Humanity’s Oldest Geometry Was Carved Into Ostrich Eggs 60,000 Years Ago

By U. of Bologna, March 3, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/humanitys-oldest-geometry-was-carved-into-ostrich-eggs-60000-years-ago/

Engraved fragments of ostrich eggshell discovered at Diepkloof Rock Shelter in South Africa, dating back approximately 60,000 years. 

Credit: Pierre-Jean Texier, Diepkloof project

Ancient ostrich eggshell engravings from southern Africa reveal something unexpected: a hidden geometry.

At multiple archaeological sites across southern Africa, researchers have uncovered hundreds of unusual fragments of ostrich eggshell. These pieces date back more than 60,000 years and were engraved by groups of Homo sapiens living in the region at the time.

A new study led by scientists at the University of Bologna has found that these engravings were not random scratches or casual decorations. Instead, they followed consistent and carefully structured geometric principles. The research, published in the journal PLOS One, identifies clear evidence of organized visual design based on parallel lines, right angles, and repeated patterns.

“These signs reveal a surprisingly structured, geometric way of thinking,” says Silvia Ferrara, Professor at the University of Bologna’s Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies, who coordinated the study. “We are talking about people who did not simply draw lines, but organised them according to recurring principles — parallelisms, grids, rotations and systematic repetitions: a visual grammar in embryo.”

Complex Patterns and Cognitive Planning

The engraved eggshells were most likely used as water containers. The research team conducted a detailed quantitative analysis of 112 fragments recovered from two South African sites (Diepkloof and Klipdrift) and one site in Namibia (Apollo 11). Using geometric and statistical techniques that had not previously been applied to these artifacts, the team reconstructed the precise angles, line directions, and spatial layouts of the engravings.

Their findings show that more than 80 percent of the designs contain consistent spatial organization. Many feature angles close to 90° and repeated sets of parallel lines. More intricate patterns, including hatched bands, grids, and diamond-shaped motifs, reflect advanced mental operations such as rotation, translation, repetition, and “embedding”, meaning the ability to arrange signs in layered or hierarchical arrangements on the same surface.

“These engravings are organized and consistent, and show mastery of geometric relationships,” Ferrara explains. “There is not only a process of repeating signs: there is real visuo-spatial planning, as if the authors already had an overall image of the figure in mind before engraving it.”

Implications for Human Cognitive Evolution

While the exact meaning of the markings remains unknown, the researchers emphasize that the most important insight relates to the mental abilities required to create them. The capacity to organize visual elements according to stable, rule-based systems is widely viewed as a hallmark of abstract thinking, an essential development in human cognitive evolution.

“Our analysis shows that Homo sapiens 60,000 years ago already possessed a remarkable ability to organise visual space according to abstract principles,” notes Valentina Decembrini, PhD student at the University of Bologna’s Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies and first author of the study. “Transforming simple forms into complex systems by following defined rules is a deeply human trait that has characterised our history over millennia, from the creation of decorations to the development of symbolic systems and, ultimately, writing.”

The birth of modern Man

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Microbes Mine Meteorites in Groundbreaking Space Station Experiment

By Cornell U., March 3, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/microbes-mine-meteorites-in-groundbreaking-space-station-experiment/

Can microbes unlock valuable metals from space rocks? In a pioneering experiment aboard the International Space Station, researchers tested whether bacteria and fungi could extract platinum group elements from a meteorite under microgravity conditions. 

Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Space-based experiments show fungi can efficiently extract valuable metals from meteorites in microgravity, advancing prospects for asteroid biomining and sustainable resource use.

As humans look toward deep-space travel, there is one group of travelers that will inevitably come along: microbes.

They are impossible to separate from us, living on our skin, inside our bodies, and on everyday surfaces and food. Understanding how these microscopic organisms respond to space conditions is essential. Beyond simply tagging along, they could actively support efforts to explore and inhabit space.

Certain microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, are capable of extracting important minerals from rocks. This ability could one day reduce the need to haul large quantities of raw materials from Earth, offering a more sustainable approach to supporting missions far from home.

ISS Biomining Experiment Targets Platinum Group Metals

To investigate this potential, scientists from Cornell University and the University of Edinburgh teamed up to examine how microbes recover platinum group elements from meteorite material in microgravity. Their experiment took place aboard the International Space Station. The results indicated that fungi used for “biomining” were especially effective at extracting palladium, a valuable metal. When the fungus was removed, nonbiological leaching in microgravity became less effective.

Michael Scott Hopkins performs a microgravity experiment on the International Space Station. Credit: Cornell University




The findings were published in npj Microgravity. Rosa Santomartino, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, served as lead author. Alessandro Stirpe, a research associate in microbiology, is a co-author.

The work was carried out as part of the BioAsteroid project, led by senior author Charles Cockell, professor of astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh, along with other colleagues from the university. The team tested the bacterium Sphingomonas desiccabilis and the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum to determine which elements could be extracted from L-chondrite asteroidal material. In addition to identifying recoverable elements, the researchers aimed to better understand how microbes interact with rock under microgravity conditions.
Microgravity, Metabolomics, and Microbial Mechanisms

“This is probably the first experiment of its kind on the International Space Station on meteorite,” Santomartino said. “We wanted to keep the approach tailored in a way, but also general to increase its impact. These are two completely different species, and they will extract different things. So we wanted to understand how and what, but keep the results relevant for a broader perspective, because not much is known about the mechanisms that influence microbial behavior in space.”

Microbes are attractive candidates for resource extraction because they produce carboxylic acids, carbon-based molecules that bind to minerals through complexation and help release them. However, many aspects of this process remain unclear, Santomartino explained. To explore it further, the team performed a metabolomic analysis. They collected part of the liquid culture from completed experiment samples and examined the biomolecules present, focusing on secondary metabolites.

NASA astronaut Michael Scott Hopkins carried out the space-based portion of the experiment to evaluate microgravity effects. On Earth, the researchers ran parallel control experiments under normal gravity to compare results. Santomartino and Stirpe then processed a large dataset covering 44 elements, 18 of which were biologically extracted.

Fungal Palladium Extraction and Gravity Effects

“We split the analysis to the single element, and we started to ask, OK, does the extraction behave differently in space compared to Earth? Are these elements more extracted when we have a bacterium or a fungus, or when we have both of them? Is this just noise, or can we see something that maybe makes a bit of sense? We don’t see massive differences, but there are some very interesting ones,” Stirpe said.

Rosa Santomartino, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, prepares samples for the launch to the International Space Station.

 Credit: Cornell University



The data showed noticeable shifts in microbial metabolism in orbit, especially in the fungus. In microgravity, it increased production of several molecules, including carboxylic acids, and boosted the release of palladium along with platinum and other elements.

For many elements, nonbiological leaching, in which a solution without microbes is used to pull out the elements, performed worse in microgravity than it did on Earth. By contrast, microbial extraction remained relatively steady under both gravity conditions.

Space Biomining Applications on Earth and Beyond

“In these cases, the microbe doesn’t improve the extraction itself, but it’s kind of keeping the extraction at a steady level, regardless of the gravity condition,” Santomartino said. “And this is not just true for the palladium, but for different types of metals, although not all of them. Indeed, another complex but very interesting result, I think, is the fact that the extraction rate changes a lot depending on the metal that you are considering, and also depending on the microbe and the gravity condition.”

Beyond supporting space missions, the findings may also benefit Earth-based industries. Potential applications include more efficient biomining in environments with limited resources, processing mine waste, and developing sustainable biotechnologies that support a circular economy. Still, Santomartino noted that researchers hoping for a simple explanation of how space affects microbes may be disappointed. The system involves too many interacting factors.

“Depending on the microbial species, depending on the space conditions, depending on the method that researchers are using, everything changes,” Santomartino said. “Bacteria and fungi are all so diverse, one to each other, and the space condition is so complex that, at present, you cannot give a single answer. So maybe we need to dig more. I don’t mean to be too poetic, but to me, this is a little bit the beauty of that. It’s very complex. And I like it.”

The Life of Earth

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Microbes That 'Disarm' Peanut Allergy Proteins Discovered in Mouth And Gut

04 March 2026, By J. Cockerill

https://www.sciencealert.com/microbes-that-disarm-peanut-allergy-proteins-discovered-in-mouth-and-gut

(Mypurgatoryyears/iStock/Getty Images)

Bacteria that live in our mouths and intestines can 'disarm' the proteins that trigger allergic reactions to peanuts, a new study has found.

Giving people with severe peanut allergies a hefty boost of these microbes could potentially help them cope better with exposure – but that's still a long way off.

A team led by scientists from the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain and McMaster University in Canada has identified two microbes – Rothia and Staphylococcus – with this unique ability.

These bacteria, which occur naturally in human saliva and the small intestine, can break down the proteins in peanuts that trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis.

This serious allergic reaction is the reason schools elect to outlaw peanuts: while up to 2 percent of people in Europe and the US have peanut allergies, rates are much higher among children, for whom the risk of death is far greater, too.

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

Allergic reactions happen when our bodies identify a threat, but anaphylaxis to peanuts is something of an overreaction, a glitch in the immune system.

The danger a peanut actually poses to the body (mainly, that our own digestive enzymes can't break it down properly) pales in comparison to the danger of an anaphylactic response.

People with severe peanut allergies produce large amounts of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies when exposed to peanut proteins, including two called Ara h 1 and 2. This leads to an inflammation response strong enough to cause their throat to swell shut and blood pressure to drop, in a reaction called anaphylactic shock.

In a clinical study, the researchers found that people with peanut allergies can tolerate exposure to the legumes much better when they have a higher abundance of those bacteria that can break down some of these proteins before the immune system has time to react.

The study was designed around 19 children with peanut allergies, ages 1-14, who had already signed up for oral immunotherapy (an experimental treatment aimed at carefully desensitizing patients to peanut allergens).

Before treatment began, the researchers took a swab of saliva to profile each child's oral microbiome. Then, the children underwent a routine test to assess the severity of their reactions to peanut proteins.

Blood tests following peanut exposure showed that patients with more of the peanut-protein-munching microbes in their oral and intestinal microbiomes had a higher tolerance to the allergen and a less severe allergic response.

Conversely, patients with a low threshold for peanut exposure had lower levels of Micrococcales bacteria – a taxon that includes Rothia and Micrococcus, which are both adept at breaking down peanut proteins.

"These findings suggest that the oral microbiota could serve as a predictive marker of threshold reactivity to peanuts, highlighting the potential importance of microbial allergen metabolism in IgE-mediated reactions," the researchers note.

Experiments on mice revealed how Rothia and Staphylococcus can break down Ara h 1 and 2, potentially reducing the volume of triggers the immune system has to react to.

Using a strain of lab mice prone to peanut anaphylaxis, the researchers found that deliberately tweaking the microbiome could offer similarly protective effects.

Rothia had already shown a particularly strong appetite for the two main allergenic peanut proteins in petri dish experiments. When the researchers gave mice a substantial dose of this bacterium, their anaphylactic reactions were greatly reduced.

Together, these findings suggest microbes could be important players in the future of managing peanut allergies, taking the edge off a potentially fatal reaction, and helping to identify which patients should avoid oral immunotherapy, which carries serious risks for people with more severe allergies.

More clinical testing will be needed to determine whether probiotics, for instance, could be a safe and effective route for allergy treatment. At the moment, the findings in humans are only observational.

"Identifying the microbes involved in peanut metabolism in humans and characterizing the related microbially mediated IgE-specific immune responses could have implications for reducing the severity of allergic reactions," the researchers write.

"Our results underscore the role of the human microbiota in dictating the severity of IgE-mediated reactions through allergen metabolism and highlight the therapeutic potential of harnessing bacterial allergen-degrading capabilities for managing food allergies."

The Life of Earth

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Neanderthal DNA Is Missing From Our X Chromosome. This Could Be Why.

03 March 2026, By A. Ramakrishnan, Associated Press

https://www.sciencealert.com/neanderthal-dna-is-missing-from-our-x-chromosome-this-could-be-why

Reconstructions of a Neanderthal man, left, and woman at the Neanderthal museum in Mettmann, Germany.

 (AP Photo/Martin Meissner/File)

NEW YORK (AP) – Humans and Neanderthals cozied up from time to time when they lived in the same areas tens of thousands of years ago. But we don't know much about who got with whom, or why.

A new genetic analysis offers some ancient gossip: The pairings were more often female humans with male Neanderthals.

How exactly this happened remains a huge question mark. Did human women venture into Neanderthal populations, or were the Neanderthal males drawn to larger human enclaves? Were these interactions peaceful, confusing, secretive, or even violent?

"I don't know if we'll ever get a definitive answer to how this happened, since we can't travel back in time," said population genetics expert Xinjun Zhang with the University of Michigan, commenting on the new analysis.

But the study, published Thursday in the journal Science, shows "that whenever Neanderthals and modern humans have mated, there has been a preference for male Neanderthals and female modern humans, as opposed to the other way around," said author Alexander Platt, who studies genetics at the University of Pennsylvania.

A human skull (left) and a Neanderthal skull (right). 

(hairymuseummatt/DrMikeBaxter/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0)



Scientists know that Neanderthals and humans mated because a small but important percentage of Neanderthal DNA is found in most modern humans – including genes that can help us fight some diseases and make us more susceptible to others.

But they have also known that the Neanderthal DNA is not distributed evenly throughout the human genome.

In particular, there is a surprising lack of Neanderthal DNA in the human X chromosome, one of the bundles of genes in each cell known as a sex chromosome, compared with the amount of Neanderthal DNA in the other, non-sex chromosomes.

Scientists thought that maybe the genes in those locations were simply not beneficial – or even harmful. Perhaps people with those gene patterns didn't survive as well, so those genes were filtered out by evolution over time.

Or, they thought, maybe the difference could be explained by how the two species intermingled.

To try to solve the riddle, Platt and colleagues looked instead at the Neanderthal genome and the human DNA that got interspersed during a "mating event" 250,000 years ago.

When comparing these genes, they found more of a human fingerprint on the Neanderthal X chromosome – the same chromosome that, in humans, has less Neanderthal DNA than would be expected.

The most likely explanation for this mirror image pattern is mating behavior. That's because of the way sex chromosomes are passed from parents to children, explained Platt.

Because genetic females have two X chromosomes and genetic males have one X and one Y chromosome, two out of every three X chromosomes in a population, on average, are inherited from people's mothers.

If more human females mated with Neanderthal males than the other way around, over thousands of years, you would expect to see just what they found: more human DNA in Neanderthal X chromosomes and less Neanderthal DNA in human X chromosomes.

Two out of every three X chromosomes in a population, on average, are inherited from people's mothers.

(frentusha/Canva)



"I think that they've taken some really important steps in filling missing pieces to the puzzle," said Joshua Akey, who studies evolutionary genomics at Princeton University and wasn't involved with the new study.

The study can't totally rule out other explanations. For example, Zhang said, it's possible that the offspring of human males and Neanderthal females just didn't survive as well.

But the simplest and most likely explanation, the study found, is also the most interesting: "It's not the result of a strictly Darwinian survival of the fittest," Platt said. "It's really the result of how we interact with each other, and what our culture and society and behavior is like."

The birth of modern Man

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Eat More Fat To Exercise Better? A New Study Challenges Conventional Wisdom

By Virginia Tech, Feb. 27, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/eat-more-fat-to-exercise-better-a-new-study-challenges-conventional-wisdom/

Exercise is widely recognized as a cornerstone of long-term health, yet for people with high blood sugar, its benefits may not fully materialize. New research suggests that metabolic health can shape how effectively the body responds to physical activity, particularly in its ability to use oxygen. 

Credit: Stock

A new study suggests that when blood sugar is elevated, exercise alone may not be enough.

Most of us hear the same advice: move more, eat less fat. Exercise can trim body fat, build muscle, and strengthen the heart. It also raises cardiorespiratory fitness, which is often tracked by how well the body can deliver and use oxygen during activity, a key marker linked with better health over time.

For people living with high blood sugar, though, that oxygen-related boost may be harder to achieve. Hyperglycemia is tied to higher risks of heart and kidney problems, and it can also make it tougher for working muscles to increase oxygen use during training. In other words, the workout can still be “good,” but the body may not adapt as efficiently.

A new study raises an unexpected possibility for this group: under certain conditions, eating more fat, not less, might help restore some of the benefits exercise is supposed to deliver.

A Ketogenic Shift in Metabolism

In research led by exercise medicine scientist Sarah Lessard, published Feb. 25 in Nature Communications, mice with high blood sugar were put on a high-fat ketogenic diet. Their blood sugar dropped, and their bodies responded more strongly to exercise.

“After one week on the ketogenic diet, their blood sugar was completely normal, as though they didn’t have diabetes at all,” said Lessard, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Center for Exercise Medicine Research. “Over time, the diet caused remodeling of the mice’s muscles, making them more oxidative and making them react better to aerobic exercise.”

Sarah Lessard, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, studies how diet and exercise interact to influence blood sugar and muscle adaptation.

 Credit: Virginia Tech



The ketogenic diet is designed to push the body into ketosis, a metabolic state where fat becomes the primary fuel source rather than glucose. That goal is what makes keto so polarizing. It relies on high-fat, very low-carbohydrate eating, which clashes with decades of low-fat messaging in nutrition advice.

Historical and Clinical Context

Despite the controversy, the ketogenic diet has shown promise in certain medical settings. It has been used to help manage epilepsy and has been associated with potential benefits in Parkinson’s disease. In the 1920s, before insulin became available, physicians used it to treat diabetes because it can lower blood sugar levels.

In previous work, Lessard observed that people with high blood sugar tended to have reduced exercise capacity. She questioned whether shifting metabolism through diet could enhance the body’s response to physical activity and improve overall performance.

To explore this idea, researchers fed mice a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and gave them access to running wheels. Over time, the animals developed a greater proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are known to support endurance.

“Their bodies were more efficiently using oxygen, which is a sign of higher aerobic capacity,” Lessard said.

Diet and Exercise: A Combined Effect

According to Lessard, exercise benefits nearly every tissue in the body, including fat tissue. Yet her findings suggest that diet and physical activity should not be viewed as separate strategies.

“What we’re really finding from this study and from our other studies is that diet and exercise aren’t simply working in isolation,” said Lessard, who also holds an appointment in the Department of Human Foods, Nutrition, and Exercise in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “There are a lot of combined effects, and so we can get the most benefits from exercise if we eat a healthy diet at the same time.”

She plans to extend the research to human participants to determine whether the same improvements seen in mice can be achieved in people.

Lessard also acknowledged that maintaining a ketogenic diet can be difficult. She suggested that less restrictive approaches, such as the Mediterranean diet, may offer a more practical alternative while still helping control blood sugar. Unlike keto, the Mediterranean pattern includes carbohydrates from unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and whole grains rather than eliminating them entirely.

“Our previous studies have shown that any strategy you and your doctor have arrived at to reduce your blood sugar could work,” she said.

The Life of Earth

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Superagers' 'Secret Ingredient' May Be The Growth of New Brain Cells

03 March 2026, By M. Starr

https://www.sciencealert.com/superagers-secret-ingredient-may-be-the-growth-of-new-brain-cells

A donated superager brain. 

(Shane Collins, Northwestern University)

Not only do our brains appear to generate new neurons into adulthood, but those of superagers contain far more brain cells in development than those of healthy peers, new research has found.

According to a study of 38 adult human brains donated to science, superagers – people who retain exceptional memory as they age – have roughly twice as many immature neurons as their peers who age more typically.

Moreover, people with Alzheimer's disease show a marked reduction in neurogenesis compared to a normal baseline.

"This is a big step forward in understanding how the human brain processes cognition, forms memories, and ages," says neuroscientist Orly Lazarov of the University of Illinois Chicago.

"Determining why some brains age more healthily than others can help researchers make therapeutics for healthy aging, cognitive resilience, and the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TH4LjvqnAw&t=25s

There has been an ongoing debate about whether adult humans continue to generate new neurons in the hippocampus – the memory center of the brain. Scientists used to assume that the brain you were born with was the brain you were stuck with for life.

Then, in 1998, a landmark paper challenged that assumption, reporting evidence that adults may still produce new neurons. Subsequent papers supported this finding, but then in 2018, another bold claim appeared: Neurogenesis, according to neuroscientist Shawn Sorrells and his colleagues, crawls to a halt during adolescence. The topic has been a hot one since.

However, other recent studies have shown that neurogenesis – or a lack thereof – may play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

Led by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago, the team set out to examine a variety of postmortem hippocampal tissue samples to see if they could identify markers of neurogenesis – and if different groups had any notable differences.

The brain samples were donated from five groups: eight healthy young adults, aged between 20 and 40; eight healthy agers, aged between 60 and 93; six superagers, aged between 86 and 100; six individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's pathology, aged between 80 and 94; and 10 individuals with an Alzheimer's diagnosis, aged between 70 and 93.

The young healthy adult brain tissue was first analyzed to establish the neurogenesis pathways in the adult brain. Then, they analyzed 355,997 individual cell nuclei isolated from the hippocampus, searching for three different stages of cell development: Stem cells, which can develop into neurons; neuroblasts, which are stem cells in the process of that development; and immature neurons, on the verge of functionality.

The results were striking.

"Superagers had twice the neurogenesis of the other healthy older adults," Lazarov says. "Something in their brains enables them to maintain a superior memory. I believe hippocampal neurogenesis is the secret ingredient, and the data support that."

That's an interesting result on its own, but the data from the individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's pathology and Alzheimer's diagnoses is where the real meat of the study sits.

In the preclinical group, subtle molecular changes hinted that the system supporting new neuron growth was beginning to falter. In the Alzheimer's group, a clear drop in immature neurons was evident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAG6rYiVfXE&t=4s

A genetic analysis of the nuclei also showed that superager neural cells have increased gene activity linked to stronger synaptic connections, greater plasticity, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a critical protein for neural survival, growth, and maintenance. Taken together, these three things can be interpreted as resilience.

"We've always said that superagers show that the aging brain can be biologically active, adaptable, flexible, but we didn't know why," says neuropsychiatrist Tamar Gefen of Northwestern University in the US.

"This is biological proof that their brains are more plastic, and a real discovery that shows that neurogenesis of young neurons in the hippocampus may be a contributing factor."

Further research, the team says, could help identify therapeutic ways of boosting neurogenesis and resilience, as well as potential environmental and lifestyle factors that may affect the brain's aging.

"What's exciting for the public is that this study shows the aging brain is not fixed or doomed to decline," says cell biologist Ahmed Disouky of the University of Illinois Chicago, the first author of the study.

"Understanding how some people naturally maintain neurogenesis opens the door to strategies that could help more adults preserve memory and cognitive health as they age."

The Life of Earth

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Scientists Create Powerful New Form of Aluminum That Could Replace Rare Earth Metals

By King's Coll. London, March 1, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-create-powerful-new-form-of-aluminum-that-could-replace-rare-earth-metals/

A newly discovered aluminium structure could open the door to cheaper, greener chemical manufacturing. 

Credit: Shutterstock

Researchers have uncovered an unusual new form of aluminium that challenges long-held assumptions about how this common metal behaves.

Researchers at King’s College London have identified an unusual new form of aluminum, one of the most abundant metals in Earth’s crust. The discovery points to a much less expensive and more sustainable substitute for rare earth metals that are widely used in modern technology and industry.

Dr. Clare Bakewell, a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, led the study. Her team created highly reactive aluminum-based molecules capable of breaking some of the strongest chemical bonds. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, also describe molecular structures that have never been observed before, opening the door to new types of chemical reactivity.

A central achievement of the research is the first reported example of a cyclotrialumane. This compound consists of three aluminum atoms linked together in a triangular arrangement. The three-atom structure shows an unusual level of reactivity while remaining intact when dissolved in different solutions.

That stability allows it to participate in a variety of chemical processes. Among them are the splitting of dihydrogen and the controlled insertion and chain growth of ethene, a 2-carbon hydrocarbon that serves as a key building block in chemical manufacturing.

Reducing Dependence on Precious Metals

Metals play an essential role in producing both bulk and specialty chemicals. However, many industrial reactions, especially those involving catalysis, depend on precious metals such as platinum. Mining and refining these materials is costly and can cause significant environmental harm.

Scientists have long been searching for alternative metals to use in chemical transformations. Dr. Clare Bakewell said: “Transition metals are the workhorses of chemical synthesis and catalysis – but many of the most useful are becoming increasingly difficult to access and extract – often being located in regions of political instability, increasing the demand and price.

“Chemists have been looking towards more common elements from the periodic table, and we chose aluminum, as it’s super abundant, making it ~20,000 times less expensive than precious metals such as platinum and palladium.”

Beyond Mimicking Transition Metals

Beyond designing aluminum compounds for synthetic applications, the team has uncovered entirely new reaction pathways.

Dr. Bakewell said, “What’s special about this work, is that we’re pushing the boundaries of chemical knowledge. Most excitingly, we can use this aluminum trimer to build completely new compounds with levels of reactivity that have never been observed before – these include the 5- and 7-membered aluminum and carbon rings formed through reaction with ethene. These capabilities go beyond the transition metals we were originally trying to mimic, to the forefront of chemical research.”

Bakewell believes this chemistry could enable scientists to invent new reaction types and assemble larger molecular structures with distinctive properties. Such advances may ultimately support the development of new materials and industrial products.

She said, “We’re very much in the exploratory phase, and we’re just at the start of beginning to unlock the capability of these earth-abundant materials.

“But from what we’ve seen already, this chemistry could support a transition to cleaner, greener and cheaper chemical production, whilst making new discoveries along the way.”

The Life of Earth

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Giant Study Reveals The Secret to Heart Health, And It's Not Low-Carb or Low-Fat

01 March 2026, By C. Cassella

https://www.sciencealert.com/giant-study-reveals-the-secret-to-heart-health-and-its-not-low-carb-or-low-fat

(SCIEPRO/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

The key to heart health isn't cutting down on pasta or potatoes, new evidence suggests; it's not even a low-fat diet.

A study that tracked nearly 200,000 men and women in the US for around 30 years has now found that some low-fat and low-carb diets are better for heart health than others.

The key was the quality of the food itself, not the quantity of carbs or fats.

The research, led by public health researchers at Harvard University, suggests that if a diet contains too many processed foods and animal proteins or fats, or if it otherwise lacks in adequate vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, or essential macronutrients, it may not benefit cardiovascular health as much in the long run, even if it is low carb or low fat by definition.

"Focusing only on nutrient compositions but not food quality may not lead to health benefits," concludes Harvard epidemiologist Zhiyuan Wu, who led the research.

Participants in the study who ate healthy, varied diets with adequate macronutrients showed higher levels of 'good' cholesterol in their blood, as well as lower levels of fats and inflammatory markers compared to those who ate diets lacking in those essentials.

They also had a significantly lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, the most common cause of heart attacks.

(fcafotodigital/Getty Images)

"These results suggest that healthy low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets may share common biological pathways that improve cardiovascular health," explains Wu.

"Focusing on overall diet quality may offer flexibility for individuals to choose eating patterns that align with their preferences while still supporting heart health."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jgj553bclg&t=2s

The findings are based on the self-reported diets of participants, who were all health professionals, so they may have had higher health awareness and better access to health care than the general population.

That's somewhat limiting; however, the length of follow-up in the study is impressive, amounting to more than 5.2 million person-years.

The findings join growing evidence suggesting that eating fewer processed foods and more whole grains and vegetables is generally best for a wide range of health outcomes. Strict diets that count calories, carbs, or fats may not be necessary.

"This study helps move the conversation beyond the long-standing debate over low-carbohydrate versus low-fat diets," says Yale University cardiologist Harlan Krumholz, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"The findings show that what matters most for heart health is the quality of the foods people eat. Whether a diet is lower in carbohydrates or fat, emphasizing plant-based foods, whole grains, and healthy fats is associated with better cardiovascular outcomes."

The Life of Earth

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Is Reality an Illusion? New Theory Challenges Modern Physics

By A. Hulth, Uppsala U. March 1, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/is-reality-an-illusion-new-theory-challenges-modern-physics/

What if the physical world is not the starting point of existence, but something that arises from a deeper layer of reality? A new theoretical framework proposes that consciousness may be more than a product of the brain — it could be the foundation from which space, time, and matter emerge. 

Credit: Shutterstock

A physicist proposes that consciousness is the fundamental basis of reality, with matter and spacetime emerging from it.

What if consciousness is not produced by the brain, but instead forms the foundation of reality itself? That is the premise of a new theoretical model introduced by Maria Strømme, Professor of Materials Science at Uppsala University, in the journal AIP Advances. In her framework, consciousness exists first, and time, space, and matter emerge from it.

Strømme is best known for her work in nanotechnology, studying materials at extremely small scales. In this new work, she shifts focus to the largest possible questions, including the origin and structure of the universe. Rather than treating consciousness as a side effect of neural activity, she describes it as a fundamental field that underlies everything we observe, including physical matter and the flow of time.

Maria Strømme, Professor of Materials Science. 

Credit: Uppsala University

Is this a completely new theory of how reality and the universe are structured?

“Yes, you could say so. But above all, it is a theory in which consciousness comes first, and structures such as time, space, and matter arise afterwards. It is a very ambitious attempt to describe how our experienced reality functions. Physicists like Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, and Planck explored similar ideas, and I am building on several of the avenues they opened,” says Strømme.

Uniting quantum physics with philosophy

Over many years, Strømme has developed a quantum mechanical model that connects modern physics with non-dual philosophical traditions. The core idea is that consciousness is the most basic component of existence, and that individual minds are expressions of a larger, shared field.

Within this framework, experiences often labeled as unexplained or unusual, including telepathy or near-death experiences, are interpreted not as supernatural events but as possible outcomes of this interconnected field.

“My ambition has been to describe this using the language of physics and mathematical tools. Are these phenomena really mystical? Or is it simply that there is a discovery we have not yet made, and when we do it will lead to a paradigm shift?”

Strømme compares her proposal to earlier turning points in scientific history. Humanity once believed the Earth was flat, and later assumed the Sun revolved around the Earth. Both views were eventually replaced by models that reshaped how people understood their place in the cosmos.

Maria Strømme presents a theory in which consciousness comes first, and structures such as time, space and matter arise afterwards. 

Credit: AIP Advances

A new picture of the nature of reality

She suggests that her theory could represent a similar shift. The paper outlines several predictions that could, in principle, be tested within physics, neuroscience, and cosmology. By doing so, she moves well beyond her traditional field of materials science into questions about consciousness and the structure of the universe.

The model also proposes that individual consciousness does not end at death, but instead returns to the broader field from which it emerged. Strømme expresses this idea using quantum mechanical concepts rather than religious language.

“I am a materials scientist and engineer, so I am used to seeing matter as something fundamental. But according to this model, matter is secondary – much of what we experience is representation or illusion,” says Strømme.

A theory that reconciles science with ancient knowledge

Although the work is presented entirely through mathematical reasoning, Strømme acknowledges similarities with themes found in major religious and philosophical traditions.

“The texts of the major religions – such as the Bible, the Koran, and the Vedas – often describe an interconnected consciousness. Those who wrote them used metaphorical language to express insights about the nature of reality. Early quantum physicists, in turn, arrived at similar ideas using scientific methods. Now, it is time for hardcore science – that is, modern natural science – to seriously begin exploring this,” she says.

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Hidden Virus Found in Gut Bacteria Is Linked to Colorectal Cancer

28 Feb. 2026, By D. Nield

https://www.sciencealert.com/hidden-virus-found-in-gut-bacteria-is-linked-to-colorectal-cancer

Bacteriophages (blue) infecting a bacterium. 

(Nemes Laszlo/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

Researchers have made a significant step forward in understanding how gut bacteria, and specifically a newly discovered virus, can contribute to colorectal cancer – one of the most common forms of cancer in the developed world.

The researchers, from institutions in Denmark and Australia, wanted to take a closer look at an association previously identified between colorectal cancer and a bacterium called Bacteroides fragilis.

This bacterium often shows up in healthy people too, so the team wanted to see if there was a crucial difference in the bacterium in individuals who develop cancer – and that's exactly what they found.

The researchers cataloged bacteria, and viruses inside bacteria.

 (Damgaard et al., Commun. Med., 2026)

"It has been a paradox that we repeatedly find the same bacterium in connection with colorectal cancer, while at the same time it is a completely normal part of the gut in healthy people," says microbiologist Flemming Damgaard, from Odense University Hospital in Denmark.

"We have discovered a virus that has not previously been described and which appears to be closely linked to the bacteria we find in patients with colorectal cancer."

Using genetic sequencing, the researchers analyzed the gut bacteria of cancer patients in a large Danish population study. They found that in these patients, B. fragilis often came with a bacteriophage attached. Bacteriophages are viruses that live inside bacteria, hijacking these cells to duplicate and spread.

While the initial signal was discovered in a relatively small group of people, the findings were later verified in a larger cohort of 877 people with and without colorectal cancer – and point to a link that suggests viruses lurking in B. fragilis may tip the scales toward cancer.

People with colorectal cancer were twice as likely to have detectable levels of the bacteriophage in their gut bacteria, the data showed. What's more, it's not a virus that fits the description of anything recorded to date.

However, the researchers can't prove direct cause and effect yet. This is a notable association that will be useful for studying colorectal cancer and potential treatment targets, but there may be much more going on.

"It is not just the bacterium itself that seems interesting," says Damgaard. "It is the bacterium in interaction with the virus it carries."

"We do not yet know whether the virus is a contributing cause, or whether it is simply a sign that something else in the gut has changed."

Around 80 percent of colorectal cancer risk has been assigned to environmental factors, including gut bacteria composition. That means a better understanding of these factors and how they influence each other could impact millions of cancer cases.

Studying the mix of bacteria in the gut is no easy task, though. These incredibly complex microbiomes are both indicators of what else is going on in the body and influencers that can impact everything from sleep quality to weight loss.

Now there's an extra layer that future studies can examine: not just bacteria, but the viruses living inside them. One question the researchers are keen to look at next is exactly how B. fragilis might be affected by its bacteriophage lodgers.

This research is still very much in the early, experimental stage, but anything that helps experts understand how cancer gets started can also help in the development of targeted treatments – though that may take years.

The team behind this study suggests that their findings might also be used for colorectal cancer screening. With further research, stool sample scans could be developed to look for this B. fragilis virus, for example.

"The number and diversity of bacteria in the gut is enormous," says Damgaard. "Previously, it has been like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, we have investigated whether something inside the bacteria – namely viruses – might help explain the difference."

"In the short term, we can investigate whether the virus can be used to identify individuals at increased risk."

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Planets Are About to Line Up in a Rare Event. Here's How to Watch.

28 Feb. 2026, ByA. Ramakrishnan, Associated Press

https://www.sciencealert.com/planets-are-about-to-line-up-in-a-rare-event-heres-how-to-watch

(m-gucci/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

NEW YORK (AP) – Six planets are linking up in the sky at the end of February, and most will be visible to the naked eye.

It's what's known as a planetary parade, which happens when multiple planets appear to line up in the sky at once. The planets aren't in a straight line, but are close together on one side of the sun.

Skygazers can usually spot two or three planets after sunset, according to NASA. Hangouts of four or five that can be glimpsed with the naked eye are less common and occur every few years. Last year featured lineups of six and all seven planets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di21vgREWLg&t=1s

When will they be visible?

On Saturday, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye if clear skies allow. Uranus and Neptune can only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes.

The planets will be visible soon after sunset throughout the month of February, but they'll be lined up best toward the end of the month.

 (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

What time is optimal for viewing?

Go outside about an hour after sunset and venture away from tall buildings and trees that will block the view. Look to the western sky and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn close to the horizon. Jupiter will be higher up, along with Uranus and Neptune.

How to know if you've spied a member of the parade?

"If it's twinkling, it's a star. If it is not twinkling, it's a planet," said planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei with Humber Polytechnic in Canada.

The parade should be visible over the weekend and in the days after. Eventually, Mercury will bow out and dip below the horizon.

At least one bright planet is visible on most nights, according to NASA.

Glimpsing many in the sky at once is a fun way to connect with astronomers of centuries' past, said planetary scientist Emily Elizondo with Michigan State University.

Ancient astronomers used to make sense of the universe "just by looking up at the stars and the planets," Elizondo said, "which is something that we can do today."

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Tiny Fish Stun Scientists With Mammal-Like Intelligence

By Osaka Metropolitan U., Feb. 28, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/tiny-fish-stun-scientists-with-mammal-like-intelligence/

A simple change in experimental design led to a surprising discovery: cleaner wrasse not only responded to their reflections faster than ever recorded, but also began testing the mirror using falling shrimp. 

Credit: Shutterstock

Cleaner wrasse may be far more cognitively sophisticated than previously thought.

Scientists at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have identified a new and unexpected behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When shown a mirror, these small reef fish did more than appear to recognize their reflections. They also began interacting with the mirror using a piece of food, suggesting a level of cognitive sophistication not typically associated with fish. The findings indicate that cleaner wrasse may be capable of “contingency testing,” a complex mental process most often observed in highly intelligent marine mammals such as dolphins.

The research team was led by Specially Appointed Researcher Shumpei Sogawa and Specially Appointed Professor Masanori Kohda at the Graduate School of Science. In earlier work, the group demonstrated that cleaner wrasse can identify themselves in photographs.

In the current study, the scientists observed new behaviors during a series of mirror test experiments, a widely used method for evaluating self-recognition and animal cognition. Previous research had already shown that cleaner wrasse respond to their reflections in ways consistent with self-recognition.

Rapid Responses in Modified Mirror Tests

To begin the experiment, researchers placed marks on the fish that resembled parasites. Even individuals that had never encountered a mirror before quickly used their reflections to locate and attempt to remove the mark.

The speed of this response surprised the researchers. Some fish tried to scrape off the mark within the first hour of seeing the mirror. On average, mark-directed rubbing occurred after about 82 minutes. In earlier experiments, similar behavior took between 4 to 6 days to appear.

Cleaner fish have been found to exhibit mammal-like cognitive abilities in the presence of their own reflection.

 Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University



“In earlier cleaner wrasse mirror studies, the procedure was typically the fish see a mirror for several days, they habituate to it and stop reacting socially, and a mark is added,” Dr. Sogawa explained. “In this study, the order was reversed, the fish were marked first, then the mirror was introduced for the first time. The fish were likely aware of something unusual on their body, but they couldn’t see it. When the mirror appeared, it immediately provided visual information that matched an existing bodily expectation, hence scraping occurred much faster.”

Evidence of ‘Contingency Testing’

An even more intriguing behavior appeared after several days of mirror exposure. Some fish picked up a small piece of shrimp from the tank floor, swam upward, and intentionally released it in front of the mirror. As the shrimp drifted downward, the fish closely tracked its movement along the mirror’s surface. They repeatedly touched the glass with their mouths while watching the shrimp fall in the reflection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b2_LnEz1GU&t=1s

The cleaner wrasse picks up a piece of shrimp and drops it in front of the mirror. As the food falls, the fish repeatedly touches the glass of their tank with their mouths seeming to explore the mirror itself. 

Credit: Shumpei Sogawa, Osaka Metropolitan University

The researchers describe this behavior as “contingency testing.” Rather than using their own bodies to probe the reflection, the fish appeared to examine how an external object behaved within the mirror image. By dropping the shrimp and observing how its real movement matched what they saw in the reflection, the wrasse seemed to be investigating how the mirror worked. Similar actions have been documented in manta rays and dolphins, which release bubbles and watch their reflections as the bubbles rise.

This type of exploration strengthens the argument that the fish’s mirror-related behaviors are not simply the result of confusion or conditioning. Instead, the findings support the idea that cleaner wrasse may engage in flexible, self-referential thinking.

Implications for the Evolution of Self-Awareness

“These findings in cleaner wrasse suggest that self-awareness may not have evolved only in the limited number of species that passed the mirror test but may be more widely prevalent across a broader range of taxonomic groups, including fish,” Dr. Sogawa said. “It is highly likely that mirror self-recognition will be observed in many species where mirror tool use has been reported.”

The researchers believe that expanding the study of self-awareness across a wider range of animals, including invertebrates, will become increasingly important. “The findings from this research will likely influence not only academic issues, such as revising evolutionary theory and constructing concepts of self, but also directly impact matters relevant to our lives, including animal welfare, medical research, and even AI studies,” Professor Kohda added.

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41,000-Year-Old Bones Reveal Chilling Pattern of Neanderthal Cannibalism

By E. Doré, CNRS, Feb. 26, 2026

https://scitechdaily.com/41000-year-old-bones-reveal-chilling-pattern-of-neanderthal-cannibalism/

A decade-long investigation using DNA, radiocarbon dating, and isotopic analysis has uncovered evidence of selective cannibalism among Neanderthals in Belgium. 

Credit: Shutterstock

New analysis of Neanderthal bones from Belgium indicates targeted cannibalism of outsiders that may signal territorial conflict before their regional disappearance.

A detailed examination of Neanderthal bones recovered from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium) has uncovered evidence of selective cannibalism dating to between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago. The remains indicate that adult women and children were disproportionately affected.

For the first time, researchers were able to establish the biological profiles of the individuals, revealing that they likely came from outside the local group. Cut marks and other modifications on the bones closely resemble those seen on animal remains processed for food at the same site, suggesting that the bodies were consumed as a nutritional resource rather than as part of a ritual practice.

The findings, published in Scientific Reports, come from an international collaboration involving scientists from the CNRS, l’Université de Bordeaux, and l’Université d’Aix-Marseille.

Cannibalism focused on outsiders

When placed within the broader context of the late Middle Paleolithic, a period in Northern Europe characterized by cultural diversity among Neanderthal groups and the growing presence of Homo sapiens in nearby regions, the evidence points toward possible intergroup conflict.

Neandertal human remains from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium). Highly fragmented bones bear traces characteristic of fresh bone fracturing and percussion, demonstrating intentional treatment of the bodies.

 The individuals (GNx, for “Goyet Neandertal” x), numbering six at minimum, were identified by genetic analyses: XX indicates female gender, and XY male gender. 

Credit: Royal 

Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences /Scientific Reports

The targeted consumption of individuals identified as outsiders may reflect territorial pressures or competition between neighboring groups during a time of social and environmental change preceding the disappearance of Neanderthals in the region.

The conclusions draw on a decade of multidisciplinary research that reexamined the Goyet collection. Scientists combined DNA sequencing, radiocarbon dating, and isotopic analysis to determine the age and geographic origin of the individuals. They also used digital reconstructions to study highly fragmented bones in detail, allowing for a more precise morphological assessment and a clearer understanding of the events that took place at the site thousands of years ago.

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