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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 07: New record of great white shark in Spain sparks a 160-year review A juvenile great white shark was caught off eastern Spain in April 2023, prompting a review of records from 1862 to 2023. Findings confirm the species' persistent but rare presence in Spanish Mediterranean waters, with evidence suggesting possible local reproduction. The population remains vulnerable and declining, highlighting the need for long-term monitoring and conservation efforts.   5,300-year-old 'bow drill' rewrites story of ancient Egyptian tools A copper-alloy artifact from Predynastic Egypt, dated to the late 4th millennium BCE, has been identified as the earliest known rotary metal bow drill in Egypt. Microscopic analysis revealed wear patterns and remnants of a leather thong, indicating advanced rotary drilling technology. Chemical analysis showed a complex alloy, suggesting early metallurgical innovation and possible long-distance material exchange.   Escape from Fukushima: Pig-boar hybrids reveal a genetic fast track in the wake of nuclear disaster Following the Fukushima nuclear accident, escaped domestic pigs interbred with wild boar, leading to rapid genetic turnover. Maternal pig lineages inherited fast-breeding traits, accelerating generational change and quickly diluting pig genes through backcrossing. This mechanism likely operates wherever feral pigs and wild boar interbreed, informing invasive species management strategies.   Nature's 'engine is grinding to a halt' as climate change gains pace, says study Analysis of global biodiversity surveys shows that species turnover rates—the pace at which species replace each other in local habitats—have slowed significantly since the 1970s, despite accelerated climate change. This slowdown is attributed to environmental degradation and shrinking regional species pools, indicating reduced ecosystem dynamism rather than stability.   Ancient DNA suggests hunter-gatherers in Europe's lowlands endured until 2500 BCE Ancient DNA analysis indicates that hunter-gatherer populations in the lowlands of modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands maintained their genetic distinctiveness until about 2500 BCE, much longer than elsewhere in Europe. The adoption of farming in this region involved minimal genetic input from incoming farmers, primarily through women integrating into local communities, facilitating cultural exchange while preserving hunter-gatherer ancestry.   China's emissions policies are helping climate change but also creating a new problem China’s air pollution controls have significantly reduced sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, improving public health and air quality. However, the decline in sulfate aerosols, which reflect solar radiation and cool the planet, has lessened this cooling effect, contributing an estimated 0.06–0.07 °C to global warming from 2007–2025. Long-term climate change remains driven by greenhouse gases.   Gut-brain discovery identifies harmful bacterial sugar as potential therapeutic target for ALS and dementia A molecular link between gut bacteria and neurodegeneration in ALS and frontotemporal dementia has been identified, implicating inflammatory bacterial glycogen in triggering immune responses that damage brain cells. Elevated levels of this glycogen were found in most ALS/FTD patients. Targeting these harmful sugars in the gut may offer new therapeutic strategies and biomarkers for these diseases.   Satellite record shows boreal forests expanded 12% and shifted north since 1985 Between 1985 and 2020, boreal forests expanded by 12% (0.844 million km²) and shifted northward by 0.29° latitude, with most gains between 64°N and 68°N. Young forests currently store 1.1–5.9 Pg C and could sequester an additional 2.3–3.8 Pg C if they mature, highlighting their role as a carbon sink amid rapid biome changes.   Northern Britain's oldest human remains are of a young female child, DNA analysis reveals The oldest human remains in Northern Britain, dated to 11,000 years ago, belong to a female child aged 2.5–3.5 years, providing clear evidence of Mesolithic burials in the region. DNA analysis confirmed the child's sex and age, and associated jewelry supports deliberate burial practices. The site also contains remains from the Early Neolithic and Bronze Age, indicating long-term use for burials.   Only humans have chins: Study shows it's an evolutionary accident The human chin is unique among primates and serves as a distinguishing feature of Homo sapiens in the fossil record. Evidence indicates the chin did not evolve through direct natural selection for a specific function but is instead a spandrel—an evolutionary byproduct resulting from selection on other parts of the skull, rather than an adaptation with a direct purpose.   Planting tree belts on wet farmland comes with an overlooked trade-off Shelterbelts in wet-farmed landscapes support bush- and edge-associated birds but significantly reduce grassland bird abundance and wetland species diversity, with grassland bird numbers dropping by over 70% near shelterbelts. The spatial design and placement of shelterbelts are critical, as they can fragment open habitats and alter bird communities, highlighting the need for tailored land management strategies.   How an ancient seafloor turned Arkansas into 'Sharkansas,' a shark fossil hotspot The Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas uniquely preserves rare, three-dimensional shark skeletons from over 300 million years ago due to its low-oxygen, highly acidic seafloor, which inhibited decay of cartilage while degrading bone and shell. This site provides exceptional insight into early shark anatomy and evolution, revealing details often lost in typical fossilization environments.   New study maps where wheat, barley and rye grew before the first farmers found them Advanced modeling indicates that wild ancestors of wheat, barley, and rye were more geographically restricted in the Middle East 12,000 years ago than previously thought, mainly concentrated along the Mediterranean Levant. This challenges assumptions about early crop domestication and provides a clearer understanding of the ecological context of the first agricultural societies.   Football-sized fossil creature may have been one of the first land animals to eat plants The 307-million-year-old fossil Tyrannoroter heberti represents one of the earliest known land vertebrates with adaptations for eating plants, as indicated by specialized teeth revealed through 3D reconstruction. This stem amniote likely consumed both plants and small animals, suggesting terrestrial herbivory evolved earlier than previously recognized. Its existence also provides insight into how early plant-eaters responded to ancient climate change.   Old galaxies in a young universe? Analysis of 31 high-redshift galaxies observed with JWST indicates average stellar ages of about 600 million years, close to the universe's age at that epoch (~700 Myr), with some cases, such as JADES-1050323, appearing older than the universe at their redshift. These findings challenge the standard Lambda-CDM model and suggest a need for further investigation.   Leading AI models struggle to solve original math problems Leading AI models, when tested on original, unpublished math research problems across various fields, were unable to solve them in a single attempt. While proficient at contest-style or textbook tasks, current AI lacks the creative reasoning and intuition required for high-level mathematical discovery, highlighting a significant gap in AI's problem-solving capabilities.   Rethinking climate change: Natural variability, solar forcing, model uncertainties, and policy implications Global climate models attribute most recent warming to human activity, but uncertainties remain regarding natural variability, solar influences, and observational biases. Models struggle to reproduce key natural cycles and may overestimate warming. Empirical evidence suggests climate sensitivity could be lower than model estimates, implying moderate future warming and raising questions about the necessity of aggressive mitigation policies.   Underestimated wake: Shipping traffic causes more turmoil in the Baltic Sea than expected Shipping traffic in the western Baltic Sea causes significant mechanical disturbance, with ship wakes disrupting water column stratification and inducing marked seabed erosion. Propeller-generated turbulence mobilizes fine sediments and forms depressions up to 1 m deep, affecting about 7.5% of the sea area. These processes alter oxygen and nutrient fluxes, with potential ecological impacts on shallow marine habitats.   Biofilm made from fish skin could be a sustainable alternative for food packaging A biofilm derived from tambatinga fish skin offers a sustainable, collagen-rich alternative for food packaging, exhibiting high resistance, effective UV blocking, and low water vapor permeability. While the material is currently limited by moisture sensitivity and suitable only for dehydrated foods, it demonstrates potential for broader applications and valorizes aquaculture byproducts.   Satellite observations put stratospheric methane loss higher than models predicted Satellite-based measurements indicate that stratospheric methane removal is greater than previously estimated by models. Incorporating this higher removal rate reconciles discrepancies between top-down and bottom-up methane budget calculations, improving confidence in atmospheric methane trends. Enhanced stratospheric methane loss also has implications for water vapor and ozone chemistry.