Sunday, 4 January 2026

A 2,000-Year-Old Fingerprint May Solve Mystery of Scandinavia’s Oldest Wooden Boat


The Hjortspring boat as currently displayed at the National Museum of Denmark. 
Credit: Boel Bengtsson

A single fingerprint in ancient tar is rewriting the story of one of Scandinavia’s earliest seaborne raids.

Researchers have identified a fingerprint preserved in the tar used to seal the oldest known wooden plank boat in Scandinavia, offering a rare physical connection to the sea raiders who used the vessel more than 2,000 years ago. By closely examining the composition of the tar, scientists at Lund University are gaining new insight into the long-debated question of where these attackers originated.

During the 4th century BC, a small fleet of boats launched an attack on the island of Als off the coast of present day Denmark. The raiders, who may have traveled in as many as four vessels, were ultimately defeated. After the battle, the defenders placed their enemies’ weapons into the bog along with one of the boats, most likely as a ritual offering to mark their victory.

“Where these sea raiders might have come from, and why they attacked the island of Als has long been a mystery,” says Mikael Fauvelle, archaeologist at Lund University.


Cordage fragments from the Hjortspring boat. 
Credit: Mikael Fauvette

A uniquely preserved war boat

The vessel was first discovered in the 1880s in the Hjortspring Mose bog, excavated more extensively in the 1920s, and later became known as the Hjortspring boat. It remains the only prehistoric plank-built boat ever found in Scandinavia. Because it was deliberately placed in a bog as an offering, the boat survived in remarkably good condition. It has since been displayed at the National Museum of Denmark.

When researchers recently located sections of the boat that had never undergone chemical preservation, they were able to analyze them using modern scientific techniques.

“The boat was waterproofed with pine pitch, which was surprising. This suggests the boat was built somewhere with abundant pine forests,” says Mikael Fauvelle.

Earlier theories proposed that the boat and its crew came from the area around present-day Hamburg in Germany. The new evidence instead points toward origins in the Baltic Sea region.


Photo of caulking fragment showing fingerprint on the left and high-resolution x-ray tomography scan of fingerprint region on the right. 
Credit: Photography by Erik Johansson, 3D model by Sahel Ganji

“If the boat came from the pine forest-rich coastal regions of the Baltic Sea, it means that the warriors who attacked the island of Als chose to launch a maritime raid over hundreds of kilometers of open sea,” says Mikael Fauvelle.

As for where the fingerprint itself was left, that question remains open. The most definitive way to determine the boat’s origin would be through tree year ring counting, which could link the wooden planks to the specific region where the trees were originally cut.

“We are also hoping to be able to extract ancient DNA from the caulking tar on the boat, which could give us more detailed information on the ancient people who used this boat,” concludes Mikael Fauvelle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C-d38UP3kI

 Detective work led to the discovery

The latest findings are the result of careful detective work by the researchers. 

The team wanted to find material from the boat that had not yet been subjected to conservation. This involved going through the archive at the National Museum and reading old correspondence, detailing when and where materials had been shipped between different storage areas and museums in Denmark.


Depiction of our experimental reconstruction of lime bast cordage and hitch knot. This reconstruction was made by Mikkel Hollmann and Olof Pipping using a spinning hook. Note that some sections are two ply while others are four ply.
Credit: Mikael Fauvette

“When we located some of the boxes of materials, we were very excited to find that they contained samples from the original excavation that had not been studied in over 100 years,” says Mikael Fauvelle. 

How the researchers examined their findings

The team used a wide range of modern scientific methods to study the Hjortspring material. They were able to carbon date some of the lime bast cordage used on the boat, giving them the first absolute date from the original excavation material and confirming its pre-Roman Iron Age dating.

They also used X-ray tomography to make high-resolution scans of the caulking and cordage material found on the boat. This included making a digital 3D model of the fingerprint found in some of the caulking tar.

They used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to study the caulking material and to see how it was produced. In addition, they worked with modern rope makers to create replicas of the ship’s cordage to study the rope-making process used in the boat’s construction
 
 
 
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Scientists Uncover Hidden Fiber Networks Inside Human Tissues


Computational scattered light imaging shows the orientation and organization of tissue fibers at micrometer resolution. The colors represent different fiber orientations. 
Credit: Marios Georgiadis

A simple light-based method is uncovering hidden fiber networks inside the brain and body, even in tissue slides over 100 years old.

Every organ in the human body is built around networks of microscopic fibers that quietly guide how tissues work. In muscles, these fibers channel physical force. In the intestines, they support movement through the digestive system. In the brain, fiber pathways carry signals that allow different regions to communicate and support thinking and memory. Together, these tiny structures help organs function properly and maintain their shape.

Damage to these fiber networks plays a role in nearly every disease. In the brain, this damage shows up as disrupted connections between neurons, a defining feature of all neurological disorders.

Even though these fibers are central to health and disease, studying them has been difficult. Their small size and complex orientations inside tissues have made them hard to visualize using existing imaging tools.
 
A Simple Way to Reveal Invisible Microstructure

A research team led by Marios Georgiadis, PhD, instructor of neuroimaging, has now developed a straightforward and affordable technique that brings these hidden fiber structures into view with remarkable precision.

The approach, described in Nature Communications, is called computational scattered light imaging (ComSLI). It allows scientists to map the orientation and organization of tissue fibers at micrometer resolution on virtually any histology slide, regardless of how the sample was stained, stored, or preserved — even if it is many decades old.

Michael Zeineh, MD, PhD, professor of radiology, is a co-senior author of the study along with Miriam Menzel, PhD, a former visiting scholar in Zeineh’s lab.

“The information about tissue structures has always been there, hidden in plain sight,” Georgiadis said. “ComSLI simply gives us a way to see that information and map it out.”
 
Why Existing Imaging Methods Fall Short

Common techniques for imaging tissue fibers come with important limitations. MRI is useful for viewing large-scale brain networks, but cannot capture fine cellular detail. Traditional histology approaches often depend on specialized stains, costly equipment, and carefully maintained samples. They also struggle to clearly resolve areas where fibers intersect.

ComSLI overcomes these issues by relying on a basic physical behavior of light. When light passes through microscopic structures, it scatters in ways that depend on the orientation of those structures. By rotating the direction of illumination and measuring how scattering patterns change, researchers can determine fiber directions within each tiny pixel of an image.

The experimental setup is simple, requiring only a rotating LED light source and a microscope camera. Computer algorithms then process subtle variations in scattered light to generate color-coded maps known as microstructure-informed fiber orientation distributions, which show both fiber direction and density.
 
Works on Almost Any Tissue Slide

One of ComSLI’s most powerful features is its flexibility. The technique works on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, the most common type used in hospitals and pathology labs. It also performs well on fresh-frozen tissue, as well as stained and unstained samples.

Researchers can even return to slides created for unrelated studies, including specimens stored for decades, and extract new structural information without altering the samples.

“This is a tool that any lab can use,” Zeineh said. “You don’t need specialized preparation or expensive equipment. What excites me most is that this approach opens the door for anyone, from small research labs to pathology labs, to uncover new insights from slides they already have.”
 
Revealing Brain Microstructure and Disease Effects

Mapping the brain’s microscopic wiring has long been a major goal in neuroscience. Using ComSLI, Georgiadis and colleagues were able to visualize entire formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human brain sections, as well as standard-sized slides, revealing fine structural details across different brain regions.

The researchers also examined how fiber patterns change in neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, leukoencephalopathy, and Alzheimer’s disease.

They paid particular attention to the hippocampus, a deep-brain region critical for forming and retrieving memories and often affected early in neurodegenerative disease. By comparing hippocampal tissue from a person with Alzheimer’s disease to tissue from a healthy individual, the team observed pronounced structural damage. Fiber crossings that normally link different parts of the hippocampus were greatly diminished, and a key pathway responsible for carrying memory-related signals into the hippocampus — the perforant pathway — was barely visible. In contrast, the healthy hippocampus displayed a dense and interconnected web of fibers throughout the region. These detailed images allow scientists to visualize how memory circuits deteriorate over time.

To further test the method, the team analyzed a brain section prepared in 1904. Despite its age, the sample still revealed complex fiber pathways when examined with ComSLI, demonstrating the technique’s ability to extract new insights from historical specimens.
 
Expanding Beyond Brain Research

Although ComSLI was originally designed for studying the brain, the researchers found that it works equally well in other tissues. They applied the method to samples from muscle, bone and blood vessels, each showing distinct fiber arrangements tied to specific biological functions.

In tongue muscle, the technique revealed layered fiber patterns associated with flexibility and movement. In bone, it traced collagen fibers aligned with mechanical stress. In arteries, it exposed alternating layers of collagen and elastin fibers that contribute to both strength and elasticity.

By making it possible to map fiber orientation across different organs, species and archival samples, ComSLI could change how scientists study tissue structure and function. It also transforms millions of stored slides worldwide into valuable sources of previously inaccessible data.

“Although we just presented the method, there are already multiple requests for scanning samples and replicating the ComSLI setup — so many labs and clinics would like to have micron-resolution fiber orientation and micro-connectivity on their histology sections,” Georgiadis said. “Another exciting plan is to go back to well-characterized brain archives or brain sections of famous people, and recover this micro-connectivity information, revealing ‘secrets’ that have been considered long lost. This is the beauty of ComSLI.”
 
 
 
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The Surprising Way Deadwood Brings Orchids to Life


Close-up of Cremastra variabilis seedlings (white) entwined with fungal hyphae near decaying wood, illustrating how wood-decomposing fungi sustain seedling growth. 
Credit: Kazuki Inui

Scientists have discovered that orchids depend on fungi living in decaying wood to sprout and survive their earliest stages. This hidden partnership reveals a new carbon pathway linking deadwood to living plants. 

Fungi that decompose deadwood provide a vital food source for orchids when they begin to grow, supplying carbon that their extremely small seeds lack. Researchers at Kobe University found that this relationship fills a long-standing gap in knowledge about how wild orchids survive their earliest stage and also highlights an overlooked flow of carbon through forest ecosystems.

Orchid seeds are about the size of dust particles and contain no nutrients to support early growth. While mature orchids are known to depend on specific fungi that form structures inside their roots, scientists had not confirmed whether those fungi also play a role during germination. “Studying orchid germination in nature is notoriously difficult. In particular, the painstaking methods required for recovering their seedlings from soil explain why most earlier studies focused only on adult roots, where fungi are easier to sample,” explains Kobe University plant evolutionary ecologist Kenji Suetsugu.

While conducting fieldwork, Suetsugu and his colleagues began to notice an unusual pattern. “We repeatedly found seedlings and adults with juvenile root structures near decaying logs, not scattered randomly in the forest. That recurring pattern inspired us to test whether deadwood fungi fuel orchid beginnings,” he says.

These juvenile root structures, known as coral-shaped rhizomes, are thought to be seedling organs that persist into adulthood — and they are commonly linked to fungi that decompose wood rather than the fungi typically found in adult orchids that lack these structures. With their background in orchid ecology and evolution, the team set out to determine which fungi support young orchids.

Writing in the journal Functional Ecology, the Kobe University researchers report that when they buried seeds from four model orchid species at different sites in the forest, germination occurred only near decaying logs. The resulting seedlings were almost entirely associated with wood-decomposing fungi.

“We were struck by how exclusive and consistent these fungal partnerships were. There is an almost perfect match in the fungi that seedlings of a given orchid species associate with and the fungi on adult plants with coral-shaped rhizomes of the same species. We think that the plants without coral-shaped rhizomes shift to other fungi as their nutritional needs change during growth and the carbon source offered by rotting logs dries out,” says Suetsugu.
 
 
 
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Saturday, 3 January 2026

Oldest Human Settlement In America Just Discovered In Oregon Pushes Back The Timeline!

The Insight Archive,  1 Jan 2026


Oldest Human Settlement In America Just Discovered In Oregon Pushes Back The Timeline! 

For decades, archaeologists believed they knew when humans first reached North America. That timeline left no room for doubt. Then excavations began at Rimrock Draw, a remote rock shelter in Oregon. What emerged from beneath sealed layers of volcanic ash was not supposed to be there at all. Each deeper layer produced evidence that belonged to a much earlier time. By the end of the dig, researchers were no longer asking what was found but how wrong the timeline had been!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2zndQ5f-pA


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Controversial Ancestor Found to Have Done Something Eerily Human

03 Jan. 2026, By M. IRVING

A museum reconstruction of Sahelanthropus tchadensis. 

A controversial hominid that lived 7 million years ago may have walked on two legs after all, according to a new analysis of its fossilized bones.

After its discovery in 2001, Sahelanthropus tchadensis (nicknamed Toumai) was considered one of the earliest human ancestors, but some scientists argue that it's a more distant cousin, not a direct human antecedent.

Much of the debate centers on whether this primate habitually strolled around on two legs, or if it walked with the help of its hands as modern chimps and gorillas do.

Now, a study led by scientists at New York University claims to have settled the argument: Give your great, great (x infinity) grandmother S. tchadensis a kiss.

"Our analysis of these fossils offers direct evidence that Sahelanthropus tchadensis could walk on two legs, demonstrating that bipedalism evolved early in our lineage and from an ancestor that looked most similar to today's chimpanzees and bonobos," says Scott Williams, anthropologist at New York University.

The researchers reached this conclusion by conducting 3D geometric analyses of the arm and leg bones of the creature, and comparing them to the same bones in related species, both living and extinct.

They claim to have found three key features that indicate bipedalism. For one, they found a twist in the femur that helps the legs point forward and makes walking easier. Second, S. tchadensis seems to have had prominent buttock muscles, important for keeping the hips stable.

Both of these features have been identified in previous work by other scientists. But the smoking gun of the new work, according to the team, was the discovery of a femoral tubercle.

This is a kind of anchor point for a powerful ligament that connects the pelvis and the femur – vital for bipedalism and known only in hominins.

That's not to say that S. tchadensis had completely given up its tree-climbing heritage, however.

"Sahelanthropus tchadensis was essentially a bipedal ape that possessed a chimpanzee-sized brain and likely spent a significant portion of its time in trees, foraging and seeking safety," says Williams.

"Despite its superficial appearance, Sahelanthropus was adapted to using bipedal posture and movement on the ground."


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China Advances Toward Fusion Ignition With Major Plasma Breakthrough

BY CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, JAN. 1, 2026

China’s EAST reactor just broke a fundamental fusion limit—bringing the dream of ignition a big step closer.
 shutterstock

Scientists working with China’s fully superconducting Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) have reached a long-predicted state known as the “density-free regime,” where fusion plasma remains stable at densities far higher than traditional limits. The achievement marks a significant step toward solving one of fusion energy’s most persistent physical challenges. The findings were published in Science Advances on January 1.

A New High-Density Operating Strategy

The research was co-led by Prof. Ping Zhu of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Associate Prof. Ning Yan of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Using a newly developed high-density operating approach on EAST, the team showed that plasma density can be pushed well beyond long-accepted empirical limits without triggering the violent instabilities that typically shut down tokamak experiments.


Schematic illustration of the EAST tokamak operation during ECRH-assisted Ohmic start-up. 
Credit: Ning Yan



Why Plasma Density Matters for Fusion Energy

Nuclear fusion is widely viewed as a potential source of clean, reliable energy. In deuterium-tritium fusion, the fuel must be heated to roughly 13 keV (150 million kelvin) to produce optimal reactions. At these extreme temperatures, fusion power output increases with the square of the plasma density. For decades, however, tokamak experiments have been constrained by an upper density limit. Crossing that boundary usually leads to disruptions that damage plasma confinement and threaten the stability of the device, making higher fusion performance difficult to achieve.

Plasma Wall Self-Organization Theory

A newer theoretical framework known as plasma-wall self organization (PWSO) offers a different way to understand these limits. The concept was first proposed by D.F. Escande et al. from the French National Center for Scientific Research and Aix-Marseille University. According to the theory, a density-free regime becomes possible when the plasma and the metal walls of the reactor reach a delicate balance, particularly in systems where physical sputtering dominates plasma-wall interactions.


Schematic comparison of EAST experimental results with plasma–wall self-organization theory prediction. 
Credit: Ning Yan



How EAST Reached the Density-Free Regime

The EAST experiments provided the first experimental confirmation of this idea. Researchers carefully controlled the initial fuel gas pressure and applied electron cyclotron resonance heating during the startup phase of each plasma discharge. This early-stage control helped optimize plasma-wall interactions from the very beginning. As a result, impurity buildup and energy losses were significantly reduced, allowing the plasma density to rise steadily by the end of startup. Under these conditions, EAST successfully entered the PWSO-predicted density-free regime, where stable operation was maintained even at densities far above conventional limits.

Implications for Fusion Ignition

These results offer new insight into how the long-standing density barrier in tokamak operation might be overcome on the path toward fusion ignition.

“The findings suggest a practical and scalable pathway for extending density limits in tokamaks and next-generation burning plasma fusion devices,” said Prof. Zhu.

Associate Pro. Yan added that the team plans to apply the same method during high-confinement operation on EAST in the near future, with the goal of reaching the density-free regime under even higher performance plasma conditions.


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Friday, 2 January 2026

As Our Gut Ages, Key Genes Fall Silent. Scientists Now Know Why

BY LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE ON AGING - FRITZ LIPMANN INST., JAN. 2, 2026

Researchers identified a specific epigenetic drift in aging gut stem cells that quietly switches off key genes. This patterned change, linked to inflammation and cancer risk, hints that intestinal aging is both structured and potentially influenceable. 
Credit: Shutterstock

Scientists have uncovered a gut-specific epigenetic aging mechanism that links inflammation and iron imbalance to cancer risk and may be reversible.

Scientists have uncovered a core biological process that drives aging in the gut.

Their work shows that a distinct form of epigenetic aging known as ACCA drift builds up in intestinal stem cells, shutting down important genes through excessive DNA methylation. This process is fueled by age-related inflammation, reduced Wnt signaling, and disrupted iron metabolism, and it spreads through intestinal tissue in a way that may help explain the growing risk of colorectal cancer with age.
Rapid Renewal Meets Gradual Decline

The human gut replaces its cells more rapidly than any other tissue in the body, generating new cells from specialized stem cells every few days. Over time, however, these stem cells accumulate epigenetic changes. These changes are chemical markers attached to DNA that function like switches, controlling which genes are turned on or off.

The study, recently published in Nature Aging, was led by Prof. Francesco Neri of the University of Turin, Italy, in collaboration with scientists from the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, Germany, as well as researchers at the Molecular Biotechnology Centre Turin. The findings show that aging-related changes in the gut follow a clear and consistent pattern rather than occurring at random. The researchers call this pattern ACCA (Aging- and Colon Cancer-Associated) drift.

“We observe an epigenetic pattern that becomes increasingly apparent with age,” explains Prof. Neri, former group leader at the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute in Jena.


In older intestines, the ACCA drift, an increase in DNA hypermethylation in intestinal stem cells, leads to the shutdown of important genes. This limits the self-renewal of intestinal crypts and reduces the tissue’s ability to regenerate. 
Credit: FLI / Kerstin Wagner



Genes that are essential for maintaining healthy tissue are especially affected by this drift, including those involved in renewing the intestinal lining through the Wnt signaling pathway.

The same epigenetic changes appear not only in aging intestinal tissue but also in nearly all colon cancer samples that were analyzed. This overlap suggests that aging stem cells may create conditions that make cancer more likely to develop.

Patchwork of aging: Different areas of tissue are affected differently

One striking aspect of ACCA drift is that it does not spread evenly across the intestine. Each intestinal crypt, a small tubular structure within the intestinal lining, originates from a single stem cell. When that stem cell undergoes epigenetic alterations, the changes are passed on to all cells within the crypt. Dr. Anna Krepelova describes how this unfolds: “Over time, more and more areas with an older epigenetic profile develop in the tissue. Through the natural process of crypt division, these regions continuously enlarge and can continue to grow over many years.”

This explains why the intestines of older people contain a veritable patchwork of crypts that have remained young and others that have aged significantly, and why certain regions are particularly susceptible to producing more degenerated cells, which promotes cancer growth.

Impaired iron metabolism shuts down repair systems

Why does this drift occur? Researchers have shown that older intestinal cells absorb less iron but release more iron at the same time. This reduces the amount of available iron (II) in the cell nucleus, which serves as a cofactor for the TET (ten-eleven translocation) enzymes. These enzymes normally protect from the excess DNA methylations, but if the cell doesn’t have enough iron, they can’t do their job properly. Excess DNA methylations are no longer broken down.

“When there’s not enough iron in the cells, faulty markings remain on the DNA. And the cells lose their ability to remove these markings,“ explains Dr. Anna Krepelova. This has a kind of domino effect: as the TET activity decreases, more and more DNA methylations accumulate, and important genes are switched off; they ”fall silent.” This can further accelerate epigenetic drift.

Inflammation and impaired Wnt signaling accelerate aging

The research team was also able to demonstrate that mild inflammatory processes in the gut associated with aging further reinforce this mechanism. Inflammatory signals alter iron distribution in the cell and put strain on the metabolism. At the same time, Wnt signaling also weakens—a signaling pathway that is important for keeping stem cells active and functional.

This combination of iron deficiency, inflammation, and Wnt signaling loss acts as an “accelerator” of epigenetic drift. As a result, the aging process in the intestine can begin earlier and spread faster than previously thought.

Aging drift can be influenced

Despite the complexity of the mechanism, the study also provides encouraging results. The researchers succeeded in slowing down or partially reversing epigenetic drift in organoid cultures—miniature intestinal models grown from intestinal stem cells—by restoring iron import or specifically activating the Wnt signaling pathway.

Both measures led to the TET enzymes becoming more active again and the cells starting to break down the methylations once more. “This means that epigenetic aging does not have to be a fixed, final state,” emphasizes Dr. Anna Krepelova. “For the first time, we are seeing that it is possible to tweak the parameters of aging that lie deep within the molecular core of the cell.”


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Cell Membranes May Act Like Tiny Power Generators

BY PNAS NEXUS, JAN. 1, 2026

Schematic of an active cell membrane. In a typical active biological process, active proteins (shown in a variety of colors) in a cell membrane (shown in blue) interact with various biological components, such as the ATP molecules (shown in white and red). These interactions of active proteins generate active noise (fluctuation) force within a cell membrane, mechanically affecting the out-of-plane displacement of a cell membrane. Due to the flexoelectric coupling of a cell membrane, changes in out-of-plane displacement induce changes in the transmembrane voltage of a cell membrane, resulting in energy harvesting, active transport of ions, and the generation of electric current across the cell membrane. Credit: Pratik Khandagale, Liping Liu, and Pradeep Sharma

Living cells may generate electricity through the natural motion of their membranes. These fast electrical signals could play a role in how cells communicate and sense their surroundings.

Scientists have proposed a new theoretical explanation for how living cells may generate electrical signals on their own. The idea centers on the cell membrane, the thin, flexible layer that surrounds every cell and separates its interior from the outside environment. Rather than being still, this membrane is constantly in motion due to activity happening inside the cell. The new framework shows that these tiny movements at the molecular level can give rise to real electrical effects.

The work was led by Pradeep Sharma and his colleagues, who developed a mathematical model to connect biological activity with basic physical principles. Their goal was to understand how normal cellular processes could translate into electrical behavior without requiring specialized structures like nerves or electrodes.

Molecular Motion Drives Membrane Fluctuations

Inside living cells, countless processes are always underway. Proteins shift shape as they perform their functions, and chemical reactions release energy that keeps the cell alive. One key process is ATP hydrolysis, which is how cells break down adenosine triphosphate to power biological work. These activities exert forces on the cell membrane, causing it to bend, ripple, and fluctuate.

According to the model, these constant shape changes are not just mechanical. When the membrane bends, it can generate an electrical response through a physical effect known as flexoelectricity. This effect occurs when deformation in a material creates an electrical charge, linking motion directly to voltage.

Voltage Levels Comparable to Neuron Signals

The researchers found that the electrical differences produced across the membrane, known as transmembrane voltages, can be surprisingly strong. In some cases, the voltage may reach up to 90 millivolts. This is similar in size to the voltage changes that occur when neurons send signals in the brain.

The timing of these changes is also striking. The voltage fluctuations can happen over milliseconds, which closely matches the speed and shape of typical action potential curves seen in nerve cells. This suggests that the same underlying physics could help explain how electrical signaling works in biological systems.

Moving Ions Against Their Natural Direction

Beyond generating voltage, the framework predicts another important effect. The electrical signals created by membrane motion could actively move ions. Ions are charged particles that play a central role in cell signaling and maintaining balance inside cells. Normally, ions move along electrochemical gradients, flowing from areas of higher concentration to lower concentration.

The model suggests that active membrane fluctuations could push ions in the opposite direction, effectively working against these gradients. The researchers show that this behavior depends on the membrane’s elastic properties, which describe how easily it bends, and its dielectric properties, which describe how it responds to electric fields. Together, these features determine both the direction and polarity of ion transport.

From Individual Cells to Tissues and Materials

Looking ahead, the authors propose extending this framework beyond single cells. By applying the same principles to groups of cells, scientists could explore how coordinated membrane activity leads to collective electrical behavior at the level of tissues.

The researchers argue that this mechanism offers a physical foundation for understanding sensory perception, neuronal firing, and energy harvesting in living cells. It may also help bridge biological science and engineering by inspiring bio-inspired and physically intelligent materials that mimic the electrical behavior of living systems.


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JanuaJanuary's Wolf Supermoon Is Getting a Rare Triple Brightness Boost

02 Jan. 2026, By M. STARR

January 2026's Wolf Supermoon is a rare triple treat.
 (Liandra Design/Canva)

The full Wolf Supermoon of 3 January 2026 is going to put in one of the brightest appearances of which our Moon is capable, and it's all down to an extraordinary set of serendipitous circumstances.


A full supermoon takes place when the full phase of the Moon coincides with perigee – the point in the Moon's orbit at which it is closest to Earth.

The perigee of January 3 will bring the full Moon to a distance of 362,312 kilometers (225,130 miles) from Earth, giving it an apparent size and brightness boost of about 14 and 30 percent, respectively, compared to its most distant point.

That distance is a little farther than the Cold Supermoon of 4 December 2025, but the brightness kick from another timely feature will likely make up for the lack of distance.

This year's Wolf Supermoon will also fall just hours from a perihelion – the point in Earth's orbit at which it is closest to the Sun, about 3.4 percent closer than its farthest point. This means just a tiny bit more sunlight reaches the Earth-Moon system, giving another brightness boost.

Given that cold air has less humidity than warm air, making the sky more transparent, January 3 could present a perfect opportunity to go moongazing in the Northern Hemisphere, clear skies allowing – no special equipment required, just your own two eyes and a snuggly blanket.

Supermoons are a natural consequence of the shape of the lunar orbit around Earth. It's not perfectly round, but slightly oval; as a result, there are points along the Moon's path at which it is a touch closer or farther than its average distance of 384,400 kilometers from Earth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZaxqMyP9tU&t=1s

The point at which it is closest to Earth is known as a perigee, of which there are around 13 a year, give or take.

The lunar orbit precesses, meaning its oval shape doesn't follow the same orientation every time, so the timing of the perigees is not exactly aligned with the lunar cycle. There are fewer supermoons than perigees, because it's only when the perigee occurs on a full or new Moon that we refer to it as a supermoon.

Interestingly, the perigee distance also changes quite a bit thanks to other contributing factors, such as the gravitational tug of the Sun and the shifting, long-term relationship between Earth and the Moon.

Meanwhile, perihelion is a similar phenomenon on a larger scale in Earth's orbit with the Sun. It occurs every year in early January, around the 3rd of the month, bringing our homeworld to a distance of 147,099,900 kilometers from the Sun, compared to its average distance of 149.6 million kilometers.

This can increase the amount of solar energy reaching our planet and its Moon, giving the full Moon another brightness boost of about 6.5 percent compared to aphelion, the most distant point in the Earth-Sun orbit.

It's called the Wolf Supermoon because January's full Moon is known as the Wolf Moon. It's just that this year's Wolf Moon is going to be extra special, coinciding with two other celestial events for a rare triple cosmic treat… dare we even say… a Three Wolf Moon?

It's also the last full supermoon we're going to see until 24 November 2026, so get out there and make the most of it.


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Thursday, 1 January 2026

Chuck's picture corner 01, 01, 2026

Happy New Years to all those that follow the Roman calendar. 
Personally I follow the solar calendar so my New Year started on Dec. 21, 2025

It's been a roller coaster week of rain and snow, with temps from freezing to a whole lot colder. This morning at 9:30 am it's a sunny -16.

A frosty morning last week

This (lombardy) poplar was more sparkly than the camera shows

Sun rise a few days ago

The previous owner of this old house, I found his graduation certificate in the attic when I first moved in and added a layer of insulation to the attic. Now it sits on the wall in the cold room where we store food at 10c or so during the winter.

I have no room for these poor Mexican hat plants in the main house so they sit in a window of the cold room.  Hopefully they manage to survive.

The first day of 2026

Some of the house plants enjoying sunshine this morning. Later in the year the sun will be to high in the sky to come in these windows.

A 12 now 17 year old whisky, and a pricy bottle of olive oil, at the table to close out the year.

Supper to end the year, and we had garden salsa (from my garden) later for snacking.

Jack Frost has painted the windows for us with a sparkling design.

Driving to town after it rained glazing the farmers field.

Enjoy the Year
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Traffic Has a Curious Effect on The Atmosphere's Electric Field, Study Shows

01 January 2026, By D. NIELD

(fotog/Tetra images/Getty Images)

Detailed measurements collected in metropolitan Tel Aviv, Israel, have revealed how the ebb and flow of traffic throughout the week affects the electric field generated by Earth's atmosphere.

Led by researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, the study used an electric field mill deployed in the city of Holon in 2024, matching its results with air quality data over a period of seven months. Only measurements from fair weather days were included to filter out interference from rain and storms.

A number of specific pollutants were tracked, including gases and particles from car exhaust and tire wear, and additional compounds formed in chemical reactions with gases in the atmosphere.

"Through coordinated analysis with local air quality and meteorological data, we examined how fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), two major urban pollutants, influence the Potential Gradient (PG), a proxy for the atmospheric electric field near the ground," write the researchers in their published paper.

The atmospheric electric field is the result of natural differences in charge between the surface and upper atmosphere, powered largely by the swirl of currents that form in thunderstorms.

A number of factors influence this planetary circuit, including fluctuations in local weather and air pollution. While this had been measured in some areas of the world, others, such as the western Mediterranean, had yet to be analyzed in detail.

The data showed that traffic pollution in Tel Aviv has an immediate impact on the atmospheric electric field in the region, with both NOx gases and vehicle congestion peaking at the same times (the rush hours at the start and end of the working day).


The researchers linked electric field strength with traffic rush hours.
 (Yaniv et al., Atmos. Res., 2025)



There was also an association between PM2.5 particles and the electric field, though this was delayed by around two-and-a-half hours. The researchers put this down to different particle size, chemical composition, and lifetime in the atmosphere.

The team reports a noticeable weekend effect as well, with significant drops in traffic pollution corresponding with a weakening of the electrical field. That's further confirmation that the two are indeed linked.

"What we observe is a direct physical link between emission peaks and electrical variability," says geoscientist Roy Yaniv, from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

"Nitrogen oxides reduce atmospheric conductivity very quickly, so the electric field responds almost instantaneously during traffic rush hours."

Previous studies have shown how urban smoke can interfere with the electric field around us, and now we have some solid evidence about the impact that air pollution caused by traffic can make as well.

The reason behind the effect is ions: the charged particles in the air. Pollutants can capture these ions, reducing the conductivity of the atmospheric electric field, which then triggers a compensatory effect where the electric field gets stronger.

These changes aren't dangerous, and nor is the electric field itself – the shifts in levels are relatively slight, and wouldn't be enough to throw weather systems out of order or interfere with any gadgetry, or anything like that.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway here is how useful electric field measurements could be for tracking air pollution across cities, giving us more data about the level of threat of traffic fumes to health.

"These results enhance our understanding of the interplay between urban air pollution and the local electric field, and emphasize the importance of integrating air quality data into atmospheric electricity studies, particularly in densely populated regions where anthropogenic influences are pronounced, with implications for public health," write the researchers.


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Hundreds of Everyday Chemicals Found To Damage Beneficial Gut Bacteria

BY J. GARGET, U. OF CAMBRIDGE, DEC. 31, 2025


A broad chemical screen reveals that substances designed for industrial and agricultural use may have unintended effects on the microbes that support human health.
 Credit: Stock



Many everyday chemicals can damage beneficial gut bacteria and potentially fuel antibiotic resistance, prompting calls to rethink chemical safety testing.

A sweeping laboratory analysis of synthetic chemicals has uncovered 168 substances that can harm beneficial bacteria living in the human gut. These compounds interfere with the growth of microbes that play an essential role in maintaining health.

Many of the chemicals identified are commonly encountered through everyday exposure, including food, drinking water, and the surrounding environment. Until now, most were assumed to have little or no impact on bacteria.

When gut microbes adapt in response to these chemical stresses, some also develop resistance to antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin. If similar changes occur inside the human body, this could make bacterial infections more difficult to treat.

A broad screen reveals hidden toxicity

The study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, examined how 1076 chemical contaminants affect 22 different species of gut bacteria under laboratory conditions.


Chemicals that have a toxic effect on human gut bacteria include pesticides, like herbicides and insecticides, that are sprayed onto food crops. These chemicals stifle the growth of gut bacteria thought to be vital for health. 
Credit: Ailen Fernandez-Lande/ University of Cambridge



Among the harmful substances were pesticides, including herbicides and insecticides applied to crops, as well as industrial compounds commonly used in flame retardants and plastics.

Why gut microbes matter for health

The human gut microbiome consists of roughly 4,500 bacterial species that support many critical functions in the body. Disruptions to this complex system have been linked to digestive disorders, obesity, and changes in immune function and mental health.

Despite this importance, traditional chemical safety testing does not account for effects on gut bacteria. These assessments typically focus on intended targets, such as insects in the case of insecticides, while overlooking potential impacts on the human microbiome.


Kiran Patil, senior author of the study, says the study has provided the data to predict the effects of new chemicals, with the aim of moving to a future where new chemicals are safe by design.
 Credit: Jonathan Settle/University of Cambridge



The researchers have used their data to create a machine learning model to predict if industrial chemicals – whether already in use, or in development – will be harmful to human gut bacteria.

The research, including the new machine learning model, was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

Rethinking chemical safety standards

Dr Indra Roux, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and first author of the study said: “We’ve found that many chemicals designed to act only on one type of target, say insects or fungi, also affect gut bacteria. We were surprised that some of these chemicals had such strong effects. For example, many industrial chemicals like flame retardants and plasticisers – that we are regularly in contact with – weren’t thought to affect living organisms at all, but they do.”

Professor Kiran Patil in the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and senior author of the study said: “The real power of this large-scale study is that we now have the data to predict the effects of new chemicals, with the aim of moving to a future where new chemicals are safe by design.”


Roux was surprised to find that many industrial chemicals we’re regularly in contact with affect human gut bacteria, even though they weren’t previously thought to affect living organisms at all. 
Credit: Jonathan Settle/University of Cambridge



Dr Stephan Kamrad at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit, who was also involved in the study, said: “Safety assessments of new chemicals for human use must ensure they are also safe for our gut bacteria, which could be exposed to the chemicals through our food and water.”

From lab findings to real-world exposure

Very little information is available about the direct effects of environmental chemicals on our gut microbiome, and in turn our health. The researchers say it’s likely our gut bacteria are regularly being exposed to the chemicals they tested, but the exact concentrations reaching the gut are unknown. Future studies monitoring our whole-body exposure will be needed to assess the risk.

Patil said: “Now we’ve started discovering these interactions in a laboratory setting it’s important to start collecting more real-world chemical exposure data, to see if there are similar effects in our bodies.”

In the meantime, the researchers suggest the best way to try and avoid exposure to chemical pollutants is to wash our fruit and vegetables before we eat them, and not to use pesticides in the garden.


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Wednesday, 31 December 2025

One Magnet Doubles Plant Growth — Why Is This Physics "Ignored"?

 Forbidden Roots,  28 Dec 2025


In 1974, two independent researchers documented plant growth results that challenged modern agriculture.
 Radishes reached nearly three times their normal size and cucumbers ripened weeks early using no fertilizer, no special soil, and only a carefully placed magnet. The findings were dismissed as impossible and then quietly forgotten. 

This video explores the lost science of magnetoculture, examining the work of Albert Roy Davis, Walter Rawls, and later researchers who identified measurable links between magnetic fields, paramagnetic soils, and plant growth. Using original photographs, historical records, and peer-reviewed studies, we examine evidence showing faster germination, improved water absorption, and yield increases of 10–25% under controlled conditions without additional chemical inputs.

 Finally, the video asks why physics-based agriculture faded as chemical fertilizer use surged, and what that shift reveals about incentives, economics, and forgotten alternatives. This video does not ask for belief — it asks for observation, replication, and critical thought.
 Earth’s pulse is still free.

 đź“š Sources -Davis & Rawls (1974), Magnetism and Its Effects on the Living System -Philip S. Callahan, Paramagnetism -Maheshwari & Grewal (2009), Agricultural Water Management -Hozayn & Qados (2010), African Journal of Agricultural Research -USDA historical fertilizer use data.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvr76d9hsh8


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Scientists Are Turning Food Waste Into Farming Gold and Health Breakthroughs

BY AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, DEC. 30, 2025

From farm leftovers to leafy greens tossed aside, food waste is proving far more valuable than expected. Scientists are finding ways to turn scraps into tools for sustainable farming, gut health, and bioactive ingredients.
 Credit: Shutterstock

What we throw away as food waste may hold the key to healthier crops, stronger ecosystems, and new medical compounds.

Food waste is often seen as little more than compost material, but new research shows it can offer much more. Scientists are discovering valuable uses for discarded food, ranging from dried beet pulp to coconut fibers broken down by millipedes. Four recently published studies in ACS journals describe how food waste can support more sustainable farming practices and provide new bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical use.

Turning Agricultural Waste Into Crop Protection

Researchers writing in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry report that sugar beet pulp could help lower agriculture’s dependence on synthetic pesticides. After sugar is extracted, this pulp remains and accounts for roughly 80% of the beet’s original weight. In laboratory tests, scientists converted the pectin-rich pulp into carbohydrates that stimulated plants’ own defense systems. These natural responses helped protect wheat from diseases such as powdery mildew.

Sustainable Alternatives for Seedling Growth

Coconut fibers processed by millipedes may offer a greener substitute for peat moss, which is commonly used to start seedlings but harvested from environmentally sensitive areas that help protect groundwater quality. A study published in ACS Omega evaluated this coconut “millicompost” as a peat alternative. When blended with other plant materials, the compost supported bell pepper seedling growth just as effectively as traditional peat-based growing media.

Overlooked Greens With Digestive Benefits

A review in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that radish tops, which are often thrown away, may be even more nutritious than the root itself. These peppery greens contain high levels of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds. In several laboratory and animal studies, components such as polysaccharides and antioxidants encouraged the growth of beneficial gut microbes, indicating they may also support overall digestive health in humans.

Preserving Bioactive Compounds for Industry

Research described in ACS Engineering Au outlines a way to stabilize beneficial compounds extracted from beet leaves so they can be used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food products. Scientists aerosolized and dried a liquid mixture containing antioxidant-rich beet-green extract and an edible biopolymer. This process produced microparticles that encapsulated the extract. According to the researchers, these microparticles showed higher antioxidant activity than the extract alone, suggesting the coating helps protect the compounds from degradation.

References:“Valorization of Sugar Beet Byproducts into Oligogalacturonides with Protective Activity against Wheat Powdery Mildew” by Camille Carton, Josip Ĺ afran, Sangeetha Mohanaraj, Romain Roulard, Jean-Marc Domon, Solène Bassard, Natacha Facon, BenoĂ®t Tisserant, Gaelle Mongelard, Laurent Gutierrez, BĂ©atrice Randoux, Maryline Magnin-Robert, JĂ©rĂ´me Pelloux, Corinne Pau-Roblot and Anissa Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui, 15 September 2025, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

“Replacing Commercial Substrate with Millicompost: A Sustainable Approach Using Different Green Wastes Combined with Millicompost for Bell Pepper Seedling Production in Urban Agriculture” by Luiz Fernando de Sousa Antunes, AndrĂ© Felipe de Sousa Vaz, Giulia da Costa Rodrigues dos Santos, Talita dos Santos Ferreira, Renata Rodrigues dos Santos, Renata dos Santos Alves, Jaqueline Carvalho de Almeida, Marco Antonio de Almeida Leal and Maria Elizabeth Fernandes Correia, 13 September 2025, ACS Omega.

“Bioactive Compounds and Health Benefits of Radish Greens” by Wonchan Yoon, Miri Park, Guijae Yoo, Young-Soo Kim and Ho-Young Park, 1 September 2025, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

“Evaluation of Microparticles Obtained from Beet Leaf Extracts (Beta vulgaris L.) Using Supercritical Assisted Atomization (SAA)” by Leonardo de Freitas Marinho, Stefania Mottola, Henrique Di Domenico Ziero, Larissa Castro Ampese, Mariarosa Scognamiglio, Iolanda De Marco, Ernesto Reverchon and Tânia Forster Carneiro, 10 September 2025, ACS Engineering.


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