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Phys.org / Neanderthals in Central Europe hunted pond turtles—not for food, but likely for their shells

Neanderthals hunted European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) in Central Europe, though probably not for food. The careful cleaning of carapace elements at Neumark-Nord indicates that shells were reused, perhaps as small containers ...

Apr 8, 2026
Medical Xpress / New study finds eye focuses using color signals, not just sharpness

The human eye functions like an exceptionally precise, high-end camera, one with a resolution of around 576 megapixels. What makes it intriguing is that although our eyes can focus on light at only one wavelength at a time, ...

Apr 7, 2026
Phys.org / 'Oldest octopus' fossil is no octopus at all, scans reveal

A famous 300-million-year-old fossil that was thought to be the world's oldest octopus—even featuring in the Guinness Book of Records—has turned out to be something else altogether. In what amounts to a case of mistaken identity, ...

Apr 7, 2026
Phys.org / Polymers built inside the body through blood-catalyzed chemistry allow on-demand brain control

The 19th-century science fiction novel Frankenstein explores the idea of combining artificial materials with human body components, purely as a matter of imagination. Two centuries later, such concepts have become integral ...

Apr 6, 2026
Phys.org / This giant virus just gave up its atomic blueprint

A research group has successfully determined, for the first time in the world, the capsid (outer shell) structure of Melbournevirus—a member of the giant virus family—at a resolution of 4.4 Å using cryo-electron microscopy ...

Apr 9, 2026
Medical Xpress / Gut bacteria linked to levels of latent HIV

The composition of gut bacteria appears to be associated with how much latent HIV remains in the blood of people receiving antiretroviral therapy. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Gut ...

Apr 9, 2026
Phys.org / Optical control of nuclear spins in molecules points to new paths for quantum technologies

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have reported important progress in quantum physics and materials science by optically initializing, controlling, and reading out nuclear spin states in a molecular ...

Apr 8, 2026
Medical Xpress / Why smoking may raise dementia risk: Lung exosomes could disrupt brain iron balance

The correlation between smoking and neurodegeneration is well-documented, with one study from 2011 finding that heavy smoking in midlife was associated with a greater than 100% increase in risk of dementia, Alzheimer's and ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Robust against noise, geometric-phase swap gates bring stability to quantum operations

Researchers at ETH Zurich have realized particularly stable quantum logical operations with qubits made of neutral atoms. Since these operations, called quantum gates, are based on geometric phases, they are extremely robust ...

Apr 8, 2026
Phys.org / Pollinator-friendly gardens don't have to sacrifice style

For gardeners who love colorful, tidy flower beds, helping pollinators doesn't have to mean going fully wild. A new study from plant biologists at Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden found that some cultivated ...

Apr 8, 2026
Tech Xplore / Could revisiting Asimov's laws help us avoid AI's 'Chernobyl moment?'

The conflict in Iran—but also the war in Ukraine—show not only that AI is radically changing the economics of war (which may be good news), but also that we may be heading toward some kind of "Chernobyl moment." We may soon ...

Apr 9, 2026
Phys.org / Twin NASA control rooms support Artemis safety, success

Twin control rooms at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are actively supporting real-time mission operations in lunar orbit as part of the agency's Artemis II mission, helping ensure astronaut safety ...

Apr 9, 2026