Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
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When mammoths roamed Vancouver Island      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mammoths, the massive pre-historic ice age cousins of the modern-day elephant, have always been understood to have inhabited parts of British Columbia, but the question of when has always been a bit woolly. Now, a new study has given scientists the clearest picture yet when the giant mammals roamed Vancouver Island.

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Findings from first archaeology project in space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first-ever archeological survey in space has provided new insights into how astronauts use and adapt their living space on the International Space Station, which could influence the design of new space stations after the ISS is decommissioned.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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X-ray imagery of vibrating diamond opens avenues for quantum sensing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists at three research institutions capture the pulsing motion of atoms in diamond, uncovering the relationship between the diamond's strain and the behavior of the quantum information hosted within.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils
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Carvings at ancient monument may be world's oldest calendars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Markings on a stone pillar at a 12,000 year-old archaeological site in Turkey likely represent the world's oldest solar calendar, created as a memorial to a devastating comet strike, experts suggest.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Smallest arm bone in human fossil record sheds light on the dawn of Homo floresiensis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reports the discovery of extremely rare early human fossils from the Indonesian island of Flores, including an astonishingly small adult limb bone. Dated to about 700,000 years old, the new findings shed light on the evolution of Homo floresiensis, the so-called 'Hobbits' of Flores whose remains were uncovered in 2003 at Liang Bua cave in the island's west.

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Hydraulic lift technology may have helped build Egypt's iconic Pyramid of Djoser      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt's iconic pyramids, may have been built with the help of a unique hydraulic lift system, according to researchers. A new study suggests that water may have been able to flow into two shafts located inside the pyramid itself, where that water could have been used to help raise and lower a float used to carry the building stones.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Half a billion-year-old spiny slug reveals the origins of mollusks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Exceptional fossils with preserved soft parts reveal that the earliest mollusks were flat, armored slugs without shells. The new species, Shishania aculeata, was covered with hollow, organic, cone-shaped spines. The fossils preserve exceptionally rare detailed features which reveal that these spines were produced using a sophisticated secretion system that is shared with annelids (earthworms and relatives).

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Modern behavior explains prehistoric economies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What if the 'Market Economy' always existed? Archaeologists tried to answer this question by researching how much Bronze Age people used to spend to sustain their daily lives. Their results show that, starting at least 3,500 years ago, the spending habits of prehistoric Europeans were not substantially different from what they are today.

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Bright prospects for engineering quantum light      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Computers benefit greatly from being connected to the internet, so we might ask: What good is a quantum computer without a quantum internet?

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Researchers develop general framework for designing quantum sensors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have designed a protocol for harnessing the power of quantum sensors. The protocol could give sensor designers the ability to fine-tune quantum systems to sense signals of interest, creating sensors that are vastly more sensitive than traditional sensors.

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Optical fibers fit for the age of quantum computing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new generation of specialty optical fibers has been developed by physicists to cope with the challenges of data transfer expected to arise in the future age of quantum computing.

Anthropology: General Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
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The ancestor of all modern birds probably had iridescent feathers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Birds tend to be more colorful in the tropics, and scientists wanted to find out how they got there: if colorful feathers evolved in the tropics, or if tropical birds have brightly-colored ancestors that came to the region from somwhere else. Scientists built a database of 9,409 birds to explore the spread of color across the globe. They found that iridescent, colorful feathers originated 415 times across the bird tree of life, and in most cases, arose outside of the tropics -- and that the ancestor of all modern birds likely had iridescent feathers, too.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Lampreys possess a 'jaw-dropping' evolutionary origin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lampreys are one of only two living jawless vertebrates Jaws are formed by a key stem cell population called the neural crest New research reveals the gene regulatory changes that may explain morphological differences between jawed and jawless vertebrates.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers
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Folded peptides are more electrically conductive than unfolded peptides      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What puts the electronic pep in peptides? A folded structure, according to a new study. Researchers combined single-molecule experiments, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics to validate the findings.

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'Kink state' control may provide pathway to quantum electronics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The key to developing quantum electronics may have a few kinks. According to researchers, that's not a bad thing when it comes to the precise control needed to fabricate and operate such devices, including advanced sensors and lasers. The researchers fabricated a switch to turn on and off the presence of kink states, which are electrical conduction pathways at the edge of semiconducting materials.

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Chemical analyses find hidden elements from renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe's alchemy laboratory      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Danish Tycho Brahe was most famous for his contributions to astronomy. However, he also had a well-equipped alchemical laboratory where he produced secret medicines for Europe's elite.

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Quantum sensor for the atomic world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a scientific breakthrough, an international research team has developed a quantum sensor capable of detecting minute magnetic fields at the atomic length scale. This pioneering work realizes a long-held dream of scientists: an MRI-like tool for quantum materials.