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Categories: Offbeat: Computers and Math, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published First conclusive evidence that a terrestrial leech species can jump



A new study presents video evidence that at least one species of terrestrial leech can jump, behavior that scientists have debated for more than a century.
Published Researchers leverage shadows to model 3D scenes, including objects blocked from view



A new technique can model an entire 3D scene, including areas hidden from view, from just one camera image. The method relies on image shadows, which provide information about the geometry and location of hidden objects.
Published Fishy parenting? Punishing offspring encourages cooperation



Scientists discovered that Neolamprologus savoryi fish use punishment to encourage offspring to cooperate in brood care, revealing advanced cognitive abilities previously thought unique to higher vertebrates. This study highlights that punishment for promoting cooperation exists beyond human societies, prompting a reevaluation of animal intelligence.
Published The world's oldest wine discovered



A white wine over 2,000 years old, of Andalusian origin, is the oldest wine ever discovered.
Published Breakthrough may clear major hurdle for quantum computers



The potential of quantum computers is currently thwarted by a trade-off problem. Quantum systems that can carry out complex operations are less tolerant to errors and noise, while systems that are more protected against noise are harder and slower to compute with. Now a research team has created a unique system that combats the dilemma, thus paving the way for longer computation time and more robust quantum computers.
Published Where to put head and tail?



Formation of the body axes is a critical part of embryonic development. They guarantee that all body parts end up where they belong and that no ears grow on our backs. The head-tail axis, for example, determines the orientation of the two ends of the body. It was previously assumed that this axis is largely determined by the interplay between the Nodal and BMP signals. However, there appears to be another player in this system, as researchers have now discovered by using an embryo-like model system they developed. In the absence of BMP, the signalling molecule beta-catenin takes on the role of the Nodal antagonist. This new mechanism could be a flexible solution for axis formation in embryos with different shapes.
Published Researchers teach AI to spot what you're sketching



A new way to teach artificial intelligence (AI) to understand human line drawings -- even from non-artists -- has been developed.
Published Wear it, then recycle: Designers make dissolvable textiles from gelatin



Researchers hope their DIY machine will help designers around the world experiment with making their own, sustainable fashion and other textiles from a range of natural ingredients -- maybe even the chitin in crab shells or agar-agar from algae.
Published Ancient polar sea reptile fossil is oldest ever found in Southern Hemisphere



An international team of scientists has identified the oldest fossil of a sea-going reptile from the Southern Hemisphere -- a nothosaur vertebra found on New Zealand's South Island. 246 million years ago, at the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, New Zealand was located on the southern polar coast of a vast super-ocean called Panthalassa. 'The nothosaur found in New Zealand is over 40 million years older than the previously oldest known sauropterygian fossils from the Southern Hemisphere.
Published Sharks have depleted functional diversity compared to the last 66 million years



New research has found that sharks retained high levels of functional diversity for most of the last 66 million years, before steadily declining over the last 10 million years to its lowest value in the present day.
Published Sweaty cattle may boost food security in a warming world



Climate change is making it more difficult to raise cattle -- growth and reproduction are affected by heat -- so it's critical to breed cattle better adapted to a hotter and longer summer. A new study shows it's possible to identify the genes within breeds of cattle that would lead to the sweatiest, heat-tolerant offspring.
Published Scientists preserve DNA in an amber-like polymer



With their 'T-REX' method, researchers developed a glassy, amber-like polymer that can be used for long-term storage of DNA, such as entire human genomes or digital files such as photos.
Published Paleontology: New fossil fish genus discovered



Paleontologists have identified a new genus of fossil goby, revealing evolutionary secrets of a lineage that stretches back millions of years.
Published Eating small fish whole can prolong life expectancy, a Japanese study finds



A new study has found evidence linking the intake of whole-sized small fish with a reduced risk of all-cause and cancer mortality in Japanese women.
Published Swimming microrobots deliver cancer-fighting drugs to metastatic lung tumors in mice



Engineers have developed microscopic robots, known as microrobots, capable of swimming through the lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors. This approach has shown promise in mice, where it inhibited the growth and spread of tumors that had metastasized to the lungs, thereby boosting survival rates compared to control treatments.
Published Soaring birds use their lungs to modify mechanics of flight



An air-filled sac within the birds' lungs is believed to increase the force the birds use to power flight muscles while soaring.
Published Ingestible microbiome sampling pill technology advances



Significant progress has been made in the development of a small device, about the size of a vitamin pill, that can be swallowed and passed through the gastrointestinal tract to sample and help identify the full inventory of microbiome bacteria in an individual.
Published To heal skin, scientists invent living bioelectronics



Engineers have created a patch that combines sensors and bacteria to interact with the body.
Published Towards a new era in flexible piezoelectric sensors for both humans and robots



Flexible piezoelectric sensors are essential to monitor the motions of both humans and humanoid robots. However, existing designs are either are costly or have limited sensitivity. In a recent study, researchers tackled these issues by developing a novel piezoelectric composite material made from electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers combined with dopamine. Sensors made from this material showed significant performance and stability improvements at a low cost, promising advancements in medicine, healthcare, and robotics.
Published No bones about it: 100-million-year-old bones reveal new species of pterosaur



New research has identified 100-million-year-old fossilized bones discovered in western Queensland as belonging to a newly identified species of pterosaur, which was a formidable flying reptile that lived among the dinosaurs.