Research indicates that artificial intelligence can organically develop social practices akin to humans.
The study, conducted in collaboration between the University of London and the City of St. George at the University of Copenhagen, proposes that large-scale language modeling (LLM) AI, like ChatGPT, can begin to adopt linguistic forms and societal norms when interacting in groups without external influence.
Ariel Flint Asherry, a doctoral researcher at Citi St. George and the study’s lead author, challenged the conventional perspective in AI research, asserting that AI is often perceived as solitary entities rather than social beings.
“Unlike most research that treats LLMs in isolation, genuine AI systems are increasingly intertwined, actively interacting,” says Ashery.
“We aimed to investigate whether these models could modify behaviors by shaping practices and forming societal components. The answer is affirmative; their collaborative actions exceed what they achieve individually.”
In this study, groups of individual LLM agents ranged from 24 to 100, where two agents were randomly paired and tasked with selecting a “name” from an optional pool of characters or strings.
When the agents selected the same name, they received a reward; if they chose differently, they faced punishment and were shown each other’s selections.
Although the agents were unaware of being part of a larger group and limited their memory to recent interactions, voluntary naming conventions emerged across the population without a predetermined solution, resembling the communicative norms of human culture.
Andrea Baroncelli, a professor of complexity science at City St. George’s and the senior author of the study, likened the dissemination of behavior to the emergence of new words and terms in our society.
“The agents don’t follow a leader,” he explained. “They actively coordinate, consistently attempting to collaborate in pairs, with each interaction being a one-on-one effort over labels without a comprehensive perspective.
“Consider the term ‘spam.’ No official definition was set, but persistent adjustment efforts led to its universal recognition as a label for unwanted emails.”
Furthermore, the research team identified naturally occurring collective biases that could not be traced back to individual agents.
In the final experiment, a small cohort of AI agents successfully guided a larger group towards a novel naming convention.
This was highlighted as evidence of critical mass dynamics, suggesting that small but pivotal minorities can catalyze rapid behavioral changes in groups once a specific threshold is achieved, akin to phenomena observed in human societies.
Baroncelli remarked that the study “opens a new horizon for AI safety research, illustrating the profound impact of this new breed of agents who will begin to engage with us and collaboratively shape our future.”
He added: “The essence of ensuring coexistence with AI, rather than becoming subservient to it, lies not only in discussions but in negotiation, coordination, and shared actions, much like how we operate.”
Peer-reviewed research on emergent social practices within LLM populations and population bias is published in the journal Science Advances.
Exterior: A device designed to estimate your life expectancy.
So, is it going to tell me when I’ll die? No, thank you. Hold on, let me explain.
Not a problem, but that still sounds pretty terrifying. Just give me a moment. It operates similarly to what your doctor does.
Which is what? We will analyze your photos to evaluate your health.
Oh, that doesn’t sound too bad. However, this device can assess you even more accurately. It can also help predict your response to treatments.
Nope, I’m out again. Let me elaborate. Faceage is an AI innovation developed by scientists at Mass General Brigham in Boston. By examining a picture of your face, it can assess your biological age compared to your chronological age.
What does that imply? It means everyone ages differently. For instance, at 50, Paul Rudd had a biological age of 43, while fellow actor Wilford Brimley was biologically 69 at the same age.
Why is this significant? Individuals with older biological ages are less likely to withstand intensive treatments like radiation therapy.
Explain it to me as if I’m clueless. Sure thing. The older your face looks, the worse it is for your health.
Great, just what I needed to hear about my premature grey hairs. Actually, not exactly. Features like gray hair or hair loss can be misleading. This device evaluates factors like skin folding near the mouth and temple hollows for a more accurate health profile.
Wonderful, now I have to obsessively analyze my temple’s condition. No, this is beneficial. With proper usage, such diagnostic tools can enhance countless lives. Although the initial study focused on cancer patients, researchers intend to broaden the tests to others.
I just had plastic surgery. Will Faceage still work for me? As of now, it’s unclear. The developers still need to investigate this.
What about for people of color? Ah, yes. This model was predominantly trained on white faces, so its effectiveness on diverse skin tones is still uncertain.
This sounds a bit concerning. It’s simply a cautionary issue. Let’s consider how quickly AI evolves. Just last year, ChatGPT was lacking but has now transformed industries. We can expect Faceage to improve rapidly, too.
That’s encouraging. Indeed. Before long, it could assess your face and provide a calm, unbiased judgment on your health and longevity.
Is this for real? No, definitely not. At least, not yet.
Say: “Faceage represents a new frontier in medical diagnostics.”
Don’t say: “They claim we’ll perish during the 2028 robot uprising.”
In the event of a global disaster affecting international trade and fuel supplies, our survival may hinge on a resilient yet practical diet consisting of peas, potatoes, sugar beets, and spinach.
This perspective emerges from a recent study featured in the journal PLOS 1.
The research, conducted by Dr. Matt Boyd of Adapt Research Ltd and Professor Nick Wilson from The University of Otago, New Zealand, examined how cities could sustain themselves amidst scenarios like nuclear conflict, severe pandemics, or significant solar flares that might disrupt global food systems.
These situations could hinder access to vital resources, such as fuel and fertilizers, jeopardizing industrial agriculture and long-distance transportation.
Prior studies have highlighted urban agriculture, including rooftop gardens and community plots, as potential methods to bolster local resilience. However, Boyd and Wilson sought to determine the actual efficacy of these efforts.
They utilized satellite imagery to assess the food production capacity of Palmerston North, a temperate city in New Zealand.
The findings revealed that urban agriculture could sustain only about one-fifth of the city’s population, even under optimal conditions where all suitable urban spaces became gardens.
To fully nourish the city, over 1,140 hectares of farmland would need to be repurposed for food production, along with an extra 110 hectares to cultivate biofuel crops for agricultural machinery in the absence of liquid fuels.
Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the study is the proposed diet.
“Every individual requires a specific amount of protein and energy to stave off hunger,” Boyd stated to BBC Science Focus.
“Among the crops we analyzed, peas necessitate minimal land to fulfill one person’s protein and energy requirements when cultivated with urban farming techniques.”
Palmerston North in New Zealand – home to around 90,000 residents – was used to estimate how urban areas and adjacent farmlands could feed a moderately sized city in the aftermath of a global disaster. – Getty
However, Boyd noted that while peas thrive in situations with climates similar to today’s, they may not survive the colder conditions anticipated after a nuclear winter.
This phenomenon occurs when soot from a nuclear explosion blocks sunlight, cooling the planet and resulting in shorter growing seasons and lower average temperatures. In such scenarios, sugar beets and spinach would be more viable options, as both crops are hardy and high in energy content.
Traditional farming methods remain accessible just outside urban areas, assuming limited reliance on nearby land and fuel. Under typical climate conditions, potatoes can efficiently feed people using minimal land.
“However, they are susceptible to frost,” Boyd remarked, which is problematic in nuclear winter conditions.
“When we combine 3% carrots with 97% wheat, we achieve optimal protein and energy levels for wheat. Both wheat and carrots can endure frost and require less liquid fuel than potatoes.”
Fortunately, this doesn’t imply a rigid diet consisting solely of these foods. The study offers a strategy for maximizing the number of people fed with minimal land usage, representing a worst-case scenario dietary plan.
“In practice, it’s likely that a diverse crop mixture would be cultivated,” Boyd explained. “However, when determining what to grow near a city, priority should be given to crops that provide high protein and energy levels.”
The researchers believe their methodology will assist cities globally in evaluating food security and developing land use strategies that enhance resilience. However, cities bounded by large bodies of water or those that are densely populated may need to explore alternative approaches.
“The likelihood of global catastrophes is increasing due to emerging bio threats, geopolitical tensions, and technological advancements,” Boyd cautioned. “Society must be prepared for both the destruction of infrastructure and the aftermath of such events.”
“Our study’s insights suggest that with local government support and proactive measures, cities can adopt localized solutions to enhance resilience.”
About our experts
Matt Boyd founded Adapt Research in 2015, focusing on custom research collaborations with experts. His work centers on analyzing and mitigating significant global risks, along with technology and public health issues. Boyd’s findings are published in peer-reviewed journals, including New Zealand Medical Journal and Public Health Journals in Australia and New Zealand.
Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus) Recent studies reveal their behavior of “reciprocity,” where they assist each other with the expectation of future favors.
Superb Starling family (Lamprotornis superbus) at Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany. The lighter-colored bird is between two adults. Image credit: Dennis Irrgang / CC by 2.0.
The Superb Starling is a passerine bird belonging to the Sturnidae family.
This species is widespread, inhabiting various regions in East Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and beyond.
These birds form large mixed groups consisting of 7 to 60 individuals, with an average size ranging from 13 to 41 members.
“The social structure of Starlings is complex, comprising not only family units but also a mix of both related and unrelated individuals, much like humans.”
“It’s well-known that animals tend to assist their relatives to enhance genetic fitness and propagate their genes.”
“While Starlings prioritize helping relatives, they also lend support to unrelated individuals.”
Professor Rubenstein and his team discovered that this support arises through the establishment of mutual relationships.
However, proving that such behaviors are present in non-relatives remains challenging.
The study is rooted in two decades of research by the authors on these birds in Africa, thriving in the harsh savannah climate.
From 2002 to 2021, thousands of interactions among hundreds of birds were documented, alongside DNA samples to analyse genetic links.
By merging behavioral data with genetic information during 40 breeding seasons, they posed pivotal questions: Did birds prioritize aiding relatives? Did they assist non-relatives when related individuals were available? Did they reciprocate support over time?
Ultimately, the findings revealed that while helpers prioritized their relatives, they often supported specific unrelated individuals consistently, even when relatives could assist.
“Many of these birds forge friendships that develop over time,” Professor Rubenstein stated.
“Our next goal is to investigate how these relationships are formed, their longevity, and why some bonds remain strong while others diminish.”
The study was published today in the journal Nature.
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Advertising et al. The enigmatic role of mutual assistance among birds in cooperative breeding. Nature Published online on May 7, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08958-4
Recent studies reveal that climate-induced wildfires lead to thousands of deaths each year and significant economic impacts due to wildfire smoke in the United States.
A paper published this Friday in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment indicates that between 2006 and 2020, climate change was responsible for approximately 15,000 deaths related to exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfires, totaling around $160 billion in costs. The findings suggest an annual mortality range from 130 to 5,100, particularly high in states like Oregon and California.
Nicholas Nacicus, an author of the research and a professor at Harvard Medical School, stated, “What does it really mean in a changing environment for outcomes like mortality?” stressing the serious health implications.
Lisa Thompson, a professor at Emory University who studies air pollution and climate change, noted that this study is among the first to distinctly identify the impacts of climate change on mortality. She emphasized the uniqueness of examining these effects temporally and spatially.
The study concentrated on deaths linked to particulate matter exposure, specifically PM2.5, a significant concern stemming from wildfire smoke.
These tiny particles penetrate deep into the lungs, causing short-term symptoms like coughing and irritation. Over time, they can worsen pre-existing health conditions and result in serious, potentially fatal issues. Vulnerable populations include children, pregnant individuals, the elderly, and outdoor workers. The Health Effects Institute estimated that pollutants have caused 4 million deaths globally.
Evidence suggests that PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is more harmful than other pollution sources. In wildfire situations, toxic materials like burning cars can exacerbate the health risks.
Numerous studies have linked the rise in wildfires in North America to human activities such as the burning of coal, oil, and gas. Climate change is intensifying drought conditions, particularly in the West, alongside other extreme weather phenomena. The drying process reduces moisture in vegetation, which serves as fuel for fires. Together with increasing temperatures, this leads to more frequent, widespread, and severe wildfires.
Scholars find the findings disheartening yet unsurprising
Jacob Bendix, a professor emeritus of geography and the environment at Syracuse University, expressed disappointment in the results, stating he was not surprised by the study’s conclusions.
A recent survey published in the journal Communication Physics reveals that eggs are more likely to crack when they fall on their sides.
What implications does this have for cracking eggs? Eggs for breakfast? It may not matter significantly. The middle section remains intact while the Golden Fork fills with escaping whites.
Scientists suggest that this knowledge could aid in cooking stubborn eggs: dropping them horizontally may prevent a destructive crack that leads to a messy, cloudy interior.
Common belief holds that eggs are strongest at their edges, as demonstrated by their packaging in cartons. It’s thought that the curved base of the egg helps distribute force and minimize impact.
However, during compression tests, scientists found that eggs cracked with the same force regardless of the direction of pressure.
“The fun started when I expected one outcome and got another,” remarked Hudson Borja da Rocha from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was involved in the experiment.
The researchers conducted simulations, releasing eggs from three heights in both horizontal and vertical orientations, ranging down to 0.4 inches (10 mm).
The outcome? Fewer eggs broke when dropped horizontally.
“Conventional wisdom holds that vertical eggs are stronger than they appear, but this research shows otherwise,” stated Mark Myers, a materials scientist at the University of California, San Diego, who was not part of the study.
The research found that the equator of the egg is more flexible and can absorb more energy from a fall before breaking.
Eggs are often used in at-home experiments for egg drop challenges, which has partly inspired this new research. It remains uncertain whether these findings will help safeguard these delicate eggs.
Tal Cohen, a co-author from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, noted that it’s somewhat counterintuitive that the rectangular sides of the egg can better endure falls.
Countless broken eggs illustrate “the bravery to question these widely accepted notions.”
Researchers at Talton State University have discovered that extracts from okra and/or fenugreek can attract and eliminate as much as 90% of microplastics from sea, freshwater, and groundwater.
Srinivasan et al. We demonstrated that plant-based polysaccharides exhibited better microplastic removal efficiency than polyacrylamides commercially used in water treatment. Image credit: Srinivasan et al., doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4C07476.
Microplastics are emerging as significant pollutants that pose a threat to aquatic environments globally.
These solid polymers, measuring less than 5 mm, originate from larger plastic debris and the fragmentation of environmental emissions.
These contaminants not only inflict physical damage but also act as carriers for other harmful pollutants that cling to microplastics.
When consumed by organisms, these microparticles can lead to bioaccumulation and bioproliferation.
Conventional wastewater treatment methods using inorganic and organic polymer flocculants are not eco-friendly and can introduce toxicity.
Dr. Rajani Srinivasan and her team at Talton State University have been investigating a safe, plant-based strategy for attracting and eliminating contaminants from water sources.
In laboratory experiments, they found that okra, fenugreek, and tamarind polymers effectively adhered to microplastics, allowing them to aggregate and sink for easy separation from water.
To prepare the sticky plant polymer, sliced okra pods were soaked in separate containers of water overnight.
The resulting extracts were collected, dried, and ground into a powder.
Analysis revealed that the powdered extracts contained polysaccharides, which are natural polymers.
Initial tests on pure water contaminated with microplastics indicated: (i) One gram of any of the quart (1 liter) powders was highly effective in trapping microplastics. (ii) Dried okra and fenugreek extracts removed 67% and 93% of the plastic in one hour, respectively. (iii) A combination of equal parts okra and fenugreek powder reached a maximum removal efficiency of 70% within 30 minutes. (iv) Natural polymers proved significantly more effective than synthetic commercial polyacrylamide polymers typically used in wastewater treatment.
The researchers conducted tests using real water samples contaminated with microplastics.
They collected samples from various water sources around Texas and analyzed them in the lab.
The removal efficiency of plant extracts varied based on the original water source: okra was most effective in seawater (80%), fenugreek showed 80-90% efficiency in groundwater, and a 1:1 mixture of okra and fenugreek achieved 77% efficiency in freshwater.
The scientists suggest that natural polymers display different efficiencies due to the diversity of microplastic types, sizes, and shapes across water samples.
“While polyacrylamide is commonly used for contaminant removal in wastewater treatment, extracts from okra and fenugreek provide biodegradable and non-toxic alternatives,” they stated.
“Using these plant-based extracts for water treatment can eliminate microplastics and other pollutants without introducing additional toxins into the treated water, thereby reducing long-term health risks for the public,” Dr. Srinivasan added.
The team’s work has been published in the journal ACS Omega.
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Rajani Srinivasan et al. 2025. Fenugreek and okra polymers as therapeutic agents for removing microplastics from water sources. ACS Omega 10(15):14640-14656; doi:10.1021/acsomega.4C07476
Subneptin is a type of exoplanet characterized by high birth discharge thrombosis and lacks analogs within our solar system. Significantly smaller than gas giants, and typically cooler than Hot Jupiter exoplanets, these worlds were notably challenging to study before the launch of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Many subneptins are obscured by thick clouds and hazards, hindering our ability to analyze their atmospheric structures. Utilizing the Webb, astronomers have obtained the transmission spectrum of subneptin TOI-421B, unveiling its atmospheric chemical signatures.
TOI-421 is a solar-type star located approximately 245 light years away in the constellation of Repas.
Commonly known as BD-14 1137, this star is around 10 billion years old and hosts at least two giant exoplanets.
The inner planet, TOI-421B, is a subneptin with a radius of 2.65 times that of Earth and boasts a high equilibrium temperature of 647 degrees Celsius (1,197 degrees Fahrenheit).
“Prior to Webb, scientists had scant information regarding subneptins,” stated University of Maryland astronomer Brian Davenport and his team.
“These planets are several times larger than Earth, yet still much smaller than gas giants, usually cooler than hot Jupiters, and significantly harder to observe than their larger gas analogs.”
“A crucial finding before Webb was that many Neptune-like atmospheres exhibited flat or featureless transmission spectra.”
“This indicates that when scientists scrutinized the spectrum of planets transiting in front of a host star, they only observed flatline spectra, missing the details of the spectrum (chemical fingerprints revealing atmospheric composition).”
“Based on these flatline spectra observations, it was concluded that certain subneptins are extremely obscured, potentially due to clouds or haze.”
“Why did we focus on planet TOI-421B? Because we hypothesized it might be an exception,” said Eliza Kempton, an astronomer at the University of Maryland.
“This hypothesis stemmed from previous data suggesting that planets within specific temperature ranges were less likely to be shrouded in haze or clouds.”
“The temperature threshold is around 577 degrees (1,070 degrees Fahrenheit); beneath this, it was assumed that complex photochemical reactions occur between sunlight and methane gas, leading to haze.”
TOI-421B, with a temperature of approximately 727 degrees Celsius (1,340 degrees Fahrenheit), is significantly above this threshold.
The transmission spectra of subneptune TOI-421B uncover the presence of water and potential indications of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, without signs of carbon dioxide or methane. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/Joseph Olmsted, STSCI.
Without the interference of haze or clouds, astronomers anticipated observing a clear atmosphere.
“We identified spectral features attributable to various gases, which empowered us to ascertain the atmospheric composition,” explained Davenport.
“In many previously studied subneptins, although I inferred that their atmospheres contained specific gases, they remained obscured by haze.”
Researchers have identified atmospheric water vapor along with tentative signatures of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.
However, they did not find molecules such as methane and carbon dioxide.
From the gathered data, they speculate a substantial amount of hydrogen constitutes the atmosphere.
This prevalence of lightweight hydrogen was an unexpected revelation for scientists.
“We recently came to grips with the notion that one of the initial subneptins observed by Webb has a significant molecular atmosphere.
“This implies that TOI-421B may have formed and evolved differently compared to other cooler subneptins.”
“The hydrogen-rich atmosphere is intriguing, as it resembles the composition of its host star TOI-421B.”
“By incorporating the same gases that formed the host star into the planet’s atmosphere, and cooling them, one could replicate the same gas combination.”
“This process aligns more closely with the giant planets of our solar system, differing from previously observed subneptins through Webb.”
The team’s research paper was published this week in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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Brian Davenport et al. 2025. TOI-421B: High-temperature Neptune with a low average molecular weight atmosphere, haze-free. apjl 984, L44; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ADCD76
Apple is reportedly launching ferry iPhone cargo flights from its manufacturing plants in India to the US in order to counter Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Since March, the tech giant has transported 600 tonnes of iPhones, equivalent to 1.5 million mobile phones, from India after ramping up production at its local factories, as reported by Reuters.
Following President Trump’s call for a 90-day suspension and the pending 26% threatened tariffs on Indian imports, Apple faces the pressure of escalating tariffs on goods from China, where most iPhones are assembled, to a rate of 125%.
A source familiar with Apple’s strategy revealed to Reuters that the company’s objective is to evade tariffs. While India incurs import taxes based on Trump’s actions, it imposes a 10% tax rate.
Analysts caution that iPhone prices could soar after the US imposes hefty tariffs on Chinese imports, with estimates suggesting that the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 256GB storage could see a price increase from $1,199 (£925) to over $2,000.
Reports indicate that Apple aimed for a 20% production boost at its iPhone facility in India, achieved by scaling up the workforce and extending operations at Foxconn’s largest factory in Chennai over the weekends.
The Chennai factory, which churned out 20 million iPhones last year, including the latest models, is part of Apple’s trio of manufacturing plants in India operated by Foxconn and Tata.
This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple planned a temporary surge in iPhone shipments from India to the US to navigate through a “short-term suspension,” while also trying to secure a tariff waiver in China. If all iPhones made in India are redirected to the US, they would meet about half of the US demand this year, according to US Bank analyst Wamsi Mohan.
Experts caution that relocating iPhone production to the US is financially impractical due to factors like labor costs, with analysts at Wedbush Securities indicating a price tag of $3,500 for a domestically manufactured iPhone.
In a note to investors this week, WedBush analyst Dan Ives stated, “If consumers want a $3,500 iPhone, they need to make them in New Jersey, Texas, or another state.”
Constituity, the ability to combine meaningful elements into larger meaningful structures, is a characteristic of human language. Constitutiveness is trivial (the meaning of a combination is the sum of the meaning of that part) or non-trivial (one element changes the meaning of another element). In a new study, scientists studied the behavior of voices Wild bonobo (Pampaniscus) – Our closest living relatives – Kokoropoli Community Reserve The Democratic Republic of the Congo has found robust empirical evidence for the existence of non-trivial constitutive properties in these primates.
Tupac, a young male bonobo scratching his head. Image credits: Lukas Bierhoff, Kokolopori Bonobo Research Project.
A distinctive feature of human language is its ability to combine individual elements to form more complex and meaningful structures.
This principle known as constituency allows morphemes to be constructed into words and sentences.
The overall meaning is determined by its components and their arrangement.
Constitutiveness can take two forms: trivial and non-trivial. In trivial composition, each word maintains an independent meaning.
Non-trivial constituency involves more complex and nuanced relationships where meaning is not merely a direct sum of words that involve.
Constituity may not be inherent to human language. Birds and primate studies have demonstrated that some animals can combine meaningful vocalizations with structures of trivial composition.
However, to date, there is no direct evidence that animals use non-trivial compositionality in their communication.
In their new study, Melissa Bursett, a biologist at the University of Zurich, and her colleagues, discovered strong empirical evidence that wild bonobos use non-trivial constitutiveness in their vocal communications.
The authors analyzed 700 recordings and call combinations of bonobo vocal calls and documented over 300 contextual features associated with each utterance
A linguistic framework that measures the similarity of meaning between words using methods derived from distribution semantics, and these contextual features were analyzed to infer the meaning of individual bonobo vocalizations and quantify the relationships.
Next, to assess whether Bonobo Call combinations follow construct principles, they applied a multi-step approach that had previously been used to identify the constitutive nature of human communication.
They found that the bonobo call types are integrated into four constituent structures. Three of these suggest that they share more structural similarities with human language than previously recognized.
“Our approach allowed us to quantify how the meaning of the combination of single-call and call on bonobos relate to one another,” said Simon Townsend, professor at the University of Zurich.
“Humans and bonobos had a common ancestor about 70-13 million years ago, so they share many characteristics through descent, and constitutiveness seems likely to be one of them,” added Martin Sarbeck, a professor at Harvard University.
“So our research suggests that our ancestors already use compositionality extensively, if not more, at least 7 million years ago,” Professor Townsend said.
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
These toxin delivery systems are completely similar and often rival the complexity of the venom delivery systems found in animals such as venom snakes, scorpions, and spiders.
Four representative plant species introducing the poison delivery system: (a) Many ant plants share ants that provide homes and food. (b) Horstria, a parasitic plant that attacks other plants. (c) Stingy trichomes of stinging plants. (d) Raffide penetrates the oral membrane of an animal browsing a plant. Image credit: Hayes et al. , doi: 10.3390/toxin 17030099.
Toxologists and other biologists have studied toxic organisms and their secretions for centuries.
Their interest is largely due to the frequently and severe consequences of human exposure.
Humans also take advantage of the potential of toxins to explore the treatment of human illnesses and illnesses.
In doing so, scientists have leveraged countless natural experiments involving interactions between toxins and target cells and tissues.
The classification of biological toxins, in particular the distinction between venom and venom, is characterized by a colorful and sometimes controversial history.
Nevertheless, with the views of consensus and the introduction of the third phase, toxic biological secretions can be divided into three groups based on their mode of delivery to other organisms.
These include poisons that are transmitted passively without a delivery mechanism (intake, inhalation, or absorption of the entire surface). Toxicity was fed to the body surface without any associated wounds (e.g., spitting, spraying, or smearing). Poison (e.g., sting, biting) carried to internal tissues through the formation of wounds.
The organisms that possess these toxins are called toxic, toxins, and/or toxic, respectively.
These distinctions provide a meaningful framework for studying the evolution of these toxins, including biochemical structures. Related structures for synthesis, storage and application. And their functional role.
Discourses on poison and poisonous animals focus exclusively on animals.
The use of venom has evolved independently in at least 104 strains within at least eight animal phylums, which emphasizes the pronounced adaptability of the trait.
But do poison distribution systems exist in other entities?
“Our findings show that we rely on poisons to solve problems such as predation, defense, and competition.
“The venomous animals have long been trying to understand the fatal secretions and the properties associated with their use, but have long fascinated biologists who have also contributed to many life-saving treatments.”
“To date, our understanding of venoms, poison delivery systems, and poisonous organisms is entirely based on animals. This represents only a small fraction of organisms that can search for meaningful tools and treatments.”
According to the study, plants inject toxins into animals through spines, thorns and stinging hairs, some of which exist with stinging ants by providing living space and food in exchange for protection.
Even bacteria and viruses have evolved mechanisms such as secretory and contractile injection systems to introduce toxins to the target through host cells and wounds.
“I have a long history of studying venom in rattlesnakes, and I began exploring the broader definition of venom over a decade ago, teaching special courses on the biology of venom,” Professor Hayes said.
“My team and I were working on a paper to define what Venom really is, so we came across non-animal examples and decided to dig deeper to identify many of the possible overlooked examples.”
This research paves the way for new discoveries, and the authors hope that experts and scientists will encourage collaboration across disciplines and explore further how Venom has evolved across diverse organisms.
“We only hurt the surface in understanding evolutionary pathways of venom dissemination, including gene duplication, co-configuration of existing genes, and natural selection,” concluded Professor Hayes.
William K. Hayes et al. 2025. After all, it’s a small world. It is a prominent yet overlooked diversity of poisonous organisms with candidates for plants, fungi, protists, bacteria and viruses. toxin 17(3):99; doi:10.3390/toxin 17030099
New research shows that satiety-inducing molecules called bombesins are present not only in humans and other vertebrates, but also invertebrates such as starfish and their marine relatives.
Common starfish (Rubens of Asteria) Brofjorden is located in Govik, the Lysekil municipality in Sweden. Image credit: W. Carter.
Bombesin, a small peptide, plays an important role in regulating hunger by signaling when it is sufficient for us to eat.
When injected into mammals, bombesin was found to reduce the size of the meal and increase the time between meals.
This has led scientists to believe that bombesin-like neurohormones produced in the brain and intestines are part of the body’s natural system to control food intake.
Furthermore, along with weight loss inducers such as Ozempic, compounds that mimic the action of bombesin are occurring for the treatment of obesity.
In a new study, Professor Maurice Elphick and colleagues at Queen Mary University in London explored the evolutionary history of bombesin.
By analyzing the genome of invertebrates, they discovered a gene encoding a bombesin-like neurohormone. Common starfish (Rubens of Asteria) other cerebral dermatosis, such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
“It was like searching for needles in a haystack, but eventually we discovered a gene encoding a bombesin-like neurohormones in the genome of a starfish and its parent,” Professor Elphick said.
Researchers then turned their attention to the function of the bombesin in this starfish, named Arbn.
Mass spectrometry was used to determine the molecular structure of ARBNs and to be chemically synthesized and tested.
They investigated how ARBN affects starfish feeding behavior. Starfish have a unique way of eating. The stomach is stretched out from the mouth to digest prey such as mussels and oysters.
“When I tested Arbn, I found that it caused a starfish stomach contraction,” said Dr. Weiling Huang, a researcher at Queen Mary University in London.
“This suggested that ARBN may be involved in stimulating stomach contractions when starfish stop feeding.”
“And this is exactly what I found. When I injected Albun into the starfish while pounding my stomach, it caused my stomach and returned it to my mouth.”
“In addition, it took longer to surround the mussels compared to those injected with ARBN, which also delayed the onset of feeding.”
The discovery of the ancient role of bombesin in appetite regulation sheds light on the evolutionary origins of animal feeding behavior.
“We can estimate that this function dates back 5 billion years to the common ancestors of starfish, humans and other vertebrates,” Professor Elphick said.
a paper Regarding the survey results, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Heiling Han et al. 2025. Discovery and functional characterization of bombesin-type neuropeptide signaling systems in invertebrates. pnasin press; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2420966122
Galactic sea photographed by the Euclidean Space Telescope
ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, J.-C. Image processing by Cuillandre, E. Bertin, G. Anselmi
The extraordinary image from the Euclidean Space Telescope has acquired 26 million galaxies.
Euclid was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in July 2023, and in November of that year it sent its first image back. The six-year mission will image about a third of the sky and build the most detailed 3D map of Cosmos ever created. Once completed, this investigation will help to lighten how dark matter and dark energy behave on a cosmic scale.
ESA is currently being released The first large data on this missionstarts with three “deep fields.” This is an area where the telescope becomes a more detailed peer than the rest of the study area. These three spots represent 63 squares of sky, which corresponds to an area where the full moon is covered 300 times. Over the next few years, Euclide will pass these regions 30-52 times to build more detailed images.
It'll be Percival The University of Waterloo in Canada says that current batches of images are less than 50% of what gather on missions, but there is already plenty of researchers to collaborate. “There's so much you can do about many individual galaxies and their properties because it's not something that's done in space-based research with nearby infrared light or optics like this,” he says. “It's not exactly the same quality as HST [the Hubble Space Telescope]but it's so close that it doesn't just point to individual objects and shoot. We are conducting an investigation. ”
Researchers have already used Euclidean data to find hundreds of powerful gravity lenses. These phenomena are formed when the gravity of an object in the foreground distorts light from a distant galaxy, creating an arc shape or a complete ring. Previously, scientists had to hunt these individually, point them to the HST, and collect more images. Currently, astronomers can search for survey data from Euclidean and find more at once. This helps to gather insights into the evolution of galaxies and the universe.
Using AI models, researchers were able to find and catalog 500 galaxies with powerful gravity lenses with this first data alone, doubling the total seen to date. “The statistics are incredible,” Percival says. “Euclidean ultimately gets this amount of data 200 times.”
The data released so far represents only one week of images from Euclidean, but up to 35 terabytes. This is equivalent to 200 days of high quality video streaming. The next batch of data is expected to be released later next year, and will be a year's worth of images covering 2,000 square degrees and over 2,000 terabytes of storage space.
It can take over 100 years to view each galaxy manually, so AI is used to dramatically speed up the process, he says. Mike Walmsley At the University of Toronto. “We can ask new questions in weeks, not years, but in weeks,” he says.
We share 98.8% of DNA with our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. However, despite this almost identical genetic blueprint, chimpanzees have not built civilizations, fought wars, or mastered the art of Tiktok dance routines.
But what exactly makes us stand out? Now, neuroscientists may finally have the answer.
New research published in the journal jneurosci looks at new data from the brains of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques.
“We were interested in finding things that ticked different brains.” Professor Logier Mars, the study co-author said to BBC Science Focus. “And the human brain is something we were particularly interested in, for obvious reasons.”
According to Mars, most studies comparing human brains with other animal brains tend to focus on factors such as overall size, the size of a particular region, or the number of neurons. “But our philosophy is that if we really want to understand what is going on, we need to look into how our brains are organized,” he said.
With that approach in mind, Mars and his team set out to investigate. Similar to the scans used in hospitals, published MRI data were used to create a “connectivity blueprint” for three different species of brains. These blueprints essentially map out whether different regions of the brain communicate with each other.
One area the team expected to find a difference was in the prefrontal cortex. This region is related to complex thinking, planning, and decision making.
This area, often referred to as the “personality center” of the brain, plays an important role in regulating emotions and teaching behaviors. At first glance, it seems to be an obvious place to search for the essence of what makes us human. In fact, this study revealed that this region exhibited more connectivity than in other species.
But was that the whole story?
This image highlights the (red) behavioral domains of the left and right hemispheres showing high divergence after comparison. -Bryant et al. , Jneurosci 2025
“The prefrontal cortex is where researchers tend to see when they look for something unique about humans,” Mars said. “But we have found a difference in many places in the cortex of time just above your ears.
Temporal cortex plays an important role in the processing of sensory information – especially visual, sound, and language. Given our highly social and cooperative nature, it is probably not surprising that these areas are connected more intricately in the human brain.
“We are a very social and cooperative species,” explained Mars. “So these properties are likely the driving force behind the changes we observe.”
All of these suggest that there is no single definition switch that makes humans human. Some believe that highly evolutionary events have led us to dominance, but reality can be more complicated.
Like relatives not too far in the trees, we are the result of the progressive, widespread evolutionary changes that have shaped us over time.
Or, as Mars said, “There’s nothing big that makes us different.”
About our experts
Rosier Mars is a professor of neuroscience at Oxford University. His work focuses on the differences between primate brains, especially humans. Mars’s research is published in the following journals: Natural Communication, Frontiers of human neuroscience, and Science.
New genus and species of azhdarchid pterosaur named Infernodrakon Hastacollis It was discovered by a team of paleontologists from Idaho State University, Queen Mary University in London and the University of Wisconsin.
The newly described palace now resided in North America during the late Cretaceous Epoch period, about 67 million years ago.
It has been named Infernodrakon Hastacollisspecies had wingspans of 3-4 m (10-13 feet).
It was a species of Azdaltid, a pterosaur family known primarily from the late Cretaceous period.
Azhdarchids is one of the most successful pterosaur groups and contains several species with wing bones between 9-12 m (29.5-39.4 feet).
Their huge size was guided as to whether they were not flying, but a species called the Azdaltid species Quetzalcoatlus Northropi It is often considered one of the biggest flying animals in history.
“A significant number of Azhdarchid Pterosaurus fossils have been recovered from the Maastrichtian sediments in North America,” says Idaho State University paleontologist. Henry Thomas And his colleagues wrote in their papers.
“Historically, most of these specimens have been mentioned. Quetzalcoatlus Based on a preliminary understanding of the genus. ”
“More research Quetzalcoatlus Other azdaltides also increase understanding of clade anatomy and diversity, and ensure a reevaluation of specimens that previously mentioned this genus. ”
Single neck vertebrae Infernodrakon Hastacollis It was discovered in 2002 Hell Creek Formation In Montana, USA.
The specimen was originally assigned Quetzalcoatlus Genus.
Using laser scanning techniques, Thomas and his co-authors reconstructed the specimen morphology, revealing both unique and unique character combinations.
“We therefore assign this specimen to a new genus and species of medium-sized azdaltide. Infernodrakon HastacollisThey said.
“The phylogenetic analysis will be restored Infernodrakon Hastacollis It's more closely related Aramburg guinea twist Quetzalcoatlus. ”
Team's paper It was published in Journal of VertebratePaleontology.
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Henry N. Thomas et al. Infernodrakon Hastacollis Gen. et sp. November, a new Azdaltid pterosaur from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, and plant diversity in the Mastrichtian in North America. Journal of VertebratePaleontologyreleased online on February 28th. 2025; doi:10.1080/02724634.2024.2442476
Humans and puppies share a special bond that inspires viral videos, artwork, and adoration. Despite this strong connection, it turns out that humans may not be as good at understanding dogs as they think.
Recent research from Arizona State University (ASU) has revealed that people often misinterpret dog emotions more frequently than previously believed. The study suggests that humans may not accurately perceive what their dogs are feeling.
According to researchers like animal welfare scientists Holly Molinaro and ASU Professor of Psychology Clive Wynne, people tend to focus on external cues rather than the actual emotions of dogs. This can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of dog behavior.
Through experiments involving positive and negative scenarios, researchers found that participants often misinterpreted dog emotions based on external factors rather than the dogs’ actual behavior. Context played a significant role in how people perceived dog emotions.
Despite these findings, many participants projected their own emotions onto the dogs, further complicating their ability to accurately assess dog behavior. Even dog owners were not immune to these biases, as personal experience showed that they too could misinterpret dog emotions.
To improve understanding of dog emotions, researchers recommend humility and careful observation of a dog’s individual behavior cues. Each dog is unique, and it is essential to pay close attention to their subtle cues to truly understand their emotions.
Our dogs may be happy when we play with them, but we judge this more about the situation and our own feelings than what our puppies do. – Credit: westend61 via Getty
Learning to interpret a dog’s emotions accurately takes time and practice. By paying attention to subtle behavioral cues and staying open-minded, dog owners can build a stronger bond with their furry companions.
About our experts:
Holly Molinaro is a doctoral student, former professor, and animal welfare scientist at Arizona State University’s Department of Psychology.
When it comes to sensitivity, the question of which generation is the most sensitive depends on who you ask. American Psychologist Dr. Jean Twenghe has conducted research comparing different cohorts and suggested that “millennials” (those born between 1981 and 1996) exhibit traits such as neurotic narcissism and anxiety more than previous generations. They tend to have unrealistically high expectations and struggle with criticism.
However, other studies have not always supported these findings. Research on nearly 500,000 American high school students between 1976 and 2006 found minimal differences in psychological characteristics across generations, including egoism and sensitivity to social status, which may indicate hypersensitivity.
Contrarily, some studies suggest that older generations may actually be more sensitive. A study from 2019 that analyzed hundreds of people born between 1923 and 1969 showed that those born earlier in the century exhibited greater signs of hypersensitivity.
Another study from 2024 focused on changes in narcissistic traits, including hypersensitivity, over the lifespan and across generations. It revealed that narcissism tends to decrease with age consistently across generations.
Overall, these studies suggest that hypersensitivity tends to decrease with age, with age being a more significant factor than the generation one belongs to. Some experts, like psychologist Professor Cote Rudolph, argue that the concept of individual generations like “Boomers” and “Gen X-ers” is arbitrary, and age and life experiences have a more significant impact.
This article addresses the question of which generation is the most sensitive, as asked by Madison Halladay from Jersey.
To submit a question, please email Questions@sciencefocus.com or reach out on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page (remember to include your name and location).
For more fascinating science content, visit our Ultimate Fun Facts page.
Without human-induced climate change, the Earth could have been on track to enter another ice age within 11,000 years. This long-term prediction of the planet's “natural” climate is based on a new analysis of how orbital shapes and the tilt of their axis combine to change the amount of solar energy reaching Earth.
For millions of years, these orbital oscillations (known as the Milankovich cycle) entered and left the planet during the Ice Age about every 41,000 years. However, over the past 800,000 years, these ice ages, also known as ice age, have only occurred every 100,000 years. The term Ice Age, as it is currently, can be used to refer to whenever there is ice on Earth's poles, but generally refers to a wide range of ice Age periods.
The ambiguity of the record as the ice sheets were willingly retreated meant that it was not possible to explain how trajectory changes were involved in driving this long cycle.
If previous research attempted to link orbital changes to a specific period, such as onset of an ice age, Stephen Barker Cardiff University in England and his colleagues took a new tack. They came back fading during the “glacial age” where they saw the overall pattern of the ice age, also known as ice age. This allowed us to link changes in trajectories with changes in ice, despite the ambiguity of ice records over the past million years.
They discovered that these 100,000-year cycles appear to follow simple rules. For the last 900,000 years, following the most circular phase of the orbit, the planets also tilted towards the Sun, thus causing all interglacial periods after the Earth's axis wobbled at the farthest from the Sun.
This suggests that all three of these aspects of Earth's orbit (known as precession, oblique and eccentricity) are combined to create a 100,000-year glacial cycle, Barker says. “Since 900,000 years ago, this simple rule has predicted all of these major glacial end events, which says it's really very easy to predict,” he says.
Under that rule, the next ice age where you currently live is expected to begin approximately 66,000 years from the year, as there is no impact on greenhouse gas emissions. But that could only be started if there was an ice age before that,” says Barker.
The diagonal and gradual stages of precession that preceded the Holocene suggest that the glaciers are likely to be on track between 4300 and 11 and 100 years from now. We may now live in what would have been the beginning of this next ice age. “Of course, it's just a natural scenario,” says Barker.
More than 1.5 trillion tons of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere as the Industrial Revolution is expected to cause sufficient warming to disrupt this long-term glacial cycle.
“The amount we've already put into the atmosphere is so big that it takes hundreds to thousands of years to pull it out through natural processes,” Barker says. However, he says more research is needed to define the planet's future natural climate in a more detailed way.
It states that this is consistent with previous modeling suggesting that anthropogenic emissions can prevent the onset of the next ice age, from dozens to hundreds of thousands of years. Andrei Ganopolsky At the Potsdam Climate Impact Research Institute in Germany.
But he says even at pre-industrial levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, it was high enough to delay the ice sheet advancement by 50,000 years. This is due to the unusually small orbital changes expected in thousands of years and the unpredictable way that Earth responds to those changes.
Paradise birds are families of small to medium-sized forest birds found in the New Guinea region. With its elaborate and colorful feathers, these birds are one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet. A new study found that ornithologists at the American Museum of Natural History and ornithologists at the University of Nebraska Lincoln University were biological fluorescents out of 45 currently recognized paradise. They suggest that this special “brightness” is important among male birds due to hierarchy and mating displays.
The bigger bird bird (Paradisaea apoda). Image credit: Andrea Lawardi.
With colorful feathers and intricate courtship displays, the paradise bird has a special place in natural history.
They serve as examples of school books for sexual choice. This is the result of the selection of male female peers with attractive features.
The results show unparalleled radiation of species in which men exhibit extreme morphological features and behaviors, and behaviours that have no evolutionary meaning other than attracting women due to coalescence.
“The unique mating rituals and exhibitions of paradise birds fascinated scientists and promoted countless research focusing on the evolution of traits and sexual choice,” said Rene Martin, PhD, University of Nebraska, Dr. Lincoln. The doctor said.
“It seems appropriate that these flashy birds are likely signaling each other in an additional flashy way.”
Biofluorescence is a phenomenon that occurs when an organism absorbs light, converts it, and releases it as a different color.
“More than 10,000 people recorded birds and despite numerous studies that included bright feathers, elaborate mating displays and excellent vision, we surprisingly investigated the presence of biological fluorescence. There are very few people.”
“Bowerbirds and Fairy Wrens were unable to shine, but bright green yellow fluorescent light was found among the bird birds.”
Biological fluorescence is found in Emperor's birds (Paradisaea guilielmi). Image credit: Rene Martin.
Researchers discovered that when exposed to not only bird light, but also purple light, the birds also fluorescently, and that the birds emitted fluorescence.
This phenomenon is particularly prominent in men, focusing on the bright feathers and skin of the area highlighted during the exhibition: the mouth and bills of the head, neck, and belly.
In women, biological fluorescence is usually restricted to feathers in the chest and belly.
“These birds live near the equator, where bright sunlight is abundant all year round, and in forests where light complexity is heavily affected by different canopy differences, enhancing bioflaorent signals. It could be,” Emily said. Kerr, PhD student at the American Museum of Natural History.
“Studies based on closely related species found that bird eye pigments align with fluorescent peaks measured by researchers.”
“Based on this, we speculate that avian paradises can see these biological fluorescent patterns, which enhance the contrast with dark feathers and possibly play an important role in courtship and hierarchy. there is.”
study It will be published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
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Rene Martin et al. Royal Society Open Sciencein press; doi: 10.1098/rsos.241905
Small rocks in the universe revealed that life on earth could have come from asteroids. And life outside of earth suggests that we are one step closer than we thought.
A bold NASA mission known as OSIRIS-REX five years ago The Bennu asteroid is on a course close to colliding with earth, and in the process, it will grab a small sample. A small capsule, containing 120 grams (4 ounces) of asteroid material, landed in the Utah Desert in late 2023.
Since then, scientists have been eagerly waiting to hear the contents of the capsule. Currently, scientists have confirmed that the asteroid contains not only organic matter but also all the components that make up DNA.
Sample return capsules from NASA’s OSIRIS-REX mission are found immediately after landing in the Utah Desert on September 24, 2023. Photo Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
Bennu, currently orbiting close to the earth, is an ancient fragment of our solar system, with its parent asteroid formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
“We now know from Bennu that the ingredients of life are really interesting and complicated,” said Dr. Tim McCoy, the MET stone curator at the National Natural History Museum in the United States and co-leader of new papers.
“We have found the next step on the road to life.”
The breakthroughs suggest that life was formed on earth after asteroid collisions, but this process also occurs throughout the universe, whether through parent bodies or other asteroid collisions. It suggests a new beginning.
How can Bennu help in forming life?
The most important discovery is that Bennu seems to host “Brinny Bros,” which allows minerals and salts to mix. This compound developed into complex structures that form essential ingredients of life.
Researchers suggest that saltwater outside of earth may be an essential environment for birthing organic compounds throughout the universe, including on earth. In addition to the potential of water, these saltwater environments can facilitate prebiotic organic synthesis processes, where building blocks for life can come together.
Surprisingly, the absence of liquid water plays a vital role here. While liquid water is essential for life, chemical reactions needed to form complex structures require a loss of water in the process.
So what mixture forms this life?
The survey results will be published in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. Researchers around the world analyzed a small part of the sample using an electron microscope, enabling inspection at a resolution equal to a human hair.
“It may seem natural to think that earth, hosting life, has the most widespread collection of organic materials in the solar system,” said Dr. Douglas Vacoc, Research Organization Messaging President of METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence), to BBC Science Focus.
The first museum exhibit of a sample from the Bennu Asteroid was announced at the National Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. This is a rock-filled fragment with mass. Photo Credit: James di Loret and Philip R. Lee, Smithsonian
The impressive asteroid collection contains 14 of the 20 amino acids found in all living organisms (protein building blocks), including individual non-protein amino acids not known or existing in known biology. The sample also contains all five nucleic bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil) that form the code of DNA and RNA.
“There are no signs that Bennu’s amino acids were created by living organisms, but as we know, some essential building blocks for life are abundant on this asteroid,” Vacoch said.
How close are we to “life”?
Researchers have yet to understand the complex structure formed at Bennu’s core upon impact.
“We now have a basic building block moving along this path, but how far along this process can progress is unknown,” they said.
It’s not clear if Bennu’s conditions can advance to the next stage of biological evolution.
“Amino acids alone are not enough for life,” said Professor Lewis Dartnell to BBC Science Focus. “These acids need to bond into long chains to start protein production or bind to DNA. The next step in the origin of life requires not just building blocks but assembling these blocks.”
“To create life, these building blocks must begin the production of molecules like proteins and DNA, forming them into cells,” he added.
What is needed beyond organic molecules and water to reach this point? “The missing elements are energy sources like photosynthesis or chemical energy,” said Dartnell. “Additionally, a long period is required to move from simple amino acids to proteins, DNA, cells, and life spans.”
A scanning electron microscope image of carbonated sodium venous in Bennu’s sample – Photo Credit: Rob Wandel, Tim Gooding, and Tim McCoy, Smithsonian
This discovery represents a significant leap in understanding Bennu’s nature.
“By examining Bennu’s chemical composition, we have found clues to its origins and recent discoveries point to its roots in the outer solar system,” said Vacoch.
Bennu’s contents may set a new baseline for exploring other cosmic bodies. The sample was meticulously preserved before analysis, ensuring the integrity of the salt content.
“There is no substitute for traveling to asteroids, collecting pristine samples, and returning them to an Earth research institute,” Vacoch stated. “OSIRIS-REX serves as proof of profound discoveries from sample return missions.”
If the fragments had fallen to earth on their own, the salt content would have been disrupted in the earth’s atmosphere. But with this knowledge, McCoy and his colleagues may find evidence of this saltwater in existing MET stone collections.
“This is like finding what you were looking for on a mission,” McCoy said. “We have found something unexpected. It’s the best reward for all kinds of exploration.”
About our experts
Dr. Douglas Vacoch, President of the Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), is a research and educational organization that sends signals to nearby stars. He is a member of the International Space Law Research Institute and serves as a general editor for Springer’s Space and Society series.
Professor Lewis Dartnell is a Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster, specializing in space biology and the exploration of microbial life on Mars. He is the author of Origin: How Earth Created Us and The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch.
Read more:
10 future space missions I’m looking forward to
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These four signs of alien technology may lead us beyond earth
A recent study by the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Maryland suggests that the rugged terrain of the moon may still be active in areas of current interest for future missions.
The small ridge on the other side of the moon (yellow) reveals evidence that the moon may not be as dormant as before. Image Credit: Smithsonian facility, Tomwattors
For decades, scientists have been studying the moon’s surface to better understand its complex geological and evolutionary history.
Evidence from the moon’s Maria, the dark and flat areas filled with solid lava, suggests that the moon underwent significant compression in its distant past.
Researchers initially believed that a large ridge near the moon was formed by shrinkage billions of years ago, leading to the conclusion that the moon’s Maria had been dormant since then.
However, new research indicates that there may be more dynamic activity beneath the moon’s surface.
Jaclyn Clark and her colleagues, researchers at the University of Maryland, discovered that the small ridge on the other side of the moon is significantly younger than previously studied ridges.
“Many scientists had previously thought that most of the moon’s geological activity occurred over two to three billion years ago,” Clark stated. “But it appears that these structural features have been active within the past billion years and may still be active today.”
“These small ridges formed within the last 200 million years, a relatively recent timeframe in lunar terms,” she added.
Using advanced mapping and modeling techniques, researchers uncovered a previously unknown small ridge on the far side of the moon.
The ridge consists of 10-40 volcanic groups likely formed 3.2 to 3.6 billion years ago in narrow areas with fundamental weaknesses on the moon’s surface.
To determine the age of these small ridges, researchers employed a crater count method and found them to be younger than surrounding features.
“The more craters present, the older the surface,” Dr. Clark explained. “Based on the number of craters, we estimate that these features have been structurally active within the last 160 million years.”
Scientists noted that the structure of the distant ridge resembles that seen near the moon, suggesting they were formed by similar forces.
A few decades ago, NASA’s Apollo Mission detected shallow moonquakes. Recent findings suggest that these small ridges may be related to similar seismic activity.
“I hope that future moon missions will include tools like terrestrial penetration radar to better understand the subsurface structure of the moon,” Clark expressed. “Knowing that the moon is still geologically active is crucial for planning human missions and infrastructure development on the lunar surface.”
The team’s paper was published this month in the Planetary Science Journal.
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Ca Nypaver et al. 2025. Moon Distant Ridges and Antartica – Recent Structural Deformation of an Incongruous Basin. Planet. Sci. J 6, 16; DOI: 10.3847/PSJ/AD9EAA
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured an impressive photo of a well-known galaxy called Wisea J070815.11+210422.3.
SN 2022AJN looks like a blue point in the center of this Hubble image, brightening the Wisea J070815.11+210422.3 blurred body. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / RJ Foley, UC Santa Cruz.
Wisea J070815.11+210422.3 is situated approximately 600 million light years away in the Gemini constellation.
This image was captured about two months following the supernova event in the galaxy, known as SN 2022AJN.
“Up until the announcement made in November 2022, SN 2022AJN had not been the focus of published research,” stated Hubble astronomers.
“Hubble observed this supernova for a reason. SN 2022AJN is classified as a Type IA supernova, resulting from the explosive death of a star’s core.”
Type IA Supernovae are valuable to astronomers for determining distances to distant galaxies.
“This is feasible because Type IA supernovae exhibit consistent brightness, emitting the same amount of light regardless of their distance from Earth,” they explained.
“Thus, by comparing observed brightness to expected brightness, the distance to the supernova and its host galaxy can be calculated.”
“Despite its apparent simplicity, this measurement method is complicated by intergalactic dust.”
“A supernova appearing red when it should be blue can be due to dust between galaxies affecting its appearance.”
“To address this complication, Hubble is being employed to study a total of 100 Type IA supernovae across seven wavelength bands, ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared.”
The color image of Wisea J070815.11+210422.3 was produced from various exposures collected in the infrared part of the spectrum using Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
Four filters were utilized to sample different infrared wavelengths, with each filter assigned a different hue to represent a single color image.
“This image blends data from four infrared wavelengths,” explained scientists.
“Infrared light passes through dust more effectively than visible or ultraviolet light.”
“By comparing supernova brightness across different wavelengths, researchers can mitigate the impact of dust and distance, enhancing measurements of distant galaxies and the universe’s expansion.”
Donald Trump has initiated what he refers to as “the largest AI infrastructure project in history,” a $500 billion collaboration involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, with the goal of establishing a network of data centers throughout the United States.
The newly formed partnership, named Stargate, will construct the necessary data centers and computing infrastructure to propel the advancement of artificial intelligence. Trump stated that over 100,000 individuals will be deployed “almost immediately” as part of this initiative, emphasizing the objective of creating jobs in America.
This announcement signifies one of Trump’s initial significant business moves since his return to office, as the U.S. seeks new strategies to maintain its AI superiority over China. The announcement was made during an event attended by Mr. Ellison, Softbank’s Masayoshi Son, Open AI’s Sam Altman, and other prominent figures.
President Trump expressed his intention to leverage the state of emergency to promote project development, particularly in the realm of energy infrastructure.
“We need to build this,” declared President Trump. “They require substantial power generation, and we are streamlining the process for them to undertake this production within their own facilities.”
This initiative comes on the heels of President Trump reversing the policies of his predecessor, President Joe Biden. A 100-page executive order signals a significant shift in U.S. AI policy regarding safety standards and content watermarking.
While the investment is substantial, it aligns with broader market projections – financial firm Blackstone has already predicted $1 trillion in U.S. data center investments over a five-year period.
President Trump portrayed the announcement as a vote of confidence in his administration, noting that its timing coincided with his return to power. He stated, “This monumental endeavor serves as a strong statement of belief in America’s potential under new leadership.”
The establishment of Stargate follows a prior announcement by President Trump regarding a $20 billion AI data center investment by UAE-based DAMAC Properties. While locations for the new data centers in the U.S. are under consideration, the project will commence with an initial site in Texas.
Australopithecus had a varied but plant-based diet, as indicated by stable isotope data analysis from seven human specimens collected in Sterkfontein, South Africa, 3.5 million years ago.
Lüdecke others. claim that Australopithecus In Sterkfontein, mammalian meat was not regularly consumed. Image credit: Cicero Moraes / CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in the mammalian body and can preserve the isotopic fingerprint of an animal’s diet for millions of years,” says geochemist Dr Tina Lüdecke from the University of the Witwatersrand. said.
“When animals digest food, a biochemical reaction involves light isotopes of nitrogen (14yeah). ”
“Therefore, the breakdown products produced in their bodies include a high proportion of 14N.”
“When these light nitrogen compounds are excreted in urine, feces, or sweat, the proportion of heavy nitrogen increases (15N) It provides the body with this light nitrogen compared to the food it takes in. ”
“This means that herbivores have higher nitrogen isotope ratios than the plants they consume, and carnivores have higher nitrogen isotope ratios than their prey.”
“Therefore, the higher the 15From N 14The higher the N ratio in the tissue sample, the higher the trophic position of the organism in the food web. ”
Nitrogen isotope ratios have long been used to study the diet of hair, nails, bones, and many other organic materials in modern animals and humans.
However, in fossil materials, these measurements have until now been limited to samples only tens of thousands of years old, as the organic material degrades over time.
In the new study, Luedecke and colleagues used a new technique to measure nitrogen isotope ratios in the enamel of fossilized teeth that are millions of years old.
They found that the nitrogen isotope ratio in tooth enamel was Australopithecus Abundances varied but were consistently low, similar to herbivore populations, and much lower than modern carnivore populations.
They conclude that the diets of these hominins, although diverse, consisted largely or exclusively of plant-based foods.
Therefore, Australopithecus did not regularly hunt large mammals, as Neanderthals did millions of years later, for example.
Although researchers cannot completely rule out the possibility that they occasionally consumed animal protein sources such as eggs or termites, there is evidence that their diet was primarily vegetarian.
“Our method opens up exciting possibilities for understanding human evolution and has the potential to answer important questions, such as when did our ancestors start incorporating meat into their diets?” And was the onset of meat eating associated with an increase in brain volume?” said Dr. Alfredo Martínez García, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.
“This study represents a major step in extending our ability to better understand the diets and nutrient levels of all animals to multi-million-year scales.”
“This study provides clear evidence that the diet did not include large amounts of meat.”
“A pioneering application of this new method was pioneered at the Sterkfontein site, which continues to make fundamental contributions to science 89 years after the first hominin fossils were discovered there by Robert Bloom. We are honored to have received this recognition,” said Professor Dominic Stratford, Director of the Center. Research in Sterkfontein Cave.
Tina Ludecke others. 2025. Australopithecus In Sterkfontein, very little mammalian meat was consumed. science 387 (6731): 309-314;doi: 10.1126/science.adq7315
SpaceX announced Thursday that its Starship spacecraft was damaged during a flight meant to test the capabilities of its giant rocket.
The upper stage of the rocket system appears to have disintegrated somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico or possibly the Caribbean Sea. Shortly after SpaceX announced it had lost contact with the spacecraft, a video showing debris flying through the sky surfaced on social media.
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, Shared a video of the rubble on Xwrote, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
Musk added later: “Preliminary indications are that there was an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the firewall of the ship’s engine, which was large enough to create a pressure that exceeded the capacity of the vent.”
Musk added that there will be no changes to future launch plans, although some changes will be made, such as increased firefighting efforts.
No one was aboard the Starship, but it is currently being tested in preparation for a mission to the moon and beyond.
SpaceX’s seventh Starship test flight started off smoothly, with the rocket lifting off and the booster returning intact to shore at the company’s Starbase launch site near Brownsville, Texas.
Problems began shortly thereafter, and SpaceX lost contact with Starship about nine minutes after liftoff. Kate Tice, senior manager of quality systems engineering at SpaceX, said the company had lost a ship. SpaceX wrote about X It said there had been a “rapid and unplanned demolition.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that it was “aware of an anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX Starship Flight 7 mission.”
Shortly after, the FAA said in an updated statement that it “temporarily slowed and redirected the aircraft around the area where spacecraft debris had fallen,” adding that normal operations had resumed.
SpaceX video According to an article posted early Thursday, Starship’s planned trajectory would take it from the southern tip of Texas, over the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula, east to near Cuba, and across the Atlantic Ocean. If the flight had gone as planned, it would have ended up in the Indian Ocean.
Starship is the most powerful rocket ever developed, standing 400 feet tall. The rocket consists of two parts: a first stage booster known as the Super Heavy and an upper stage Starship spacecraft.
The system is expected to play a key role in NASA’s efforts to return to the moon. NASA has selected SpaceX to carry astronauts to the moon’s surface on NASA’s Artemis III mission, scheduled to launch in 2027. Musk also said Starship could be used for future Mars missions.
“Spaceflight isn’t easy. It’s never routine. That’s why these tests are so important. Each test brings us closer to the moon and, through #Artemis, to Mars. ” he wrote.
It is not uncommon for accidents to occur during the testing of new rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX’s first attempt to launch Starship in 2023 ended with a fiery explosion minutes after liftoff. The incident triggered a months-long safety review that scrutinized the environmental impact of rocket launches from South Texa’s Gulf Coast.
Holly Hackman told NBC News she was walking on the beach with her boyfriend in the Turks and Caicos Islands when debris started flowing overhead and recorded video. she posted online.
“He thought it was an alien,” Hackman said. “We were going for a walk on the beach and my boyfriend looked up and freaked me out.”
Jason Abbruzzese
Jason Abbruzzese is deputy editor for technology and science at NBC News Digital.
Dennis Chow
Dennis Chou is a science and space reporter for NBC News.
Colin Seeley, Noraig O'Connor and Brian Gullion contributed.
Nintendo has officially unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2, the highly anticipated successor to the popular Switch console that has sold 150 million units. The release date is set for the second half of 2025.
The original Nintendo Switch made its debut on March 3, 2017, introducing hybrid gaming consoles to the market. Players could enjoy gaming on the go with the detachable controllers or connect to their TV at home. The Switch 2 follows a similar concept, featuring a larger screen and a redesigned controller that attaches magnetically to the side. The versatile controller can be used like a mouse or held in hand like a traditional joystick, and also offers motion control capabilities.
A brief trailer showcases the new Mario Kart iteration running on the console.
This release marks a significant evolution for Nintendo, known for its history of innovation in the video game industry over the past 40 years. The Nintendo 64, released in 1997, introduced analog sticks for 3D character movement control, while the Wii in 2006 revolutionized home gaming with motion control games like Wii Sports. The Virtual Boy in 1995 dabbled in early VR technology, and the Wii U was the first console with a screen in the controller. Nintendo’s consoles have always been distinct in design, name, and features with each new generation.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be compatible with all existing Nintendo Switch games, allowing players to carry over their Marketplace purchases to the new console upon launch later this year.
The gaming industry has faced challenges recently, with layoffs, longer development cycles, and uncertainty over business models. Analysts and commentators anticipate that the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 will reinvigorate sales and excitement in the sector.
More details will be revealed on April 2nd, with Nintendo hosting events worldwide later in the month for fans to experience the new console. A lottery will open on January 17th at 2pm for the chance to win tickets to attend.
American paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains of a new species of sauropod dinosaur that lived in the northern hemisphere (Laurasian supercontinent) during the Carnian period of the late Triassic period, about 230 million years ago.
reconstruction of Avaitum banduichethe world's oldest known low-latitude dinosaur species. Image credit: Gabriel Uguet.
Until now, it was thought that dinosaurs originated deep in the high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (Gondwana supercontinent).
The dinosaur fauna of Gondwana and the earliest dinosaur occurrences in the Northern Hemisphere (Laurasian supercontinent) were separated by 6 to 10 million years.
However, the newly described Laurasia species lived at the same time as the oldest known southern dinosaurs.
named Avaitum banduicheThis sauropod is the oldest known Laurasian dinosaur.
“Avaitum banduiche Dr. Dave Loveless of the University of Wisconsin Museum of Geology and his colleagues found that “Dinosaurs lived in Laurasia during or shortly after a period of huge climate change known as the Carnian Plug, which previously led to the diversification of dinosaur species. “It was involved in the early stages of.” .
“The climate at the time was much wetter than before, turning vast, hot desert regions into more hospitable habitats for early dinosaurs.”
Avaitum banduiche It was about 1 meter (3 feet) long from head to tail.
“Avaitum banduiche “It's basically the size of a chicken, but it has a very long tail,” Dr. Lovelace said.
“We think of dinosaurs as giant behemoths, but they didn't start out that way.”
fossil remains are Avaitum banduiche It was discovered in 2013 at Garrett's Surprise (named after Garrett Johnson, the undergraduate field assistant who discovered the locality), a small outcrop of the Popo Aggie Formation in Wyoming.
“These fossils reveal the world's oldest equatorial dinosaur, which is also the oldest North American dinosaur,” Dr. Loveless said.
At the same Garrett's Surprise site, paleontologists also discovered fossilized bones of dinosaur-like creatures called silesaurids.
“The presence of early low-latitude sauropods from the Northern Hemisphere, along with silesaurids, 230 million years ago casts doubt on the hypothesis that the dispersal of dinosaurs from high-latitude Gondwana was delayed.” the researchers said.
“These data fill a critical gap in the early record of the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs and demonstrate a wide geographic distribution from mid-to-late Carnian times.”
their result will appear in Zoological journal of the Linnean Society.
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David M. Lovelace others. 2025. Rethinking the origins of dinosaurs: The oldest known equatorial dinosaur population (Mid-Late Carnian Popo Aggie FM, Wyoming, USA). Zoological journal of the Linnean Society 203 (1): zlae153;doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae153
High-resolution UAV-based aerial survey of the massive Bronze Age fortress Domanissis Gora in Georgia, South Caucasus, reveals the extent of a large external fortification system and settlements that are largely undocumented in the region. The exceptional size of D. gora helps add a new dimension to population assembly models in Eurasia and other regions.
Aerial photo of the Domanisis Gora ruins. It shows where two canyons meet. Excavation work on the inner fortress in 2023 is visible in the foreground. Image credit: Nathaniel Erb-Satullo.
Fortified settlements in the South Caucasus appeared between 1500 and 500 BC and represent an unprecedented development in the region’s prehistory.
Located on the border between Europe, the Eurasian steppe and the Middle East, the Caucasus region has a long history as a crossroads of cultures with a unique regional identity.
In a new study, archaeologists focused on Domanisis Gora, a 60-80 hectare fortified settlement in Georgia that is exceptional in its preservation and size.
Dr. Nathaniel Erb Satullo of the Cranfield Institute of Forensic Sciences at Cranfield University and his colleagues wrote: “The fortifications of Domanisis Gora consisted of a double-walled fortified core and a much larger outer shell with additional fortifications. “There is,” he said.
“Two steep-sided gorges, 60 meters deep in places, supplement the defensive walls.”
“Previous research had noted that the site had an unusually large walled enclosure, but the site had not been systematically mapped.”
The researchers used the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, which can provide less than 2 cm relative position accuracy and very high-resolution aerial imagery.
To obtain high-precision maps containing man-made features, each feature in the aerial images was carefully checked to confirm its identity.
To understand how the landscape at the site has evolved, the orthophotos were compared to 50-year-old photos taken by a Cold War-era reconnaissance satellite that was declassified in 2013.
This gave scientists much-needed insight into which features are recent and which are old.
The team was also able to assess which areas of the ancient settlement were damaged by modern agriculture.
All of these data sets were integrated into geographic information system (GIS) software to help identify patterns and changes in the landscape.
“The drone takes approximately 11,000 photos and uses advanced software to combine these photos with a high-resolution digital elevation model and orthophotos, which show every point as if looking directly down. We created a composite photo,” said Dr. Elvusaturo.
The researchers found that the Domanisis Gora ruins were more than 40 times larger than originally thought, and included a large outer settlement protected by a kilometer-long wall.
“Using a drone, we were able to understand the importance of the site and document it in a way that would not be possible on the ground,” said Dr. Herv Saturo.
“Domanisis Gora is not only an important discovery for the South Caucasus region, but also has broader significance for the diversity of large-scale settlement structures and their formation processes.”
“We hypothesize that Domanicis gora may have expanded through interaction with mobile pastoral groups, with large settlements outside it expanding and contracting seasonally.”
“The site has now been extensively mapped and further research will be initiated to gain insight into areas such as population density and density, livestock movements and agricultural practices.”
The team’s paper was published in a magazine ancient.
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Nathaniel L. Erb-Saturo others. Megaforts of the South Caucasus: New data from southern Georgia. ancientpublished online on January 8, 2025. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2024.197
Feeling rejected, whether by a relative, significant other, date, friend, or employer, can be tough. It’s crucial to remember that you value the relationship more than they do, indicating a mismatch in values.
The asymmetry of such situations can be hurtful, especially when it occurs repeatedly. Research shows that people often consider the loss of relationships as one of the most painful experiences in their lives.
Brain imaging research also suggests that feelings of rejection activate parts of the brain associated with physical pain, explaining the visceral nature of mental suffering in such situations.
If you face rejection frequently, you may develop “rejection sensitivity,” causing you to avoid interactions to prevent further pain. Therapists can assist in developing a sense of belonging elsewhere and managing difficult emotions.
Credit: Adam Gale
Therapists can also help you view rejection in a more rational and self-compassionate manner. Instead of internalizing rejection as a flaw in yourself, consider alternate perspectives.
For instance, a job rejection could be due to being overqualified, or a missed call from a potential date may be from nervousness. Sometimes, rejection may not be about you at all, such as a friend avoiding you due to their own reasons.
Approaching new relationships as learning opportunities and staying open-minded can help you overcome fear of rejection. Reflect on what you could do differently in the future and seek connections in different ways.
This article addresses overcoming the fear of rejection, inspired by a question from Birmingham resident Louisa Rollins.
If you have any queries, contact us at:questions@sciencefocus.comor reach out to us onFacebook, Twitter, or Instagram(don’t forget to include your name and location).
Free amino acids (FAA) specifically determine the quality of tea. Theaninewhich gives the tea its infusion flavor. However, its concentration varies widely depending on the type of tea, influencing both the flavor and nutritional profile of the tea. In a new study led by the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Huazhong Agricultural University, 339 tea lines were collected to study FAA levels to elucidate tea variation and accumulation mechanisms. The results provide insights and benefits for the conservation, evaluation, and utilization of tea germplasm, with the ultimate goal of tea plant genetic improvement and breeding, as well as further deciphering the complex complex traits of tea plants. We provide valuable information and approaches to help you.
By analyzing the variation of FAA of 339 tea accessions over 2 years, the determined components of FAA, including arginine, glutamine, glutamic acid, alanine, and theanine, with the highest diversity index were found in different genetic resources and within species. We found that there were differences between strains. On the other hand, the amount is Camellia sinensis All were significantly higher than their wild relatives. In this study, a significant opposite trend between chlorophyll and FAA profiles was identified. Image credit: Sci.News.
“Tea tree (Camellia sinensis) and its wild relatives, evergreens and woody perennials, belong to this genus. camellia “It is a member of the Camellia family with a long history of cultivation,” said co-senior author Dr. Liang Chen of the Tea Research Institute and colleagues.
“Originally in southwestern China, it is widely consumed around the world and is becoming the most important non-alcoholic beverage.”
“For commercial and quality value, the secondary metabolites of the tea plant are important criteria associated with pleasant flavor, nutritional value, and numerous health benefits, including polyphenols, catechins, caffeine, theanine, and terpenes. .”
“Therefore, the evaluation and utilization of tea lines… findings appear in this diary horticultural research.
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ron fan others. 2024. Comprehensive analysis of free amino acid variation and accumulation in tea lines. horticultural research 11 (1):uhad263;doi: 10.1093/hr/uhad263
Conservation requires accurate information about species occupancy, abundance, and behavior. However, collecting these data for elusive and isolated species such as Leopard (Panthera Pardus)is often challenging. In a large-scale paired camera trap and autonomous recording survey Nyerere National ParkScientists in Tanzania have discovered that each leopard has a unique call, which can be used to identify them. The authors were able to identify individual leopards by their vocalizations with 93.1% accuracy.
Examples of autonomous recording units (left) and camera trap (right) stations. Image credit: Growcott others., doi:10.1002/rse2.429.
Leopards are listed as vulnerable According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is mainly caused by habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.
But because leopards are solitary nocturnal creatures that live across vast landscapes, scientists have struggled to gather reliable data to help reverse population declines.
There is little scientific research into the leopard's “saw-like roar.” This is a repetitive, low-frequency pattern of strokes that can often be heard from at least a kilometer away, and is primarily used to attract mates and defend territory.
But studying leopards through the sounds they make (a technique known as bioacoustics and commonly used to monitor birds and marine life) has the advantage of allowing researchers to monitor a wider area. .
It could lead to more complex studies, such as population estimates, a key indicator that helps policy makers and conservationists understand how to manage landscapes and reduce human-wildlife conflict. There is a gender.
University of Exeter PhD student Jonathan Growcott and his colleagues have conducted the first large-scale paired passive acoustic monitoring and camera trapping study.
They focused on 450km2 Fifty cameras have been installed in trees along roads and trails across a vast area of Tanzania's Nyerere National Park.
They placed a microphone next to each camera, allowing them to identify the leopard from the camera and extract its roaring bouts from the audio.
They then used a modeling system to analyze the temporal patterns of leopard calls and found that individuals could be identified with an overall accuracy of 93.1%.
This study shows that by using multiple forms of technology to record complementary data, we can exploit a wider range of species characteristics than studying any single technology in isolation.
“The discovery that leopards have a distinctive roar is an important but fundamentally very basic discovery that shows how little we know about leopards and large carnivores in general.” Growcott said.
“We hope this will make leopards the focus of more complex acoustic science, such as population density studies, and open the door to further research into how large carnivores use vocalizations as a tool.” Masu.”
“Importantly, we hope that our success in using a combination of different types of technology will inspire others to think about how to integrate different types of technology into their research. Because the rich data this provides could truly advance science and help us understand ecosystems and landscapes in a more holistic way. ”
of study Published in this month's magazine Remote sensing in ecology and conservation.
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Jonathan Growcott others. The secret acoustic world of leopards: A combination of camera traps and bioacoustic surveys facilitates the identification of leopards by their roars. Remote sensing in ecology and conservationpublished online on December 22, 2024. doi: 10.1002/rse2.429
In new research Published in a magazine PLoS ONEArchaeologists have investigated exceptional human remains unearthed from the Middle Trypilian site (c. 3700-3600 BC) of Kosenivka in Ukraine.
The Trypilian culture was a Neolithic European culture that arose in Ukraine between the Seret and Bug rivers in the 5th millennium BC, extending south into modern-day Romania and Moldova and east as far as the Dnieper River.
Also known as the Cucuteni-Trypilian culture, this culture is characterized by advanced agriculture, advanced metallurgy, pottery making, sophisticated architecture, and social organization.
Trypian society was a matrilineal society in which women headed the household, engaged in agricultural work, and manufactured pottery, textiles, and clothing.
Hunting, raising livestock, and making tools were the responsibility of men.
“Despite the huge number of artifacts left behind by the Trypilians, archaeologists have discovered very few human remains,” said Dr Katharina Fuchs from Kiel University and her colleagues.
“Because of this absence, many aspects of the life of this ancient people remain to be discovered.”
Researchers investigated a Trypilian culture settlement near Kosenivka, Ukraine.
This site, which consists of several houses, is unique in the presence of human remains.
The 50 human bone fragments found in the remains of the house were taken from at least seven people, children, adults, men and women, who likely once lived in the house. The bodies of four of them were also badly burned.
Researchers analyzed the carbon and nitrogen content of bones, grains and animal carcasses found at the site and found that meat made up less than 10% of the residents' diet.
This matches teeth found at the scene, which show wear marks indicating chewing on grain or other plant fibers.
That the Trypilian diet consisted largely of plants supports the theory that cattle in these cultures were primarily used to fertilize fields and produce milk rather than for meat production.
“Human bones are a real biological archive,” Dr. Fuchs said.
“The study of Trypilian society and its living conditions in the oldest urban communities in Eastern Europe remains difficult, but our 'Cosembica case' clearly shows that even small bone fragments can be of great help. ”
“By combining new osteological, isotopic, archaeobotanical and archaeological information, we provide excellent insight into the lives, and possibly deaths, of these people.”
Scientists also investigated potential causes of the burns, including fire and unusual forms of burial.
Burnt bone fragments were mainly found in the center of the house, and previous research had assumed that the residents there died in a house fire.
The authors examined the bone fragments microscopically and concluded that the burn probably occurred shortly after death.
In the event of an accidental fire, the researchers suggest that some people could have died from carbon monoxide poisoning even if they had escaped their homes.
According to radiocarbon dating, one of them died in about 19 years. 100 years later. This person's death cannot be related to the fire, but is otherwise unknown.
Two others whose skull injuries have not healed have raised questions about whether violence may have played a similar role.
Examination of Trypilian human bone finds showed researchers that less than 1% of the dead were cremated, and even more rarely buried inside homes.
“Overall, our results point to enormous yet untapped explanatory potential in the rare and poorly preserved bioarchaeological archive of the Cucuteni Trypillia phenomenon,” the scientists concluded.
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K. Fuchs others. 2024. Life and death in the Trypilian period: an interdisciplinary analysis of unique human bones from the Kosenivka settlement, Ukraine (3700-3600 BC). PLoS ONE 19 (12): e0289769;doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289769
Measuring just 4cm square, Google has developed a computing chip with unprecedented speed. In just five minutes, this chip can complete tasks that would take conventional computers 10 billion years to finish – a mind-boggling number surpassing the age of our universe.
The chip, named Willow, is the size of an After Eight Mint and could revolutionize drug development by accelerating the experimental phase. Recent advancements suggest that within five years, quantum computing will transform research and development across various industries.
Willow boasts fewer errors, enhancing the potential of artificial intelligence. Quantum computing leverages matter existing in multiple states simultaneously to make vast calculations beyond previous capabilities, expediting advancements in medicine and technology.
However, concerns remain about security vulnerabilities posed by quantum computing – the ability to breach even the most robust encryption systems.
Google Quantum AI, alongside other entities like Microsoft, Harvard University, and Quantinum, is working on harnessing quantum mechanics for computing. Overcoming challenges in error correction has paved the way for significant speed enhancements and groundbreaking developments.
Quantum processors are evolving rapidly, surpassing traditional computers and unlocking new possibilities for quantum computations. The potential for quantum computers to exist in multiple states simultaneously promises remarkable capabilities across various fields.
Dr Peter Leake, Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Quantum Institute and founder of Oxford Quantum Circuits, acknowledges the rapid advancements in quantum computing technology. While applauding Google’s progress in error correction, he highlights the need for practical applicability in real-world scenarios.
As quantum computing approaches practical implementation, collaboration across various fields becomes crucial to navigate challenges and harness the full potential of this groundbreaking technology.
According to a team of astronomers from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics at the University of Potsdam, the XX triangular star, a bright K0 giant star in a binary star system located in the constellation Triangulum, exhibits chaotic, aperiodic star point behavior. That’s what it means. and Konkoli Observatory.
XX A star spot on the surface of the constellation Triangulum. Image credits: HUN-REN RCAES / Zs. Kushvari, MOME / Á. Radovani, AIP / K. Strassmeyer.
“Among the things that can be observed from a spatially resolved solar disk are the number, size and morphology of sunspots, their growth and decay, and their movement in latitude and longitude,” said lead author and director of the Leibniz Institute for Astronomy. said Professor Klaus Strassmeyer. Potsdam Astrophysics and Potsdam University, and their colleagues.
“Such spots are also seen on other stars and are called star spots.”
“We use indirect surface imaging techniques to invert the spectral line profile into an image of the stellar surface.”
“Typically we only get occasional snapshots of spots on a star’s surface, but the spots change systematically over time, and like the Sun, only then can we learn about the internal dynamos and structure of the target in question. Well known.”
“We chose the XX triangular star, one of the most speckled stars in the sky, for a more sustained application of Doppler imaging.”
XX triangle It is located about 640 light years away in the constellation Triangulum.
The star, also known as XX Tri or HD 12545, has a mass only 10% more than the Sun, a radius 10 times the Sun’s radius, and an effective temperature of 4630 K.
It has a rotation period of 24 days, which is synchronized with the orbital period of the binary star system.
XX Trigonum has previously been shown to contain a gigantic star spot with physical dimensions equivalent to 10,000 times the area of the largest group of spots ever seen on the Sun, and 10 times the size of the projected solar disk. It had been discovered in
Professor Strassmeier and his co-authors took 99 separate images of the star using an indirect surface imaging technique called Doppler imaging.
“A dark spot on the star’s surface caused its optical center (a point that essentially represents the star’s ‘center of light’) to shift by up to 24 microarcseconds, which is less than the radius of the star’s visible disk. This corresponds to approximately 10%,” they said. Said.
“These changes occur because the dark spots reduce the brightness of certain areas of the star, shifting the perceived center of light slightly.”
“However, unlike the sun’s predictable activity cycles, the displacements of these photocenters did not follow a periodic pattern. This is a largely chaotic and probably aperiodic pattern, very different from the solar dynamo. This suggests that it is a dynamo.”
“This phenomenon also highlights challenges in detecting exoplanets, as spot-induced fluctuations in the optical center can mimic or mask small movements caused by orbiting planets, which could impose substantial limitations on the detection of such exoplanets by astronomical observations.”
of findings appear in the diary nature communications.
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KG Strassmeyer others. 2024. XX Long-term Doppler images of triangular stars show chaotic aperiodic dynamos. Nat Commune 15, 9986; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54329-4
Paleoanthropologists believe that the Columbian mammoth (mammoth colombi) are the largest contributor to the diet of the Clovis people, the earliest widespread hunter-gatherer group inhabiting North America, followed by elk and bison/camels, but the contribution of small mammals is There were very few.
An artist's reconstruction of Clovis life 13,000 years ago shows the Anzick 1 infant eating mammoth meat with his mother near the hearth. Another individual crafting tool, such as a dart launch point or an atlatl. A huge slaughterhouse can be seen nearby. Image credit: Eric Carlson / Ben Potter / Jim Chatters.
The Clovis people lived in North America about 13,000 years ago.
During that time, giant animals such as mammoths lived in both northern Asia and the Americas.
Because they traveled long distances, they became a reliable source of fat and protein for highly mobile humans.
Some researchers argue that the Clovisians were some degree of megafauna experts, with a particular focus on mammoths, while others argue that such adaptations were not viable and therefore They argue that Clovisians were extensive foragers, likely incorporating small amounts of food into their diets on a regular basis. Prey, plants, and perhaps fish.
“Focusing on mammoths helps explain how the Clovis people spread from across North America to South America in just a few hundred years,” said Dr. James Chatters, a researcher at McMaster University. said.
“What's surprising to me is that this corroborates a lot of the data from other sites,” said Ben Potter, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“For example, the animal parts left at the Clovis site are dominated by megafauna, and the firing points are large ones attached to darts, which were effective long-range weapons.”
In the new study, Dr Chatters, Professor Potter and their colleagues used stable isotope analysis to investigate the effects of 18-month-old children found at the 13,000-year-old Clovis site in Anzick, Montana, USA. I modeled the meal. state.
Their findings support the hypothesis that the Clovis people specialized in hunting large animals, rather than primarily foraging on small animals and plants.
Professor Potter said: “Mammoth hunting provided a flexible way of life.”
“This allowed the Clovis people to move to new areas without relying on smaller, localized prey that could vary widely from region to region.”
“This mobility is consistent with what we are seeing with Clovis technology and payment patterns.”
“They were very mobile. They transported resources such as toolstone over hundreds of miles.”
“Isotopes provide a chemical fingerprint of a consumer's diet, and can be compared to the isotopes of potential dietary items to determine the proportional contributions of different dietary items,” said Dr. Matt Wooler of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It can be estimated.”
The researchers compared the mothers' stable isotope fingerprints with those obtained from different food sources from the same time and region.
They found that about 40% of her diet came from mammoths, with other large animals such as elk and bison making up the rest.
Although small mammals were sometimes considered an important food source, they played a very minor role in her diet.
Finally, the scientists compared the mother's diet to that of other omnivores and carnivores from the same period, including American lions, bears, and wolves.
The mother's diet was most similar to that of the scimitar cat, a mammoth specialist.
The discovery also suggests that early humans may have contributed to the extinction of Ice Age megafauna, especially as environmental changes reduced their habitat.
“If the climate is changing in a way that reduces suitable habitat for some of these megafauna, they potentially become more susceptible to human predation. These people are highly capable. He was a great hunter,” Professor Potter said.
“It was a combination of a very sophisticated hunting culture that responded to a simple, large animal group under environmental stress, and techniques honed over 10,000 years in Eurasia,” Dr Chatters said.
of the team result Published in today's diary scientific progress.
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James C. Chatters others. 2024. Mammoths featured heavily in the diet of western Clovis. scientific progress 10(49);doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adr3814
Meta has disclosed that it intervened this year to stop around 20 covert influence operations globally. However, the company mentioned that concerns regarding AI-based election distortions may not be realized until 2024.
Nick Clegg, the president of international affairs at Meta, which oversees Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, stated that Russia continues to be the main source of hostile online activity. He expressed surprise that AI has not been utilized to deceive voters during recent busy election periods globally.
The former British deputy prime minister mentioned that Meta, with over 3 billion users, utilized AI tools to create images of political figures like Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, J.D. Vance, and Joe Biden last month. Over 500,000 requests for such images had to be removed before the American election day.
Security experts at the company have been dealing with new operations using fake accounts to manipulate public debate toward strategic goals every three weeks. These operations include Russian networks targeting countries like Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Another operation based in Russia uses AI to create fake news sites resembling well-known brands to weaken support for Ukraine and promote Russia’s role in Africa while criticizing African countries and France.
Mr. Clegg highlighted that Russia remains the most frequent source of covert influence operations disrupted, followed by Iran and China. He noted that the impact of AI-generated deceptive content from disinformation campaigns appears to be limited so far.
While the impact of AI manipulation on video, audio, and photos has been modest, Mr. Clegg warned that these tools are likely to become more pervasive in the future, potentially changing the landscape of online content.
In a recent evaluation, the Center for Emerging Technology and Security suggested that AI-generated deceptive content influenced the US election discourse, but evidence of its impact on the election outcome is lacking. The report warns that AI-based threats could negatively affect democratic systems by 2024.
Sam Stockwell, a researcher at the Alan Turing Institute, highlighted how AI tools may have shaped election discourse and spread harmful content subtly, such as misleading claims and rumors that gained traction during recent elections.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Reading and the University of Durham has revealed that the increase in relative brain size, known as encephalization, during the seven million years of human evolution was a result of incremental changes within individual species.
Modern humans, Neanderthals, and other recent relatives on the human family tree evolved large brains much more rapidly than earlier species. Image credit: SINC / Jose Antonio Peñas.
“One of the most striking evolutionary changes in human evolution, closely linked to the unique cognitive and behavioral characteristics of humans, is the increase in brain size,” explained lead author Thomas Puschel and his colleagues.
“The question of encephalization in human evolution has been a topic of debate, with various studies comparing the brain capacities of different hominin species and exploring adaptive mechanisms that might have influenced differences in brain size among hominins. Our research proposes
“Some argue for a gradual growth pattern over time, while others suggest a pattern of rapid increases followed by periods of stagnation.”
“Certain studies support a combination of both models, while others claim that they are indistinguishable.”
In their recent study, the authors compiled the largest dataset of ancient human fossils spanning seven million years and utilized advanced computational and statistical methods to identify gaps in the fossil record.
These innovative approaches have provided the most comprehensive understanding to date of the evolution of brain size over time.
“This study has completely altered our perception of how the human brain evolved,” noted study co-author Professor Chris Venditti.
“Previously, it was believed that brain size varied significantly between species, like upgrading to newer computer models.”
“However, our study reveals a pattern of steady, incremental ‘software updates’ occurring within each species over millions of years.”
This study challenges the traditional notion that certain species, such as Neanderthals, remained unchanged and were unable to adapt, suggesting instead that the increase in brain size was a gradual and continuous driving force in evolution. It underscores the significance of changes.
“Major evolutionary shifts do not always require dramatic events,” Pushel stated.
“They can result from making small incremental improvements over time, akin to the learning and adaptation processes observed today.”
The researchers also identified a notable pattern: larger-bodied species tend to have larger brains, but the variation observed within individual species does not consistently correlate with body size.
Hence, the evolution of brain size over long evolutionary timescales spanning millions of years has been influenced by factors distinct from those observed within individual species, underscoring the complexities of evolutionary pressures on brain size. It’s remarkable.
“The reasons behind the evolution of large brains in humans are a key aspect of human evolution,” added study co-author Dr. Joanna Baker.
“Through analyzing the brain and body sizes of various species over millions of years, we have demonstrated that the characteristic large brains of humans primarily emerged through gradual changes within individual species. This became evident.”of study On November 26, 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Thomas A. Puschel others. 2024. The increase in human brain size was revealed by intraspecific encephalization. PNAS 121 (49): e2409542121;doi: 10.1073/pnas.2409542121
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are ready to break Thanksgiving bread in orbit.
NASA astronaut Suni Williams said she and her fellow crew members will be taking the day off to celebrate.
“I’m packing a lot of Thanksgiving-y food,” Williams said Wednesday in an interview with NBC News. “Smoked turkey, cranberries, apple cobbler, green beans and mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.”
She added that she plans to attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade before dining with American and Russian colleagues.
Williams has been living and working on the International Space Station for almost six months. She and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore arrived at the orbiting outpost in early June as test pilots for the first manned flight of Boeing’s Starliner space capsule.
The two were scheduled to stay on the ISS for only about a week, then return to Earth on the Starliner. However, problems with the spacecraft kept them in orbit for months longer than expected. Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to return home in February in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Starliner’s difficult mission was a dramatic, months-long story for NASA and Boeing. But Williams said she doesn’t feel like she’s “stranded” in space.
“Our control team and management always had the option of us returning home,” she said. “Yes, we came here on the Starliner. We’re coming back on the Dragon, but there was always a plan for how we were going to get home.”
In the last few weeks, NASA dodged the rumors Williams reportedly suffered from health problems while in space. Although some news articles suggested that the astronauts had lost significant weight, the agency’s medical director said on Nov. 14 that the health of Williams and others on board the space station was He said the condition was good.
Williams told NBC News that he is enjoying his time in orbit and is in good spirits.
“We feel good, we exercise and we eat properly,” she said. “We’re having a lot of fun here, too. So people are worried about us. Really, don’t worry about us.”
June 5, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Chris O’Meara / AP File
Despite problems that occurred during Starliner’s voyage (mainly thruster and helium leaks), the capsule returned to Earth without a crew on September 7th. Williams said he wished he had been able to see Starliner’s mission to completion.
She added that Boeing and NASA would not hesitate to send Starliner into space again if they ironed out the problems that arose during the test flight.
“It might not be tomorrow because we need to incorporate some of the lessons we learned,” she said. “But once we knew we were on the right path, we fixed some of the issues we had — absolutely.”
sharp resolution Web’s mid-infrared device (MIRI) focuses on details of the outer ring of the Sombrero Galaxy, providing insight into how dust is distributed.
This web image shows the Sombrero Galaxy. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI.
The Sombrero Galaxy is located approximately 28 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.
This spiral galaxy, also known as Messier 104, M104, or NGC 4594, was discovered by French astronomer Pierre Méchain on May 11, 1781.
It is about 49,000 light-years in diameter, about one-third the size of our Milky Way galaxy.
The Sombrero galaxy has a very large central bulge and a supermassive black hole.
We are looking directly at the galaxy, at an angle of 6 degrees south of its face. Its dark dusty path dominates the view.
“The clumpy nature of the dust, in which MIRI detects carbon-containing molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, may indicate the presence of young star-forming regions,” Webb astronomers said in a statement.
“But unlike some of the galaxies studied with Webb, such as Messier 82, which has 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way, the Sombrero galaxy is not a special hotbed of star formation.”
“The Sombrero ring produces less than 1 solar mass per year of stars, compared to about 2 solar masses per year for the Milky Way.”
“The supermassive black hole at the center of the Sombrero galaxy, also known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN), is fairly docile, even at a massive 9 billion solar masses,” the researchers noted.
“Classified as a low-luminosity AGN, it slowly chews up material falling from the galaxy while emitting bright and relatively small jets.”
“Also, there are about 2,000 globular clusters within the Sombrero galaxy, which are collections of hundreds of thousands of old stars held together by gravity,” the researchers said.
“This type of system acts as a pseudo-laboratory for astronomers to study stars. There are thousands of stars in one system of the same age but with different masses and other properties, making it difficult to compare It’s an interesting opportunity for research.”
“In the MIRI images, galaxies of different shapes and colors are scattered across the cosmic background.”
“The different colors of these background galaxies can tell astronomers about their properties, such as their distance.”
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