Researchers have identified a fossilised capybara tooth dating back almost nine million years in northern Chiles Atacama Desert, providing the oldest record of capybaras in coastal Chile.
The findin… [+4540 chars]

The discovery suggests the Atacama Desert was once far wetter than it is today – challenging the idea it has remained continuously dry for millions of years

Discoverwildlife.com

“Just freakish!” Experts uncover something extraordinary in one of the driest places on Earth - BBC Wildlife Magazine

A good rule of thumb is that everything that can interact with electromagnetic (EM) radiation is an antenna, which includes our mostly-salty-water-containing bodies and also raindrops and moisture in… [+1222 chars]

A good rule of thumb is that everything that can interact with electromagnetic (EM) radiation is an antenna, which includes our mostly-salty-water-containing bodies and also raindrops and moisture …

Hackaday

Why Raindrops Make For Pretty Good Antennae - Hackaday

A team led by University at Buffalo physicists has found a mathematical solution that shows how a frustrated quantum magnet can transition from ultraslow behavior to ultrafast, highly entangled behav… [+3537 chars]

A team led by University at Buffalo physicists has found a mathematical solution that shows how a frustrated quantum magnet can transition from ultraslow behavior to ultrafast, highly entangled behavior resembling that of a black hole.

Phys.Org

Physicists crack the math connecting ultraslow quantum magnetism to ultrafast black-hole physics - phys.org

"To our great surprise, not only is the planet GJ 3090 b on a highly misaligned orbit, but it also orbits retrogradely, in the opposite direction to the rotation of its star."

Space.com

Scientists find weird exoplanet that orbits its star in the wrong direction - Space

Just as a leaf drifts along with a stream, objects in other moving fluids normally drift along with the flow. That is, unless they exert energy to move against it. Although it may be less intuitive, … [+4570 chars]

Just as a leaf drifts along with a stream, objects in other moving fluids normally drift along with the flow. That is, unless they exert energy to move against it. Although it may be less intuitive, light waves or photons work similarly. To move against a str…

Light beam 'swims' upstream through a quantum fluid by violating Newton's third law - Phys.org

Science fiction suggests that life on other planets, if it exists, is likely far more advanced than life on Earth. A recent study suggests otherwise.
This new study, led by Chris Doughty, a professo… [+7368 chars]

Science fiction suggests that life on other planets, if it exists, is likely far more advanced than life on Earth. A recent study suggests otherwise.

Is a nearby advanced alien civilization out there waiting to pounce on Earth? Unlikely, says new study - Phys.org

"Just as plants and taking a shower play a critical role in human comfort, so do windows."

The future of spacecraft windows: 'We can't just live in a box' - Space

Your ankles need more than walking. Try these 5 moves a podiatrist recommends after 65.
Your ankles play a crucial role in supporting your body weight and lower-limb movements. This is particularly … [+3286 chars]

A podiatrist shares 5 balance exercises after 65 that strengthen ankles and stability better than walking alone.

Eatthis.com

5 Daily Exercises That Improve Balance Better Than Walking After 65 - Eat This Not That

One of the most fun challenges in paleontology is determining characteristics of long-dead species like their behavior and body temperature based on nothing but some fossils and traces that are usual… [+1558 chars]

One of the most fun challenges in paleontology is determining characteristics of long-dead species like their behavior and body temperature based on nothing but some fossils and traces that are usu…

Determining The Body Temperature Of Tyrannosaurus Rex - Hackaday

Nasa activated the 300-megapixel camera on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope this weekend and the first test images are in. The results are out of focustesting and calibration will take monthsbut… [+1983 chars]

Nasa activated the 300-megapixel camera on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope this weekend and the first test images are in. The results are out of focus—testing and calibration will…

Boing Boing

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope test images - Boing Boing

The origins of the earliest life on Earth, prior to the rise of oxygen and photosynthesis, remain a mystery. Graveyards in brine pools at the bottom of the Red Sea may hold some answers.
Brine pools… [+2978 chars]

The origins of the earliest life on Earth, prior to the rise of oxygen and photosynthesis, remain a mystery. Graveyards in brine pools at the bottom of the Red Sea may hold some answers.

Briny 'death pools' hold clues to early life - Phys.org

An international team of astronomers from ASTRON, JIVE, the University of Amsterdam and other institutions has found the first so-called "microblazar" in the Milky Way. This stellar system is compose… [+5898 chars]

An international team of astronomers from ASTRON, JIVE, the University of Amsterdam and other institutions has found the first so-called "microblazar" in the Milky Way. This stellar system is composed of a massive star and a black hole with a jet that is poin…

Milky Way's first microblazar may produce fastest particles in the galaxy - Phys.org

The question of life’s origins is a chicken-and-egg problem that is perhaps best explained by the ribosome. These tiny intercellular structures translate genes into proteins, a process essential to l… [+4789 chars]

A new study narrows the timeline for the emergence of life on Earth.

Gizmodo.com

Early Earth Was a Molten, Asteroid-Blasted Hellscape. Scientists Now Know When That Changed - Gizmodo

Get 2 months free with an annual subscription at was $59.88now $49. Access to eight surprising articles a day, hand-picked by FT editors. For seamless reading, access content via the FT Edit page on … [+91 chars]

Organism found in California volcanic springs joins club of extremophiles that thrive in most severe environments

Financial Times

New ‘fire amoeba’ breaks heat survival record - Financial Times

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A sinkhole is seen in Australia's Nullarbor Plain. | Credit: Matej Lipar
Mysterious trenches s… [+5100 chars]

When giant systems of ancient caves far below the surface of Australia collapsed, it left distinctive clues at the surface.

Live Science

Caves beneath sinkhole reveal origin of mystery trenches that score Australian Plain - Yahoo

The universe is showing off in dazzling images highlighted by the Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards. From closeup views of our solar system to distant wonders of galaxies and nebulae, this ye… [+6419 chars]

The haunting beauty of the universe is on full display in this year's astrophotography competition.

A Deep-Space Shark Is Prowling the Cosmos—and the Photo Just Won a Major Award - Gizmodo

This image of Mars shows what it might be like to stand on the Red Planet and look across into the distance.
But it also shows the site of a key discovery made by scientists analysing data gathered … [+4805 chars]

Perseverance rover makes a discovery at Margin Unit on Mars giving scientists clues about the planet's wet history and conditions for life.

Skyatnightmagazine.com

Spectacular image from the surface of Mars – and scientists get a big surprise while searching for signs of ancient life - skyatnightmagazine.com

When an abstract-looking ivory artifact emerged from the Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany in 2015, archaeologists didn't know quite what to make of it. Previously, the same cave had yielded what m… [+10272 chars]

When an abstract-looking ivory artifact emerged from the Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany in 2015, archaeologists didn't know quite what to make of it. Previously, the same cave had yielded what may be the world's oldest musical flutes, as well as one of h…

Rope, twine and thread: Invisible technologies of the Stone Age - Phys.org

We might soon be able to read thousands of long-lost ancient scrolls charred by the eruption of Vesuvius. Researchers have made their own burned, rolled-up papyri and showed that they can decipher th… [+3144 chars]

By making and burning their own papyrus, researchers have come up with a method that might help to read glowing text from unopened scrolls from Herculaneum.