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Trending now: Moving up in the world: Rare catfish species filmed climbing waterfalls

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 33:

	The next 'Big One' on the San Andreas fault might not be the earthquake we expect, researchers say What could the next mega-earthquake on California's notorious San Andreas fault look like?
	Physicists solve 90-year-old puzzle of quantum damped harmonic oscillators A plucked guitar string can vibrate for seconds before falling silent. A playground swing, emptied of its passenger, will gradually come to rest. These are what physicists call "damped harmonic oscillators" and are well understood in terms of Newton's laws of motion.
	The shape of the universe revealed through algebraic geometry How can the behavior of elementary particles and the structure of the entire universe be described using the same mathematical concepts? This question is at the heart of recent work by the mathematicians Claudia Fevola from Inria Saclay and Anna-Laura Sattelberger from the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, recently published in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society.
	Moving up in the world: Rare catfish species filmed climbing waterfalls Nature often puts on incredible displays. A recent example caught on camera shows thousands of bumblebee catfish (Rhyacoglanis paranensis) climbing waterfalls in southern Brazil. This is the first time the species has been observed in such a large group and climbing, according to a study published in the Journal of Fish Biology describing the spectacle.
	How small changes in walking technique may help treat knee osteoarthritis Gait analysis and pain measures show that subtly adjusting the angle of the foot during walking may reduce knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. This approach may also slow progression of the condition, an incurable disease in which the cartilage cushion inside a joint breaks down.
	Common food thickeners—long thought to pass right through us—are actually digested It turns out those cellulose-based thickening agents found in common foods can be digested. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown that our gut bacteria can feed on these large molecules—something thought to not be possible—thanks to enzymes that normally help us break down dietary fiber.
	Chemists synthesize a new allotrope of carbon In a new study led by Oxford University's Department of Chemistry, chemists have demonstrated the synthesis of a cyclocarbon that is stable enough for spectroscopic characterization in solution at room temperature. The study is published in the journal Science.
	Astronomers spot the 'Eye of Sauron' in deep space A stunning new image of a cosmic jet has helped astronomers unlock the mystery behind the unusually bright emission of high-energy gamma rays and neutrinos from a peculiar celestial object. The source is a blazar—a type of active galaxy powered by a supermassive black hole devouring matter at the heart of a galaxy. They have captured what looks like the mythical "Eye of Sauron" in the distant universe and may have just solved a decade-long cosmic puzzle.
	Canada's first dinosaur-era dragonfly fossil fills an evolutionary gap In a first for Canadian paleontology, a Cretaceous fossilized dragonfly wing, uncovered in Alberta's Dinosaur Provincial Park, has been identified as a new species. It's also the first known dragonfly fossil from Canada's dinosaur-aged rocks. The find, led by McGill University researchers, sheds light on a 30-million-year gap in the evolutionary history of dragonflies.
	Stalagmites in Mexican caves reveal duration and severity of drought during the Maya collapse A drought lasting 13 years and several others that each lasted over three years may have contributed to the collapse of the Classic Maya civilization, chemical fingerprints from a stalagmite in a Mexican cave have revealed.
	The first experimental realization of quantum optical skyrmions in a semiconductor QED system Skyrmions are localized, particle-like excitations in materials that retain their structure due to topological constraints (i.e., restrictions arising from properties that remain unchanged under smooth deformations). These quasiparticles, first introduced in high-energy physics and quantum field theory, have since attracted intense interest in condensed matter physics and photonics, owing to their potential as robust carriers for information storage and manipulation.
	Neurodegenerative diseases: Research establishes causal link between mitochondrial dysfunction and cognitive symptoms Mitochondria, the tiny organelles without which our bodies would be deprived of energy, are gradually revealing their mysteries. In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers from Inserm and the University of Bordeaux at the NeuroCentre Magendie, in collaboration with researchers from the Université de Moncton in Canada, have for the first time succeeded in establishing a causal link between mitochondrial dysfunction and the cognitive symptoms associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
	Don't throw away those cannabis leaves—they're packed with rare compounds Analytical chemists from Stellenbosch University (SU) have provided the first evidence of a rare class of phenolics, called flavoalkaloids, in cannabis leaves.
	The stomach's 'second brain' is more in sync with the mind during mental distress, researchers discover Stronger coordination between the brain and the stomach's natural rhythm is linked to higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, according to the largest study of its kind from Aarhus University.
	With waters at 32C, Mediterranean tropicalization shifts into high gear When Murat Draman went scuba diving off the coast of the southern Turkish province of Antalya and saw the temperature in the depths was pushing 30C, it didn't surprise him.
	Ancient DNA reveals West African ancestry in early medieval England Archaeologists have analyzed the DNA of two unrelated individuals buried in 7th-century-AD cemeteries on the south coast of England, revealing that they both had recent ancestors, likely grandparents, from West Africa.
	A new crystal that 'breathes' oxygen expands possibilities for clean energy and electronics A team of scientists from Korea and Japan has discovered a new type of crystal that can "breathe"—releasing and absorbing oxygen repeatedly at relatively low temperatures. This unique ability could transform the way we develop clean energy technologies, including fuel cells, energy-saving windows, and smart thermal devices.
	Brain's immune response linked to olfactory problems associated with Alzheimer's A fading sense of smell can be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease even before cognitive impairments manifest. Research by scientists at DZNE and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) sheds new light on this phenomenon, pointing to a significant role for the brain's immune response, which seems to fatally attack neuronal fibers crucial for the perception of odors.
	Why common cuff-based blood pressure readings may be misleading—and how to fix them Researchers have found why common cuff-based blood pressure readings are inaccurate and how they might be improved, which could improve health outcomes for patients.
	Exceeding functional biosphere integrity limits: Study finds 60% of the world's land area is in a precarious state A new study maps the planetary boundary of "functional biosphere integrity" in spatial detail and over centuries. It finds that 60% of global land areas are now already outside the locally defined safe zone, and 38% are even in the high-risk zone.