SCIENCES ENERGIES ENVIRONNEMENT BLOGGER

 

Dear olivier hartmanshenn,

Tip: Customize your ScienceX newsletter Did you know that you can customize the ScienceX newsletter to fit your interests? You can choose the topics you want to follow and decide what you receive—from our weekday daily newsletter to the Sunday weekly edition. Your newsletter can be as focused or as broad as you prefer. You can update your preferences anytime in your account settings.

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 06: Q&A: Cannabis usage in middle-aged, older adults linked to larger brain volume, better cognitive function Among adults aged 40–77, greater lifetime cannabis use is generally associated with larger volumes in several brain regions and better cognitive function. Moderate use often correlates with the most favorable outcomes, though some measures favor higher use. A single region, the posterior cingulate, showed reduced volume with higher use. Sex differences and dose-dependent effects are noted, but causality remains unclear.   Did we just see a black hole explode? Physicists think so—and it could explain (almost) everything A highly energetic neutrino detected in 2023 may be explained by the explosive evaporation of quasi-extremal primordial black holes possessing a hypothesized "dark charge." This model accounts for the observed neutrino and could link primordial black holes to dark matter, potentially offering evidence for Hawking radiation and new particles beyond the Standard Model.   Exposure to burn injuries played key role in shaping human evolution, study suggests Regular exposure to burn injuries due to fire use likely drove genetic adaptations in humans, enhancing wound healing, inflammation, and immune responses compared to other primates. These adaptations improved survival after minor burns but may contribute to harmful outcomes after severe burns, such as excessive inflammation and scarring. This evolutionary pressure is unique to humans and informs modern burn care.   Weight-loss drugs are creating an environmental disaster—a new water-based method aims to change that Peptide drug production, essential for medicines like GLP-1 agonists, relies on solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), which generates large amounts of toxic solvent waste, notably dimethylformamide (DMF). A new water-based synthesis method enables high-yield, high-purity peptide production without organic solvents, significantly reducing environmental impact and supporting more sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing.   Global warming is speeding breakdown of major greenhouse gas, research shows Atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) is breaking down more rapidly due to climate change-driven changes in stratospheric circulation and temperature, with its lifetime decreasing by 1.4% per decade. This introduces uncertainty in future N2O projections comparable to differences between major emissions scenarios, complicating climate and ozone assessments and highlighting the need for improved modeling.   A 'crazy' dice proof leads to a new understanding of a fundamental law of physics A mathematical proof demonstrates that the Boltzmann distribution is uniquely capable of describing independent, or uncoupled, systems, ruling out all alternative theories. Using polynomial representations and examples like Sicherman dice, the analysis shows that only the Boltzmann distribution preserves the independence of unrelated choices, reinforcing its foundational role in both physics and economics.   Geologists may have solved mystery of Green River's 'uphill' route Evidence indicates that a lithospheric drip beneath the Uinta Mountains caused temporary subsidence, allowing the Green River to carve its deep canyon through the range less than 8 million years ago. Seismic imaging and modeling reveal a subsurface anomaly and uplift pattern consistent with this process, challenging previous theories about the river's route.   Scientists discover 'levitating' time crystals that you can hold in your hand A new type of time crystal has been observed, consisting of Styrofoam beads levitated by sound waves and interacting through nonreciprocal, wave-mediated forces that do not obey Newton's Third Law. These visible, hand-held crystals spontaneously oscillate, expanding potential applications in quantum technologies and offering insights into nonreciprocal interactions in biological systems.   From deer to chickadees: How fewer social encounters could raise extinction risk Loosely social species, which form temporary associations rather than stable groups, may face higher extinction risk as population declines reduce their social interactions. Unlike highly social species that can compensate for lost group members, loosely social animals do not actively replace lost connections, making them more vulnerable to the negative effects of reduced social encounters.   Some bottled water is worse than tap for microplastics, study shows Bottled water contains up to three times more nanoplastic particles than treated tap water. Over half of detected particles were nanoplastics, primarily originating from packaging. Advanced detection methods revealed higher concentrations than previously estimated. The health impacts of nanoplastics remain uncertain, but their ability to cross biological barriers raises concern.   Why snakes can go months between meals: A genetic explanation Snakes can endure long periods without food due to the loss of the ghrelin gene and its activating enzyme MBOAT4, which regulate hunger and energy use. This genetic adaptation, also found in some other reptiles, supports their ambush predation strategy by minimizing hunger signals and conserving energy during extended fasting. Insights from this mechanism may inform metabolic disease research in humans.   Dark matter, not a black hole, could power Milky Way's heart A dense core of fermionic dark matter, rather than a supermassive black hole, could explain both the rapid orbits of stars near the Milky Way's center and the galaxy's large-scale rotation. This model accounts for observed features such as the central "shadow" and matches Gaia's rotation curve data, offering a unified explanation for the galaxy's core and halo structure.   Infrared running of gravity offers a field-theoretic route to dark matter phenomena Allowing Newton’s gravitational constant to vary at large (infrared) scales within quantum field theory leads to a modified gravitational potential with a logarithmic correction, resulting in a long-range 1/r force. This modification can reproduce flat galactic rotation curves using only visible mass, potentially explaining dark matter effects without new particles, while remaining consistent with early-universe constraints.   Lab-grown algae remove microplastics from water Genetically engineered algae producing limonene can effectively bind and remove microplastics from water by forming water-repellent clumps that are easily collected. This approach also enables the algae to clean wastewater by absorbing excess nutrients, and the recovered microplastics can be repurposed into bioplastic products, addressing pollution and resource recovery simultaneously.   Experimental pill dramatically reduces 'bad' cholesterol The oral drug enlicitide reduced LDL cholesterol by about 60% in patients with or at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, even when added to statin therapy. Enlicitide targets PCSK9, similar to injectable therapies, but is taken as a pill. The reduction in LDL and other lipid markers was sustained over one year. Further trials are assessing its impact on cardiovascular events.   New study uses Neanderthals to demonstrate gap between generative AI and scholarly knowledge Generative AI-generated images and narratives about Neanderthals frequently relied on outdated or inaccurate information, often reflecting scientific understanding from decades past. The accuracy of AI outputs depended on access to up-to-date scholarly sources, with significant biases and misinformation observed. Improved AI access to current research is necessary to enhance reliability.   Finger length could provide vital clue to understanding human brain evolution A high 2D:4D digit ratio, indicating greater prenatal estrogen exposure, is associated with larger head circumference at birth in boys, suggesting a link between prenatal hormones and brain size. This supports the idea that increased brain size in human evolution may be connected to higher prenatal estrogen, particularly in males.   Earth's largest volcanic event reshaped an oceanic plate, seismic wave analysis reveals Seismic wave analysis shows that the oceanic plate beneath the Ontong Java Plateau has a complex structure with layered formations and dike swarms, resulting from extensive volcanic activity linked to a deep mantle plume. Low seismic velocities and wave attenuation indicate significant chemical modification of the plate, highlighting that large-scale volcanism can profoundly alter oceanic plate composition and structure.   Newly identified RNA molecule may drive cancer patient survival A novel non-coding RNA, CUL1-IPA, originating from the CUL1 gene, is essential for maintaining nucleolar integrity and function. Elevated CUL1-IPA levels are associated with poorer outcomes in multiple myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, suggesting its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target in blood cancers.   Climate enters the overshoot era—science and policy need to react Global temperatures are set to exceed the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target within a decade, marking entry into an "overshoot" era. This shift necessitates rethinking climate policy accountability, integrating equity, historical responsibility, and coordinated approaches to carbon removal, adaptation, and loss and damage finance to address heightened climate risks.