR, and other toxins compared to traditional tobacco, but it is still linked to long-term health issues and can be addictive. Your body may need time to adjust and overcome the addiction completely.
If you are heavily reliant on vaping and nicotine, quitting cold turkey can lead to withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, anxiety, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and changes in appetite. These symptoms usually peak around 72 hours after you stop vaping as nicotine leaves your system entirely.
As you approach this 72-hour mark, you may start noticing improvements in taste and smell, clearer breathing, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and reduced chest tightness and shortness of breath.
Currently, an estimated 5.6 million British people are vaping
A survey by the non-smoking charity Truth Initiative found that 90% of people who quit vaping reported reduced stress, anxiety, and depression.
The lungs have the ability to repair themselves, and within a year of quitting nicotine altogether, lung capacity and immune function improve significantly, especially for former smokers.
While long-term effects of quitting vaping are still unknown due to its recent emergence, experts generally agree that the risk of cancer and heart disease is likely to decrease after quitting e-cigarettes.
This article addresses the question (from an email by Antonia Fletcher), “What happens if you stop vaping?”
Submit your questions via email toQuestion @sciencefocus.com or message us onFacebook,Twitter, or Instagram(don’t forget to include your name and location).
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