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Geologists got it wrong: Rivers didn’t need plants to meander

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250831010533.htm

Published: August 31, 2025 07:14

Stanford researchers reveal meandering rivers existed long before plants, overturning textbook geology. Their findings suggest carbon-rich floodplains shaped climate for billions of years.

Scientists stunned as strange islands and hidden springs appear in the Great Salt Lake

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250831010526.htm

Published: August 31, 2025 06:15

As the Great Salt Lake shrinks, scientists are uncovering mysterious groundwater-fed oases hidden beneath its drying lakebed. Reed-covered mounds and strange surface disturbances hint at a vast underground plumbing system that pushes fresh water up under…

Scientists uncover wildfire paradox that’s putting 440 million people in danger

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250831010536.htm

Published: August 31, 2025 01:05

A massive global study uncovered a striking paradox: even as total burned land has dropped by more than a quarter since 2002, human exposure to wildfires has skyrocketed. Africa accounts for a staggering 85% of these exposures, while California stands out…

Bizarre ankylosaur with giant neck spikes redefines dinosaur evolution

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002417.htm

Published: August 30, 2025 11:19

Spicomellus afer, a newly analyzed Jurassic ankylosaur from Morocco, is overturning scientists’ understanding of dinosaur evolution. Unlike any other known creature, it carried a collar of meter-long spikes fused directly to its ribs, along with an early…

Cells “vomit” waste in a hidden healing shortcut that could also fuel cancer

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250830001207.htm

Published: August 30, 2025 06:56

Scientists have uncovered a surprising new healing mechanism in injured cells called cathartocytosis, in which cells "vomit" out their internal machinery to revert more quickly to a stem cell-like state. While this messy shortcut helps tissues regenerate…

Ancient DNA finally solves the mystery of the world’s first pandemic

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002415.htm

Published: August 30, 2025 04:47

Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan. This long-sought discovery resolves a centuries-old debate, confirming that the plague that…

In the dark for 11 million years: How blind cavefish rewrote evolution

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002412.htm

Published: August 29, 2025 22:11

Yale scientists discovered that cavefish species independently evolved blindness and depigmentation as they adapted to dark cave environments, with some lineages dating back over 11 million years. This new genetic method not only reveals ancient cave ages…

Scientists discover armored “goblin monster” in prehistoric Utah

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250829022840.htm

Published: August 29, 2025 10:44

Scientists have identified a new giant lizard, Bolg amondol, from Utah’s Kaiparowits Formation, named after Tolkien’s goblin prince. Part of the monstersaur lineage, Bolg reveals that multiple large lizards coexisted with dinosaurs, suggesting a thriving…

70-million-year-old crocodile relative with dinosaur-crushing jaws found in Argentina

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002409.htm

Published: August 29, 2025 10:26

Seventy million years ago, southern Patagonia was home to dinosaurs, turtles, and mammals—but also to a fierce crocodile-like predator. A newly discovered fossil, astonishingly well-preserved, reveals Kostensuchus atrox, a powerful 3.5-meter-long apex…

Mysterious earthquake reveals Cascadia’s hidden dangers

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250829022837.htm

Published: August 29, 2025 06:23

In 1954, a powerful earthquake shook Northern California near Humboldt Bay, baffling scientists for decades. Most quakes in the region come from the Gorda Plate, but this one didn’t fit the pattern. After digging through old records, modern models, and…

Living night lights: Succulents that store sunlight and shine for hours

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002408.htm

Published: August 29, 2025 06:00

Scientists have created glow-in-the-dark succulents that can recharge with sunlight and shine for hours, rivaling small night lights. Unlike costly and complex genetic engineering methods, this breakthrough relies on phosphor particles—similar to those in…

Scientists recreate life’s first step: Linking amino acids to RNA

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002406.htm

Published: August 28, 2025 10:39

Researchers demonstrated how amino acids could spontaneously attach to RNA under early Earth-like conditions using thioesters, providing a long-sought clue to the origins of protein synthesis. This finding bridges the “RNA world” and “thioester world”…

A tiny chip may have solved one of clean energy’s biggest problems

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828060040.htm

Published: August 28, 2025 09:20

In just one afternoon, scientists used a nanoparticle “megalibrary” to find a catalyst that matches or exceeds iridium’s performance in hydrogen fuel production, at a fraction of the cost.

Why most whale sharks in Indonesia are scarred by humans

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002359.htm

Published: August 28, 2025 04:01

Whale sharks in Indonesia are suffering widespread injuries, with a majority scarred by human activity. Researchers found bagans and boats to be the biggest threats, especially as shark tourism grows. Protecting these gentle giants may be as simple as…

Spiders turn fireflies into glowing traps

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250828002357.htm

Published: August 28, 2025 00:23

In Taiwan’s forests, researchers discovered a clever hunting trick by the sheet web spider Psechrus clavis. Instead of immediately devouring captured fireflies, the spiders allow them to glow in the web, luring other insects, sometimes even more fireflies,…

New fossils reveal a hidden branch in human evolution

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250821094509.htm

Published: August 27, 2025 23:58

Fossils unearthed in Ethiopia are reshaping our view of human evolution. Instead of a straight march from ape-like ancestors to modern humans, researchers now see a tangled, branching tree with multiple species coexisting. Newly discovered teeth reveal a…

These “plastivore” caterpillars can devour a plastic bag in just 24 hours

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250827010736.htm

Published: August 27, 2025 23:24

Scientists have discovered that waxworm caterpillars can break down polyethylene plastic, one of the most common and persistent pollutants on Earth. These “plastivores” metabolize plastic into body fat within days, offering a striking potential solution to…

The bright yellow worm that turns ocean poison into golden survival crystals

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250827010729.htm

Published: August 27, 2025 09:31

Deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, a bright yellow worm thrives where no other animals dare, in toxic hydrothermal vents saturated with arsenic and sulfide. By cleverly turning these poisons into a golden mineral once prized by Renaissance painters, the worm…

The ancient oxygen flood that forever changed life in the oceans

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250827010726.htm

Published: August 27, 2025 09:18

Ancient forests may have fueled a deep-sea oxygen boost nearly 390 million years ago, unlocking evolutionary opportunities for jawed fish and larger marine animals. New isotopic evidence shows that this permanent oxygenation marked a turning point in…

Sharks’ teeth are crumbling in acid seas

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250827010714.htm

Published: August 27, 2025 03:28

Even sharks’ famous tooth-regrowing ability may not save them from ocean acidification. Researchers found that future acidic waters cause shark teeth to corrode, crack, and weaken, threatening their effectiveness as hunting weapons and highlighting hidden…

Bumble bees balance their diets with surprising precision

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250827010724.htm

Published: August 27, 2025 01:07

Bumble bees aren’t random foragers – they’re master nutritionists. Over an eight-year field study in the Colorado Rockies, scientists uncovered that different bee species strategically balance their intake of protein, fats, and carbs by choosing pollen…

Scientists found a new way to turn sunlight into fuel

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250826005230.htm

Published: August 26, 2025 11:08

A research team created a plant-inspired molecule that can store four charges using sunlight, a key step toward artificial photosynthesis. Unlike past attempts, it works with dimmer light, edging closer to real-world solar fuel production.

Maui’s fires drove a 67% jump in deaths. Most went uncounted

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250825234019.htm

Published: August 25, 2025 23:57

Researchers uncovered that the Maui wildfires caused a spike in deaths far higher than reported, with hidden fatalities linked to fire, smoke, and lack of medical access. They warn that prevention rooted in Native Hawaiian ecological knowledge is critical…

Forgotten rock in Japan reveals 220-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossil

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250825015703.htm

Published: August 25, 2025 23:17

A chance glance at a museum display has led to the first-ever discovery of an ichthyosaur fossil in western Japan, dating back around 220 million years. Initially mistaken for a common bivalve fossil, the specimen was revealed to contain 21 bone fragments,…

500-million-year-old “squid” were actually ferocious worms

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250825015709.htm

Published: August 25, 2025 11:14

A stunning discovery in North Greenland has reclassified strange squid-like fossils, revealing that nectocaridids were not early cephalopods but ancestors of arrow worms. Preserved nervous systems and unique anatomical features provided the breakthrough,…

Extinct human relatives left a genetic gift that helped people thrive in the Americas

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250824031538.htm

Published: August 24, 2025 11:11

Scientists have discovered that a gene called MUC19, inherited from Denisovans through ancient interbreeding, may have played a vital role in helping Indigenous ancestors adapt as they migrated into the Americas. Found at unusually high frequencies in both…

Scientists unlock nature’s secret to superfast mini robots

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250824031532.htm

Published: August 24, 2025 09:58

Ripple bugs’ fan-like legs inspired engineers to build the Rhagobot, a tiny robot with self-morphing fans. By mimicking these insects’ passive, ultra-fast movements, the robot gains speed, control, and endurance without extra energy—potentially…

Why tiny bee brains could hold the key to smarter AI

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250824031528.htm

Published: August 24, 2025 03:15

Researchers discovered that bees use flight movements to sharpen brain signals, enabling them to recognize patterns with remarkable accuracy. A digital model of their brain shows that this movement-based perception could revolutionize AI and robotics by…