NASA’s x-ray telescope finds bizarre features in a cosmic hand

Astronomers have taken a fresh look at the famous “Hand of God” pulsar, combining X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra Observatory with new radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array. At the center is pulsar B1509-58, a rapidly spinning neutron star only about 12 miles wide that powers a nebula stretching 150 light-years across. The strange hand-shaped structure continues to surprise researchers, revealing puzzling filaments, patchy remnants, and boundaries that defy expectations.

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Scientists stunned as strange islands and hidden springs appear in the Great Salt Lake

As the Great Salt Lake shrinks, scientists are uncovering mysterious groundwater-fed oases hidden beneath its drying lakebed. Reed-covered mounds and strange surface disturbances hint at a vast underground plumbing system that pushes fresh water up under pressure. Using advanced tools like airborne electromagnetic surveys and piezometers, researchers are mapping the hidden freshwater reserves and testing whether they could help restore fragile lakebed crusts, reduce dust pollution, and reveal long-buried secrets of the region’s hydrology.

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Scientists uncover hidden shards of Mars’ violent birth, frozen for billions of years

Mars isn’t the neatly layered world we once imagined — its mantle is filled with ancient, jagged fragments left over from colossal impacts billions of years ago. Seismic data from NASA’s InSight mission revealed that these buried shards, some up to 4 km wide, are still preserved beneath the planet’s stagnant crust, acting as a geological time capsule.

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Why ultra-processed diets make you gain fat even without extra calories

Men eating ultra-processed foods gained more fat than those eating unprocessed meals, even with equal calories. Their hormone levels shifted in worrying ways, with testosterone falling and pollutants rising. Researchers say the processing itself, not overeating, is to blame.

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Ancient DNA finally solves the mystery of the world’s first pandemic

Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan. This long-sought discovery resolves a centuries-old debate, confirming that the plague that devastated the Byzantine Empire truly was caused by the same pathogen behind later outbreaks like the Black Death.

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In the dark for 11 million years: How blind cavefish rewrote evolution

Yale scientists discovered that cavefish species independently evolved blindness and depigmentation as they adapted to dark cave environments, with some lineages dating back over 11 million years. This new genetic method not only reveals ancient cave ages but may also shed light on human eye diseases.

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70-million-year-old crocodile relative with dinosaur-crushing jaws found in Argentina

Seventy million years ago, southern Patagonia was home to dinosaurs, turtles, and mammals—but also to a fierce crocodile-like predator. A newly discovered fossil, astonishingly well-preserved, reveals Kostensuchus atrox, a powerful 3.5-meter-long apex predator with crushing jaws and sharp teeth capable of devouring medium-sized dinosaurs. As one of the largest hunters of its time and the first of its kind found in the Chorrillo Formation, this find offers rare insight into the prehistoric ecosystem at the close of the Cretaceous.

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Living night lights: Succulents that store sunlight and shine for hours

Scientists have created glow-in-the-dark succulents that can recharge with sunlight and shine for hours, rivaling small night lights. Unlike costly and complex genetic engineering methods, this breakthrough relies on phosphor particles—similar to those in glow-in-the-dark toys—carefully sized to flow through plant tissues. Surprisingly, succulents turned out to be the best glow carriers, with researchers even building a wall of 56 glowing plants bright enough to read by.

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More likely to be struck by lightning than get tetanus. So why the boosters?

Researchers propose that the U.S. could safely drop adult tetanus and diphtheria boosters, saving $1 billion annually, since childhood vaccinations provide decades of protection. Evidence from the U.K. shows that skipping boosters has not led to higher disease rates.

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New fossils reveal a hidden branch in human evolution

Fossils unearthed in Ethiopia are reshaping our view of human evolution. Instead of a straight march from ape-like ancestors to modern humans, researchers now see a tangled, branching tree with multiple species coexisting. Newly discovered teeth reveal a previously unknown species of Australopithecus that lived alongside some of the earliest Homo specimens nearly 2.8 million years ago. This suggests that nature tested multiple versions of “being human” before our lineage endured.

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Sharks’ teeth are crumbling in acid seas

Even sharks’ famous tooth-regrowing ability may not save them from ocean acidification. Researchers found that future acidic waters cause shark teeth to corrode, crack, and weaken, threatening their effectiveness as hunting weapons and highlighting hidden dangers for ocean ecosystems.

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Scientists finally pinpoint Jupiter’s birth using “molten rock raindrops”

Billions of years ago, Jupiter’s violent growth transformed the young solar system, smashing icy and rocky bodies together at incredible speeds. These cataclysmic collisions created tiny molten droplets called chondrules—microscopic time capsules later preserved in meteorites. New research shows that water vapor explosions from planetesimal impacts explain their origin, while also pinpointing Jupiter’s birth at about 1.8 million years after the solar system began. This breakthrough not only rewrites the timeline of Jupiter’s formation but also opens a new way to trace the birth order of planets across our own system and beyond.

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The common cold’s unexpected superpower against COVID

A nationwide study found that recent colds caused by rhinoviruses can give short-term protection against COVID-19. Children benefit most, as their immune systems react strongly with antiviral defenses, helping explain their lower rates of severe illness.

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Common painkillers like Advil and Tylenol supercharge antibiotic resistance

Painkillers we often trust — ibuprofen and acetaminophen — may be quietly accelerating one of the world’s greatest health crises: antibiotic resistance. Researchers discovered that these drugs not only fuel bacterial resistance on their own but make it far worse when combined with antibiotics. The findings are especially troubling for aged care settings, where residents commonly take multiple medications, creating perfect conditions for resistant bacteria to thrive.

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Maui’s fires drove a 67% jump in deaths. Most went uncounted

Researchers uncovered that the Maui wildfires caused a spike in deaths far higher than reported, with hidden fatalities linked to fire, smoke, and lack of medical access. They warn that prevention rooted in Native Hawaiian ecological knowledge is critical to avoiding another tragedy.

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Forgotten rock in Japan reveals 220-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil

A chance glance at a museum display has led to the first-ever discovery of an ichthyosaur fossil in western Japan, dating back around 220 million years. Initially mistaken for a common bivalve fossil, the specimen was revealed to contain 21 bone fragments, including ribs and vertebrae, belonging to a rare Late Triassic ichthyosaur. Experts say this find could reshape understanding of ichthyosaur evolution and their ability to cross the vast Panthalassic Ocean.

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Scientists turn spin loss into energy, unlocking ultra-low-power AI chips

Scientists have discovered that electron spin loss, long considered waste, can instead drive magnetization switching in spintronic devices, boosting efficiency by up to three times. The scalable, semiconductor-friendly method could accelerate the development of ultra-low-power AI chips and memory technologies.

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Scientists discover a strange new magnet that bends light like magic

Researchers cracked the mystery of altermagnets, materials with no net magnetization yet strange light-reflecting powers, by creating a new optical measurement method. Their findings confirmed altermagnetism in an organic crystal and opened doors to innovative magnetic devices.

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Jupiter’s core isn’t what we thought

For years, scientists thought Jupiter’s strange interior was the result of a massive collision in its youth. But new research suggests that the planet’s diffuse, “fuzzy” core wasn’t born from a cataclysm at all. Instead, the giant appears to have developed this structure gradually as it pulled in both heavy and light elements while forming.

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Closest and brightest fast radio burst ever detected by astronomers

Astronomers have detected the closest and brightest fast radio burst ever recorded, a dazzling signal from a galaxy just 130 million light-years away. The extraordinary flash, nicknamed RBFLOAT, outshone every other radio source in its galaxy for a split second, offering scientists a rare opportunity to study these mysterious cosmic outbursts in unprecedented detail.

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Tiny green tea beads trap fat and melt away pounds without side effects

Researchers have created plant-based microbeads that trap fat in the gut, helping rats lose weight without side effects. Unlike current drugs, the beads are safe, tasteless, and easy to mix into everyday foods. Human trials are now underway.

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Most of Earth’s species came from explosive bursts of evolution

A new study reveals that the majority of Earth’s species stem from a few evolutionary explosions, where new traits or habitats sparked rapid diversification. From flowers to birds, these bursts explain most of the planet’s biodiversity.

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These asteroids share a strange fingerprint from billions of years ago

Scientists studying asteroids found that two seemingly unrelated types share a strange dusty coating of troilite. By using polarization of light instead of traditional spectra, they uncovered evidence that these space rocks may have originated from the same ancient parent bodies, offering a new glimpse into the chaotic past of the early solar system.

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Are we accidentally broadcasting our location to alien civilizations?

Earth may already be broadcasting its presence to alien civilizations without realizing it. A new study shows that our deep-space transmissions, especially those aimed at Mars and interplanetary spacecraft, spill over into space in detectable patterns. If extraterrestrial observers were aligned with certain planetary positions, they’d have a strong chance of catching our signals. The findings suggest that by mirroring this logic—looking for exoplanet alignments and focusing on nearby star systems—we could boost our own search for alien technosignatures.

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Scientists discover crystal that breathes oxygen like lungs

Researchers developed a crystal that inhales and exhales oxygen like lungs. It stays stable under real-world conditions and can be reused many times, making it ideal for energy and electronic applications. This innovation could reshape technologies from fuel cells to eco-friendly smart windows.

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Ancient fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins

In the deserts of Ethiopia, scientists uncovered fossils showing that early members of our genus Homo lived side by side with a newly identified species of Australopithecus nearly three million years ago. These finds challenge the old idea of a straight evolutionary ladder, revealing instead a tangled web of ancient relatives.

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140,000-year-old skeleton shows earliest interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals

Scientists have uncovered the world s earliest fossil showing both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens features: a five-year-old child from Israel s Skhul Cave dating back 140,000 years. This discovery pushes back the timeline of human interbreeding, proving that Neanderthals and modern humans were already mixing long before Europe s later encounters.

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Stunning galaxy blooms with pink nebulae in Hubble’s new image

Hubble’s newest view of the spiral galaxy NGC 2835 adds a stunning twist to a familiar sight. By capturing light in a special wavelength called H-alpha, astronomers have revealed glowing pink nebulae that mark where stars are born and where they fade away.

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Astronomers discover a hidden engine inside space’s “Eye of Sauron”

A mysterious blazar that baffled scientists for years has been unraveled. VLBA imaging revealed a toroidal magnetic field powering a jet aimed at Earth, explaining how it can unleash neutrinos and gamma rays despite its sluggish appearance.

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Hubble just snapped the clearest-ever picture of a rare interstellar comet

Hubble has taken the clearest image to date of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which is racing through our solar system at 130,000 miles per hour. Astronomers are using Hubble and other telescopes to better understand its icy nucleus and chemical composition.

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One atom, endless power: Scientists create a shape-shifting catalyst for green chemistry

A team in Milan has developed a first-of-its-kind single-atom catalyst that acts like a molecular switch, enabling cleaner, more adaptable chemical reactions. Stable, recyclable, and eco-friendly, it marks a major step toward programmable sustainable chemistry.

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Is ketamine the answer for chronic pain? New findings cast doubt

A sweeping review of 67 trials has cast doubt on the use of ketamine and similar NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain relief. While ketamine is frequently prescribed off-label for conditions like fibromyalgia and nerve pain, researchers found little convincing evidence of real benefit and flagged serious side effects such as delusions and nausea. The lack of data on whether it reduces depression or opioid use adds to the uncertainty.

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Scientists uncover the lost shelduck that chose walking over flight

Scientists have uncovered an extinct shelduck from the Chatham Islands that evolved shorter wings and stronger legs, adapting to a predator-free, windy environment. It vanished before the 19th century, likely due to hunting and predation.

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The surprising way rising CO2 could supercharge space storms

Rising CO₂ levels will make the upper atmosphere colder and thinner, altering how geomagnetic storms impact satellites. Future storms could cause sharper density spikes despite lower overall density, increasing drag-related challenges.

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NASA’s SWOT satellite captures Kamchatka megaquake tsunami in striking detail

When a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, NASA and CNES’s SWOT satellite captured a rare and detailed picture of the tsunami that followed. Recorded just over an hour after the quake, the satellite revealed the wave’s height, shape, and path, offering scientists an unprecedented multidimensional view from space.

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Scientists stunned by record-breaking, watermelon-shaped nucleus

Scientists in Finland have measured the heaviest known nucleus to undergo proton emission, discovering the rare isotope 188-astatine. It exhibits a unique shape and may reveal a new kind of nuclear interaction.

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Could this new earthquake system give Alaska 50 seconds to prepare?

A new study reveals that an earthquake early warning system, similar to the USGS ShakeAlert used in California, Oregon, and Washington, could give Alaskan communities precious seconds to prepare before strong shaking hits. Modeling shows that towns like Sand Point, King Cove, and Chignik might receive between 10 and 50 seconds of warning during major quakes, while a simulated magnitude 8.3 event could provide up to half a minute in some areas.

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Scientists may have found the tiny DNA switch that made us human

Scientists at UC San Diego have discovered a small but powerful section of DNA, called HAR123, that could help explain what makes the human brain so unique. Instead of being a gene, HAR123 acts like a “volume control” for brain development, guiding how brain cells form and in what proportions. The human version of HAR123 behaves differently from the chimpanzee version, possibly giving us greater flexibility in how we think and learn. This finding could also help researchers understand the roots of certain brain-related conditions, including autism.

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NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover just learned how to multitask

Thirteen years after landing on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover is running smarter and more efficiently than ever. With new autonomy and multitasking capabilities, it’s maximizing the output from its long-lasting nuclear power source while exploring a striking region of boxwork formations that may hold clues to ancient water and possible microbial life. As it navigates the towering slopes of Mount Sharp, Curiosity’s upgrades help it conserve power, conduct more science, and continue unraveling how Mars transformed from a watery world to the frozen desert it is today.

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Injectable “skin in a syringe” could heal burns without scars

Scientists in Sweden have developed a groundbreaking “skin in a syringe” — a gel packed with live cells that can be applied directly to wounds or even 3D-printed into skin grafts. Designed to help the body build functional dermis rather than scar tissue, the innovation combines fibroblast cells on gelatin beads with a hyaluronic acid gel, held together using click chemistry. In a parallel advance, the team also created elastic hydrogel threads that can form tiny, fluid-carrying channels, paving the way for artificial tissues and organoid development.

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The surprising brain chemistry behind instant friendships

UC Berkeley scientists found oxytocin is key for quickly forming strong friendships, but less critical for mate bonds. In prairie voles, a lack of oxytocin receptors delayed bonding and reduced partner selectivity, changing how the brain releases oxytocin and affecting social behavior.

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AI finds hidden safe zones inside a fusion reactor

Scientists have developed a lightning-fast AI tool called HEAT-ML that can spot hidden “safe zones” inside a fusion reactor where parts are protected from blistering plasma heat. Finding these areas, known as magnetic shadows, is key to keeping reactors running safely and moving fusion energy closer to reality.

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Scientists turn grapevine waste into clear, strong films that vanish in days

Amid growing concerns over plastic waste and microplastics, researchers are turning agricultural leftovers into biodegradable packaging. Using cellulose extracted from unlikely sources, including grapevine canes, they have created strong, transparent films that break down in just 17 days without leaving harmful residue.

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Scientists reversed memory loss by powering the brain’s tiny engines

Scientists have discovered a direct cause-and-effect link between faulty mitochondria and the memory loss seen in neurodegenerative diseases. By creating a novel tool to boost mitochondrial activity in mouse models, researchers restored memory performance, suggesting mitochondria could be a powerful new target for treatments. The findings not only shed light on the early drivers of brain cell degeneration but also open possibilities for slowing or even preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s.

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The parasite that turns off your body’s pain alarm and sneaks in

Scientists have discovered a parasite that can sneak into your skin without you feeling a thing. The worm, Schistosoma mansoni, has evolved a way to switch off the body’s pain and itch signals, letting it invade undetected. By blocking certain nerve pathways, it avoids triggering the immune system’s alarms. This stealth tactic not only helps the worm survive, but could inspire new kinds of pain treatments and even preventative creams to protect people from infection.

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Gold survives impossible heat, defying physics limits

Physicists have heated gold to over 19,000 Kelvin, more than 14 times its melting point, without melting it, smashing the long-standing “entropy catastrophe” limit. Using an ultra-fast laser pulse at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source, they kept the gold crystalline at extreme heat, opening new frontiers in high-energy-density physics, fusion research, and planetary science.

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Tiny gold “super atoms” could spark a quantum revolution

Scientists have found that microscopic gold clusters can act like the world’s most accurate quantum systems, while being far easier to scale up. With tunable spin properties and mass production potential, they could transform quantum computing and sensing.

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Scientists freeze quantum motion without cooling

ETH Zurich researchers levitated a nano glass sphere cluster with record-setting quantum purity at room temperature, avoiding costly cooling. Using optical tweezers, they isolated quantum zero-point motion, paving the way for future quantum sensors in navigation, medicine, and fundamental physics.

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Scientists just measured how fast glaciers carve the Earth

Scientists used machine learning to reveal how glaciers erode the land at varying speeds, shaped by climate, geology, and heat. The findings help guide global planning from environmental management to nuclear waste storage.

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The nuclear clock that could finally unmask dark matter

Physicists are exploring thorium-229’s unique properties to create a nuclear clock so precise it could detect the faintest hints of dark matter. Recent measurement advances may allow scientists to spot tiny shifts in the element’s resonance spectrum, potentially revealing the nature of this mysterious substance.

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Scientists find brain cell switch that could reverse obesity’s effects

High-fat diets and obesity reshape astrocytes—star-shaped brain cells in the striatum that help regulate pleasure from eating. French researchers discovered that tweaking these cells in mice not only impacts metabolism but can also restore cognitive abilities impaired by obesity, such as relearning tasks. This breakthrough highlights astrocytes as powerful players in brain function and energy control, opening fresh possibilities for targeted obesity treatments.

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Life without sunlight? Earthquake fractures fuel deep underground microbes

Chinese scientists uncovered a powerful energy source for deep Earth microbes: hydrogen and oxidants generated by rock fracturing during earthquakes. The process may also suggest how life could exist on other planets without sunlight.

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DNA from the deep reveals a hidden ocean “superhighway”

Deep beneath the ocean's surface, a groundbreaking DNA study reveals that the deep sea is far more globally connected than once thought. By analyzing thousands of brittle stars preserved in museum collections, scientists discovered these ancient creatures have silently migrated across the planet's seafloor for millions of years, forming a vast evolutionary network from Iceland to Tasmania.

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Can humans regrow eyes? These snails already do

Apple snails can fully regrow their eyes, and their genes and eye structures are strikingly similar to humans. Scientists mapped the regeneration process and used CRISPR to identify genes, including pax6, as essential to eye development, raising hopes for future human vision restoration.

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The Earth didn’t just crack, it curved. "It sent chills down my spine!"

A surprising discovery emerged from a security camera video taken during Myanmar’s recent magnitude 7.7 earthquake. While the footage initially drew attention for showing the dramatic fault movement, scientists soon realized it revealed something never captured before: curved fault slip.

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Star survives black hole and comes back for more

This is the first confirmed case of a star that survived an encounter with a supermassive black hole and came back for more. This discovery upends conventional wisdom about such tidal disruption events and suggests that these spectacular flares may be just the opening act in a longer, more complex story.

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Scientists just found a massive earthquake threat hiding beneath Yukon

A long-forgotten fault in Canada's Yukon Territory has just revealed its dangerous potential. Scientists using cutting-edge satellite and drone data discovered that the Tintina fault, previously considered dormant, has produced multiple major earthquakes in the recent geological past and could do so again. These hidden fault lines, now identified near Dawson City, may be capable of triggering devastating quakes over magnitude 7.5, posing a serious threat to communities, infrastructure, and the unstable landslides in the region.

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AI cracks a meteorite’s secret: A material that defies heat

A rare mineral from a 1724 meteorite defies the rules of heat flow, acting like both a crystal and a glass. Thanks to AI and quantum physics, researchers uncovered its bizarre ability to maintain constant thermal conductivity, a breakthrough that could revolutionize heat management in technology and industry.

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Johns Hopkins scientists grow a mini human brain that lights up and connects like the real thing

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have grown a first-of-its-kind organoid mimicking an entire human brain, complete with rudimentary blood vessels and neural activity. This new "multi-region brain organoid" connects different brain parts, producing electrical signals and simulating early brain development. By watching these mini-brains evolve, researchers hope to uncover how conditions like autism or schizophrenia arise, and even test treatments in ways never before possible with animal models.

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Woodpeckers thrive where missiles fly. How a bombing range became a wildlife refuge

In a surprising twist of conservation success, a U.S. Air Force bombing range in Florida has become a sanctuary for endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker. Michigan State University researchers used decades of monitoring data to study the impact of moving birds from healthier populations to struggling ones. The outcome? A powerful success story showing that with long-term commitment, strategic partnerships, and smart interventions like controlled burns and translocations, even isolated wildlife populations can rebound and thrive. This model may hold the key to saving many more species teetering on the edge.

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Radar that could find life on Europa just nailed its first big test

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft just aced a key radar test while flying past Mars, proving its ability to detect structures beneath planetary surfaces—something that couldn’t be tested on Earth. The radar, known as REASON, will eventually be used to explore Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter believed to harbor a subsurface ocean.

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Ancient bird droppings reveal a hidden extinction crisis

An intriguing new study reveals that over 80% of parasites found in the ancient poo of New Zealand’s endangered kākāpō have vanished, even though the bird itself is still hanging on. Researchers discovered this dramatic parasite decline by analyzing droppings dating back 1,500 years, uncovering an unexpected wave of coextinctions that occurred long before recent conservation efforts began. These hidden losses suggest that as we fight to save charismatic species, we may be silently erasing whole communities of organisms that play crucial, yet misunderstood, ecological roles.

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Scientists unveil bioplastic that degrades at room temperature, and outperforms petroplastics

Plastic pollution is a mounting global issue, but scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have taken a bold step forward by creating a new bioplastic inspired by the structure of leaves. Their innovation, LEAFF, enhances strength, functionality, and biodegradability by utilizing cellulose nanofibers, outperforming even traditional plastics. It degrades at room temperature, can be printed on, and resists air and water, offering a game-changing solution for sustainable packaging.

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Ghost star’s planet orbits backward in a bizarre stellar system

A bizarre planet defies cosmic norms: scientists have confirmed a giant planet orbiting in reverse around one star in a close binary system—an arrangement previously thought impossible. Using advanced tools, they discovered the companion star is a faint white dwarf that lost most of its mass billions of years ago. The team now believes this planet may be a rare second-generation world, born from or captured by the debris of its dying stellar neighbor. This find challenges traditional models of planet formation and opens a new chapter in exoplanetary science.

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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe finds hidden barrier that explains the sun’s mysterious heat

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has flown closer to the Sun than ever before, offering the first direct glimpse into the turbulent solar atmosphere. Scientists have discovered that a phenomenon called the “helicity barrier” disrupts the way energy is transformed into heat, solving a major puzzle in how the Sun’s corona gets so hot and the solar wind accelerates. This breakthrough helps explain why solar wind protons are hotter than electrons and may also reveal how energy dissipates in other distant cosmic plasmas.

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Einstein was wrong: MIT just settled a 100-year quantum debate

Physicists at MIT recreated the double-slit experiment using individual photons and atoms held in laser light, uncovering the true limits of light’s wave–particle duality. Their results proved Einstein’s proposal wrong and confirmed a core prediction of quantum mechanics.

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Forget the Big Bang: Gravitational waves may have really created the Universe

A team of scientists has proposed a groundbreaking new theory on the Universe's origins, offering a fresh, radical take on the Big Bang's early moments. Unlike the widely accepted inflationary model, which involves speculative assumptions, the new model starts with the established concept of De Sitter space, aligning with dark energy observations. The scientists believe gravitational waves—ripples in space-time—were the key to seeding the formation of galaxies and cosmic structure, eliminating the need for unknown elements.

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