Phys.org
A third of animal habitats on land could experience multiple extreme events by 2085, new study suggests
A landmark study in Nature Ecology & Evolution warns that more than a third of animal habitats on land could face simultaneous climate extremes — including heat waves, wildfires, and floods — by 2085. The research, led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and involving 18 scientists, highlights the compounding dangers of continued warming in the latter half of the century. The findings underscore why reducing emissions now is critical to preventing cascading ecological collapse across the planet's most vulnerable ecosystems.
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NASA scientist says a "fifth force" may be hiding in our solar system
The universe appears to play by different rules depending on where you look, and NASA scientists think a hidden "fifth force" beyond the four known fundamental forces may explain why. Distant galaxies show gravitational behavior that defies Einstein's equations, yet our own solar system conforms to them with near-perfect precision. Pinning down why that discrepancy exists could rewrite our fundamental understanding of physics.
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This 2,200-year-old Roman wreck hid a repair story that rewrites how ancient ships survived long voyages
A 2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck is yielding new insights into ancient maritime engineering, revealing sophisticated repair techniques that kept vessels seaworthy across demanding long-haul voyages. Researchers examining the wreck's non-wood materials have uncovered evidence of waterproofing methods that challenge previous assumptions about how Roman ships were maintained and preserved. The findings highlight a long-overlooked dimension of nautical archaeology with implications for understanding the full scope of ancient seafaring capability.
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This 100 million-year-old snake had hind legs and a lost bone that changes evolution
A newly analyzed fossil of *Najash rionegrina*, a 100 million-year-old Argentine snake, reveals that early snakes possessed functional hind legs and a jugal cheekbone nearly absent in modern species. The discovery challenges the long-held theory that snakes evolved from small, underground-dwelling ancestors, pointing instead to large surface predators with wide, gape-capable jaws. The find forces a significant rethink of one of vertebrate evolution's most debated transitions.
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AI automates quantum dot voltage tuning for scaling up quantum computing
Researchers have developed an AI system capable of automating the voltage tuning of quantum dots, a historically manual and time-intensive process essential for operating semiconductor spin qubits. This breakthrough addresses one of quantum computing's most pressing scalability bottlenecks — the need to precisely configure vast numbers of qubits simultaneously. By removing human intervention from this calibration process, the technology brings large-scale, practical quantum computers meaningfully closer to reality.
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