Tag Archives: Firstever

Groundbreaking Moment: First-Ever Photos of a Cow Using Tools Leave Scientists Amazed

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In a picturesque mountain pasture in Austria, a remarkably intelligent cow is reshaping our understanding of animal cognition.

Meet Veronica, a pet Swiss brown cow who has innovatively learned to use both ends of a stick to scratch her back. This impressive tool use is exceedingly rare in the animal kingdom and has never been documented in cattle before.

Dr. Antonio Osuna Mascaro, a professor at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, led the groundbreaking study published in Current Biology. The research highlights how Veronica creatively utilizes available tools to scratch herself.

Initially, researchers provided her with a broom brush, expecting her to only use the bristles. However, Veronica adapted her tool use based on the specific itch needing relief.

For larger or more intense itches on her back, she utilized the bristled end of the brush. Conversely, for lighter itches, such as on her sensitive lower abdomen, she opted for the smooth handle end.

https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/41/2026/01/Veronika-edit-1.mp4
Veronica skillfully adjusts her scratching technique based on the area of discomfort.

“The only well-documented occurrence similar to this was when a chimpanzee cleverly manipulated the ends of a stick to forage for termites,” Osuna Mascaro stated, as reported by BBC Science Focus.

Researchers emphasize that domestic animals have often been overlooked by behavioral scientists, meaning their perceived lack of intelligence may stem more from insufficient observation than from the animals’ actual capabilities.

“Understanding that cows possess the ability to innovate and use tools flexibly sends a powerful message about our biases regarding cow intelligence and capabilities,” Osuna Mascaro added.

Osuna Mascaro (left) shared that Veronica (right) is affectionate and cherished by her human family. – Credit: Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró

Veronica: The Beloved Cow

The study emphasizes that while Veronica is unique, her intelligent behavior is not an isolated case.

As a cherished pet, Veronica enjoys access to open spaces, daily human engagement, and the freedom to explore her environment. At 13 years old, she is significantly older than the average domestic cow.

Her human companion, Witger Vigele, first observed Veronica using tools over a decade ago. Intrigued by her intelligence, researchers analyzed footage of her behavior and decided to meet this extraordinary cow.

Researchers urge everyone to appreciate intelligent cows like Veronica – Credit: AJ Osuna-Mascaró

The findings suggest that our perceptions of domestic animals’ intelligence may not relate to their actual abilities, but rather to the opportunities they are given to demonstrate their intelligence and whether we take the time to observe them.

“I would love to hear from anyone who has witnessed cows displaying similar behaviors firsthand,” Osuna Mascaro expressed.

“The key element is using an object dynamically to achieve goals that would be otherwise difficult or impossible,” he concluded.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Historic High Seas Treaty Now in Effect: First-Ever Protection for Ocean Waters

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Antarctic Trawler

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A groundbreaking treaty aimed at protecting the high seas has officially entered into force, marking a significant moment in marine conservation.

The vast expanses of the high seas, beyond a country’s 370-kilometre exclusive economic zone, are often referred to as the “Wild West” of the oceans. This region is notorious for its minimal regulations on fishing, making it a vital area that remains largely unexplored. According to recent studies, this deep-sea environment is inhabited by diverse marine organisms, with up to 95% of the habitat being vital to marine life.

In September 2025, over 60 countries ratified the UN Convention on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in the open ocean, which encompasses half of our planet’s surface. This historic agreement has initiated a 120-day countdown to its official implementation.

“This is one of the most important environmental agreements ever,” states Matt Frost from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the UK. “There was no established mechanism for creating protected marine areas on the high seas prior to this treaty.”

World-renowned marine biologist Sylvia Earle calls this treaty a ‘turning point’ in safeguarding ‘Earth’s blue heart’, which plays a crucial role in regulating climate and sustaining life.

A year remains before nations can establish protected areas under the treaty, as regulations and monitoring systems need to be finalized at the inaugural meeting of the parties in late 2026.

“This moment demonstrates that global cooperation is feasible,” says Earle. “Now we must act decisively.”

In the Atlantic, conservationists aim to safeguard unique ecosystems such as the “lost cities” formed by the seaweed mats of the Sargasso Sea, a crucial breeding ground for American and European eels, alongside the remarkable hydrothermal vent communities. Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean conservation efforts target the Salas y Gomez and Nazca ridges, underwater mountains that serve as habitats for diverse marine species including whales, sharks, and turtles.

The treaty also envisions a shared repository for genetic resources discovered in the high seas, which could facilitate breakthroughs in medicinal research.

As maritime technology advances, fleets of factory ships are exploiting the high seas, leading to the overfishing of species and habitat destruction. This escalation threatens crucial biodiversity zones. Bottom trawling, in particular, causes severe damage to the ocean floor. Emerging techniques are being developed to fish in the “twilight zone” of mid-depth waters, between 200 and 1,000 meters, further complicating conservation efforts.

Local management organizations have noted that for two decades, there has been a call for a treaty to mitigate the overfishing of 56% of targeted fish stocks in international waters, as highlighted in recent studies.

Support for protective measures stems from the fact that 90% of marine protected areas in national waters are actively being preserved, positively influencing nearby fish populations by providing safe environments for spawning and growth.

Additionally, the 30 by 30 commitment aims to safeguard 30% of the Earth’s surface by 2030, making it essential to address the high seas for its successful realization.

Oceans currently absorb approximately 90% of the excess heat resulting from climate change. By shielding these critical areas from fishing and associated pollution, marine ecosystems can better adapt to rising temperatures.

“If you’re battling multiple afflictions, alleviating two can empower you to confront the remaining issues,” Frost asserts.

Moreover, marine ecosystems are responsible for absorbing a quarter of the CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change. Coastal environments like seagrass meadows and kelp forests are crucial carbon sinks, and activities such as the nocturnal feeding patterns of mesopelagic fish and plankton play a role in the carbon cycle.

“These species transport carbon from surface waters to deeper ocean layers, significantly influencing the carbon dynamics,” explains Callum Roberts from the Convex Seascape Survey, a global research initiative focusing on the ocean’s impact on climate change.

The treaty’s initial challenge involves identifying appropriate areas for protection, especially as species migrate in response to shifting ocean temperatures. Only 27% of the ocean floor has been thoroughly mapped.

Enforcement will also be a formidable challenge. Current marine protected areas in national waters include a significant number of “paper parks” that offer little actual protection for species.

Advancements in satellite imagery and AI technology have made it feasible to monitor vessels and detect unlawful activities. Nonetheless, enforcement will rely on member states to act against flagrant violations, including barring offending ships from their ports.

While 145 countries have signed the treaty, it is only enforceable for those that ratify it. Currently, 83 nations have adopted the treaty, with the UK, US, Canada, and Australia yet to follow suit.

“The more nations that ratify this treaty, the stronger it becomes,” says Sarah Bedorf from Oceana. “We all share the responsibility of protecting the high seas, which ultimately benefits everyone.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

First-Ever Measurement of Floating Exoplanet’s Mass by Astronomers

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Gravitational microlensing surveys have unveiled populations of free-floating planets. Although their masses haven’t been directly measured due to distance-related challenges, statistics suggest that many of these rogue planets possess less mass than Jupiter. Recently, astronomers identified a groundbreaking microlensing event, termed KMT-2024-BLG-0792/OGLE-2024-BLG-0516. This event involved an exoplanet with approximately 21.9% of Jupiter’s mass, situated 9,785 light-years (3,000 parsecs) from the Milky Way’s center.

An artist’s impression of a free-floating exoplanet. Image credit: Sci.News.

Traditionally, planets are linked to stars, but research indicates that many traverse the galaxy independently.

Known as free-floating or rogue planets, these celestial bodies lack stellar companions.

Due to their low light emissions, they are primarily detected through their gravitational influences, a technique known as microlensing.

A significant challenge of this discovery method is determining the distances to these planets, complicating mass measurements.

This has left much of the data regarding these solitary objects speculative.

In a recent study, Dr. Subo Dong from Peking University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and collaborators discovered a new free-floating planet, KMT-2024-BLG-0792/OGLE-2024-BLG-0516, via a brief microlensing event.

In contrast to prior approaches, they utilized a novel strategy by observing the microlensing phenomenon concurrently from Earth and space, leveraging multiple ground-based surveys alongside ESA’s Gaia space telescope.

Variations in the timing of light captured by these different locations facilitated measurements of microlens parallax, enabling researchers to calculate the planet’s mass and position through finite source modeling.

“Based on comparisons with the statistical characteristics of other microlensing events and simulation predictions, we conclude that this object didn’t originate as an isolated entity (like a brown dwarf) but likely formed within a protoplanetary disk (like a planet),” the astronomers noted.

“Subsequent dynamic processes likely ejected it from its formation site, resulting in a free-floating object.”

For further details, check out the study published in this month’s Science: paper.

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Subo Dong et al. 2026. Microlensing of free-floating planets caused by heavy objects in Saturn’s vicinity. Science 391 (6780): 96-99; doi: 10.1126/science.adv9266

Source: www.sci.news

First-ever imaging of a novel form of magnetism: alternating current magnetism

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Alternating current magnetism is a unique form of magnetic ordering in which small magnetic components align antiparallel to their neighbors, but the structure housing each element is rotated relative to its neighbors. . Professor Peter Wadleigh and colleagues at the University of Nottingham have shown that this new type of magnetism exists and can be controlled with microscopic equipment.

Mapping of alternating current magnetic order vectors in MnTe. Image credit: Amin others., doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08234-x.

Magnetic materials are used in a large portion of long-term computer memory and in the latest generation of microelectronic devices.

Not only is this a large and important industry, but it is also a global source of carbon emissions.

Replacing key components with alternative magnetic materials has the potential to lead to significant increases in speed and efficiency, while significantly reducing dependence on rare and toxic heavy elements required by traditional ferromagnetic technology .

Alternating magnets combine the advantageous properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets in a single material.

They are more robust, more energy efficient, and have the potential to increase the speed of microelectronic components and digital memory by a factor of 1,000.

“An alternating current magnet consists of magnetic moments pointing antiparallel to neighboring magnets,” Professor Wadley says.

“But each part of the crystal that hosts these tiny moments is rotated relative to its neighboring parts. It's like a twist on antiferromagnetism. But this subtle difference It has a big impact.”

Dr Oliver Amin, from the University of Nottingham, said: “Our experimental work provides a bridge between theoretical concepts and real-world implementation, and illuminates the path towards the development of alternative magnetic materials for practical application. I look forward to that.”

The new experimental study was conducted at the MAX IV international facility in Sweden.

This facility, which looks like a giant metal donut, is an electron accelerator called a synchrotron that generates X-rays.

A magnetic material is irradiated with X-rays, and the electrons emitted from the surface are detected using a special microscope.

This allows us to generate images of magnetism within materials with small feature resolution down to the nanoscale.

“Being the first to confirm the effects and properties of this promising new class of magnetic materials has been a hugely rewarding and rewarding privilege,” said the University of Nottingham PhD. Student Alfred Dal Din.

team's work Published in a magazine nature.

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OJ Amin others. 2024. Nanoscale imaging and control of alternating current magnetism in MnTe. nature 636, 348-353;doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08234-x

Source: www.sci.news

First-ever European sighting of the infamous ‘murder hornet’ alien species

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overview

  • The southern giant hornet, also known as the “murder hornet”, has been discovered for the first time in Europe.
  • A study last month confirmed that two pairs of hornets have been found in northern Spain since 2022.
  • Scientists are looking for wasp nests.

Researchers in Spain are busy discovering the first southern giant hornet nest ever discovered in Europe.

Also known as the “murder hornet” because it is known to kill beehives, this insect grows to an average length of 2 inches. They are native to parts of Asia. India, China, Thailand, Vietnam.

in research published last month Five Spanish scientists described two separate sightings in the journal Ecology and Evolution. The scientific name of the southern giant hornet is Vespa soror. Both were in Cielo, a city in northern Asturias. A pair was discovered in March 2022, and another two in October 2023.

Researchers believe the hornet's nest dates back at least a year.

Asian giant hornet — A closely related species that originates from other parts of Asia, it was first discovered in the US state of Washington in late 2019. The northern hornet and the southern hornet have similar behavior and appearance, but the former ShiChange the nesting period They then build small colonies or nests.

The first northern giant hornet nest discovered in the United States was promptly destroyed in October 2020, but live hornets were discovered in Washington the following year.

Southern giant hornets are known to send out scout teams to find colonies of prey, and the scouts rub their bodies against the hive or nearby plants to signal other hornets to join them. According to Research published in 2021. It then enters the “slaughter stage” where the entire hive can be destroyed within a few hours.

Asian giant hornets have not been found in Europe, neither in the north nor in the south. That's more than the four recorded in Spain. Scientists behind the recent study believe the hornets likely first arrived on a cargo ship.

Omar Sánchez, lead author of the study and zoologist A professor at the University of Oviedo in Spain said he expected the hornets to affect the balance of local ecosystems, as they actively prey on native hornets, bees, butterflies, moths and flies. A long-term decline in bee populations could impact honey availability and disrupt the pollination process that many plants and crops depend on.

“Here in northern Spain, we have another type of Asian hornet called Vespa verntina, which is causing serious damage to the beekeeping industry, so the presence of another hornet could potentially amplify the negative impact. Yes,” he said.

Sánchez added that the researchers: They are trying to find the nest in order to destroy it.

“This species nests more than 30 meters underground, so it's not easy to find, so you have to be a little bit careful,” he says. “We are trying.”

Sánchez said researchers are looking for more hornet sightings.

Sanchez and his study co-authors discovered and captured four of the hornets after hearing from beekeepers in the area that they had seen the unusual-looking hornets. After capturing the wasps, scientists extracted DNA samples and conducted genetic testing and analysis to confirm the species.

Molly Keck, an entomologist at Texas A&M University, said the genetic research that identified this species will “help educate the public and beekeepers and educate local governments so that management planning, education, mapping and distribution can be done.” “This is the first step towards mitigation efforts such as issuing warnings.” . ”

“Most of these invasive species will come in through some port city, so no matter what quarantine or checking measures are in place, there's always a way to find them.” she added.

Keck said countries may need to tighten such processes around the world as a precaution if they want to ensure their cargo is bug-free.

Sanchez said the detection of the southern giant hornet in Spain shows that more hornets are likely to emerge.

“Perhaps in the near future this species will be detected again in other parts of Spain, and perhaps also in Europe,” he says.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

First-ever examination of a frozen mummy of a Saber-toothed tiger dating back 35,000 years

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Attention all ‘Ice Age’ enthusiasts: New research has uncovered the preserved remains of a 35,000-year-old saber-toothed cat which have been analyzed for the very first time. Published on Thursday in Scientific Reports.

The mummified remains of the animal, including parts of the head, arms, and chest, were unearthed in Yakutia, Russia, in 2020 in remarkably good condition, and were determined to belong to a three-week-old baby, as per the study findings.

The most distinct features of the cub were its small ears, long neck and forearms, dark brown fur, and wide mouth, according to the researchers. Comparison with modern lion cubs of the same age suggests that these cat mummies are part of the Machairodontinae subfamily, specifically the Homotherium genus – a cat with sharply curved saber teeth that thrived in North America and Europe between 12 million and 10,000 years ago.

A. shows a frozen mummy and B. shows the remains of a modern lion cub, Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758).Lopatin, AV, Sotnikova, MV, Klimovsky, AI, and others

Based on the study, the Homotherium cat’s ears were positioned higher on the skull and its mouth opening was 11-19% larger compared to modern lion cubs. Additionally, the neck was described as “longer and more than twice as thick” than that of present-day felines.

For those who enjoy the Ice Age film series, the depiction of saber-toothed cats might seem familiar. The character Diego, a saber-toothed tiger, shares similarities with the 35,000-year-old baby tiger.

This study marks the first investigation of this kind of site.

“For the first time in paleontological history, the characteristics of an extinct mammal with no modern counterparts have been examined,” noted the study authors.

Attempts to reach the study’s corresponding author for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Scientists successfully capture the first-ever 2D spectral image of the aurora

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Scientists in Japan have captured full-spectrum, two-dimensional (2D) auroral images using a newly developed Hyperspectral Camera for Auroral Imaging (HySCAI).

(a) All-sky camera and (b) HySCAI keograms, and (c) time evolution of the spatially averaged spectrum of auroral emission measured by HySCAI on October 20-21, 2023. Image courtesy of Yoshinuma others., doi: 10.1186/s40623-024-02039-y.

The aurora is a natural optical phenomenon caused by the interaction of precipitation particles with components of the upper atmosphere.

The majority of the observed spectrum consists of lines or bands of neutral and ionized nitrogen and oxygen atoms.

The aurora comes in a variety of distinctive colors, including green and red, but there are multiple theories about how the different auroras emit light, and understanding their colors requires breaking down the light.

To study the auroral radiation processes and colors in detail, comprehensive (temporal and spatial) spectral observations are required.

“We have observed light being emitted from plasma within the magnetic field of the Large Helical Device (LHD),” said Dr. Katsumi Ida of the National Institute for Fusion Science in Japan and his colleagues.

“Various systems have been developed to measure the spectrum of light emitted from plasmas, and the processes of energy transport and the emission of atoms and molecules have been studied.”

“By applying this technology and knowledge to auroral observations, we can contribute to our understanding of auroral luminescence and to research into the electron energy generation process that produces auroral luminescence.”

The newly developed camera, HySCAI, consists of an all-sky lens, a monitor camera, a galvanometer scanner, a grating spectrometer, and an electron-multiplying charge-coupled device.

“Aurora observations use optical filters to capture images of specific colors, but this has the drawback of limited wavelengths and low resolution,” the researchers said.

“On the other hand, hyperspectral cameras have the advantage of being able to obtain the spatial distribution of the spectrum with high wavelength resolution.”

“In 2018, we started a project to develop a high-sensitivity hyperspectral camera by combining an image sweeping optical system using a galvanometer mirror with the EMCCD camera and lens spectrometer used in the LHD.”

“It took five years of planning to develop a system with the sensitivity to measure auroras down to 1kR (1 kiloraylei).”

“The system was installed in May 2023 at the Swedish Space Corporation's Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna, Sweden, which is located directly below the auroral zone and where auroras can be observed frequently.”

“The system successfully captured hyperspectral images of the aurora, i.e. two-dimensional images resolved by wavelength.”

Team work Published in the journal Earth, planets, space.

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Masayuki Yoshinuma others2024: Development of a hyperspectral camera for photographing the aurora (HySCAI). Earth Planet Space 76, 96; doi: 10.1186/s40623-024-02039-y

Source: www.sci.news

First-ever pig kidney transplant performed on a living human

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The kidney transplant surgery is the first of its kind in a living person.

Michelle Rose/Massachusetts General Hospital

Surgeons successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a 62-year-old man with end-stage renal disease. Recipient Richard Suleiman is recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the hospital soon, just a few days after surgery.

Is this your first pig kidney transplant?

This is the first time a pig kidney has been transplanted into a living human, marking a major milestone in the field of xenotransplantation, or transplanting animal organs into humans.

“This successful transplant is the culmination of decades of hard work by thousands of scientists and doctors.” Tatsuo Kawai At Massachusetts General Hospital statement. “Our hope is that this transplant approach will provide a lifeline to the millions of patients around the world suffering from kidney failure.”

However, strictly speaking, this is not the first time a kidney has been transplanted from a pig to a human. This surgery has been performed five times in the past, each time on a person declared brain dead and placed on life support. The most recent of these was conducted by Robert Montgomery and colleagues at New York University Langone Health in July 2023. The kidney continued to function for over a month with no signs of rejection or infection.

When was the surgery performed?

Kawai and his colleagues performed the surgery on March 16th. reported that the procedure lasted four hours, and shortly thereafter the kidneys began producing urine and the waste product creatinine. new york times. Suleiman was also able to stop dialysis, which is a further indication that his kidneys are functioning properly.

Where do pig kidneys come from?

The organs were donated by the pharmaceutical company EGenesis. The company breeds pigs that are genetically engineered to carry certain human genes and lack a specific set of pig genes that are harmful to humans. These genetic modifications reduce the chance of transplant rejection, where the immune system attacks the organ and causes it to malfunction. Suleiman is also being given a cocktail of immunosuppressants to further reduce this risk. So far, there are no signs of rejection and Suleiman is able to walk on his own. His doctors hope he will be discharged soon.

What do we know about the recipient?

Suleiman has type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease. He had previously received a human kidney from a donor in December 2018. However, the organ showed signs of malfunctioning after about five years. He started dialysis in May last year, but complications arose, and he needed to go to the hospital every two weeks. This seriously affected his quality of life while awaiting his second transplant.

is more than 100,000 people in the US They are waiting for organ transplants, and 17 of them die every day. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the experimental transplant for Suleiman due to a lack of other treatment options.

“I saw it as a way not only to help me but also to give hope to the thousands of people who need transplants to survive,” Suleiman said in a statement.

Have xenotransplant surgeries involving other organs been performed?

Only two other people received xenotransplants, and both received genetically modified pig hearts. The first, a man named David Bennett, died two months later from complications believed to be caused by a swine virus called porcine cytomegalovirus. So scientists genetically inactivated a virus similar to the pig virus from which Suleiman's kidneys came.

The second recipient, a man named Lawrence Fawcett, died six weeks later from transplant rejection.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

First-ever photograph of a majestic yellow ibis bird captured

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First photo of Kijimozu

Matt Brady/University of Texas at El Paso

A rare bird with a spectacular yellow crown has been photographed for the first time in the tropical mountains of the Democratic Republic of Congo, almost 20 years after it was last seen.

Yellow-bellied shrike (Prionops alberti)Also known as the King Albert Shrike, it is a small bird that lives in the damp forests of the Albertine Rift Mountains in Central Africa. Adults are covered in glossy black feathers, with a magnificent crown of bright golden feathers on their heads. Their eyes are surrounded by distinctive orange tissue called wattles.

After not being seen for many years, the long-eared shrike was listed as an endangered species. Find a lost bird partnership.

michael harvey Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso finally encountered this phenomenon again during a six-week expedition into the Itobwe Mountains from December 2023 to January 2024.

As team members wandered through the cloud forest, they encountered a flock of elusive birds.

“It was a shocking experience to come across these birds. I knew it might be possible here, but I wasn't prepared for how spectacular and unique it would be in my life.” ,” Harvey said in a statement.

A total of 18 Long-tailed Shrikes were spotted at three locations during the expedition. This suggests that there may be healthy populations of birds currently considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The group also developed the red-bellied mushroom frog (Articular leptis hematogaster), last seen in the 1950s.

“Now is a great time to protect these tropical forests so we don't lose species like the long-eared shrike before they are known and studied,” Harvey said. Ta.

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Source: www.newscientist.com