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Source: http://www.livescience.com/home/feed/site.xml

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10.                    <title><![CDATA[ Latest from Live Science ]]></title>
11.                <link>https://www.livescience.com</link>
12.         <description><![CDATA[ All the latest content from the Live Science team ]]></description>
13.                                    <lastBuildDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:14:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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16.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Mystery of the sun's mind-bogglingly hot atmosphere may finally be solved ]]></title>
17.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>A hot mystery on the sun may be close to being solved.</p><p>For decades, scientists have been trying to understand why <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/the-sun"><u>the sun</u></a>'s outer atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface, despite being farther from the core. Whereas the surface, or photosphere, is millions of degrees Fahrenheit, the outer atmosphere is only about 10,000 F (5,500 C).</p><p>Now, thanks to observations from a new high-resolution telescope, scientists have finally spotted elusive "magnetic waves" in the sun's atmosphere that may be responsible for much of the corona's incredible heating. The findings were published Oct. 24 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02690-9" target="_blank"><u>Nature Astronomy</u></a>.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_HzwnNKMn_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="HzwnNKMn">            <div id="botr_HzwnNKMn_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>New data from the National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) in Hawaii — the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/worlds-largest-solar-telescope-turns-on-powerful-new-camera-revealing-breathtaking-image-of-a-continent-size-sunspot"><u>largest ground-based solar telescope ever built</u></a> — is helping scientists learn how the sun's energy is transported through its atmosphere.</p><h2 id="a-solar-mystery-2">A solar mystery</h2><p>Researchers previously noted the extreme temperature of the sun's corona, as well as the supercharged flow of heated gas, called the solar wind, which streams from the sun at more than 1 million mph (1.6 million km/h), said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/m/richard-morton/" target="_blank"><u>Richard Morton</u></a>, a solar physicist and professor at Northumbria University in the U.K. who led the research, told Live Science in an email.</p><p>Both processes need energy, and scientists assumed rolling convection at the sun's surface generated the requisite fuel. But complications arose during the first studies of this decades ago.</p><p>"It is unclear how this [energy] gets transferred into the atmosphere and solar wind, and how the energy is converted to heat and momentum," Morton said.</p><p>In 1942, Swedish plasma physicist (and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/16362-nobel-prize-physics-list.html"><u>eventual Nobel Prize winner</u></a>) Hannes Alfvén suggested magnetic waves may be responsible. But these waves, now known as Alfvén waves, had never been spotted in the corona until now.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="nPftzQhWd6zBiivsjYUnU4" name="Torsional Lines Graphic_JWilliams (Full Res)" alt="An illustration of twisting magnetic waves emerging from the sun" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nPftzQhWd6zBiivsjYUnU4.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">An illustration of twisting magnetic waves (inset) revealed by the Inouye Solar Telescope. These upward-traveling waves may be an essential ingredient in solving the mystery of why the sun’s corona is so hot.  </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NSF/NSO/AURA/J. Williams)</span></figcaption></figure><p>"This was because the sensitivity of previous instrumentation has not been good enough to resolve the motions of the Alfvén waves," Morton said. "Despite this, many numerical experiments and space weather forecasting tools assume that Alfvén waves exist in the corona. However, the properties of the waves they use within the models have been educated guesses."</p><h2 id="unprecedented-observations-2">'Unprecedented' observations</h2><p>DKIST has a 4-meter (13 feet) mirror and an "unprecedented" resolution of the sun, Morton said, with much "cleaner measurements" (less noise) than any prior solar observatory. In the new research, scientists used the telescope's Cryogenic Near Infrared Spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP) to search for the coronal Alfvén waves.</p><p>Cryo-NIRSP can chart movements of the corona through images, Morton said, as well as examine changes in the sun's plasma (superheated gas) through a phenomenon known as Doppler shift — the perceived difference in the frequency of a wave as the observer and the source of the wave move toward or away from each other. (A common, real-life example is the change in the sound of an ambulance siren as it passes by a pedestrian on the street.)</p><p>"Cryo-NIRSP provided the data to enable us to observe the tell-tale signature of the Alfvén waves, which in a plasma like the corona, is a back-and-forth twisting of the magnetic field," Morton said. "This appears as an alternating pattern of red and blue Doppler shifts on opposite sides of the magnetic fields. We found these waves were continually present during the time of observation, and given there was nothing particularly special about the region we observed, this implies they are always likely common across the rest of the atmosphere.”</p><p>"Perhaps most importantly," he continued, "our analysis indicates that waves likely carry a significant amount of energy."</p><p>That is a significant finding, he noted, because astronomers have been debating between solar waves and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/nasas-parker-solar-probe-spots-powerful-magnetic-explosion-aimed-at-the-suns-surface"><u>magnetic reconnection</u></a> — when magnetic fields on the sun twist together and snap, releasing energy — as the mechanism behind the intense heating in the corona.</p><p>While various spacecraft have found evidence that magnetic reconnection is a driver of coronal heating, the new findings from DKIST show that the full picture is more complicated. Solar observatories such as NASA's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/parker-solar-probe-captures-closest-ever-photos-of-the-sun-during-record-breaking-flight"><u>Parker Solar Probe</u></a> and the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter, alongside the fresh data from DKIST, show "both waves and reconnection are occurring frequently throughout the Sun's atmosphere," Morton said.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ibm-and-nasa-create-first-of-its-kind-ai-that-can-accurately-predict-violent-solar-flares">IBM and NASA create first-of-its-kind AI that can accurately predict violent solar flares</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/mysterious-waves-of-magnetism-may-explain-why-the-suns-atmosphere-is-hotter-than-physicists-thought-possible">Mysterious waves of magnetism may explain why the sun's atmosphere is hotter than physicists thought possible</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/nasa-s-parker-solar-probe-finds-fresh-clues-to-decades-old-mystery-surrounding-the-sun">NASA's Parker Solar Probe finds fresh clues to decades-old mystery surrounding the sun</a></p></div></div><p>"Our research confirms that the Alfvén waves are present and carry a significant amount of energy, potentially making up at least half the required energy for heating the corona," he added. "However, the exact energy associated with the waves is still challenging to estimate."</p><p>The ratio of magnetic reconnection to Alfvén waves affects not only solar heating but also the light (or more properly, the radiative output) from the sun, as well as the light from stars beyond our solar system. Scientists hope to use the research to understand how planetary systems evolved over the longer term and to make better short-term predictions about solar wind production. "It is hoped that further studies like the one we have published will shed some light on the properties of Alfvén waves to better inform the models and improve predictions," he said.</p> ]]></dc:content>
18.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/mystery-of-the-suns-mind-bogglingly-hot-atmosphere-may-finally-be-solved</link>
19.                                                                            <description>
20.                            <![CDATA[ Scientists have spotted elusive "magnetic waves" in the sun's atmosphere that may explain why the sun's corona is much hotter than its surface. ]]>
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24.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:14:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[The Sun]]></category>
25.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
26.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
27.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Elizabeth Howell ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sCMN97DDBbiUmrGFw5jrY4-1280-80.jpg">
28.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA Goddard]]></media:credit>
29.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[an image of a solar flare emerging from the sun]]></media:text>
30.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[an image of a solar flare emerging from the sun]]></media:title>
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33.                                                                                        </item>
34.                    <item>
35.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 2,000-year-old Celtic teenager may have been sacrificed and considered 'disposable' ]]></title>
36.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Archaeologists in England have discovered the 2,000-year-old skeleton of a teenager lying face down in a pit — an unusual burial position that may be a clue in a murder mystery.</p><p>Researchers from Bournemouth University were excavating a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/history-of-the-celts"><u>Celtic</u></a> site in Dorset, a county in southwest England, earlier this year when they stumbled upon the bizarre burial. The discovery happened during the filming of "Sandi Toksvig's Hidden Wonders," a new TV series hosted by broadcaster and comedian Sandi Toksvig, according to a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/news/2025-10-27/bu-archaeologist-broadcaster-sandi-toksvig-unravel-2000-year-old-murder-mystery-rural-dorset" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a> from Bournemouth University.</p><p>"This has the sense of a body thrown into a pit, with hands potentially tied at the wrist" in front of her body, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://staffprofiles.bournemouth.ac.uk/display/russellm" target="_blank"><u>Miles Russell</u></a>, the lead archaeologist for the project, told Live Science in an email. "We think she's a 'she', although we haven't had a chance to assess the DNA yet in order to clinch it."</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_tozSy7qX_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="tozSy7qX">            <div id="botr_tozSy7qX_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The teenager had no grave goods and was found face down at the bottom of an abandoned pit. Combined with the evidence that her hands had been bound, those clues hint that she had been sacrificed by the Durotriges tribe, a Celtic group that lived in Britain <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/tribes/durotriges/" target="_blank"><u>during the Iron Age</u></a> before the Romans invaded, Russell said.</p><p>And she's not the only likely murder victim at the site.</p><p>"The two other face-down bodies in pits we've recovered in the project were a teenage girl found in 2024," Russell said, "and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquaries-journal/article/brutalised-bound-and-bled-a-case-of-later-iron-age-human-sacrifice-from-winterborne-kingston-dorset/661F1895014C21686F4C849870827E62" target="_blank"><u>one from 2010</u></a> of a young adult female" whose neck had been slashed.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="3cBHCT8JJ6yxLj7W2VhiML" name="Durotriges-Bournemouth-2024" alt="a human skeleton lies face-down in a grave" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3cBHCT8JJ6yxLj7W2VhiML.png" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">In 2024, archaeologists found another face-down female burial at the site.  </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: © Bournemouth University)</span></figcaption></figure><p>These unusual burials have been recovered as part of Bournemouth University's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/projects/durotriges-project" target="_blank"><u>Durotriges Project</u></a>, which focuses on pre-Roman settlements in southern Britain. The cemetery appears to date to roughly the early to mid-first century B.C., about a century before the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/roman-empire"><u>Romans</u></a> successfully invaded southern England.</p><p>In a study published earlier this year, researchers with the project used <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/37247-dna.html"><u>DNA</u></a> analysis to show that Celtic groups such as the Durotriges were likely <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/were-the-celts-matriarchal-ancient-dna-reveals-men-married-into-local-powerful-female-lineages"><u>organized along maternal lines</u></a>, which matched what Roman authors said about the Celts. It appears that men traveled to their wives' villages to marry, instead of the other way around.</p><p>Given the Celts' emphasis on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/early-celtic-elites-inherited-power-through-maternal-lines-ancient-dna-reveals"><u>maternal relationships</u></a>, it's surprising that all three unusual burials may represent sacrificed women and girls.</p><p>Russell said these individuals may have been at the lower end of the social scale and considered more "disposable," especially if they were not from the area or were not related to the ruling families.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/64030-embalmed-heads-ancient-celts.html">These 2,000-year-old embalmed heads show how ancient Celts celebrated victory</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2-200-year-old-complex-and-delicate-celtic-warrior-charm-is-evidence-of-sophisticated-metalworking-in-the-iron-age">2,200-year-old 'complex and delicate' Celtic warrior charm is evidence of sophisticated metalworking in the Iron Age</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2-600-year-old-celtic-wooden-burial-chamber-of-outstanding-scientific-importance-uncovered-by-archaeologists-in-germany">2,600-year-old Celtic wooden burial chamber of 'outstanding scientific importance' uncovered by archaeologists in Germany</a></p></div></div><p>Although the sacrificed woman discovered in 2010 has already been analyzed, the sacrificed teenager found in 2024 and the teenager found this year have not been fully studied yet. Russell and his team plan to investigate both skeletons for possible signs of trauma and disease, as well as determine what the teenagers ate and where they came from.</p><p>The discovery of multiple female sacrifices suggests the practice was much more common than previously thought, Russell said, but "we are at a loss to know what socio-politico-environmental factors triggered the practice."</p><h2 id="celtic-quiz-test-your-knowledge-about-these-fierce-tribes-once-described-by-julius-caesar-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/celtic-quiz-test-your-knowledge-about-these-fierce-tribes-once-described-by-julius-caesar">Celtic quiz</a>: Test your knowledge about these fierce tribes once described by Julius Caesar</h2><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-WlNqYX"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/WlNqYX.js" async></script> ]]></dc:content>
37.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2-000-year-old-celtic-teenager-may-have-been-sacrificed-and-considered-disposable</link>
38.                                                                            <description>
39.                            <![CDATA[ Archaeologists have recovered three unusual burials of Celtic women and girls who may have been sacrificed in England. ]]>
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41.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">ztsAD78Xf4YeDdRzGrGoYM</guid>
42.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ud6xqdof3oss7wBYTVZ8K3-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
43.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 20:18:17 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
44.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ud6xqdof3oss7wBYTVZ8K3-1280-80.png">
45.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[© Bournemouth University]]></media:credit>
46.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a human skeleton lies face down in a pit]]></media:text>
47.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a human skeleton lies face down in a pit]]></media:title>
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51.                    <item>
52.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Why don't teeth count as bones? ]]></title>
53.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>At first glance, teeth look a lot like bones: Both are hard, white and rich in calcium. So why aren't teeth considered part of the skeletal system? Even though teeth and bones share a few basic similarities, they're actually quite different.</p><p>The major resemblance between <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24655-teeth" target="_blank"><u>teeth</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/25176-bones" target="_blank"><u>bones</u></a> is what they're made of: hard tissue composed of minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, fluoride and magnesium. On a molecular level, these minerals form a solid crystal structure, which is what makes both teeth and bones so much harder than everything else in the body.</p><p>"They're mineralized tissue," said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://dentistry.ucla.edu/people/edmond-r-hewlett-dds" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Edmond Hewlett</u></a>, a professor emeritus at the UCLA School of Dentistry. "But there, frankly, the similarity ends."</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_OGxkeYrj_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="OGxkeYrj">            <div id="botr_OGxkeYrj_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><h2 id="functions-of-teeth-and-bones-2">Functions of teeth and bones</h2><p>One reason teeth aren't considered part of the skeletal system is that teeth serve an entirely different function than bones do, Hewlett said. The primary job of teeth is to break down food as it enters the digestive tract, though they're also important for producing speech. Due to their main job, your pearly whites are considered part of the digestive system.</p><p>Bones have different jobs. They provide structure and support to the body, creating attachment points for our muscular system. They also protect vital organs, housing key body parts such as the heart and lungs. And bones serve as production factories for both red and white blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body and play a key role in the immune system, respectively.</p><p>There is some small overlap in the functions of teeth and bones, though. The bones in the jaw do help to support the teeth and are important for chewing, for example.</p><p>"They work together but are separate," Hewlett said.</p><h2 id="structure-of-teeth-and-bones-2">Structure of teeth and bones</h2><p>Because bones and teeth do different jobs, they're also built differently. The outer structure of teeth is called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24798-tooth-enamel" target="_blank"><u>enamel</u></a>, a thin layer of mineralized tissue. Enamel is the hardest substance in the body — a property it gets from jam-packed crystals made from a compound of calcium and phosphate.</p><p>Underneath the enamel lies dentin, a type of mineralized tissue that's slightly softer than enamel but still hard. Dentin makes up the majority of a tooth's structure, and it contains tiny tubes that hold blood vessels and nerve endings. The core of the tooth is made of a jelly-like substance called pulp, which houses more blood vessels that provide nutrients to the tooth and to the nerves that control feeling in the tooth.</p><p>The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anatomy-of-the-bone" target="_blank"><u>structure of bones</u></a>, on the other hand, looks completely different to that of teeth.</p><p>Bones are covered in a very thin, tough outer layer called the periosteum, which houses both blood vessels and nerves essential for growth and healing in the tissue. The next layer is composed of durable compact bone tissue. The inside of a bone contains cancellous tissue, a sponge-like substance with tiny holes that house bone marrow, where new blood cells are made.</p><h2 id="living-vs-dead-tissue-2">Living vs. dead tissue</h2><p>You might have noticed that, unlike teeth, bones are infused with nerves and blood vessels on both the inside and the outside. That's because bones are living tissue, whereas teeth are not — and that's one of the most important differences between the two.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anatomy-and-development-of-the-mouth-and-teeth" target="_blank"><u>Teeth form during fetal development and early childhood</u></a> from specialized cells called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/ameloblast" target="_blank"><u>ameloblasts</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/odontoblast" target="_blank"><u>odontoblasts</u></a>, which create layers of enamel and dentin that harden over time. Once that process is complete, the enamel-forming cells die off — meaning if a tooth is chipped or broken, that lost tissue won't grow back. While the pulp on the interior of the tooth is composed of living tissue, it can't help regenerate these outer layers of dentin or enamel.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/our-teeth-evolved-from-fish-body-armor-over-460-million-years-scientists-discover">Our teeth evolved from fish 'body armor' over 460 million years, scientists discover</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/how-many-teeth-do-humans-have">How many teeth do humans have?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/9-teeth-facts-you-probably-didnt-know">9 teeth facts you probably didn't know</a></p></div></div><p>Bones, by contrast, are dynamic structures that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17308163/" target="_blank"><u>constantly remodel themselves</u></a>. They contain a network of blood vessels, nerves and living cells called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24871-osteoblasts-and-osteoclasts" target="_blank"><u>osteoblasts and osteoclasts</u></a> that build new bone and break down old tissue, respectively. This constant turnover enables bones to heal after a fracture and to adapt to bodily changes, such as shifts in an individual's stress or activity levels. In fact, most of the adult skeleton is completely renewed <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/bone-health-basics/" target="_blank"><u>about every 10 years</u></a>.</p><p>"Bone is more of a living part of the body," Hewlett said. "But take care of your teeth — they won't grow back."</p> ]]></dc:content>
54.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/anatomy/why-dont-teeth-count-as-bones</link>
55.                                                                            <description>
56.                            <![CDATA[ Teeth and bones may appear alike, but they actually have more differences than similarities. ]]>
57.                                                                                                            </description>
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60.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 20:10:52 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Anatomy]]></category>
61.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
62.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Marilyn Perkins ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u43eWTJn8DpGki9c8QSSrN-1280-80.jpg">
63.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Carbonero Stock via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
64.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[an x-ray of teeth in a human mouth]]></media:text>
65.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[an x-ray of teeth in a human mouth]]></media:title>
66.                                                    </media:content>
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70.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Lab monkeys on the loose in Mississippi don't have herpes, university says. But are they dangerous? ]]></title>
71.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Lab <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/27944-monkeys.html"><u>monkeys</u></a> initially thought to be carrying a range of diseases have escaped from a truck in Mississippi following a crash — prompting law enforcement officers to kill a number of the animals. However, it's still unclear just how dangerous they are.</p><p>The truck, which was carrying rhesus macaques (<em>Macaca mulatta</em>) from Tulane University, overturned in Jasper County on Tuesday (Oct. 28), with several monkeys breaking loose — although the exact numbers have yet to be reported.</p><p>At the time of writing, three monkeys are still on the loose, according to an <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0j6W5Zz1srQubGAtez3exXn77aweGdaKbtzJyPax7pmm2V16YLMkmC5SjF7TYqrTEl&id=100064770154293&ref=embed_post" target="_blank"><u>update</u></a> from the Jasper County Sheriff's Department. The authorities believed that the monkeys were aggressive to humans and carried herpes, COVID-19 and hepatitis C. But Tulane University has subsequently said that the monkeys weren't infectious.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_4p9HoSwU_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="4p9HoSwU">            <div id="botr_4p9HoSwU_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>"The primates in question belong to another entity & aren't infectious," Tulane University wrote in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://x.com/Tulane/status/1983279372565148068" target="_blank"><u>post on X</u></a> on Tuesday. "We're actively collaborating with local authorities & will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed."</p><p>Following Tulane University's statement, the sheriff's department clarified that the driver of the truck had told law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous.</p><p>"The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans," Jasper County Sheriff's Department wrote in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1270543638447963&set=a.344808304354839" target="_blank"><u>post on Facebook</u></a>. "We took the the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys. He [the driver] also stated that you had [to] wear PPE equipment to handle the monkeys."</p><p>Sheriff <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://jasperso.com/staff/" target="_blank"><u>Randy Johnson</u></a> has since said that the monkeys still needed to be "neutralized" because of their aggressive nature, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/monkeys-escape-mississippi-tulane-2a8e2bcfc5fe9f81e641cefa78bb746f" target="_blank"><u>the Associated Press reported</u></a> on Wednesday (Oct. 29).</p><h2 id="are-rhesus-macaques-dangerous-2">Are rhesus macaques dangerous?</h2><p>Rhesus macaques are medium-sized monkeys, and they could pose a threat to humans if they decided to attack. However, it's unclear whether the escapees were likely to do that.</p><p>The sheriff's department wrote on Facebook that the escaped monkeys each weighed approximately 40 pounds (18 kilograms). This would be exceptionally large for a rhesus macaque and is likely an overestimate, unless the individuals were overweight. Male rhesus macaques, which are larger than females, typically weigh about 17 pounds (7.7 kg), according to the University of Wisconsin–Madison's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://primate.wisc.edu/primate-info-net/pin-factsheets/pin-factsheet-rhesus-macaque/" target="_blank"><u>Wisconsin National Primate Research Center</u></a>, while the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://neprimateconservancy.org/rhesus-macaque/" target="_blank"><u>New England Primate Conservancy</u></a> states that this species can weigh up to 22 pounds (10 kg).</p><p>Aggression is a natural part of macaque behavior, and while they don't normally direct it at humans, they regularly scrap among themselves. The New England Primate Conservancy states that fights between monkeys can be frenzied and violent, with rhesus macaques aiming for the eyes, face, limbs and genitals in order to maim or kill their opponents.</p><p>In other words, rhesus macaques can be dangerous if they want to be. Although they also have a range of peaceful behaviors, such as grooming.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:5500px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:66.67%;"><img id="MYR2GqWoYoNGpViVyeDjGo" name="Rhesus macaque_GettyImages-520890996" alt="A stock image of a rhesus macaque in India, one of many countries in Asia where this species naturally roams." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MYR2GqWoYoNGpViVyeDjGo.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="5500" height="3667" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A stock image of a rhesus macaque in India, one of many countries in Asia where this species naturally roams. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: McDonald Wildlife Photography Inc. via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Rhesus macaques have the widest geographic distribution of any non-human primate and can frequently be found living in close proximity to humans across their native range of Asia. They are often considered pests because of their penchant for stealing our food. Macaque species do occasionally bite or attack people, but this is a consequence of them becoming <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/monkeys/devil-monkeys-are-attacking-people-in-thailand-japan-and-india-heres-why"><u>too habituated</u></a> to humans in our expanding urban environments and losing their natural fear of people.</p><p>Macaques in labs, like the ones that escaped in Mississippi, have historically had a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://awionline.org/content/myth-aggressive-monkey" target="_blank"><u>reputation for being aggressive</u></a>, but experts have also argued that this aggression can be brought on by poor husbandry and handling practices. Lab monkeys are sometimes hand-reared by humans, which can lead to a range of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2715931/" target="_blank"><u>abnormal behaviors</u></a> not typically seen in the wild or in captive monkeys raised by other monkeys, such as self-biting and more aggression toward humans. Each individual monkey also has its own personality. And captive monkeys can have relatively calm and gentle demeanors.</p><p>There aren't any reports of the escaped monkeys attacking humans before they were killed. Tulane University has also said that the monkeys had "not been exposed to any infectious agent," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/29/lab-monkeys-escape-mississippi-diseases" target="_blank"><u>the Guardian</u></a> reported.</p><p>There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding the monkeys, including who owned them, who was transporting them, where they were heading, and for what purpose they were being used, according to the Associated Press.</p><h2 id="lab-monkeys-2">Lab monkeys </h2><p>Rhesus macaques are the most common monkeys used for testing in labs. Experimenting on these monkeys can be extremely valuable to scientific research and has led to a plethora of breakthroughs, including the development of various vaccines, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7449230/" target="_blank"><u>including mRNA vaccines against COVID-19</u></a>.</p><p>The use of monkeys in labs is also controversial. For example, in 2023, hundreds of scientists called for an end to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://animal.law.harvard.edu/news-article/cruel-monkey-experiments/" target="_blank"><u>"cruel" monkey experiments</u></a> at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere. These included <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1912636116#sec-3" target="_blank"><u>visual recognition studies</u></a> in which juvenile monkeys had their eyes sewn shut for their first year.</p><h2 id="macaques-on-the-run-2">Macaques on the run</h2><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/monkeys/capuchins-have-started-abducting-newborn-howler-monkeys-in-bizarre-deadly-fad">Capuchins have started abducting newborn howler monkeys in bizarre, deadly fad</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/monkeys/whats-the-difference-between-apes-and-monkeys">What's the difference between apes and monkeys?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/monkeys/meet-retro-the-1st-ever-cloned-rhesus-monkey-to-survive-more-than-a-day">Meet 'Retro': The 1st ever cloned rhesus monkey to survive more than a day</a></p></div></div><p>This isn't the first time lab monkeys have escaped. For example, in 2020, a group of macaques reportedly escaped from a lab in India and took several COVID-19 blood test samples after attacking a lab assistant, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-monkeys-escape-with-covid-19-samples-after-attacking-lab-assistant-11996752" target="_blank"><u>Sky News reported</u></a>. More recently, 43 monkeys escaped from a lab in South Carolina and went on the run, the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/monkeys-escape-alpha-genesis-south-carolina-640eb78119c66b88a418ccd1e361318e" target="_blank"><u>Associated Press reported</u></a>.</p><p>The descendants of escaped <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/pets-animals/wildlife/2025/10/28/raining-monkeys-cannonballing-water-florida-park-video/86944322007/" target="_blank"><u>rhesus macaques are also living in the Silver Springs State Park</u></a> in Florida. In the 1930s, a commercial river boat captain put six macaques on an island as a tourism ploy, not realizing that rhesus macaques can swim. The monkeys soon left the island and spread along the river.</p> ]]></dc:content>
72.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/animals/monkeys/lab-monkeys-on-the-loose-in-mississippi-dont-have-herpes-university-says-but-are-they-dangerous</link>
73.                                                                            <description>
74.                            <![CDATA[ Authorities have killed several lab monkeys that escaped from an overturned truck in Mississippi. The rhesus macaques were initially thought to be diseased and dangerous, but that's not necessarily the case. ]]>
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78.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 20:03:49 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Monkeys]]></category>
79.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
80.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Land Mammals]]></category>
81.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Pester ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/X5cHPSxJLYUfY29zv5qUd7-1280-80.jpg">
82.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[eROMAZe via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
83.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[A portrait photograph of a rhesus macaque looking at the camera. ]]></media:text>
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89.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Gene on the X chromosome may help explain high multiple sclerosis rates in women ]]></title>
90.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Brain inflammation may be fueled by a gene on the X chromosome, a new study in mice suggests.</p><p>And in female mice, who carry two X chromosomes, a diabetes drug called metformin may work to counteract that inflammation.</p><p>If these findings bear out in later studies, they could help to unravel the long-standing mystery of why women, who have two copies of this inflammation-driving gene, are more prone to certain autoimmune diseases, particularly after menopause.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_Puk9a1Qg_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="Puk9a1Qg">            <div id="botr_Puk9a1Qg_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><h2 id="a-disparity-between-the-sexes-2">A disparity between the sexes</h2><p>Our bodies are patrolled by immune cells that provide protection against bacteria and viruses, but sometimes, these defenses turn on us. In the autoimmune disorder <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269" target="_blank"><u>multiple sclerosis</u></a> (MS), for instance, the immune system attacks myelin, the fatty insulation surrounding the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. This leads to symptoms such as muscle weakness and difficulty walking, as well issues with memory and thinking.</p><p>The disease is <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269" target="_blank"><u>two to three times more common</u></a> in women than in men, and symptoms often become more debilitating after menopause. But until recently, scientists didn't know why.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/rhonda-voskuhl" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl,</u></a> a neurologist and neuroscientist at UCLA, has been investigating that mystery for decades. Clinical patterns showing higher disease rates in women are "a really valuable clue" that the difference may be driven by an X-linked gene, Voskuhl told Live Science.</p><p>That's because women typically inherit an X chromosome from each parent, while men inherit only one from their mothers. Normally, one set of X-linked genes in women is silenced, leaving only one active gene from either the mother or the father. But a handful of genes escape this "X inactivation," Voskuhl told Live Science, giving women an enhanced dose of X-linked gene activity.</p><p>To see if X-linked genes might explain women's higher rates of MS, Voskuhl and her colleagues looked at existing data for human microglia, the primary immune cells in the brain. They looked at cells from both men and women with MS.</p><p>Compared with those from men, women’s microglia had higher levels of a protein called KDM6A, which is encoded by the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/kdm6a/" target="_blank"><u>KDM6A gene</u></a> on the X chromosome. Women's cells also showed higher levels of immune-related gene activity.</p><p>To investigate the role of KDM6A gene in the brain, Voskuhl and colleagues used techniques to "knock out" the activity of the gene in lab mice — specifically in the rodents' microglia. Then, they induced an MS-like condition in the mice using established methods.</p><p>Female knockout mice walked better, and their brain tissue had less nerve damage and more intact, myelin-covered nerve fibers compared with female mice with a functional KDM6A gene. Knockout female mice also showed less infiltration by immune cells, called T cells, compared with female mice with working KDM6A genes.</p><p>But deleting the KDM6A gene had no effect in male mice, the researchers reported in the new study, published Oct. 15 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adq3401" target="_blank"><u>Science Translational Medicine</u></a>. The finding hints that the KDM6A gene may fuel brain inflammation in females because they have two copies of it and one copy "escapes" silencing. Thus, females may get an increased dose of the KDM6A protein.</p><p>The researchers then looked for a drug that could mimic the effects of deleting KDM6A. Earlier studies had shown that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/diabetes/we-may-finally-understand-how-metformin-lowers-blood-sugar-animal-study-finds"><u>metformin</u></a> can block the KDM6A enzyme in other cell types, so Voskuhl wondered whether it would have the same effect in microglia. Her team found that metformin calmed brain inflammation and improved symptoms in female mice while having little effect in male mice.</p><p>This points to the potential for sex-specific treatments, given that both KDM6A activity and metformin's effects differ between men and women. If such a treatment were only tested in men or in a mixed pool of study participants, its effectiveness in women may not be noticeable, Voskuhl explained; so data from women would need to be gathered and analyzed in isolation.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/is-there-really-a-difference-between-male-and-female-brains-emerging-science-is-revealing-the-answer">Is there really a difference between male and female brains? Emerging science is revealing the answer.</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/ageing/silent-x-chromosome-genes-reawaken-in-older-females-perhaps-boosting-brain-power-study-finds">Silent X chromosome genes 'reawaken' in older females, perhaps boosting brain power, study finds</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/lets-just-study-males-and-keep-it-simple-how-excluding-female-animals-from-research-held-neuroscience-back-and-could-do-so-again">'Let's just study males and keep it simple': How excluding female animals from research held neuroscience back, and could do so again</a></p></div></div><p>"It's a brilliant study," said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://med.stanford.edu/steinmanlab/lawrence_steinman.html" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Lawrence Steinman</u></a>, a neurologist at Stanford University who was not involved in the new work, because it identifies one of the key genes that make women more susceptible to MS. It's "another step forward" in understanding how KDM6A shapes immune activity in the brain and keeps microglia "on the quiet side," Steinman told Live Science.</p><p>Follow-up studies and clinical trials are still needed to pinpoint the most clinically effective ways to block KDM6A in women's microglia, and to confirm that such a drug would be therapeutically beneficial.</p><p>These findings also hint at an interplay between hormones and chromosome-linked inflammation. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/44/1/117/6609424" target="_blank"><u>Past work</u></a> has shown that estrogen generally counteracts the inflammation in the body, helping balance immune activity that defends the female brain against pathogens and excess inflammation during the reproductive years, Voskuhl said.</p><p>"So when estrogen levels go down in menopause," she said, "you lose that protection."</p><p>This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.</p><h2 id="brain-quiz-test-your-knowledge-of-the-most-complex-organ-in-the-body-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/brain-quiz-test-your-knowledge-of-the-most-complex-organ-in-the-body">Brain quiz</a>: Test your knowledge of the most complex organ in the body</h2><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-XpYMle"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/XpYMle.js" async></script> ]]></dc:content>
91.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/gene-on-the-x-chromosome-may-help-explain-high-multiple-sclerosis-rates-in-women</link>
92.                                                                            <description>
93.                            <![CDATA[ A gene on the X chromosome revs up inflammation in the female brain, which may explain why rates of multiple sclerosis are higher in women than in men, scientists suggest. ]]>
94.                                                                                                            </description>
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96.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JLqrk3VpDDgHSwaWLbDyyh-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
97.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Genetics]]></category>
98.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
99.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Zunnash Khan ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JLqrk3VpDDgHSwaWLbDyyh-1280-80.png">
100.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[quantic69/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
101.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Human X chromosomes, 3D illustration.]]></media:text>
102.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Human X chromosomes, 3D illustration.]]></media:title>
103.                                                    </media:content>
104.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JLqrk3VpDDgHSwaWLbDyyh-1280-80.png" />
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107.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Humanoid robots could lift 4,000 times their own weight thanks to breakthrough 'artificial muscle' ]]></title>
108.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Researchers in South Korea have built an artificial muscle that can lift approximately 4,000 times its own weight. They say it can be used in future humanoid robots.</p><p>A key breakthrough with the muscle's design is its ability to be flexible or taut when needed, which is a first for this field of research. The scientists outlined their findings in a study published Sept. 7 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/oidcCallback?idpCode=connect&error=login_required&error_description=Login+required&state=Dps2IO0LOrpSUAYYguc7KjWtugvQmVzeWJ3Swlsnw896ToFKXQsKefcgcOwIkiNNtMAxsNoH1kbDj2FBLHs155CcUAX%2FUcpvNiKN1GAXWdJMGn6dcEyK1JCcUAX%2FUcpvNiKN1GAXWdJSmeIDNbQ935CcUAX%2FUcpvNiKN1GAXWdKiLpzHM5UjSzFoIbpauSnPBil6E2cxJ3eQ8esyuxymDeD82EuxNVADxbPcWR7oMdDvlKUfDwoL3imJ0tW9zAWa2PeFF04sVSk%3D" target="_blank"><u>Advanced Functional Materials</u></a><em>.</em></p><p>"This research overcomes the fundamental limitation where traditional artificial muscles are either highly stretchable but weak or strong but stiff," lead study author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://mbm.unist.ac.kr/?page_id=2299" target="_blank"><u>Hoon Eui Jeong</u></a>, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), said in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://news.unist.ac.kr/revolutionary-artificial-muscle-can-switch-from-soft-to-rigid-like-steel-offering-unprecedented-power-and-flexibility/" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a>. "Our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://techxplore.com/tags/composite+material/" target="_blank"><u>composite material</u></a> can do both, opening the door to more versatile soft robots, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://techxplore.com/tags/wearable+devices/" target="_blank"><u>wearable devices</u></a>, and intuitive human-machine interfaces."</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_t8gr7GFy_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="t8gr7GFy">            <div id="botr_t8gr7GFy_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Artificial muscles are often limited by an inability to be flexible or taut; they need to be stretchable while still offering enough energy output, or else their work densities are limited. But soft artificial muscles are believed to be transformative because they're lightweight, mechanically compliant, and capable of multidirectional actuation (movement).</p><p>When the researchers say "work density," they refer to how much energy per unit volume the muscle can deliver. Achieving high values alongside high stretchability is where the challenge lies for artificial muscles.</p><h2 id="do-you-even-lift-robo-2">Do you even lift, robo?</h2><p>The scientists described their artificial muscle as a "high-performance magnetic composite actuator," which means it's a complex chemical combination of polymers that link together to mimic the pull and release of muscles.</p><p>One of these polymers can have its level of stiffness altered and sits in a matrix that has magnetic microparticles on the surface that can also be controlled. This enables the muscle to be animated and controlled through the tunable stiffness, thus allowing it to be moved.</p><p>The researchers' new design integrates two distinct cross-linking mechanisms. The first is a covalently bonded chemical network (two or more atoms that share electrons to achieve a more stable configuration) and a reversible, physically interacting network. The two mechanisms, developed in this way, provide the durability for the muscle to work long-term, the researchers said in the study.</p><p>The trade-off between stiffness and stretchability is effectively solved by a dual cross-linking architecture, and the physical network is further reinforced by incorporating a type of microparticle (NdFeB) on the surface of the muscle that can be given a function via a colorless liquid (octadecyltrichlorosilane). The particles are dispersed throughout the polymer matrix.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/robotics/chinese-company-develops-creepy-ultra-lifelike-robot-face-watch-it-blink-twitch-and-nod">Chinese tech company develops creepy ultra-lifelike robot face — watch it blink, twitch and nod</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/robotics/scientists-create-ultrapowerful-squishy-robotic-eye-that-focuses-automatically-and-doesnt-need-a-power-source">Scientists create ultrapowerful, squishy robotic 'eye' that focuses automatically and doesn't need a power source</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/unitrees-h2-robot-poses-pirouettes-and-pulls-off-deft-karate-moves-with-eerily-lifelike-movement">Watch new humanoid robot pirouette, pose and pull off deft karate moves with eerily lifelike movement</a></p></div></div><p>The composite muscle becomes stiff when bearing heavy loads and softens when it needs to contract. In its stiffened state, the artificial muscle, which weighs just 0.04 ounce (1.13 grams), can support up to 11 pounds (5 kilograms) — roughly 4,400 times its own weight.</p><p>A human muscle contracts at approximately 40% strain, but the synthetic muscle achieves a strain of 86.4% — over double that of the human muscle, the researchers said in the study. This enables a work density of 1,150 kilojoules per meter cubed — 30 times higher than human tissue is capable of.</p><p>The researchers used a uniaxial tensile test to measure the strength of their artificial muscle. A type of mechanical test that applies a pulling force to a subject until it fractures – the elongation is measured against the applied force to find its ultimate tensile strength.</p> ]]></dc:content>
109.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/technology/robotics/humanoid-robots-could-lift-4-000-times-their-own-weight-thanks-to-breakthrough-artificial-muscle</link>
110.                                                                            <description>
111.                            <![CDATA[ Researchers have developed a chemical structure for an artificial muscle that can lift up to 4,000 times its weight, and they say it could be used in future humanoid robots. ]]>
112.                                                                                                            </description>
113.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">rQLHq5mxsfAGpb5KETU89n</guid>
114.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PHVpeK2hWWyHAKp8vvi9qk-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
115.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Robotics]]></category>
116.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
117.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Bobby Hellard ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PHVpeK2hWWyHAKp8vvi9qk-1280-80.png">
118.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Ociacia/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
119.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Computer illustration of a robot holding a dumbbell.]]></media:text>
120.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Computer illustration of a robot holding a dumbbell.]]></media:title>
121.                                                    </media:content>
122.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PHVpeK2hWWyHAKp8vvi9qk-1280-80.png" />
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125.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Exceptionally rare iron saber, arrowheads and jewelry discovered in seventh-century warrior's tomb in Hungary ]]></title>
126.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Archaeologists in Hungary have unearthed the remnants of a rare iron saber, jewelry and other artifacts in the 1,300-year-old tomb of an elite warrior.</p><p>The elegantly curved sword — a type used mainly by warriors on horseback — is badly rusted, but it still has traces of fine decorations on its blade that reveal the craftsmanship used to make the ancient weapon.</p><p>The tomb — located near the city of Székesfehérvár (also known as Fehérvár), about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Budapest — was spotted by satellites in orbit, according to a translated statement from the Szent István Király (King Saint Stephen) museum there.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_zSXVXlgd_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="zSXVXlgd">            <div id="botr_zSXVXlgd_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The excavations are part of the Hungarian National Museum and the King Saint Stephen Museum's Cemeteries from Space program, which analyses crop marks in satellite imagery to detect buried archaeological sites.</p><h2 id="pannonian-avars-2">Pannonian Avars</h2><p>The newfound tomb dates to between A.D. 670 and 690, when the region was part of a vast "Avar Khaganate" — a type of kingdom — in Central Europe, centered in the Carpathian Basin of what's now Hungary.</p><p>The Avars from Central Europe are now called "Pannonian Avars" (the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/42158-history-of-the-byzantine-empire.html"><u>Byzantine Empire</u></a> called that region "Pannonia") to distinguish them from the semi-nomadic Avars of Central Asia, with whom a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00267-7" target="_blank"><u>2022 genetic study</u></a> suggested they were related. (An entirely unrelated people, called the "Dagestani" or "Caucasian" Avars, live now in the Caucasus Mountains — ethnographers think their shared name is a coincidence.)</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="ARTPCGcwXEqk9edd4YHWaX" name="AT 2" alt="a photo of an archaeologist excavating a grave" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ARTPCGcwXEqk9edd4YHWaX.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The ancient tomb was discovered near the central Hungarian city of Székesfehérvár after crop marks were seen there in satellite images. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Szent István Király Múzeum)</span></figcaption></figure><p>According to the Byzantine-era historian <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.3586" target="_blank"><u>Menander Protector</u></a> (a name he earned as a guardsman for the emperor) the Byzantines in the sixth century thought the Pannonian Avars were the same Central Asian Avars they'd heard about in the fifth century and greatly feared — but never met.</p><p>Scientists and historians now think, however, that the Pannonian Avars were a different confederation of semi-nomadic Eurasian steppe peoples, possibly led by a Turkic or Mongolian elite. They left no written language, making their culture enigmatic today. But a 2024 genetic study of a Pannonian Avar cemetery suggests that the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/dna-analysis-spanning-9-generations-of-people-reveals-marriage-practices-of-mysterious-warrior-culture"><u>women traveled to their husband's village</u></a> upon getting married.</p><p>Archaeologists said there were signs that the tomb near Székesfehérvár had been looted but that it still contained a rich selection of grave goods, including the saber.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="axEbJnw273LLrYiuy7kfaX" name="AT 3" alt="a skeleton in a grave" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/axEbJnw273LLrYiuy7kfaX.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Archaeologists say the remains of the Avar warrior in the grave were "ravaged" by looters, but many of the grave goods remain. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Szent István Király Múzeum)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The blade and hilt of the weapon are intact, making it an exceptionally rare find from this era. It is badly rusted, however, and extremely brittle after 1,300 years underground, so it had to be lifted from the excavations on a specially designed wooden cradle, the statement said.</p><h2 id="ravaged-remains-2">Ravaged remains</h2><div class="inlinegallery  carousel-layout"><div class="inlinegallery-wrap" style="display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;"><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 1 of 2</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="jruejAe44o2rxAtXBDewWX" name="AT 4" alt="a silver ornamented brooch in a box" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jruejAe44o2rxAtXBDewWX.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Szent István Király Múzeum)</span></figcaption></figure><p class="slide-description"><em>As well as the remains and sword, archaeologists also found this silver ornament, which seems to be a brooch.</em></p></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 2 of 2</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="WH3MHS2Yru9iwBicudwxWX" name="AT 5" alt="a gilded piece of decorated metal in a box" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WH3MHS2Yru9iwBicudwxWX.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Szent István Király Múzeum)</span></figcaption></figure><p class="slide-description"><em>The grave goods in the tomb also included this gilded piece of metal, which seems to have been braided into long hair.</em></p></div></div></div><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/dna-analysis-spanning-9-generations-of-people-reveals-marriage-practices-of-mysterious-warrior-culture">DNA analysis spanning 9 generations of people reveals marriage practices of mysterious warrior culture</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stunning-reconstruction-reveals-warrior-and-his-weapons-from-4-000-year-old-burial-in-siberia">Stunning reconstruction reveals warrior and his weapons from 4,000-year-old burial in Siberia</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2-100-year-old-skeleton-of-warrior-nicknamed-lord-of-sakar-buried-in-a-stunning-gold-wreath-unearthed-in-bulgaria">2,100-year-old skeleton of warrior nicknamed 'Lord of Sakar,' buried in a stunning gold wreath, unearthed in Bulgaria</a></p></div></div><p>The archaeologists also discovered silver belt fittings, gilded metal ornaments for braiding into hair, earrings made from glass beads, a long knife, and arrowheads that were likely stored in a quiver — although the quiver itself, and the shafts and feather fletches of the arrows, have rotted away.</p><p>The warrior's remains were also found in the tomb. While his arms and lower body were arranged in anatomical order, his head, chest and abdomen had been "ravaged" by the looters, according to the statement.</p><p>The Pannonian Avars established a kingdom in the Carpathian Basin in the sixth century, historian Walter Pohl wrote in "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Avars-Steppe-Empire-Central-567-822/dp/0801442109" target="_blank"><u>The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567-822</u></a>" (Cornell University Press, 2018).</p><p>But their battles against the Byzantine Empire, the Franks and the Bulgars contributed to the collapse of their kingdom in the ninth century and the territory falling to the Magyar people, a different ethnic group from the Volga-Ural region who were the ancestors of most modern Hungarians.</p> ]]></dc:content>
127.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/exceptionally-rare-iron-saber-arrowheads-and-jewelry-discovered-in-seventh-century-warriors-tomb-in-hungary</link>
128.                                                                            <description>
129.                            <![CDATA[ Archaeologists in Hungary have found the 1,300-year-old burial of a warrior who was buried with a rare iron saber. ]]>
130.                                                                                                            </description>
131.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">Zr8qZGC6S9RvobZnd5aitW</guid>
132.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ncbDpAbSKpoyduXrxkDDXX-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
133.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:28:51 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
134.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tom Metcalfe ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ncbDpAbSKpoyduXrxkDDXX-1280-80.jpg">
135.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Szent István Király Múzeum]]></media:credit>
136.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a rusted sword on a grayish-brown background]]></media:text>
137.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a rusted sword on a grayish-brown background]]></media:title>
138.                                                    </media:content>
139.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ncbDpAbSKpoyduXrxkDDXX-1280-80.jpg" />
140.                                                                                        </item>
141.                    <item>
142.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 22 of Earth's 34 'vital signs' are flashing red, new climate report reveals — but there's still time to act ]]></title>
143.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Without deep cuts to emissions, there's a chance Earth could embark on a dangerous "hothouse trajectory" to complete climate chaos. That's one takeaway from a new report that found 22 of Earth's 34 "vital signs" are flashing red, signaling that the planet is in distress.</p><p>Earth's vital signs are markers of planetary health, such as atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane concentrations, ocean heat content, sea level fluctuations, and the yearly percentage of extremely hot days relative to the 1961-to-1990 average. Most of these markers <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/co2-levels-reach-record-new-high-locking-in-more-global-warming"><u>hit record levels in 2024</u></a>, and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/winter-sea-ice-cover-lowest-in-47-year-satellite-record"><u>2025 looks like</u></a> it's on the same trajectory, according to the report, published today (Oct. 29) in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf149" target="_blank"><u>BioScience</u></a>.</p><p>"This report is both a warning and a call to action," co-lead author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://directory.forestry.oregonstate.edu/people/ripple-william" target="_blank"><u>William Ripple</u></a>, a distinguished professor of ecology at Oregon State University, told Live Science in an email. "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/2024-was-the-hottest-year-on-record-and-the-first-to-breach-the-1-5-c-global-warming-limit-data-reveals"><u>2024 was the hottest year ever recorded</u></a> in modern times, and likely the warmest in at least 125,000 years. Ocean heat and ice loss hit record highs. Global surface temperatures exceeded 1.5 C [2.7 degrees Fahrenheit] above pre-industrial levels for the first time over a 12-month period. We also saw <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/historic-texas-wildfires-rage-toward-us-nuclear-weapon-facility"><u>record wildfire activity</u></a> and the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/extremely-unusual-hottest-ocean-temperature-in-400-years-threatens-the-great-barrier-reef"><u>most widespread coral bleaching event</u></a> in recent history."</p><iframe allow="" height="600px" width="100%" id="" style="width:100%;height:600px;" data-lazy-priority="low" data-lazy-src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/25913028/embed"></iframe><p>Ripple and his colleagues first <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz088" target="_blank"><u>laid out</u></a> the framework to measure Earth's vital signs in 2020. Five years on, the researchers warn that we could cross a series of tipping points and push the planet into a self-sustaining hothouse regime — a state where Earth continues to heat up massively even after carbon emissions drop significantly.</p><p>Earth is now <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/degrees-matter" target="_blank"><u>2.2 F (1.2 C)</u></a> warmer than it was on average between 1850 and 1900, and if countries don't enact any further climate policies (which is a scenario often described as the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/the-cost-of-inaction/" target="_blank"><u>"cost of inaction"</u></a>), the planet could reach up to 5.6 F (3.1 C) of warming above preindustrial levels by 2100. Such rapid change would mark a turning point in the Holocene, the stable period that Earth entered about 11,000 years ago after the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/40311-pleistocene-epoch.html"><u>last ice age</u></a>, the scientists wrote in the report.</p><p>"Scholars argue that this period of relative climatic calm enabled the development of agriculture, permanent settlements, and the rise of human civilizations," they wrote. "That stability is now giving way to a period of rapid and dangerous change."</p><p>Soaring global temperatures considerably increase the risk of crossing climate tipping points, such as the collapse of polar ice sheets and the melting of carbon-rich permafrost. If these systems disintegrate, both the amount of solar energy that Earth bounces back to space and the quantity of carbon it can store plummet, thus locking in further warming and causing additional systems to collapse.</p><p>"Crossing one tipping point could set off a cascade of other tipping point crossings with the majority of interactions being destabilizing," Ripple and his colleagues wrote. "In the worst case, this could push the climate system onto a hothouse Earth trajectory. This trajectory would lead to a fundamentally different planet with devastating impacts on natural systems and humanity."</p><p>The hothouse pathway is one of the four most urgent climate risks that the researchers identified in the report. The other three are <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/a-third-of-earths-species-could-become-extinct-by-2100-if-climate-change-isnt-curbed"><u>biodiversity loss</u></a>; <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/a-harbinger-of-whats-to-come-nasa-satellites-show-massive-drop-in-global-freshwater-levels"><u>freshwater declines</u></a>; and a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/atlantic-ocean-currents-are-weakening-and-it-could-make-the-climate-in-some-regions-unrecognizable"><u>downturn in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation</u></a>, a system of ocean currents that brings heat to the Northern Hemisphere.</p><p>But, of course, these aren't the only effects of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change"><u>climate change</u></a>. "There are [all] sorts of consequences of warming, including ice sheet collapse, coastal inundation, the increases in extreme weather," report co-author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://earth.sas.upenn.edu/people/michael-mann" target="_blank"><u>Michael Mann</u></a>, a presidential distinguished professor and the director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media, told Live Science in an email.</p><p>Global warming is <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/yes-we-can-still-stop-the-worst-effects-of-climate-change-heres-why"><u>proportional to the amount of carbon</u></a> we pump into the atmosphere. Therefore, to stave off the worst consequences of climate change, "the focus should be on rapid decarbonization so we stabilize warming below dangerous levels," Mann said.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/were-within-3-years-of-reaching-a-critical-climate-threshold-can-we-reverse-course">We're within 3 years of reaching a critical climate threshold. Can we reverse course?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/32-weird-ways-to-fight-climate-change-that-just-might-work">32 weird ways to fight climate change that just might work</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/when-china-makes-a-climate-pledge-the-world-should-listen">When China makes a climate pledge, the world should listen</a></p></div></div><p>"Every year of delay locks in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/extreme-weather-caused-more-than-usd100-billion-in-damage-by-june-smashing-us-records"><u>higher risks and costs</u></a>," Ripple added. "We can limit the damage if we act like this is the emergency it truly is."</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/action-on-climate-change-faces-new-threat-the-doomers-who-think-its-too-late-to-act"><u>There is still time to act</u></a>, because we haven't yet reached levels of warming where the consequences are unmanageable. And there are reasons to be hopeful. "Some nations have successfully <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/30/1104591/uk-coal-global-shutdown/" target="_blank"><u>ended coal use</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/08/global-methane-pledge-which-countries-are-cutting-emissions/" target="_blank"><u>cut methane leaks</u></a>," Ripple said. (The U.K., Ireland, Switzerland, Norway and several other European countries <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://beyondfossilfuels.org/europes-coal-exit/" target="_blank"><u>no longer have coal in their electricity mix</u></a>. The European Union and Nigeria have also made tangible progress in cutting methane emissions.)</p><p>"<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html"><u>Deforestation</u></a> rates in the Amazon have dropped sharply under new leadership, renewable energy capacity keeps setting records, and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2025/trends-in-electric-car-markets-2" target="_blank"><u>electric-vehicle sales are climbing</u></a>," Ripple added.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_1UsnOhzg_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="1UsnOhzg">            <div id="botr_1UsnOhzg_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div> ]]></dc:content>
144.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/22-of-earths-34-vital-signs-are-flashing-red-new-climate-report-reveals-but-theres-still-time-to-act</link>
145.                                                                            <description>
146.                            <![CDATA[ Earth's systems are nearing tipping points that could plunge the planet into a "hothouse" regime — but there's still time to prevent that from happening, scientists say. ]]>
147.                                                                                                            </description>
148.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">so5GXpsnbDTrZQJTZ4JCen</guid>
149.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/suAM5KeDsLNHoaSAEPzqHg-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
150.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Climate change]]></category>
151.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
152.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ sascha.pare@futurenet.com (Sascha Pare) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sascha Pare ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/suAM5KeDsLNHoaSAEPzqHg-1280-80.jpg">
153.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Artur Debat/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
154.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Drone view of a forest in Spain that was burned down by wildfire.]]></media:text>
155.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Drone view of a forest in Spain that was burned down by wildfire.]]></media:title>
156.                                                    </media:content>
157.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/suAM5KeDsLNHoaSAEPzqHg-1280-80.jpg" />
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160.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ First-ever 'mummified' and hoofed dinosaur discovered in Wyoming badlands ]]></title>
161.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:4050px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:75.01%;"><img id="7G2pszdhwg2PLLUcTLJm6T" name="Ed Jr. mummy_Tyler Keillor_Fossil Lab" alt="A photograph of the juvenile duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens preserved as a dried carcass." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7G2pszdhwg2PLLUcTLJm6T.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="4050" height="3038" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">This mummified duck-billed dinosaur fossil is a juvenile <em>Edmontosaurus annectens</em>, nicknamed "Ed Jr." </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Photograph courtesy of Tyler Keillor/Fossil Lab))</span></figcaption></figure><p>Two extremely rare dinosaur "mummies" found in the badlands of Wyoming are the first examples of hoofed reptiles, according to a new study.</p><p>Researchers discovered the pair of 66 million-year-old duck-billed dinosaur (<em>Edmontosaurus annectens</em>) skeletons complete with skin, spikes and hooves, as if the creatures had been naturally mummified.</p><p>The fossils aren't true mummies, as their original tissues have been replaced with rock, but they give scientists an unprecedented look at duck-billed dinosaur biology, confirming they had hooves. The researchers reported their findings Oct. 23 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw3536#" target="_blank"><u>Science</u></a>.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_cugjfHpL_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="cugjfHpL">            <div id="botr_cugjfHpL_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>"It's the first time we’ve had a complete, fleshed-out view of a large dinosaur that we can really feel confident about," study senior author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://biologicalsciences.uchicago.edu/faculty/paul-sereno-phd" target="_blank"><u>Paul Sereno</u></a>, a professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, said in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://biologicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/dinosaur-mummies" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a>.</p><p>Duck-billed dinosaurs used their hooves to stomp through mud at the end of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/29231-cretaceous-period.html"><u>Cretaceous period</u></a> (145 million to 66 million years ago). They lived alongside other large dinosaurs, such as <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/23868-tyrannosaurus-rex-facts.html"><u><em>Tyrannosaurus rex</em></u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/24011-triceratops-facts.html"><u><em>Triceratops</em></u></a>, just before the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/3945-history-dinosaurs.html"><u>age of dinosaurs</u></a> came to a crashing end when a massive asteroid hit Earth and wiped them all out (except for birds).</p><p>Dinosaur mummies are exceptionally preserved fossils that contain a clay copy of dinosaur skin and other organic tissues. Several of these fossils were discovered in Wyoming in the early 1900s, which inspired the new research. Sereno and his colleagues found the two new specimens by tracking down the locations of the historical discoveries, using old photographs and letters, and mapping out what they described as a "mummy zone."</p><p>One of the newly discovered <em>Edmontosaurus </em>specimens, nicknamed "Ed Jr.," was a late juvenile and estimated to be about 2 years old at the time of its death. The other specimen, nicknamed "Ed Sr.," was an early adult about 5 to 8 years old when it perished.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:3508px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:132.61%;"><img id="h6LG9RU9hTvPGeJbjWf2tc" name="Duck-billed dinosaur_Edmonto scene_DNavarro" alt="An illustration of Edmontosaurus annectens as it appeared in life." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/h6LG9RU9hTvPGeJbjWf2tc.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="3508" height="4652" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text"><em>Edmontosaurus annectens</em> as it appeared in life.  </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Artwork by Dani Navarro)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The researchers reconstructed the dinosaurs' biology, movement and preservation using a variety of imaging techniques, including <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/32344-what-are-x-rays.html"><u>X-rays</u></a> and micro-<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/64093-ct-scan.html"><u>CT scans</u></a>, as well as by analyzing clay, examining the site where they were discovered, and studying fossilized duck-billed dinosaur footprints.</p><p>The dinosaurs had a fleshy crest running along their neck and trunk that transitioned into a row of spikes at the tail. Small, pebble-like scales also peppered the animal's lower body and tail, the largest of which were only 0.2 inches (4 millimeters) across — tiny considering the dinosaur could grow to more than 40 feet (12 meters) long, according to the statement.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/dinosaurs/rare-fossils-in-new-mexico-reveal-dinosaurs-were-doing-just-fine-before-the-asteroid-annihilated-them-all">Rare fossils in New Mexico reveal dinosaurs were doing just fine before the asteroid annihilated them all</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/dinosaurs/gigantic-dinosaur-with-claws-like-hedge-trimmers-found-with-croc-leg-still-in-its-jaws-in-argentina">Gigantic dinosaur with 'claws like hedge trimmers' found with croc leg still in its jaws in Argentina</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/dinosaurs/oldest-known-dome-headed-dinosaur-discovered-sticking-out-of-a-cliff-in-mongolias-gobi-desert">Oldest-known dome-headed dinosaur discovered sticking out of a cliff in Mongolia's Gobi Desert</a></p></div></div><p>The team determined that the mummification-like preservation occurred because the dinosaurs' bodies were dried out in the sun — they may well have perished in a drought — before being quickly covered in a flash flood. Static electricity, reacting with microorganisms on the surface of the carcasses, then sucked clay from the wet sediment to form a thin template later around the remains. The organic material then slowly decayed and was replaced with rock.</p><p>"There are so many amazing 'firsts' preserved in these duck-billed mummies — the earliest hooves documented in a land vertebrate, the first confirmed hooved reptile, and the first hooved four-legged animal with different forelimb and hindlimb posture," Sereno said.</p> ]]></dc:content>
162.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/animals/dinosaurs/first-ever-mummified-and-hoofed-dinosaur-discovered-in-wyoming-badlands</link>
163.                                                                            <description>
164.                            <![CDATA[ Researchers have unearthed two dinosaur "mummies" in the badlands of Wyoming, confirming duck-billed dinosaurs had hooves, alongside a string of other discoveries. ]]>
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167.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MbA5AW8VV7MebWsofpag6o-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
168.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 13:49:23 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Dinosaurs]]></category>
169.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
170.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Extinct species]]></category>
171.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Pester ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MbA5AW8VV7MebWsofpag6o-1280-80.jpg">
172.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Photograph courtesy of Tyler Keillor/Fossil Lab]]></media:credit>
173.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[A photograph of the juvenile duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens preserved as a dried carcass. ]]></media:text>
174.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A photograph of the juvenile duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens preserved as a dried carcass. ]]></media:title>
175.                                                    </media:content>
176.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MbA5AW8VV7MebWsofpag6o-1280-80.jpg" />
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179.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Capture the Leonids meteor shower with our favorite astro camera — now under $2,000 ]]></title>
180.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Black Friday is only a month away and we've been keeping an eye out for early discounts. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JZT6YK5?tag=cameldrops-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&language=en_US">This Sony A7 IV camera deal</a> is the lowest price we've seen since last year's event — and it's one of our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-astrophotography-cameras">favorite astrophotography cameras.</a> It has excellent ISO performance and a hidden Bright Monitoring feature (which we praised in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/sony-a7-iv-review">our full Sony A7 IV review</a>), and it's now on sale for <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JZT6YK5?tag=cameldrops-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&language=en_US">$1,998 at Amazon</a>.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JZT6YK5?tag=cameldrops-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&language=en_US"><strong>Save 26% and get the Sony A7 IV for $1,998 right now at Amazon.</strong></a></p><p>Now's a great time to take advantage of this deal — not just for the lower price, but because some incredible celestial sights are coming up. Over the next few months, you can try out the camera with your <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/best-lenses-for-astrophotography">favorite astro lens</a> as <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/how-to-photograph-a-meteor-shower">two meteor showers</a> peak near a new moon — the Leonids on November 17 and Geminids on December 13. You'll also have two stunning supermoons to capture: the full Beaver Moon on November 5 and the full Cold Moon on December 4.</p><div class="product"><a data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="best cameras" data-dimension48="best cameras" data-dimension25="$1998" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JZT6YK5?tag=cameldrops-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&language=en_US" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><figure class="van-image-figure "  ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:500px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:100.00%;"><img id="dnUykvjQaoLXMHAZjARn3m" name="sony a7 iv" caption="" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dnUykvjQaoLXMHAZjARn3m.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="500" height="500" attribution="" endorsement="" credit="" class=""></p></div></div></figure></a><p></p><p>The Sony A7 IV seriously impressed us for astrophotography, and it's the cheapest it's been since last Black Friday. We think it's one of the <a href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/best-cameras-overall-reviewed-and-ranked-by-pros" data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="best cameras" data-dimension48="best cameras" data-dimension25="$1998">best cameras</a> on the market.<a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JZT6YK5?tag=cameldrops-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&language=en_US" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="best cameras" data-dimension48="best cameras" data-dimension25="$1998">View Deal</a></p></div><ul><li><em><strong>Our experts have also reviewed and rated the </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-telescopes"><em><strong>best telescopes</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-binoculars-for-stargazing"><em><strong>binoculars</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/space/best-star-projectors"><em><strong>star projectors</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/best-cameras-overall-reviewed-and-ranked-by-pros"><em><strong>cameras</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-fitness-tracker"><em><strong>fitness trackers</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-running-shoes-for-supination#:~:text=The%20Gel%20Cumulus%20is%20a,also%20a%20relatively%20affordable%20option.&text=Hoka%20are%20beloved%20for%20their,Mach%20X%20is%20no%20exception."><em><strong>running shoes</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-rowing-machines"><em><strong>rowing machines</strong></em></a><em><strong> and more.</strong></em></li></ul><div class="inlinegallery  carousel-layout"><div class="inlinegallery-wrap" style="display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;"><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 1 of 3</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="AepbmPK8dPessqYT7sZ5Q6" name="Sony A7 IV astro image" alt="milky way above Glastonbury Tor" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AepbmPK8dPessqYT7sZ5Q6.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="caption-text">The Bright Monitoring feature is fantastic for composing images without trial and error. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 2 of 3</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:7008px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="Eo2FxPfGVmi5x7U9Ra5RBM" name="Sony A7 IV - aurora" alt="Aurora borealis above a road" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Eo2FxPfGVmi5x7U9Ra5RBM.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="7008" height="3942" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 3 of 3</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:6679px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="9CMtNFKHouMe6KSPLwpVYk" name="Sony A7 IV - orion" alt="Orion constellation over the countryside" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9CMtNFKHouMe6KSPLwpVYk.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="6679" height="3757" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)</span></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><p>We've tested the A7 IV in both astro conditions and challenging indoor lighting to push its 33-megapixel sensor to the limit. Its high ISO performance is among the best we've seen, with noise only becoming noticeable at ISO 6,400 and above.</p><p>The hidden Bright Monitoring feature is especially useful for composing astro shots. When activated, it brightens the display, making it easier to see subjects like the Milky Way on the LCD screen, cutting out the guesswork.</p><p>While it doesn't have the burst speed to rank among the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-cameras-for-wildlife-photography">best cameras for wildlife photography</a>, Sony's autofocus is the best in the business, so the A7 IV will happily lend itself to many other styles of photography if astrophotography isn't your main interest.</p><p><strong>Key features:</strong> <strong>Key features:</strong> 33MP resolution, 10FPS burst rate, ISO range 100 — 51,200 (expands to 50 - 204,800), 5.5 stops image stabilization, dual card slots (one CFexpress Type A/UHS-II SD, one UHS-II SD).</p><p><strong>Product launched:</strong> October 2021.</p><p><strong>Price history:</strong> We saw the Sony A7 IV for the same price back in April; otherwise, it has only been cheaper last Black Friday.</p><p><strong>Price comparison:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JZT6YK5?tag=cameldrops-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&language=en_US"><strong>Amazon: </strong>$1,998</a> | <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-Alpha-ILCE-7M4-33-Megapixel-Mirrorless-Camera-Body-Only-Black/609070268?classType=REGULAR&adsRedirect=true"><strong>Walmart:</strong> $1,998</a> | <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1667800-REG/sony_ilce_7m4_b_alpha_a7_iv_mirrorless.html"><strong>BHPhoto: </strong>$1,998</a></p><p><strong>Reviews consensus:</strong> One of the best cameras we've used for astrophotography that produces stunning 33MP images with excellent noise handling for clean, crisp shots. The autofocus is impressive, and it's a joy to use out in the field.</p><p><strong>Live Science: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/sony-a7-iv-review"><strong>★★★★</strong>½</a><strong> | TechRadar: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/sony-a7-iv"><strong>★★★★</strong></a><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/lg-c2-oled-oled65c2">½</a><strong> | Toms Guide: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/sony-a7-iv"><strong>★★★★</strong></a><strong> | Digital Camera World: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/reviews/sony-a7-iv-review"><strong>★★★★</strong></a><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/lg-c2-oled-oled65c2">½</a></p><p><strong>Featured in guides: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-astrophotography-cameras">Best astrophotography cameras</a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/best-cameras-overall-reviewed-and-ranked-by-pros">Best cameras</a></p><p><strong>✅ Buy it if:</strong> You've surpassed beginner level and are ready to take astrophotography seriously with a more powerful camera, while also wanting the freedom to experiment with other photographic styles.</p><p><strong>❌ Don't buy it if: </strong>You primarily want to shoot fast action like sports or wildlife and need a fast burst rate.</p><p><em>Check out our other guides to the </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-telescopes"><em>best telescopes</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-binoculars"><em>binoculars</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-astrophotography-cameras"><em>cameras</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/best-star-projectors"><em>star projectors</em></a><em> and much more.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
181.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/technology/capture-the-leonids-meteor-shower-with-our-favorite-astro-camera-now-under-usd2-000</link>
182.                                                                            <description>
183.                            <![CDATA[ The Sony A7 IV is the cheapest it's been since last Black Friday, and there's no guarantee it'll drop lower this year — this could be your best chance to save. ]]>
184.                                                                                                            </description>
185.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">7J8yEKxBuiyDqPeZ2vnNkB</guid>
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187.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:13:37 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
188.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kimberley Lane ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zyq5ZwBLqhBYZbCwLxn4MT-1280-80.jpg">
189.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Sony]]></media:credit>
190.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Sony A7 IV on a green background]]></media:text>
191.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Sony A7 IV on a green background]]></media:title>
192.                                                    </media:content>
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195.                    <item>
196.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Diagnostic dilemma: A baby suddenly started to smell of rotting fish ]]></title>
197.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p><strong>The patient: </strong>A 12-month-old boy in Portugal</p><p><strong>The symptoms: </strong>Shortly after eating different types of fish, the child would develop an odor of rotting fish emanating from his body. The smell was noxious and powerful, especially around his head and hands. He was 10 months old the first time this happened. (The child had been exclusively breastfed as an infant and began eating solid foods at 7 months of age.) His mother temporarily put him on a fish-free diet, but after she reintroduced fish to his meals two months later, the odor returned.</p><p><strong>What happened next:</strong> When doctors examined the child, they did not detect a fishy smell, though they noted that he had not eaten fish before his medical visit, according to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11929150/" target="_blank"><u>a report</u></a> of the case. They detected no abnormalities in the boy's neurodevelopment or growth, and laboratory tests showed that his kidneys, liver and thyroid were functioning normally.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_zYOUsZiH_tfejT8dc_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="tfejT8dc"            data-playlist-id="zYOUsZiH">            <div id="botr_zYOUsZiH_tfejT8dc_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p><strong>The diagnosis: </strong>Doctors suspected that the child had developed a rare metabolic disorder called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22356-trimethylaminuria-fish-odor-syndrome" target="_blank"><u>trimethylaminuria</u></a>, also known as "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/fish-odor-syndrome-a-rare-metabolic-condition-that-makes-sweat-smell-like-rotten-fish"><u>fish odor syndrome</u></a>," in which breath, saliva, sweat and urine smell like decaying fish. Rotten fish gets its distinctive smell from a molecule called trimethylamine, and the human body produces trimethylamine from nitrogen-rich foods, such as fish. An enzyme called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/fmo3/" target="_blank"><u>flavin-containing monooxygenase 3</u></a> (FMO3) breaks down trimethylamine in the body, changing it to the odorless compound trimethylamine N-oxide. But if the enzyme isn't working as it should, trimethylamine accumulates in the body and can make a person produce a foul, rotting-fish aroma.</p><p>A metabolic pediatrician conducted a molecular analysis of the child's FMO3 gene, which makes the FMO3 enzyme, and found a combination of genetic variants that could disrupt the production of the enzyme, leading to a mild or temporary type of trimethylaminuria.</p><p><strong>The treatment: </strong>The doctors recommended that the child's parents reintroduce fish to the child's diet in small increments and that they manage any lingering smell with a low-pH soap, which reduces body odors. Over time, the rotten smell after fish meals weakened. By the time the child was 19 months old, he was eating fish five or six times per week without experiencing any malodorous symptoms afterward, and the symptoms had not returned by the time he was 3 years old.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">OTHER DILEMMAS</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/diagnostic-dilemma-a-womans-nausea-was-triggered-by-a-huge-mass-in-her-stomach-which-doctors-dissolved-with-diet-soda">A woman's nausea was triggered by a huge mass in her stomach — which doctors dissolved with diet soda</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/diagnostic-dilemma-a-brain-lesion-gave-a-woman-a-lifetime-of-joyless-laughing-fits">A brain lesion gave a woman a lifetime of joyless laughing fits</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/diagnostic-dilemma-a-woman-got-unusual-bruising-from-a-massage-gun-it-turned-out-she-had-scurvy">A woman got unusual bruising from a massage gun. It turned out she had scurvy.</a></p></div></div><p><strong>What makes the case unique: </strong>There is no treatment or cure for trimethylaminuria; its primary cause is genetic, and in adults the condition is frequently chronic. In this case, the child's temporary bout of trimethylaminuria was likely shaped by a combination of factors, including inherited variants of the FMO3 gene and the immaturity of his metabolism, his physicians wrote in the report.</p><p>As the boy's metabolic system matured, the FMO3 enzyme improved its ability to break down trimethylamine. This child's case and others suggest that the causes of trimethylaminuria are more nuanced than once thought and that the disorder varies in severity, according to the report.</p><p>Trimethylaminuria is an uncommon disorder, with just a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3052392/" target="_blank"><u>few hundred cases</u></a> described in medical literature. However, the condition may be underdiagnosed, as people with trimethylaminuria often link their symptoms to personal hygiene habits and do not seek medical treatment for the unusual smell.</p><p>This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.</p> ]]></dc:content>
198.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/diagnostic-dilemma-a-baby-suddenly-started-to-smell-of-rotting-fish</link>
199.                                                                            <description>
200.                            <![CDATA[ A boy would stink of fish after eating certain dishes, and doctors found that the noxious odor likely stemmed from a rare genetic quirk. ]]>
201.                                                                                                            </description>
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204.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
205.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Mindy Weisberger ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gyDBfygWcEShuWRsXuzam3-1280-80.jpg">
206.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Peter Cade via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
207.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a close-up of a baby looking at fish in a tank]]></media:text>
208.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a close-up of a baby looking at fish in a tank]]></media:title>
209.                                                    </media:content>
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211.                                                                                        </item>
212.                    <item>
213.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Science history: First computer-to-computer message lays the foundation for the internet, but it crashes halfway through  — Oct. 29, 1969 ]]></title>
214.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Quick facts</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Milestone: </strong>First computer-to-computer transmission</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>When: </strong>10:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, 1969</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Where:</strong> Los Angeles to Menlo Park, California</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Who: </strong>Graduate student Charley Kline to computer engineer Bill Duvall</p></div></div><p>Late one evening, UCLA graduate student Charley Kline sat in front of a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241028-the-failure-that-started-the-internet" target="_blank"><u>refrigerator-sized computer</u></a> and sent the message "lo" to a rack of computers operated by systems engineer Bill Duvall at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), hundreds of miles away.</p><p>This message itself was nothing special; it was meant to be the word "login," but the system crashed before it could be completed. However, the transmission was revolutionary, because it formed the foundation for the internet.</p><p>The two computers were part of a four-computer network that made up the first Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET).</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_Np5kmfGE_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="Np5kmfGE">            <div id="botr_Np5kmfGE_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://groups.csail.mit.edu/medg/people/psz/Licklider.html#:~:text=Man%2Dcomputer%20symbiosis%20is%20an,in%20input%20and%20output%20equipment." target="_blank"><u>notion of computers communicating</u></a> was part of a grand vision to "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.dougengelbart.org/content/view/138" target="_blank"><u>augment human intellect</u></a>," but ARPANET was ultimately funded for a more practical purpose: to enable the U.S. government to communicate in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/arpanet-internet#:~:text=Davies%20coined%20the%20term%20'packet,we%20now%20call%20'routers'." target="_blank"><u>the wake of a nuclear attack</u></a>. Although telephone lines would likely be intact in that case, the major <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/articles/2018/paul-baran-and-the-origins-of-the-internet.html" target="_blank"><u>switching centers could be destroyed</u></a>, the military worried.</p><p>In 1964, RAND Corp. scientists Paul Baran and Sharla Boehm sent a memo proposing a solution: a "distributed network" that involved "hot potato" switching so that no single node would be crucial to the system's functioning.</p><p>From there, the military agency funded a project to create such a network. For the system to work, it needed a way to break up messages from a sender into smaller portions that were then reassembled at the destination. Boehm and Baran simulated this process, which would eventually become known as packet switching, using a program written in the computer language Fortran.</p><p>Even before ARPANET was realized, however, the scientists involved in the project clearly saw the potential of the concept. Baran, for instance, envisioned that by the year 2000, people <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P3717.html" target="_blank"><u>would be able to do their shopping from home using a TV</u></a>.</p><p>In 1968, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.icann.org/en/blogs/details/the-first-message-transmission-29-10-2019-en" target="_blank"><u>ARPANET was approved</u></a>, and by the summer, scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara; SRI; UCLA; and the University of Utah began building the infrastructure to allow their computers to communicate using these packets.</p><p>For the first transmission, each computer at these locations had a separate, "mini-computer" called an interface message processor (IMP), which would evolve into the routers of today. The IMPs were meant to break up the messages into smaller chunks and send them to the IMP at the receiving end, which would then reassemble them and echo them to the receiving terminal.</p><p>On the storied evening the message was sent, Kline and Duvall were on the phone with each other, confirming when each letter arrived. But the system crashed because the Stanford computer was expecting the data to be transmitted at 10 characters per second, while ARPANET had an unprecedented speed of 5,000 characters per second. This overloaded the "buffer" in the Stanford computer, according to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241028-the-failure-that-started-the-internet" target="_blank"><u>BBC Future</u></a>.</p><p>"It was like filling a glass with a fire hose," Duvall told BBC Future.</p><p>Duvall identified the problem and got the system up and running an hour later.</p><p>Almost immediately, researchers realized the potential of the system.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">MORE SCIENCE HISTORY</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/chemistry/science-history-scientists-use-click-chemistry-to-watch-molecules-in-living-organisms-oct-23-2007">Scientists use 'click chemistry' to watch molecules in living organisms </a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/communications/science-history-first-two-way-phone-call-across-outdoor-lines-made-by-alexander-graham-bell-oct-9-1876">First two-way phone call across outdoor lines made by Alexander Graham Bell</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/science-history-edwin-hubble-uncovers-the-vastness-of-the-universe-with-discovery-of-standard-candle-oct-5-1923">Edwin Hubble uncovers the vastness of the universe with discovery of 'standard candle'</a></p></div></div><p>"As of now, computer networks are still in their infancy, but as they grow up and become more sophisticated, we will probably see the spread of 'computer utilities,' which, like present electric and telephone utilities, will service individual homes and offices across the country," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.lk.cs.ucla.edu/index.html" target="_blank"><u>Leonard Kleinrock</u></a>, a computer science professor who was in charge of that UCLA node, said in a statement at the time.</p><p>ARPANET would be tied to its military roots until 1981, when the military spun off its own MILNET. And while the term "internetwork" was coined in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cs.princeton.edu/courses/archive/fall06/cos561/papers/cerf74.pdf" target="_blank"><u>1970s paper</u></a> to describe a standardized protocol for transmitting and receiving data, the internet itself technically wasn't born until 1983, when ARPANET switched over to that protocol.</p> ]]></dc:content>
215.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/technology/communications/science-history-first-computer-to-computer-message-lays-the-foundation-for-the-internet-but-it-crashes-halfway-through-oct-29-1969</link>
216.                                                                            <description>
217.                            <![CDATA[ Messages transmitted between two computers located about 380 miles apart would form the basis of what would become the internet. ]]>
218.                                                                                                            </description>
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221.                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Communications]]></category>
222.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
223.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tia Ghose ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NAXzHi4zXcWwXoR2UoBbiS-1280-80.jpg">
224.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[ROBYN BECK via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
225.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Dr. Leonard Kleinrock poses beside the first Interface Message Processor]]></media:text>
226.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Dr. Leonard Kleinrock poses beside the first Interface Message Processor]]></media:title>
227.                                                    </media:content>
228.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NAXzHi4zXcWwXoR2UoBbiS-1280-80.jpg" />
229.                                                                                        </item>
230.                    <item>
231.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Building blocks of life detected in ice outside the Milky Way for first time ever ]]></title>
232.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>For the first time, scientists have spotted multiple complex building blocks of life in the ice around a star outside the Milky Way.</p><p>Using the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/james-webb-space-telescope"><u>James Webb Space Telescope</u></a> (JWST), researchers detected five large, carbon-based compounds around a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy that orbits closely to the Milky Way. The findings could help scientists learn how complex molecules formed in the early universe, according to a study published Oct. 20 in the<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae0ccd" target="_blank"> <u>Astrophysical Journal Letters</u></a>.</p><p>The Large Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy 160,000 light-years from Earth in the Local Group, a collection of gravitationally bound galaxies that includes the Milky Way. The Large Magellanic Cloud is filled with hot, luminous stars that flood it with ultraviolet radiation. It also has fewer elements heavier than helium than the Milky Way does. These conditions make it similar to those expected in galaxies in the early universe.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="uJkJUw7u">            <div id="botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>"What we learn in the Large Magellanic Cloud, we can apply to understanding these more distant galaxies from when the universe was much younger," study co-author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/marta.m.sewilo" target="_blank"><u>Marta Sewilo</u></a>, an astronomer at the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1102600" target="_blank"> <u>statement</u></a>. "The harsh conditions tell us more about how complex organic chemistry can occur in these primitive environments where much fewer heavy elements like carbon, nitrogen and oxygen are available for chemical reactions."</p><p>In March 2024, the researchers pointed the JWST at a developing star, dubbed ST6, in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Using instruments that measure infrared light, they discovered five complex carbon-based molecules in the ice around the star: methanol, acetaldehyde, ethanol, methyl formate and acetic acid.</p><p>Of the five molecules, only methanol has been previously detected in protostars outside the Milky Way. Acetic acid, the main component in vinegar, had never even been conclusively found in space ice before.</p><p>"Before Webb, methanol had been the only complex organic molecule conclusively detected in ice around protostars, even in our own galaxy," Sewilo said. "The exceptional quality of our new observations helped us gather an immense amount of information from a single spectrum, more than we've ever had before."</p><p>The researchers also found signals that might be caused by a chemical called glycolaldehyde, although further study will be needed to confirm its presence. Glycolaldehyde can react with other molecules to form a type of sugar called ribose, an important component of ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is essential for life.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/extraterrestrial-life/perhaps-its-only-a-matter-of-time-intelligent-life-may-be-much-more-likely-than-first-thought-new-model-suggests">'Perhaps it's only a matter of time': Intelligent life may be much more likely than first thought, new model suggests</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/1st-supernovas-may-have-flooded-the-early-universe-with-water-making-life-possible-just-100-million-years-after-the-big-bang">1st supernovas may have flooded the early universe with water — making life possible just 100 million years after the Big Bang</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/exoplanets/alien-world-may-be-teeming-with-life-new-chemical-biosignatures-indicate">Scientists reveal 'most promising yet' signs of alien life on planet K2-18b</a></p></div></div><p>Finding such complex molecules in the Large Magellanic Cloud suggests that chemical reactions on the surfaces of dust grains can produce complex molecules even under harsh conditions, the researchers said. In future studies, the team plans to look for these and similar molecules around other protostars, both in the Milky Way and in nearby galaxies.</p><p>"With this discovery, we've made significant advancements in understanding how complex chemistry emerges in the universe and opening new possibilities for research into how life came to be," Sewilo said in the statement.</p> ]]></dc:content>
233.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/building-blocks-of-life-detected-in-ice-outside-the-milky-way-for-first-time-ever</link>
234.                                                                            <description>
235.                            <![CDATA[ New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have uncovered five complex organic molecules trapped in the ice around a star outside our galaxy. This cosmic first hints that the stuff of life may be widespread throughout space. ]]>
236.                                                                                                            </description>
237.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">bkW3oXuuZJRXvVJKgDmZgZ</guid>
238.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTRJiKowknQMX4so6kBDPC-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
239.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 22:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
240.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
241.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Skyler Ware ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTRJiKowknQMX4so6kBDPC-1280-80.jpg">
242.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/ESA/CSA/JPL-Caltech/M. Sewiło et al. (2025)]]></media:credit>
243.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a photo of a colorful starr region with a zoomed-in inset showing the star ST6]]></media:text>
244.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a photo of a colorful starr region with a zoomed-in inset showing the star ST6]]></media:title>
245.                                                    </media:content>
246.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZTRJiKowknQMX4so6kBDPC-1280-80.jpg" />
247.                                                                                        </item>
248.                    <item>
249.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Miracle' photo captures Comet Lemmon and meteor seemingly entwined over Earth ]]></title>
250.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>An astronomer recently aimed his telescope above Manciano, Italy, and caught something incredible: a bright comet seemingly wrapped up in the corkscrewing trail of a meteor, glittering in the same patch of sky like a cosmic barber shop pole.</p><p>With millions of miles separating the foreground meteor and the background comet, the odds of capturing such a fortuitous shot were (excuse the pun) astronomically low.</p><p>"In this photograph, the meteor's afterglow appears to coil around the comet's ion tail — a pure perspective miracle," astronomer <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/the-author/" target="_blank"><u>Gianluca Masi</u></a>, founder of The Virtual Telescope Project and the photographer who captured the stunning shot, wrote in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2025/10/26/comet-c-2025-a6-lemmon-and-a-meteor-red-afterglow-an-epic-image-24-oct-2025/" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a>. "The former is an atmospheric effect induced by the meteor, while the comet itself was about 100 million kilometers [62 million miles] away."</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="uJkJUw7u">            <div id="botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The comet seen here is <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/superbright-comet-lemmon-flies-through-auroras-over-scotland-during-surprise-solar-storm"><u>C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)</u></a> — one of three comets taking the solar system by storm right now, along with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/skywatching-alert-see-2-bright-comets-on-the-same-night-as-a-meteor-shower-this-october"><u>Comet R2 (SWAN)</u></a> and the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/interstellar-object-3i-atlas-is-about-to-get-very-active-space-photo-of-the-week"><u>interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS</u></a>. Comet Lemmon, which reached its closest point to Earth on Oct. 21, is the brightest of the bunch and has remained visible enough to be seen through simple <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-telescopes"><u>telescopes</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-binoculars-for-stargazing"><u>stargazing binoculars</u></a> for the following several days.</p><p>Masi spotted the comet on the night of Oct. 24. Its long, blue tail — the product of ionized gas that's been vaporized off of the comet's surface and blown away by the solar wind — was clearly visible. But for several minutes during Masi's observations, another streamer-like structure became visible near the comet: the wispy remnants of an ion trail left by a meteor plummeting through Earth's atmosphere.</p><p>Seen here as a golden line spiraling around the comet; the meteor trail evolved constantly over the course of Masi's observations, briefly appearing like a part of the comet itself. In reality, the trail is a result of chemical reactions in the atmosphere triggered by the meteor's ultrafast passage.</p><p>"The phenomenon is associated with the ionization of molecular oxygen in the atmosphere caused by the meteor event, followed by its recombination, which produces the emission of light at that wavelength," Masi said.</p><p>While meteors typically move at more than 100,000 mph (160,000 km/h), their trails can linger in the sky for several minutes, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/orionids/" target="_blank"><u>according to NASA</u></a>. During this time, winds blowing at different altitudes can sculpt those trails into meandering streamer shapes like the one seen here. Masi also <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLwgcQ26Ez8" target="_blank"><u>posted a time-lapse video</u></a> of the meteor event on YouTube showing how the glowing trail whipped through the sky in front of the comet for several minutes.</p><div class="youtube-video" data-nosnippet ><div class="video-aspect-box"><iframe data-lazy-priority="low" data-lazy-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HLwgcQ26Ez8" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/two-spacecraft-will-pass-right-through-comet-3i-atlas-tail">Two spacecraft will pass right through Comet 3I/ATLAS' tail</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/comet-3i-atlas-is-losing-water-like-a-fire-hose-on-full-blast-rewriting-what-we-thought-we-knew-about-alien-star-systems">Comet 3I/ATLAS is losing water 'like a fire hose' on full blast, 'rewriting what we thought we knew' about alien star systems</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/extraterrestrial-life/camera-trap-in-chile-detects-strange-lights-blazing-through-the-wilderness-researchers-are-scrambling-to-explain-them">Camera trap in Chile detects strange lights blazing through the wilderness. Researchers are scrambling to explain them.</a></p></div></div><p>The phenomenon of spiral meteor trails has not been extensively studied, but they are considered relatively rare. A series of papers <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1998JIMO...26..220S" target="_blank"><u>published in the 1980s and 1990s</u></a> estimated that only 0.5% of observed meteors leave a nonlinear trail. However, this number is far from certain and may have been skewed by suboptimal camera settings used to record meteor trails at the time.</p><p>The annual <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/meteoroids/orionids-2025-meteor-shower-caused-by-halleys-comet-peaks-as-two-new-comets-cross-the-sky"><u>Orionid meteor shower</u></a> — an event triggered by the debris of Halley's comet — peaked on Oct. 20-21, the same night Comet Lemmon was at its brightest. Although the shower is waning, it will last until Nov. 7, meaning more "shooting stars" like the one Masi caught are possible at night. Keep your eyes on the skies, and maybe you'll spot a "miracle" of your own.</p> ]]></dc:content>
251.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/miracle-photo-captures-comet-lemmon-and-meteor-seemingly-entwined-over-earth</link>
252.                                                                            <description>
253.                            <![CDATA[ An astronomer in Italy caught a fortuitous image of the bright comet Lemmon seemingly entwined with the glowing trail of a "shooting star." ]]>
254.                                                                                                            </description>
255.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">uuAXoK3Rv7mSRvMN3qEbbg</guid>
256.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aNEAqMqTuxQR6pWoimw6mn-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
257.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 20:48:22 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Comets]]></category>
258.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
259.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
260.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Brandon Specktor ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aNEAqMqTuxQR6pWoimw6mn-1280-80.jpg">
261.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Gianluca Masi / Virtual Telescope Project]]></media:credit>
262.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[An image of a comet with a straight blue tail and a red meteor corkscrewing around the comet]]></media:text>
263.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An image of a comet with a straight blue tail and a red meteor corkscrewing around the comet]]></media:title>
264.                                                    </media:content>
265.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aNEAqMqTuxQR6pWoimw6mn-1280-80.jpg" />
266.                                                                                        </item>
267.                    <item>
268.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Would you get rid of daylight saving time? ]]></title>
269.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Many countries observe <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/56048-daylight-saving-time-guide.html"><u>daylight saving time</u></a> (DST), in which clocks get pushed ahead one hour in March to gain more hours of daylight in the spring and summer. In the U.S., all but two states, Hawaii and Arizona (except for Navajo Nation) observe DST and thus are preparing to make the switch back to standard time on Sunday Nov. 2.</p><p>Not everyone is happy with this routine change, however, with recent surveys showing that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/657584/half-daylight-saving-time-sunsetted.aspx" target="_blank"><u>54% of Americans</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/50768-should-we-stop-setting-the-clocks-back" target="_blank"><u>42% of Britons</u></a> want to scrap DST altogether.</p><p>The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.10898" target="_blank"><u>favors permanent standard time</u></a> because it is better aligned with our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/what-is-a-circadian-rhythm"><u>circadian rhythm</u></a>, the body's internal clock. Because light exposure regulates the circadian rhythm, a mismatch between our body clock and the environment can lead to problems such as <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27271308/" target="_blank"><u>reduced sleep</u></a>, higher heart rate and blood pressure, and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-018-1984-x" target="_blank"><u>impaired immune function</u></a>, AASM representatives wrote in a position statement.</p><p>Last month, we reported on a study predicting that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/sleep/abandoning-daylight-savings-time-could-prevent-over-300-000-stroke-cases-a-year-in-the-us-study-claims"><u>abandoning DST and permanently staying on standard time could prevent</u></a> over 2 million obesity cases and around 300,000 strokes a year in the U.S. by better aligning our circadian rhythm with the environment.</p><p>Yet others suggest there are benefits to keeping DST. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.17.25324086v3" target="_blank"><u>Recent research</u></a>, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, reviewed 157 studies from 36 countries on the links between DST and health outcomes and found evidence for fewer deaths and traffic accidents in the summer.</p><p>So, if it were up to you, would you abandon daylight saving time? Take our poll, and let us know what you think of each time policy in the comments below. If you choose "I'm undecided," what would persuade you either way?</p><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-X7nDvO"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/X7nDvO.js" async></script><h2 id="related-stories-2">Related stories</h2><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/i-would-never-let-a-robot-incubate-my-child-poll-on-pregnancy-robots-divides-live-science-readers"><u>'I would never let a robot incubate my child': Poll on 'pregnancy robots' divides Live Science readers</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/i-honestly-am-not-sure-on-this-at-all-poll-reveals-public-uncertainty-over-experimenting-on-conscious-lab-grown-minibrains"><u>'I honestly am not sure on this at all': Poll reveals public uncertainty over experimenting on conscious lab-grown 'minibrains'</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/i-trust-ai-the-way-a-sailor-trusts-the-sea-it-can-carry-you-far-or-it-can-drown-you-poll-results-reveal-majority-do-not-trust-ai"><u>'I trust AI the way a sailor trusts the sea. It can carry you far, or it can drown you': Poll results reveal majority do not trust AI</u></a></p> ]]></dc:content>
270.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/sleep/would-you-get-rid-of-daylight-saving-time</link>
271.                                                                            <description>
272.                            <![CDATA[ The clocks in the U.S. will be "falling back" on Sunday, Nov. 2, marking the end of daylight saving time for 2025. If you could decide, would you abandon it forever? ]]>
273.                                                                                                            </description>
274.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">zyXi52q5a8cZERyLApzWM</guid>
275.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xsDnQr6FTWD2Lt63WSE8EL-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
276.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:07:44 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Sleep]]></category>
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278.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sophie Berdugo ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xsDnQr6FTWD2Lt63WSE8EL-1280-80.png">
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286.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro Body Fat Scale review: Next-level body analysis ]]></title>
287.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>A smart scale is a digital bathroom scale that not only measures body weight, but also provides key body composition metrics, such as body fat percentage, muscle mass and body water. Some of the more advanced models can also distinguish between different types of body fat, calculate your BMR (<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/metabolism"><u>Basal Metabolic Rate</u></a>, the minimum amount of calories your body needs to stay alive and function properly), or assess the 'body age' (biological age, an estimate of how old a person's body is based on their various body composition stats). The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-smart-scales"><u>best smart scales</u></a> on the market can even measure heart rate and offer personalized fitness advice.</p><p>The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro Body Fat Scale goes an even further step — it is one of the few commercially available models that can provide a segmental body analysis, meaning it can measure the differences in body fat and muscle mass between different 'segments' of the body. In this case, between the left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg and the trunk. That is because the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro utilizes foot-to-hand technology (it collects the measurements from both a stand-on platform and a handle), and, according to a 2022 review published in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X1590019&xcust=livescience_gb_4119596471732211154&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs00421-021-04879-y&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livescience.com%2Fhealth%2Fhow-do-smart-scales-measure-body-composition-and-how-accurate-are-they"><u>European Journal of Applied Physiology</u></a>, this approach tends to produce more accurate results than a stand-on platform alone.</p><p>It is the first smart scale of this kind that we have tested at home, so we were excited to see whether the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro can indeed outperform the more basic models the Live Science team reviewed in the past.</p><h2 id="runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-body-fat-scale-review-2">RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro Body Fat Scale review</h2><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-how-it-works"><span>RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro: How it works</span></h3><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2132px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.29%;"><img id="UqkumWnoS4PKPLPkHeVyd6" name="GettyImages-1498161197-16x9" alt="A woman measuring her body composition with a foot-to-hand smart scale" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UqkumWnoS4PKPLPkHeVyd6.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2132" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is a foot-to-hand smart scale. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Like most smart scales, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro measures body composition using <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/how-do-smart-scales-measure-body-composition-and-how-accurate-are-they"><u>Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)</u></a>, or bioimpedance. It is a non-invasive method deemed safe for most people, except for individuals with implanted electronic devices (such as pacemakers) or those who are pregnant. So, how does it work?</p><p>When you stand on the platform with your bare feet and hold onto the handle with your bare hands, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro sends low-voltage electricity through your body. Then, it measures your body’s resistance to it. Muscles and other tissues with high water content will allow this electric current to flow freely, but tissues with low water content, such as your body fat, will not let it pass through with the same ease. The smart scale then converts these electrical data points into body composition metrics and sends the results to the Starfit app.</p><p>Mind you, smart scales, even those as complex as the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro, should not be treated as diagnostic tools. Bioimpedance is not as precise as Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/how-body-fat-is-calculated#section-dual-energy-x-ray-absorptiometry-dexa"><u>DEXA</u></a>) and other clinically validated methods of measuring body composition. Moreover, plenty of factors can affect BIA readings (hydration level and skin temperature, for example). Smart scales are therefore best used as tools for casual check-ins and identifying long-term trends.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-design"><span>RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro: Design</span></h3><ul><li><strong>Suitable for taller individuals</strong></li><li><strong>Sturdy stand-on platform, but a fragile handle</strong></li><li><strong>Does not tend to smudge</strong></li></ul><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2131px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.31%;"><img id="Aqc3UwnCWVbXoVyY4VAqEA" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-1" alt="A picture of the unboxed RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro body fat scale" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Aqc3UwnCWVbXoVyY4VAqEA.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2131" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro comes with a detailed user manual. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Key specs</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Dimensions (in)</strong>: 12.2 x 14 x 1.97 (W x D x H)</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Dimensions (cm)</strong>: 31 x 35.5 x 5 (W x D x H)</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Weight</strong>: 6.6 lbs (3 kg)</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Connectivity</strong>: Bluetooth</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Max user profiles</strong>: unlimited</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Max user weight</strong>: 180kg/ 397lbs</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Supported apps</strong>: Apple Health, Fitbit, and Health Connect</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Power source</strong>: USB rechargeable with built-in lithium battery</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Features</strong>: over 21 body composition stats; 4 modes (standard, baby, athlete and pregnancy)</p></div></div><p>The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro costs around $144.55 — about two to three times more than most stand-on smart scales on the market. We think it is worth the money, though. It is a well-made piece of kit that gets the basics right, and that is not something we can confidently say about the majority of smart scales we have used before.</p><p>To start with, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is refreshingly inclusive. It has a comfortably large stand-on platform with a broad measurement area — approximately 13 by 13 inches. To put it into perspective, most smart scales have a platform measuring 11.8 by 11.8 or 12.6 by 12.6. As a result, it can be comfortably used by people with larger feet or a wider stance. We also liked that the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro caters to taller individuals. The extendable cable that connects the handle to the platform is quite long, and even with our 6'1 height, we could take the measurements without having to stoop over.</p><p>The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is quite well-made, too. The stand-on platform is made of tempered glass that feels sturdy and resilient, and there is anti-slip padding at the back that keeps the scale in place during measurements. All that, and yet this smart scale weighs only 6.6 pounds (3kg), making it easy to move around the house. We also liked that the glass surface on the platform did not tend to smudge. Having to constantly wipe and polish the bathroom scales is perhaps our biggest pet peeve when it comes to these devices, so we are pleased to say that it is indeed not the case with the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="ouFSRRunbGMiLFVNRwc2WQ" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-8" alt="a picture of the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro on a bathroom floor" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ouFSRRunbGMiLFVNRwc2WQ.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The RunStar 8E SmartScan smart scale is resistant to smudging and easy to clean. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>There is one major downside, though — the plastic handle. We thought it was quite fragile and flimsy. The cable did not feel too durable, either, plus it jammed on us on several separate occasions. In all fairness, fiddling with the cable would usually bring it back to normal, but we would still prefer something less exposed to accidental damage.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-features"><span>RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro: Features</span></h3><ul><li><strong>Over 21 body composition metrics</strong></li><li><strong>Segmental body analysis for fat and muscle distribution </strong></li><li><strong>Printable reports that can be shared with others</strong></li></ul><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="bKZ6qqpKmQZw7c446x4bZi" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-4" alt="A screenshot of the body composition stats from the Starfit app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bKZ6qqpKmQZw7c446x4bZi.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Runstar 8E SmartScan Pro smart scale tracks over 21 body composition metrics. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Setting up the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro was easy — it quickly connected to the Starfit app, where we set up our account by answering several questions about our age, height and fitness goals, and were also instructed on how to use the device. Using this smart scale was also relatively straightforward. Each full weigh-in took approximately 10 seconds, and the app alerted us every time we needed to adjust our position and redo the measurement.</p><p>Right after weigh-ins, a small, colorful LCD screen located on the handle would display seven of our key metrics, including BMI, body fat and muscle mass, as well as a quick comparison to previous results. If these comparisons reflected our fitness goals (for example, we lost body fat when we set our goal to weight loss), we would get a short celebratory message ('well done!'); if they did not (such as when we gained body fat), we would get a motivational comment ('cheer up!'). Personally, we did not mind that — in fact, we thought these messages were a nice touch. However, some people may find that commentary slightly intrusive.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="rd8SiE4264ZXXWFRvgkUdj" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-9" alt="A close-up picture of the Runstar 8E SmartScan Pro displaying measurements taken during our reviewer's weigh-in" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rd8SiE4264ZXXWFRvgkUdj.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Every time you do a weigh-in, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro will provide brief comments on your results. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Additional body composition metrics and segmental body analysis can then be accessed in the Starfit app. This is also where users can review their body composition data by day, week, month, or year — the app tracks changes in the body weight, fat-free body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, fat mass, subcutaneous (under skin) fat percentage, visceral (around organs) fat percentage, body water percentage, muscle mass, skeletal muscle percentage, bone mass, BMR, protein percentage and body age. Each of these metrics came with a short explanation of what is measured and a scale showing where your results fall within the guidelines (for example, 'low', 'standard' or 'excellent' for muscle mass).</p><p>We had mixed feelings about these descriptions. While they are relatively well-explained and factually correct, they seem to lack the detail and necessary context that would benefit exercise novices and those who have never used a smart scale before. As such, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro may not be the best option for complete beginners, as they may find it overly complex or even slightly intimidating.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="pMYxfNdgj3jKZf739J2UeV" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-10" alt="A screenshot of visceral fat measurement from the Starfit app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pMYxfNdgj3jKZf739J2UeV.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">All tracked tracked are briefly explained in the Starfit app. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>We were also slightly disappointed that the Starfit app does not store any historical data related to segmental fat and muscle analysis, and it only displays results collected during the last weigh-in. This can be a major issue for athletes, bodybuilders and anyone who wants to monitor changes within a specific body segment.</p><p>On the other hand, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro allows you to generate detailed body composition reports. They can be either printed or shared online — with fitness coaches and healthcare professionals, for example. You could technically track changes in segmental fat and muscle composition by downloading and storing them on your mobile device.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="p2WGo7TSVBmjWYTHRxKaZg" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-11" alt="A screenshot of our reviewer's health report from the Starfit app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p2WGo7TSVBmjWYTHRxKaZg.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Runstar 8E SmartScan Pro is one of the few smart scales to provide printable reports. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-accuracy-performance"><span>RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro: Accuracy & performance</span></h3><ul><li><strong>Good weighing accuracy</strong></li><li><strong>Relatively accurate body composition analysis</strong></li><li><strong>Up to three months of battery life</strong></li></ul><p>Performance is one of the best aspects of the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro. First, it has a long battery life. According to the brand, this USB-C smart scale can last up to 2,160 hours (three months) on a single charge — and it appears true. We have barely used any battery life on our testing unit over a month-long testing period, despite multiple weigh-ins and changes in our preferred settings.</p><p>Connectivity-wise, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro also delivers. We have not experienced any problems connecting our smart scale to the Smartfit app or third-party platforms, and the measurements were always provided on time and without data transfer interruptions. It is a strong point for us — we have battled enough smart devices with connectivity issues to know how this performance aspect can make or break the overall user experience.</p><p>Last, but not least, the tracking accuracy. We compared the body composition measurements taken with the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro to the data we obtained with a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.fittechglobal.com/fit-tech-features/Fitquest-Science-meets-fitness/32400"><u>FitQuest</u></a> machine — a much bigger, more precise bioimpedance scale used in our local gym — and were quite impressed with the results. For example, the difference in body weight readings was only 0.22 lbs (0.1 kg). In that regard, this smart scale is as accurate as the premium <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/garmin-index-s2-smart-scale-review"><u>Garmin Index S2</u></a>.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="it7Xj7vferUM6ysuTy58jA" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-2" alt="A screenshot of our reviewer's weigh-in results from the Starfit app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/it7Xj7vferUM6ysuTy58jA.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is more accurate than most smart scales we tested. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>When it came to body composition analysis, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro slightly overestimated our body fat and muscle percentage (by 4% and 2%, respectively), and underestimated our body water by 3%. However, it still proved to be more accurate than the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/renpho-smart-scale-review#section-renpho-smart-scale-review-accuracy-and-performance"><u>Renpho Smart Scale</u></a>, a model we named as the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-smart-scales#section-best-smart-scale-overall"><u>best model overall</u></a> in our guide to the best smart scales. The Renpho smart scale overestimated our tester's body fat percentage by 9%, and underestimated their body water reading by 5%.</p><p>As the FitQuest does not offer segmental body composition analysis, we could not assess how effective the SmartScan Pro was at differentiating between different body parts. However, its measurements seemed largely accurate to us.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="NABJUAGiPm6JsWa6HwbeZZ" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-3" alt="A screenshot of the muscle balance measurement from the Starfit app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NABJUAGiPm6JsWa6HwbeZZ.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The results of our segmental body analysis appeared largely accurate. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-user-reviews"><span>RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro: User reviews</span></h3><p>At the time of writing this review, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Electrodes-Composition-Measurement-Full-Color-Retractable/dp/B0D31DD59C?th=1"><u>Amazon</u></a>'s customer reviews rated the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro at 4.3 out of 5 stars. Nearly three-quarters of buyers gave it the highest score, generally praising this smart scale for its advanced body composition measurements, speedy connectivity with major fitness apps and printable progress reports.</p><p>As one happy user commented, "I recently upgraded my health-tracking tools with this Runstar Smart Scale, and I seriously can’t believe how helpful it’s become. Beyond the measurements, the app makes it easy to see real progress. My data is organized by day, week, month, or year, and I love being able to generate shareable or printable reports. All in all, this scale doesn’t just show numbers—it helps me own my journey. Highly recommended!"</p><p>That said, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro received mixed opinions on its design and accuracy. Negative remarks, on the other hand, tended to revolve around individual faulty units, and several users criticized some of the terminology used in the Starfit app.</p><p>One user said, "The language used (terms like “obese,” “plump,” or “overweight”) is blunt, potentially misleading, and based on outdated classification models. These may trigger or validate distorted body perceptions, especially for users unfamiliar with how these values are calculated or misapplied."</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-should-you-buy-the-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro"><span>Should you buy the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro?</span></h3><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2134px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.23%;"><img id="XeY34D7pqFi8tJ37VSeAFP" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-7" alt="A close-up picture of the logo on the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro smart scale" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XeY34D7pqFi8tJ37VSeAFP.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2134" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is a great piece of kit for exercise professionals. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>✅ <strong>Buy it if</strong>: You are an exercise data geek or a fitness coach looking for a well-made, well-connected smart scale. The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro delivers an impressive range of relatively accurate body composition stats, and it easily connects with third-party apps and devices.</p><p>❌ <strong>Do not buy it if:</strong> You are on a budget or looking for your first-ever smart scale. The RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is a formidable bit of kit, both in price and functionality, and may feel too complex and data-driven for complete beginners.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-if-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-is-not-for-you"><span>If RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is not for you</span></h3><p>If the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is too much for your budget, we would recommend these more affordable models instead: our all-time favorite <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/renpho-smart-scale-review"><u>Renpho Elis 1</u></a> and the slightly more basic (but cheaper) <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/wyze-scale-x-review"><u>Wyze Scale X</u></a>. These stand-on smart scales are less technologically advanced, but they offer a relatively good range of body composition stats and decent tracking accuracy — and they cost less than $50.</p><p>If you are an athlete, however, you may be better off with the more premium <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/garmin-index-s2-smart-scale-review"><u>Garmin Index S2</u></a>. It costs nearly as much as the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro, but it is well worth it if you want to prioritize precision and progress tracking tools — it is by far the most accurate and reliable stand-on smart scale we tested.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-how-we-tested"><span>RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro: How we tested</span></h3><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="hQoLE4zWA92nXqrY6dxbpW" name="Runstar-8E-SmartScan-Pro-5" alt="A close-up picture of our reviewer's segmental fat analysis from the Starfit app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hQoLE4zWA92nXqrY6dxbpW.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">We spent over a month testing the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro smart scale. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>We spent over a month testing the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro Body Fat Scale, assessing its design, functionality, ease of use, connectivity with third-party devices and value for money. We also compared the body composition measurements taken with this smart scale to the data we obtained with a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.fittechglobal.com/fit-tech-features/Fitquest-Science-meets-fitness/32400"><u>FitQuest</u></a> machine (a much bigger, more precise bioimpedance scale used in our local gym), and gave our verdict on its general accuracy and reliability.</p> ]]></dc:content>
288.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/runstar-8e-smartscan-pro-body-fat-scale-review</link>
289.                                                                            <description>
290.                            <![CDATA[ With over 21 body composition stats and segmental body analysis, the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro is just as geeky as it sounds — but is this smart scale worth it? ]]>
291.                                                                                                            </description>
292.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">wwuLGUrTHeBaVwXyAUpEEo</guid>
293.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VvC9X73naAWSjxsN5DDqv7-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
294.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
295.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anna Gora ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VvC9X73naAWSjxsN5DDqv7-1280-80.jpg">
296.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Anna Gora]]></media:credit>
297.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[The Runstar 8E SmartScan Pro body fat scale on a bathroom floor]]></media:text>
298.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[The Runstar 8E SmartScan Pro body fat scale on a bathroom floor]]></media:title>
299.                                                    </media:content>
300.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VvC9X73naAWSjxsN5DDqv7-1280-80.jpg" />
301.                                                                                        </item>
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303.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Watch Air Force fly inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa as experts warn 'storm of the century' will be catastrophic for Jamaica ]]></title>
304.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The Air Force has captured jaw-dropping footage from inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa, which has caused widespread devastation as it made landfall in Jamaica.</p><p>The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the "Hurricane Hunters," entered  the hurricane on Monday morning (Oct. 27) to collect data for the National Hurricane Center, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.news18.com/viral/us-air-force-plane-flies-into-eye-of-storm-melissa-captures-breathtaking-footage-of-natures-fury-ws-kl-9663738.html" target="_blank"><u>News18 reported</u></a>.</p><p>The Hurricane Hunters were met with a gigantic wall of swirling clouds, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://x.com/flynonymouswx/status/1982919129784037592?s=46" target="_blank"><u>videos on the social platform X show</u></a>. The eye appears eerily calm in the videos and has an almost-enchanting quality to it, yet the storm will be anything but for people in its path. The Category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall on the southern coastline of Jamaica on Tuesday (Oct. 28), where it will unleash catastrophic damage.</p><div class="see-more see-more--clipped"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet hawk-ignore" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fifth and final pass through Hurricane Melissa for our crew today. Just after noon entering from the NW corner exiting SE. pic.twitter.com/BVtyIlZpsx<a href="https://twitter.com/cantworkitout/status/1982919129784037592">October 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><div class="see-more__filter"></div></div><p>Caribbean weather forecasts have been extremely ominous for days. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/category-5-hurricane-melissa-to-unleash-life-threatening-catastrophe-in-jamaica/1829401" target="_blank"><u>AccuWeather</u></a> meteorologists have warned that the hurricane could trigger a humanitarian crisis, while the U.S. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/281150.shtml?key_messages#contents" target="_blank"><u>National Hurricane Center</u></a> noted that the life-threatening storm is expected to bring "catastrophic flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds."</p><p>The World Meteorological Organization's tropical cyclone specialist, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://community.wmo.int/en/contacts/ms-anne-claire-fontan" target="_blank"><u>Anne-Claire Fontan</u></a>, told a press briefing that Hurricane Melissa will be "the storm of the century" for Jamaica, according to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/wmo-says-hurricane-melissa-will-be-jamaicas-worst-storm-this-century-2025-10-28/" target="_blank"><u>Reuters</u></a>. Jamaica hasn’t been hit by a hurricane since Category 1 Hurricane Sandy made landfall there in 2012, and the island has never taken a direct blow from a Category 5 storm before. The storm has already caused three fatalities on the island.</p><p>Near-record-warm Caribbean waters have <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/tropical-storm-melissa-puts-caribbeans-most-flood-vulnerable-places-at-risk"><u>fueled Melissa's strength</u></a> as it has <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/weather/near-stationary-tropical-storm-melissa-is-moving-slower-than-a-person-walking-and-it-may-bring-deadly-flash-floods-to-the-caribbean"><u>slowly closed in on Jamaica</u></a>. The country's authorities have urged citizens to seek immediate shelter and said that many communities will not survive the storm, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/oct/27/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-cuba-caribbean-haiti-dominican-republic-live-news-latest-updates" target="_blank"><u>the Guardian reported</u></a>.</p><div class="see-more see-more--clipped"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet hawk-ignore" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A thread of videos from today’s flight into Hurricane MelissaIn this first one we are entering from the southeast just after sunrise and the bright arc on the far northwest eye wall is the light just beginning to make it over the top from behind us. pic.twitter.com/qGdpp7lbCN<a href="https://twitter.com/cantworkitout/status/1982911146266075605">October 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><div class="see-more__filter"></div></div><p>The risk to life may be similar to 2019's Hurricane Dorian, which hit the Bahamas, and 1992's Hurricane Andrew, which hit the southeastern U.S and the Bahamas, AccuWeather reported. The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://reliefweb.int/report/bahamas/bahamas-hurricane-dorian-final-report-mdrbs003-0" target="_blank"><u>official death toll for Hurricane Dorian</u></a> was 74 people, with 282 more still missing, while Hurricane Andrew <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.weather.gov/lmk/HurricaneAndrew30Years" target="_blank"><u>directly caused 65 deaths</u></a> and was the most devastating hurricane in Florida's history.</p><p>Hurricane Melissa also threatens countries such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, with at least four storm-related deaths already reported across Haiti and the Dominican Republic.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/tropical-storm-melissa-puts-caribbeans-most-flood-vulnerable-places-at-risk">Tropical Storm Melissa puts Caribbean's most flood-vulnerable places at risk</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/extreme-weather-caused-more-than-usd100-billion-in-damage-by-june-smashing-us-records">Extreme weather caused more than $100 billion in damage by June — smashing US records</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/how-strong-can-hurricanes-get">How strong can hurricanes get?</a></p></div></div><p>Meteorologists <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php" target="_blank"><u>categorize hurricanes from 1 to 5</u></a> based on their maximum sustained wind speeds — anything above Category 2 is considered a major hurricane. Hurricanes reach Category 5 status when they have sustained winds of at least 157 mph (252 km/h).</p><p>On Monday, Hurricane Melissa blew past this threshold when its wind speeds strengthened to 175 mph (282 km/h), establishing it as the strongest hurricane of 2025 and potentially the most intense hurricane ever recorded so late in the Atlantic hurricane season (which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November), AccuWeather reported.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/hurricane-milton-is-tied-for-the-fastest-forming-category-5-hurricane-on-record-it-could-become-the-new-normal"><u>More hurricanes are rapidly intensifying in the Atlantic</u></a> as climate change causes atmospheric and sea temperature to soar. Since March 2023, average sea surface temperatures around the world have broken <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_daily/" target="_blank"><u>records</u></a>, with warming waters adding extra energy to hurricanes as they grow.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_N2KSfcTh_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="N2KSfcTh">            <div id="botr_N2KSfcTh_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div> ]]></dc:content>
305.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/watch-air-force-fly-inside-the-eye-of-hurricane-melissa-as-experts-warn-storm-of-the-century-will-be-catastrophic-for-jamaica</link>
306.                                                                            <description>
307.                            <![CDATA[ The U.S. Air Force's "Hurricane Hunters" have flown inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa, capturing eerie footage of the historic storm that has caused widespread devastation in Jamaica. ]]>
308.                                                                                                            </description>
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311.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:46:33 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Hurricanes]]></category>
312.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
313.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Weather]]></category>
314.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Pester ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KVtpUVJqFG3NLXf9CnwVNR-1280-80.jpg">
315.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Handout via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
316.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[A satellite image of Hurricane Melissa over the Caribbean]]></media:text>
317.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A satellite image of Hurricane Melissa over the Caribbean]]></media:title>
318.                                                    </media:content>
319.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KVtpUVJqFG3NLXf9CnwVNR-1280-80.jpg" />
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322.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Puzzling' object discovered by James Webb telescope may be the earliest known galaxy in the universe ]]></title>
323.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Using the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/james-webb-space-telescope"><u>James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)</u></a>, astronomers have spotted a very bright and mysterious object that could be a galaxy that emerged just 100 million years after the Big Bang, which would make it the universe's earliest known galaxy, a new study suggests.</p><p>Alternatively, Capotauro may be an extraordinary <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/why-do-some-stars-fail-to-ignite"><u>brown dwarf</u></a> (a "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/why-do-some-stars-fail-to-ignite"><u>failed star</u></a>" that is more massive than the largest gas giant planets but not large enough to sustain nuclear fusion in its core) that lives on the outer edges of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/milky-way"><u>Milky Way</u></a> while smoldering at a mere 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).</p><p>Capotauro's exact identity is not certain yet, the researchers wrote in the paper, which was posted Sept. 1 to the preprint server <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2509.01664" target="_blank"><u>arXiv</u></a> but has not been peer-reviewed yet.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_VR69SDCP_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="VR69SDCP">            <div id="botr_VR69SDCP_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>"Capotauro, whatever it is, seems really interesting and promising," co-author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3248-5666" target="_blank"><u>Giovanni Gandolfi</u></a>, an astrophysicist at the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy, told Live Science.</p><p>Capotauro was originally spotted by Gandolfi and his team during a previous study, in which they tried to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02637" target="_blank"><u>identify very old galaxies</u></a> in JWST observations. But the lack of fine-grained data made it impossible to narrow down the object's identity, which Gandolfi said was like having a slither of DNA at a crime scene but too many matches in the FBI database to be helpful.</p><p>Then, in March, JWST released more data on Capotauro that was like getting a partial fingerprint, thus allowing them to whittle down the list to just a handful of suspects, Gandolfi said.</p><p>To determine what Capotauro could be, the team used images taken by JWST's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/nircam/" target="_blank"><u>Near Infrared Camera</u></a> (NIRCam) at seven wavelengths as part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey to measure Capotauro's brightness. The object was detected only at the two longest NIRCam wavelengths.</p><p>Then, they used limited, but more fine-grained data from JWST's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/nirspec/" target="_blank"><u>Near Infrared Spectrograph</u></a> (NIRSpec) to get a more accurate picture of Capotauro's age and temperature.</p><p>Combining the NIRCam and NIRSpec data, the researchers used models to test three possible galaxy configurations, as well as a scenario in which Capotauro might instead be a brown dwarf on the outer rim of the Milky Way. They also tested a range of other possible scenarios, such as the object being a very odd young galaxy or a peculiar <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/planets/exoplanets"><u>exoplanet</u></a>.</p><p>The results were inconclusive, meaning the team could not decisively determine Capotauro's identity. However, they identified the two most likely options.</p><p>Under the early-galaxy interpretation, Capotauro was consistently found to have formed around 100 million years after the Big Bang — pushing the age of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/james-webb-telescope-discovers-the-2-earliest-galaxies-in-the-known-universe-and-1-is-shockingly-big"><u>oldest known galaxy</u></a> back by around 200 million years. It was estimated to be gigantic, at over a billion solar masses.</p><p>The other possibility is that Capotauro is a very unusual brown dwarf. If this is the case, Capotauro would be the coldest and farthest known brown dwarf in our galaxy, at over seven light-years away and only 300 kelvins (80 F, or 27 C), the researchers wrote in the study. If Capotauro is a pristine brown dwarf, Gandolfi said, scientists now have the chance to investigate the formation of our galaxy.</p><p>Both possibilities are "very exciting" because they would challenge what we thought we knew about our own galaxy and how galaxies form and evolve in general, Gandolfi added.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/james-webb-telescope-finds-that-galaxies-in-the-early-universe-were-much-more-chaotic-than-we-thought">James Webb telescope finds that galaxies in the early universe were much more chaotic than we thought</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/james-webb-telescope-confirms-the-earliest-galaxy-in-the-universe-is-bursting-with-way-more-stars-than-we-thought-possible">James Webb telescope confirms the earliest galaxy in the universe is bursting with way more stars than we thought possible</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/the-bottom-line-is-i-told-you-so-jwst-observations-upend-standard-model-of-how-galaxies-form-new-study-claims">'The bottom line is, I told you so': JWST observations upend standard model of how galaxies form, new study claims</a></p></div></div><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://research.uaeu.ac.ae/en/persons/muhammad-abdul-latif/" target="_blank"><u>Muhammad Latif</u></a>, an astrophysicist at United Arab Emirates University who was not involved in the research, said Capotauro is "one of the most puzzling discoveries" from JWST to date.</p><p>"It's a very intriguing object in the sense that whatever the way you interpret it, it basically is kind of pushing the boundaries of our knowledge to the edge," he told Live Science.</p><p>More precise data on the light emitted by Capotauro is needed to pinpoint its exact properties, Latif said. The team has submitted a request for JWST to gather more data on this mysterious object, Gandolfi added, and is scanning other areas of the universe for similar-looking objects.</p> ]]></dc:content>
324.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/puzzling-object-discovered-by-james-webb-telescope-may-be-the-earliest-known-galaxy-in-the-universe</link>
325.                                                                            <description>
326.                            <![CDATA[ While scouring images from the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers spotted Capotauro, "one of the most puzzling discoveries" to date. ]]>
327.                                                                                                            </description>
328.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">UfBX5neTxGiqiGa3MQpPw5</guid>
329.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8vDh8tBG8QA4Be53vRveN9-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
330.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:52:27 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Cosmology]]></category>
331.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
332.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
333.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sophie Berdugo ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8vDh8tBG8QA4Be53vRveN9-1280-80.png">
334.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Image processing: Giuseppe Capriotti &amp; Giovanni Gandolfi. Data: NASA / ESA / CSA / JWST / CEERS collaboration.]]></media:credit>
335.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Galaxies in the far universe with a mysterious orange dot ]]></media:text>
336.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Galaxies in the far universe with a mysterious orange dot ]]></media:title>
337.                                                    </media:content>
338.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8vDh8tBG8QA4Be53vRveN9-1280-80.png" />
339.                                                                                        </item>
340.                    <item>
341.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Our favorite everyday running shoes are now at their lowest-ever price ]]></title>
342.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoe is the king of easy runs and recovery walks, and one of the best daily trainers for conquering your mid-week treadmill workouts. It's durable, stable and highly breathable, but most importantly, it's well-cushioned and very comfortable to wear. The best part? The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 has just been discounted for the first time since its release in October last year.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Fresh-Running-Magnet/dp/B0CNKYLF7H/?th=1&psc=1"><strong>Save up to 50% on the New Balance Men's Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoe at Amazon</strong></a>. <strong>Women's collection has also been heavily discounted, with</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Running-Metallic-Inkwell/dp/B0CLB7Y5YS/"><strong>up to 37% off on most sizes and colors.</strong></a></p><p>This running shoe is also a personal favorite of our running expert. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/author/kate-carter">Kate Carter</a> gave them a near-perfect 4.5-star rating in her full <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/exercise/new-balance-1080-v14-running-shoes-review">New Balance 1080 V14 running shoes review,</a> and named it the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-running-shoes-for-supination#section-best-day-to-day-running-shoes">best option for everyday runs</a> in our guide to the best running shoes for supination. The 1080 v14 is an excellent buy even at full price, but with this Amazon deal, it is simply a steal.</p><div class="product"><a data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="are also on sale with discounts going up to 37%." data-dimension48="are also on sale with discounts going up to 37%." data-dimension25="$87.40" href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Fresh-Running-Magnet/dp/B0CNKYLF7H/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><figure class="van-image-figure "  ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1080px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:100.00%;"><img id="8xxr8L7fozJ8EmZSHaqo9c" name="1080v14" caption="" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8xxr8L7fozJ8EmZSHaqo9c.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1080" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" credit="" class=""></p></div></div></figure></a><p><strong>Save up to 50% </strong>on the New Balance Men's Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoes. With an ultra-cushioned Fresh Foam X midsole, breathable design and durable build, they are the perfect trainer for everyday runs and recovery walks.</p><p><em><strong>Women's Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoes</strong></em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Running-Metallic-Inkwell/dp/B0CLB7Y5YS/" data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="are also on sale with discounts going up to 37%." data-dimension48="are also on sale with discounts going up to 37%." data-dimension25="$87.40"><em><strong> are also on sale with discounts going up to 37%.</strong></em></a><a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Fresh-Running-Magnet/dp/B0CNKYLF7H/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="are also on sale with discounts going up to 37%." data-dimension48="are also on sale with discounts going up to 37%." data-dimension25="$87.40">View Deal</a></p></div><ul><li><em><strong>Our experts have also reviewed and rated the </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-telescopes"><em><strong>best telescopes</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-binoculars-for-stargazing"><em><strong>binoculars</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/space/best-star-projectors"><em><strong>star projectors</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/best-cameras-overall-reviewed-and-ranked-by-pros"><em><strong>cameras</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-fitness-tracker"><em><strong>fitness trackers</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-running-shoes-for-supination#:~:text=The%20Gel%20Cumulus%20is%20a,also%20a%20relatively%20affordable%20option.&text=Hoka%20are%20beloved%20for%20their,Mach%20X%20is%20no%20exception."><em><strong>running shoes</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-rowing-machines"><em><strong>rowing machines</strong></em></a><em><strong> and more.</strong></em></li></ul><div class="inlinegallery  carousel-layout"><div class="inlinegallery-wrap" style="display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;"><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 1 of 4</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="CMo75czR2H6SHY4i8JFf4Z" name="NewBalance1080v14-1" alt="A close-up picture of our reviewer wearing the New Balance 1080 v14 running shoes" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CMo75czR2H6SHY4i8JFf4Z.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="caption-text">Kate Carter reviewed the New Balance 1080 V14 running shoes in June this year. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Kate Carter)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 2 of 4</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1440px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:70.14%;"><img id="zGEHuc4bakXweFZ5DdQq3T" name="NewBalance1080v14fromabove" alt="New Balance 1080 v14" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zGEHuc4bakXweFZ5DdQq3T.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1440" height="1010" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future/ Kate Carter)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 3 of 4</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="YC4qV7s42oiWvQDTLHACXS" name="NewBalance1080v14sideview" alt="New Balance 1080 v14" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YC4qV7s42oiWvQDTLHACXS.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future/Kate Carter)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 4 of 4</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:75.00%;"><img id="sDjen8mmY6MJhAttSahfkf" name="nb1080v14insoles" alt="New Balance 1080 v14" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sDjen8mmY6MJhAttSahfkf.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1440" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future/ Kate Carter)</span></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><p>The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoe won our reviewer over with its comfort, cushioning and durability, and it has been her go-to daily trainer for the past year. In the words of Kate Carter herself, "If you want an all-round shoe that can be worn almost anywhere, and in almost any conditions, look no further. It's a shoe that can do a casual parkrun, a tempo session, a long run and almost everything else." And who are we to argue with an expert?</p><p>There is a caveat, though. While the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 may be so soft that it gives the feeling of walking on the clouds, this also means that it can be just a bit <em>too</em> cushioned for some people. As our reviewer pointed out, it may not be the best option for speedwork and racing. When it comes to anything else, however, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 is unlikely to disappoint — and now, you can <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Fresh-Running-Magnet/dp/B0DJV2FLP2/?th=1&psc=1">get this excellent all-rounder at its lowest-ever price</a>.</p><p><strong>Key features:</strong> Fresh Foam X platform, drop 6 mm, heel stack height 38 mm, forefoot stack height 32 mm</p><p><strong>Product launched:</strong> October 2024</p><p><strong>Price history:</strong> The price of the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 has remained at $164.99 since its release in October 2024. Today marks the first time Amazon has put these running shoes on sale, offering up to 50% off on men's and up to 37% off on women's collection.</p><p><strong>Price comparison:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Fresh-Running-Magnet/dp/B0CNKYLF7H/"><strong>Amazon:</strong> up to 50% off</a> | <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.newbalance.com/pd/fresh-foam-x-1080v14/M1080V14-47512-PMG-NA.html"><strong>New Balance:</strong> up to 21% off</a> | <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.rei.com/product/235915/new-balance-fresh-foam-x-1080v14-road-running-shoes-mens"><strong>REI</strong>: up to 20% off</a></p><p><strong>Reviews consensus:</strong> One of the best daily trainers on the market, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 gets a lot of praise for its plush cushioning, breathable upper and durable construction. Many reviewers also applaud its versatile design and bouncy platform, and generally consider it good value for money. Negative remarks vary depending on the tester, but they primarily concern the level of cushioning. Some reviewers also complained about the lack of significant upgrades to the 1080 V13 model.</p><p><strong>Live Science: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/exercise/new-balance-1080-v14-running-shoes-review"><strong>★★★★½</strong></a><strong> | Tom's Guide: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.tomsguide.com/wellness/running/new-balance-fresh-foam-x-1080v14-review"><strong>★★★★</strong></a><strong> | T3: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.t3.com/active/running/new-balance-fresh-foam-x-1080v14-review"><strong>★★★★</strong></a></p><p><strong>Featured in guides: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-running-shoes-for-supination">Best running shoes for supination</a></p><p><strong>✅ Buy it if:</strong> You want a comfortable, well-cushioned running shoe for everyday runs and strolls.</p><p><strong>❌ Don't buy it if: </strong>You are looking for a responsive, racing-focused running shoe, or something under $50 (such as the Adidas Racer TR23 Sneaker, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/adidas-Mens-Racer-Sneaker-Carbon/dp/B0CKMGWGDZ/">now up to 46% at Amazon</a>).</p><p><em>Check out our other guides to the </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-treadmills"><em>best treadmills</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-exercise-bikes"><em>exercise bikes</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-fitness-tracker"><em>fitness trackers</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-running-watches"><em>running watches</em></a><em> and much more.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
343.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/exercise/our-favorite-everyday-running-shoes-are-now-at-their-lowest-ever-price</link>
344.                                                                            <description>
345.                            <![CDATA[ Save up to 50% on the ultra-comfortable New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoes at Amazon. ]]>
346.                                                                                                            </description>
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349.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:30:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Exercise]]></category>
350.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
351.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anna Gora ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g98Z4ivS7nTH2u2fLsbBD5-1280-80.jpg">
352.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[New Balance/ Future]]></media:credit>
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354.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A Live Science Deals logo and five different New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 V14 running shoes on an orange background]]></media:title>
355.                                                    </media:content>
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358.                    <item>
359.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Future pandemics are a 'certainty' — and we must be better prepared to distribute vaccines equitably, says Dr. Seth Berkley ]]></title>
360.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Months before COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic, public health leaders were poring over the early data coming out of China and preparing for the worst.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pandemics.sph.brown.edu/people/seth-berkley-md" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Seth Berkley</u></a> — a renowned infectious-disease epidemiologist and former CEO of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.gavi.org/" target="_blank"><u>Gavi</u></a>, an international organization aimed at improving children's vaccine access — was among those leaders. In January 2020, Berkley and colleagues were working to establish an infrastructure so that, if and when scientists created vaccines for this novel virus, the shots wouldn't be hoarded by high-income countries and denied to poor nations.</p><p>Now, Berkley has released a new book — "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.ucpress.edu/books/fair-doses/hardcover" target="_blank"><u>Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity</u></a>" (University of California Press, 2025) — that recounts how that initiative unfolded and what lessons were learned through the process,  while underscoring why the broader fight for vaccine equity is far from finished.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_bgqqlyid_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="bgqqlyid">            <div id="botr_bgqqlyid_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>On January 23, 2020, I was high up in the Swiss Alps in Davos, attending the World Economic Forum (WEF). I was at Davos as the CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the largest purchaser of vaccines in the world and which worked to provide new and underutilized vaccines to children in developing countries — countries in which about half the world's children live. As usual, I was preoccupied with how we could do a better job protecting the world with vaccines for new and old diseases. And there were <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/mysterious-virus-in-china-sars.html"><u>murmurs of a new epidemic of respiratory disease</u></a> caused by a novel coronavirus in China on the horizon.</p><p>At the bar of the Hard Rock Hotel my wife, Cynthia [an academic physician and consultant], and I met with Richard Hatchett, CEO of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://cepi.net/" target="_blank"><u>Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations</u></a> (CEPI). Over nachos and drinks, we started to talk through what was likely to happen with the new coronavirus, which would later be named COVID-19. Discussion about the disease hadn't really reached a high political level and was not formally on the Davos agenda, but concern was growing, and many people during that week asked us our opinions.</p><p>The first question we discussed was whether this was just going to be a worrisome outbreak or <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/the-big-one-could-be-even-worse-than-covid-19-heres-what-epidemiologist-michael-osterholm-says-we-can-learn-from-past-pandemics"><u>the Big One</u></a> that epidemiologists had long warned might come. So far, we only had official confirmation of a point outbreak, spreading from animals at the Wuhan live animal market to humans. But on the nerdy LISTSERVs about infectious disease and epidemics, there was already a lot of chatter about how the virus might be spreading from person to person, which is a huge red flag in our field. We agreed that there was potential for the new virus to spread dramatically. Regardless of whether this was or was not the Big One, we needed to prepare.</p><p>Such a scenario creates a problem for all countries, even those with access to the vaccines. But to me a far bigger concern was the unfairness of high-income countries' self-interest. People in developing nations without access to vaccines were historically already the most vulnerable to disease and the most likely to suffer complications if they got sick. They already had limited access to the most basic medical treatment.</p><p>Improving the delivery of existing vaccines and building up better delivery systems is the best way to detect outbreaks early, prepare communities for outbreaks of disease, and ensure health systems aren't overwhelmed in an emergency — as well as strengthen our epidemic stockpiles.</p><p>If vaccines against the disease could be made — and at the time, we were far from certain they could be — we knew that stocks would be quickly bought up by the richest countries. The logical conclusion was that the bulk of the world's population, and most especially those in lower income, developing countries, would be locked out of these deals, and so denied timely access to whatever vaccine supplies became available.</p><p>That was where we thought we could help. So, Richard, Cynthia, and I talked through a rough outline of what would be needed to ensure equitable access to any COVID-19 vaccines that emerged and the roles that various organizations — such as CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF, and WHO — as well as the pharmaceutical companies might play to make that happen.</p><p>Imagining ourselves in the place of government decision-makers, we envisioned that they would have an incentive to participate in a mechanism that pooled risk by making advance purchase commitments for a wide variety of candidate vaccines. Their buy-in could help us pool demand, generating enough scale to incentivize increasing production and to negotiate the best prices on everyone's behalf. We wanted to promote solidarity, to publicize and meet lower-income country needs, and to create an early, strong global movement for equitable access.</p><p>Richard went from Davos back to London and talked with the CEPI team, I went back to Geneva to talk to the Gavi team and our Alliance partners WHO and UNICEF, and we started our collaboration. That joint effort became <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/covax-explained" target="_blank"><u>COVAX</u></a> [COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, an initiative to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines].</p><p>Our small team working on COVAX undertook what I believe was the most ambitious public health effort of the 21st century so far. The first COVAX dose was delivered to a COVAX-supported country 39 days after the first jab in the United Kingdom. Due to the time required for WHO to prequalify the vaccine, 43 days later the first doses were administered in Africa, in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Forty-two days later, COVAX vaccines had been distributed to 100 countries. There were many delays due to export bans, vaccine nationalism, and manufacturing delays. But by the end of 2021, close to 1 billion doses had been distributed; by the end of 2022, COVAX had delivered more than 1.6 billion doses to people in the world's poorest countries and was estimated to have averted 2.7 million deaths in those countries. That's the fastest rollout of vaccines to developing countries ever.</p><p>WHO estimates that some 16 million people died during the first two years of the pandemic; we are still counting, and that number will doubtlessly grow. And COVID-19 is by no means the only infectious risk: Currently, about one in seven deaths, accounting for more than 7 million people a year, is due to an infectious disease. Millions of people die from diseases for which we already have vaccines.</p><p>It's hard to put numbers on the deaths that have been prevented by vaccines, but some estimates say that vaccines have saved more than half a billion lives over the past 70 years, the time period they have been routinely available. And this only covers the 30 or so vaccines we have against the more than 300 infectious diseases known to plague humanity.</p><p>More and better vaccines need to be developed, particularly for major killers such as tuberculosis, malaria, and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/hiv/experimental-hiv-vaccines-show-promise-in-early-safety-test"><u>HIV</u></a>, and, hopefully, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/cancer/hpv-vaccination-drives-cervical-cancer-rates-down-in-both-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-people"><u>more cancers</u></a>. And in the meantime, the risks for infectious diseases are shifting.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/this-is-a-completely-different-level-of-anti-vaccine-engagement-than-weve-ever-seen-before-says-epidemiologist-dr-seth-berkley">'This is a completely different level of anti-vaccine engagement than we've ever seen before,' says epidemiologist Dr. Seth Berkley</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/cancer/universal-cancer-vaccine-heading-to-human-trials-could-be-useful-for-all-forms-of-cancer">'Universal' cancer vaccine heading to human trials could be useful for 'all forms of cancer'</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/we-have-basically-destroyed-what-capacity-we-had-to-respond-to-a-pandemic-says-leading-epidemiologist-michael-osterholm">'We have basically destroyed what capacity we had to respond to a pandemic,' says leading epidemiologist Michael Osterholm</a></p></div></div><p>Even those of us who had been working in the field for years were surprised at how poorly prepared the world was for an emergency of this magnitude. What's more, we faced the perils of vaccine nationalism, vaccine diplomacy, and the sometimes-selfish behaviors of manufacturers and world leaders. It was clear from the start that we wouldn't be able to do this work perfectly. But we did our best, and I've sought to set down both what we did and what I wish we could have done differently so that we can learn from our history.</p><p>As the world continues to recover from the worst of the pandemic years, we may not relish thinking about another pandemic ahead. We face complacency, fatigue, and a growing distrust of both science and institutions, fed by intentional disinformation that spreads rapidly online. But we also have an opportunity to harness what we've learned to do better next time — and there is epidemiologic certainty that a next time will come. When it does, we need to have robust public health systems in place, and ideally, vaccines.</p><p><em>Reprinted from </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.ucpress.edu/books/fair-doses/hardcover" target="_blank"><u><em>Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity</em></u></a><em> by Seth Berkley, MD, courtesy of University of California Press. Copyright 2025.</em></p><div class="product"><a data-dimension112="8e058154-d348-4e40-a014-2fe68fd8f126" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension48="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension25="$29.95" href="https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Doses-Insiders-Pandemic-Vaccine/dp/0520413164" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><figure class="van-image-figure "  ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:986px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:152.13%;"><img id="re9ZiQXiYHrhZCc3N3DtVf" name="Fair Doses" caption="" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/re9ZiQXiYHrhZCc3N3DtVf.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="986" height="1500" attribution="" endorsement="" credit="" class=""></p></div></div></figure></a><p><strong>Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity</strong></p><p>"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond.<a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Doses-Insiders-Pandemic-Vaccine/dp/0520413164" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="8e058154-d348-4e40-a014-2fe68fd8f126" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension48="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension25="$29.95">View Deal</a></p></div> ]]></dc:content>
361.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/future-pandemics-are-a-certainty-and-we-must-be-better-prepared-to-distribute-vaccines-equitably-says-dr-seth-berkley</link>
362.                                                                            <description>
363.                            <![CDATA[ Months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, efforts were already underway to ensure low-income countries would get access to future vaccines against the infection. The book "Fair Doses" tells that story and discusses the ongoing fight for vaccine equity around the world. ]]>
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367.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Medicine &amp; Drugs]]></category>
368.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
369.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Dr. Seth Berkley ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TUfo4JPGTGnixUNAfmsk4H-1280-80.jpg">
370.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Bloomberg via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
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372.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a healthcare worker prepares a vaccine dose]]></media:title>
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377.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'This is a completely different level of anti-vaccine engagement than we've ever seen before,' says epidemiologist Dr. Seth Berkley ]]></title>
378.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Within weeks of the first cases of a "mysterious pneumonia-like illness" being reported in Wuhan, China, public health leaders were convening to assess the threat and shore up systems to mitigate the potential harm to come. This work started unfolding months before COVID-19 would be officially declared a pandemic.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pandemics.sph.brown.edu/people/seth-berkley-md" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Seth Berkley</u></a> — a renowned infectious-disease epidemiologist and former CEO of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.gavi.org/" target="_blank"><u>Gavi</u></a>, an international organization aimed at improving children's vaccine access — was one figure at the forefront of the effort to ensure future COVID-19 vaccines would be distributed to the world's poorest nations. In his new book "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.ucpress.edu/books/fair-doses/hardcover" target="_blank"><u>Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity</u></a>" (University of California Press, 2025), Berkley recounts those pandemic-era efforts and reflects on what went right and what went wrong.</p><p>Live Science spoke with Berkley about the book and the lessons we should take forward into the world's next big outbreak — the  emergence of which, Berkley argues, is a matter of "when," not "if."</p><p><strong>Nicoletta Lanese: What was the impetus to write this book?</strong></p><p><strong>Dr. Seth Berkley: </strong>When the book was written, the real purpose of it was to capture the experience [of the pandemic], post-COVID and post-COVAX. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/covax-explained" target="_blank"><u>COVAX</u></a> [COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access] was an initiative we put together when we realized that this looked like it was going to become a more severe infection. In doing that, we had all kinds of problems, but in the end, we did do the fastest and largest rollout of vaccines in history. We ended up with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/transformative-power-solidarity-look-back-vaccine-alliances-2023" target="_blank"><u>57% of people in the developing world</u></a>, the poorest 92 countries, getting coverage with primary doses, versus 67% globally — so not perfect equity, but better than it had ever been done before.</p><figure class="van-image-figure pull-right inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:3937px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:100.00%;"><img id="T2pwcy6Bckm9Djiz4d4LV5" name="Seth Berkley_Fair Doses_Gavi_Tony Noel_2018" alt="a photo of a smiling man with curly salt and pepper hair and blue eyes wearing a blue button down" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T2pwcy6Bckm9Djiz4d4LV5.jpg" mos="" align="right" fullscreen="" width="3937" height="3937" attribution="" endorsement="" class="pull-right"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class="pull-right inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Dr. Seth Berkley. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Courtesy of University of California Press)</span></figcaption></figure><p>What I was worried about is [that] people wouldn't capture the lessons learned, both good and bad. The book tries to explain what it took to get there, and also who were the good players, who were the bad players.</p><p>Now, since the book was written, the world has changed dramatically. I couldn't — I mean, I suppose I could have ripped the book up and started writing again. I didn't do that, but I did have a chance to say in the preface, and then later on at the end of the book, how much had changed, given the intense anti-vaccine attitudes that we're seeing right now in the U.S. government, particularly in the secretary of health and human services [HHS], Robert Kennedy Jr., who is a long-term vaccine skeptic and a conspiracy theorist on these things.</p><p>It's obviously quite concerning in regard to how that may affect Americans. But also it's important for Americans to understand that the vaccine work that's done in other countries also affects America, because the diseases we get come from both inside and outside.</p><p><strong>NL: On that point, we've seen the U.S. withdraw support from initiatives that support vaccine equity globally. What are the potential impacts of that?</strong></p><p><strong>SB: </strong>So if we go back — I'll use a period of 50 years, for convenience — less than 5% of people in the world received even a single dose of vaccine. Not all the doses that were recommended — a single dose. And we've gone from that level up until vaccines, now, are the most widely distributed health intervention in the world. Along with that, we've seen a 70% reduction in vaccine-preventable disease deaths, and we've seen a more than 50% reduction in under-5 child mortality, directly as a result of this type of work.</p><p>So this is a really big deal. We've also seen control of many infectious diseases: the eradication of smallpox, the almost complete elimination of wild polio, the control of measles in many countries, etc. etc. Those are the successes. But the idea now is that we back away from this, when we have these infectious diseases that are still a risk — and as we've recently seen in the U.S., we've had <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/when-will-the-us-measles-outbreak-end"><u>some big measles outbreaks</u></a>.</p><p>The U.S. actually had received the status of having eliminated endogenous measles infections, meaning that when new infections would occur, they had to come from outside. Now, the U.S. is at risk of losing that designation. This is why it's so important to think about it globally, because if we see many more measles infections occurring in other countries and given the movement of people, you're eventually going to see those cases in the United States if vaccine rates go down. And they are going down.</p><p>We've got a situation where people are discrediting experts and putting people in place who do not have expertise and have preconceived notions on vaccines. They say they're trying to increase trust, but I don't see how that increases trust. And we're now fractured in the U.S.; you've seen most recently this idea that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/who-is-eligible-for-this-years-covid-vaccine-everything-you-need-to-know"><u>states are coming together to put out their own recommendations</u></a>. Professional societies are putting out recommendations, instead of having one definitive set. In the end, I don't think that helps with confidence.</p><p><strong>NL: Do you feel these shifts in the U.S. stem from an amplification of an old problem we've had, or more from a brand-new issue?</strong></p><p><strong>SB: </strong>It's a little of both. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/vaccine-rejection-is-as-old-as-vaccines-themselves-science-historian-thomas-levenson-on-the-history-of-germ-theory-and-its-deniers"><u>Vaccine hesitancy has existed from the first vaccine</u></a>, which was in the 1700s smallpox right after the original vaccine was shown to work. There were cartoons showing — because the vaccine was derived from cows — there were pictures of people with cow horns growing out of their heads and all kinds of things like that. So this is not a new problem.</p><p>What is new is having the intense politicization of this — the idea that one political party more than another political party has these beliefs and therefore acts on them, so there are different coverage slates for vaccines for different parties. And then finally, [there's] the fact that you've got government leaders that are pushing these conspiracy theories and discrediting institutions that have scientific professionals and mechanisms that have been set up to try to have the best science possible.</p><p>During COVID, we saw Russian bots and Chinese bots that were providing disinformation, and of course, this spread like wildfire. But also for the first time that I know of, we had the U.S. government, the Defense Department, putting out misinformation to try to discredit the Chinese vaccine. So this is a kind of warfare that's going on that has some terrible effects. … This is a completely different level of anti-vaccine engagement than we've ever seen before.</p><div><blockquote><p>By definition, everybody should invest their marginal dollars in preventing disease before they get to investing in treating diseases — but that's not human nature.</p><p>Dr. Seth Berkley, Brown University</p></blockquote></div><p><strong>NL: You often hear the argument that, because vaccines have worked so well, people lack a fear of vaccine-preventable diseases. Do you see any validity to that?</strong></p><p><strong>SB: </strong>When you look at this new era of misinformation — as I said, there's always been vaccine misinformation. But the difference is, if you are in a country that has very high vaccination rates and therefore the diseases have virtually disappeared, it's very easy for a parent to say, "I don't want my kid to be injected with something. … I don't know anything about these diseases. I've never seen them. How bad can they be?" So that's one side of it.</p><p>When you're living in a developing country and these diseases are still there, you see kids that have morbidity from these diseases. You see people paralyzed from polio. You see people who are blind or deaf from German measles [also called rubella]. And so your benefit-harm ratio is seen as different in these different populations. And it's the job of science to ask the question, what is the benefit-to-cost ratio of these products?</p><p>The other thing that's really hard is, because we don't see these diseases, you don't know the kind of really severe side effects that occur. In measles, there's a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/measles-has-long-term-health-consequences-for-kids-vaccines-can-prevent-all-of-them"><u>disease called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis</u></a>. It's a fairly rare disease — but when it happens, the child's brain dissolves, and there is nothing you can do.</p><p>The challenge is that you don't want people to live in fear all the time, but no parent wants that to happen to their child. It's about how you can both educate and have people aware of the side effects of these diseases, and even ones that are rare. That's really the challenge right now. I think the only way to solve that is education.</p><p><strong>NL: Another focus of the book is a roadmap to global vaccine equity. What do you see as the biggest obstacles to that goal?</strong></p><p><strong>SB: </strong>First of all, the stuff we've just discussed, which is having awareness of the value of vaccination, and that's critical for populations everywhere in the world. And obviously keeping that knowledge up even when the diseases get rarer and rarer is really important.</p><p>The second critical point is having access to vaccines. What Gavi was able to do was, by consolidating the buying power of many different countries, we were able to drive the price [of routine vaccines] down 98% from that of what it cost in the United States, which makes it really affordable. Vaccines are cost-effective even at higher prices, but obviously the more affordable they are, the better it is. So a priority is making sure that those products are available and that they are being produced in the quantities they need.</p><p>The third part of it is having delivery systems in place, and this is really a challenge. As I mentioned at the beginning, vaccines are the most widely distributed health intervention, and about 90% of families in the world have access to routine vaccines. … Reaching [the last 10%] with that system not only provides vaccines but also provides health access, and it also means there is an early warning system to make sure that there are health workers for everybody — so that if there are outbreaks or weird diseases that appear, you have a system that can report back.</p><p>Lastly, I'd say that there's importance in having global surveillance for new infections. It's evolutionarily certain we're going to have new outbreaks and new pandemics, and that warning system is critical for everybody in the world. Building this prevention system, which is very cost-effective, is the right thing to do everywhere, and it's a matter of making that a priority.</p><p><strong>NL: I want to come back to the point that epidemics and pandemics are essentially inevitable. With that in mind, how do we prepare?</strong></p><p><strong>SB: </strong>Epidemics are evolutionarily certain — certainly, that's true. So the first part of that is, how do we prepare for things that we know, like flu, like COVID, like hemorrhagic fevers? These are things that we now have interventions for. And how do we make sure that the world is ready, that there are systems of laboratories, that there are stockpiles of vaccines ready to go, and [that there's] the ability to scale them up?</p><p>Unfortunately, a lot of that is now being broken apart. At this moment in time, we [the United States] are firing people in major health agencies. We're pulling out of the World Health Organization. We're changing our development assistance and stopping training of scientists, etc. etc. So we are breaking down the systems that exist to deal with that [preparation for known threats], which is a real problem.</p><p>Then, when you get to the "unknown unknowns," you also want to have the science ready to go. There's a good example right now, of pulling out of mRNA vaccines. [The HHS recently <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/these-decisions-were-completely-reckless-funding-cuts-to-mrna-vaccines-will-make-america-more-vulnerable-to-pandemics"><u>pulled funding from research-and-development projects focused on mRNA vaccines</u></a>.] mRNA vaccines may not be perfect; they may not even be the best vaccines for some diseases. But they are the fastest, because you can make them very quickly from the genome. Then you can, in essence, "print" the vaccine and scale it up very quickly.</p><p>In the case of a very severe pandemic that has a very high mortality rate, that is the best way: to make an mRNA vaccine to deal with it. The idea that we would not want to continue to work on mRNA — improving it, making it better — and instead we're just pulling research out seems to me to be very, very shortsighted indeed.</p><p><strong>NL: To continue on mRNA, would you say that in a pandemic scenario, it's speed that's the most crucial element of the vaccine? Or are there other advantages to the mRNA platform?</strong></p><p><strong>SB: </strong>The absolute advantage there is speed. And remember, COVID had a mortality rate of about 1.5%, 2%. Some of the other diseases that we know of, that potentially could spread, have mortality rates of 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%. If you had something like that — that's a respiratory pathogen spreading quickly with very high mortality rates — every hour counts in terms of speed.</p><p>So mRNA is the fastest. … It may be that, once you have mRNA vaccines, you may want to shift to other vaccines that may give longer duration of protection, give better immune responses, etc. [for a given pathogen]. But you can't make those in the same time frame, so it may be a handoff from one to another.</p><p>One of the challenges in COVID was that there were over 200 different vaccines that were made, but mRNA was so fast out of the block that others really didn't get a chance to become successful. If I use an example, the Novavax vaccine, which is a protein[-based vaccine], never really got global traction, even though it was a very effective, very safe vaccine that maybe had a longer duration of protection.</p><p>The challenge is, how do we, in that setting, have comparative science to say which are the best products? That will not be done by the pharmaceutical sector because they don't have any incentive to do head-to-head comparisons. That needs to be done by international agencies or by governments.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/future-pandemics-are-a-certainty-and-we-must-be-better-prepared-to-distribute-vaccines-equitably-says-dr-seth-berkley">Future pandemics are a 'certainty' — and we must be better prepared to distribute vaccines equitably, says Dr. Seth Berkley</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/the-big-one-could-be-even-worse-than-covid-19-heres-what-epidemiologist-michael-osterholm-says-we-can-learn-from-past-pandemics">'The Big One' could be even worse than COVID-19. Here's what epidemiologist Michael Osterholm says we can learn from past pandemics.</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/coronavirus/nobel-prize-in-medicine-goes-to-scientists-who-paved-the-way-for-covid-19-mrna-vaccines">Nobel Prize in medicine goes to scientists who paved the way for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines</a></p></div></div><p><strong>NL: What else can readers expect from "Fair Doses"?</strong></p><p><strong>SB: </strong>The book is also filled with lots of interesting nuggets of stories of who behaved well and who didn't behave well during the pandemic, and that includes political leaders, that includes pharmaceutical companies, that includes agencies. So it gives a nuanced understanding of what that time really looked like.</p><p>We came together, along with our partners, to try to see if we could change the normal dynamic that occurs in a pandemic, which is wealthy countries buy all the doses and there's no doses available for anybody else. That was our goal going into it, and the book tells the story of how we put together this initiative, how we raised the $12.5 billion necessary to buy vaccines, how we ultimately delivered more than 2 billion doses to 146 countries.</p><p>One of the questions is, how do we do better? What do we learn from that? And that's something we try to explore in the book.</p><p><em>Editor's note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. </em></p><p>This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.</p><div class="product"><a data-dimension112="83c8f493-4e56-4b65-8699-b24a555f2fa2" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension48="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension25="$29.95" href="https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Doses-Insiders-Pandemic-Vaccine/dp/0520413164" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><figure class="van-image-figure "  ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:986px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:152.13%;"><img id="re9ZiQXiYHrhZCc3N3DtVf" name="Fair Doses" caption="" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/re9ZiQXiYHrhZCc3N3DtVf.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="986" height="1500" attribution="" endorsement="" credit="" class=""></p></div></div></figure></a><p><strong>Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity</strong></p><p>"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond.<a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.amazon.com/Fair-Doses-Insiders-Pandemic-Vaccine/dp/0520413164" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="83c8f493-4e56-4b65-8699-b24a555f2fa2" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension48="Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity"Fair Doses" is a story of vaccines: how they came about, why they are important, and how they have been made globally available — although our quest for vaccine equity is still ongoing. In this fascinating deep dive into vaccines, Dr. Seth Berkley, an internationally recognized infectious-disease epidemiologist and public health leader, offers an inside view of the challenges of developing and disseminating vaccines for a broad swath of illnesses, from Ebola to AIDS to malaria and beyond." data-dimension25="$29.95">View Deal</a></p></div> ]]></dc:content>
379.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/this-is-a-completely-different-level-of-anti-vaccine-engagement-than-weve-ever-seen-before-says-epidemiologist-dr-seth-berkley</link>
380.                                                                            <description>
381.                            <![CDATA[ Epidemiologist Dr. Seth Berkley spoke to Live Science about the importance of vaccine equity and the obstacles undermining it, as well as the political challenges to vaccines being raised in the U.S. ]]>
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384.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uumSQbKWHawXFLrZepzWSd-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
385.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Medicine &amp; Drugs]]></category>
386.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
387.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Nicoletta Lanese ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uumSQbKWHawXFLrZepzWSd-1280-80.jpg">
388.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Peter Dazeley via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
389.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[photo of a syringe for administering vaccines being smashed against a black backdrop]]></media:text>
390.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[photo of a syringe for administering vaccines being smashed against a black backdrop]]></media:title>
391.                                                    </media:content>
392.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uumSQbKWHawXFLrZepzWSd-1280-80.jpg" />
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395.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Glowering 'skull' stares upward from a giant volcanic pit in the Sahara — Earth from space ]]></title>
396.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">QUICK FACTS</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Where is it? </strong>Trou au Natron, Tibesti Massif, Chad [<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Trou+au+Natron/@20.9624061,16.5032327,11247m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x115e2a4fd876e4eb:0x506709d643614ecd!8m2!3d20.971981!4d16.572278!16s%2Fm%2F02rgnvp?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D" target="_blank">20.96825691, 16.571382232</a>]</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>What's in the photo? </strong>A skull-like structure within a volcanic caldera appears to stare up into space</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Who took the photo? </strong>An unnamed astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS)</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>When was it taken? </strong>Feb. 12, 2023</p></div></div><p>This eerie astronaut photo shows a ghostly structure with a skull-like appearance glowering up into space from the floor of a giant volcanic pit in the Sahara.</p><p>The cranium lookalike is located on the floor of Trou au Natron, also known as Doon Orei — a 3,300-foot-wide (1,000 meters) volcanic caldera, or crater, in northern Chad. (Trou au Natron translates to "natron hole" in French, while Doon Orei means "big hole" in Teda.)</p><p>The volcanic pit was carved out by a massive eruption hundreds of thousands of years ago and sits at the heart of the Tibesti Massif, a 300-mile-long (480 kilometers) mountain range that stretches across the center of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/23140-sahara-desert.html"><u>Sahara desert</u></a> through Chad and Libya, according to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152019/a-ghostly-face-in-the-rock" target="_blank"><u>NASA's Earth Observatory</u></a>.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_zJBzzAfn_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="zJBzzAfn">            <div id="botr_zJBzzAfn_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>When viewed from space, the caldera's floor has an unmistakable skull-like appearance. But when viewed from ground level (see below), it looks almost unrecognizable.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/earth-from-space"><u><strong>See all the best images of Earth from space</strong></u></a><strong> </strong></p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="WGM4Q47pQUaeDY3Ykg375J" name="efs-skull-caldera" alt="A photo of the sull taken from the crater's rim" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WGM4Q47pQUaeDY3Ykg375J.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="900" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The skull takes on a more deformed appearance when viewed from the cladera's rim. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Gerhard Holub/Wikimedia)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The white color of the skull's mouth, nose and cheeks is the result of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/natron" target="_blank"><u>natron</u></a>, a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. This salty mix is extremely flaky and looks like cracked paint when viewed up close.</p><p>The eyes and nose hole areas are actually cinder cones — steep conical hills built around volcanic vents that tower above the rest of the caldera floor. The darker area to the left of the face is the shadow cast by the tall rim of the crater, which helps give the skull its distinctive shape.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="sKrzCUJJxoV9L58jGay24J" name="efs-skull-caldera" alt="A photo of one of the cinder cones surrounded by natron, taken from ground level" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sKrzCUJJxoV9L58jGay24J.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="900" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">From ground level, the skull shape completely disappears. Instead, all you can see is tall cinder cones tower above a sea of flaky natron.  </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Alexios Niarchos/Wikimedia)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Trou au Natron is barren and lifeless today, but experts believe it was once a thriving glacial lake. In the 1960s, researchers discovered fossils of sea snails and plankton beneath the pit's natron-covered floor, which date back to 14,000 years ago. In 2015, a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.newscientist.com/gallery/sahara-volcano/" target="_blank"><u>follow-up expedition</u></a> found algal fossils that date back as far as 120,000 years ago.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">MORE EARTH FROM SPACE</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/russian-volcano-grows-devil-horns-and-spits-out-1-000-mile-long-river-of-smoke-earth-from-space">Russian volcano grows 'devil horns' and spits out 1,000-mile-long river of smoke</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/supervolcanic-hell-caldera-in-japan-is-home-to-17-different-volcanoes-earth-from-space">Supervolcanic 'hell' caldera in Japan is home to 17 different volcanoes</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/shining-anus-volcano-in-tonga-coughs-up-cloud-of-smoke-during-recent-eruption-earth-from-space">'Shining anus' volcano in Tonga coughs up cloud of smoke during recent eruption</a></p></div></div><p>The caldera has been volcanically dormant since shortly after it formed. However, it is situated close to Tarso Toussidé, a broad volcanic feature covered with a sea of frozen lava (located just beyond the top of the satellite image). Tarso Toussidé is home to a stratovolcano that is still believed to be volcanically active despite not erupting for more than 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Institution's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=225010" target="_blank"><u>Global Volcanism Program</u></a>.</p><p>Trou au Natron is not the only volcanic structure that looks like a skull when viewed from space: The Chiltepe Peninsula in Nicaragua's Lake Managua has a pair of volcanic lakes, each sitting within its own caldera, which <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/volcanic-googly-eyes-stare-into-space-from-skull-like-peninsula-earth-from-space"><u>give the landmass a very similar appearance</u></a> to the caldera in Chad.</p> ]]></dc:content>
397.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/glowering-skull-stares-upward-from-a-giant-volcanic-pit-in-the-sahara-earth-from-space</link>
398.                                                                            <description>
399.                            <![CDATA[ A 2023 astronaut photo shows off an unusual cranium-like structure appearing to stare up into space from the floor of a large volcanic caldera in Chad. ]]>
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402.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vSYUbEPow3dcsiBnJtgv3J-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
403.                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Volcanos]]></category>
404.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
405.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Harry Baker ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vSYUbEPow3dcsiBnJtgv3J-1280-80.jpg">
406.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/ISS program]]></media:credit>
407.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[An astronaut photo of a volcanic caldera with a skull like shape]]></media:text>
408.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An astronaut photo of a volcanic caldera with a skull like shape]]></media:title>
409.                                                    </media:content>
410.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vSYUbEPow3dcsiBnJtgv3J-1280-80.jpg" />
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412.                    <item>
413.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Differences in red blood cells may have 'hastened the extinction' of our Neanderthal cousins, new study suggests ]]></title>
414.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>A fatal genetic incompatibility between <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals-our-extinct-human-relatives"><u>Neanderthals</u></a> and modern humans may have hastened the extinction of our ancient cousins, new research suggests.</p><p>Researchers found that different versions of a gene tied to red blood cell function may have caused Neanderthal-human hybrid women to miscarry their fetuses.</p><p>When Neanderthals and early modern humans met in Eurasia around <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/modern-human-ancestors-and-neanderthals-mated-during-a-7-000-year-long-pulse-2-new-studies-reveal"><u>45,000 years ago</u></a>, "they exchanged genes — and may also have passed on hidden reproductive risks that shaped the fate of both lineages," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.iem.uzh.ch/en/people/epms/Patrick-Eppenberger.html" target="_blank"><u>Patrick Eppenberger</u></a>, co-head of the Evolutionary Pathophysiology and Mummy Studies Group at the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine in Zurich, and colleagues wrote in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.29.679417v1" target="_blank"><u>study</u></a> posted to the preprint database bioRxiv Sept. 29. (It has not been peer-reviewed yet.)</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_0Gir9pgh_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="0Gir9pgh">            <div id="botr_0Gir9pgh_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The researchers focused on the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.piezo1.uzh.ch/en.html" target="_blank"><u>PIEZO1 gene</u></a>, which affects red blood cells and is found in both modern humans (<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/homo-sapiens.html"><u><em>Homo sapiens</em></u></a>) and Neanderthals. They discovered that the PIEZO1 gene differed between Neanderthals and modern humans.</p><p>The Neanderthal variant, which is similar to the variant found in other great apes, allowed the hemoglobin in red blood cells to cling more tightly to oxygen molecules, while the novel <em>H. sapiens</em> variant allowed oxygen to be passed more efficiently into surrounding tissue. Neanderthals may have maintained the original variant because it was beneficial for surviving extreme cold and periods of starvation, the researchers suggested.</p><p>But when maternal blood has abnormally high amounts of oxygen bound to hemoglobin, that means low levels of oxygen are passed on to a fetus through the placenta. This can cause hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) or restricted growth of the fetus or miscarriage.</p><p>But because of the way the PIEZO1 gene variants are inherited, the incompatibility would arise only when a hybrid Neanderthal-human mother mated with a modern-human father or with a hybrid Neanderthal-human father.</p><p>"Many of their offspring would fail to survive," the researchers wrote. This, in turn, would mean Neanderthal women would pass on less of their mitochondrial DNA, which is carried in the egg and passes from mother to child, the authors wrote in the study. Over the course of several generations of mating between Neanderthals and humans, this may have significantly compromised hybrid Neanderthals' ability to have kids, the researchers noted.</p><p>"The PIEZO1 incompatibility may have accelerated the demise of the Neanderthals by gradually eroding their reproductive capacity whenever the two groups interacted," they wrote.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/anthropology/faculty-staff/faculty-profiles/nowell-april.php" target="_blank"><u>April Nowell</u></a>, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the University of Victoria who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email that the study adds a much-needed piece of the puzzle to the question of Neanderthal extinction — namely, maternal-fetal incompatibility in oxygen transfer during pregnancy.</p><p>"It's super interesting that an allele [gene variant] that may have saved Neanderthals in the past was their ultimate undoing when they began to interbreed with modern humans," Nowell said.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.anthropology.wisc.edu/staff/hawks-john/" target="_blank"><u>John Hawks</u></a>, a biological anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email that the maternal-fetal incompatibility of PIEZO1 was intriguing and analogous to other genetic blood conditions, such as Rh factor incompatibility in modern humans.</p><p>"This is one of many potential cases where the gene variant coming from an archaic population had some bad effects, causing it to decline in frequency over time in modern people," Hawks said.</p><p>But PIEZO1 is not the final answer to the question of Neanderthal extinction.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthal-genes-may-explain-disorder-where-brain-bulges-out-of-the-skull">Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/more-neanderthal-than-human-how-your-health-may-depend-on-dna-from-our-long-lost-ancestors">'More Neanderthal than human': How your health may depend on DNA from our long-lost ancestors</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/endurance-athletes-that-carry-neanderthal-genes-could-be-held-back-from-reaching-their-peak">Endurance athletes that carry Neanderthal genes could be held back from reaching their peak</a></p></div></div><p>"There are no single-gene explanations for what was a long and complicated interaction across many archaic human groups, as modern humans entered the places where they lived and interacted with them," Hawks said.</p><p>Eppenberger and colleagues emphasized in their study that the effect of interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans was likely drawn out and subtle — "more akin to rust weakening a structure than a single catastrophic blow" — and that more research along these lines is needed.</p><p>"It is worth pondering how many other loci in the genome might have similarly given rise to hybrid incompatibilities," they wrote.</p> ]]></dc:content>
415.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/differences-in-red-blood-cells-may-have-hastened-the-extinction-of-our-neanderthal-cousins-new-study-suggests</link>
416.                                                                            <description>
417.                            <![CDATA[ Gene variants in red blood cell function may have doomed the hybrid babies of Neanderthals and modern humans. ]]>
418.                                                                                                            </description>
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420.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aCR2rbBoi4qsiRQ2ap4FS7-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
421.                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:52:27 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
422.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
423.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aCR2rbBoi4qsiRQ2ap4FS7-1280-80.png">
424.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit>
425.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a human woman and a Neanderthal woman]]></media:text>
426.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a human woman and a Neanderthal woman]]></media:title>
427.                                                    </media:content>
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431.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Is the Oura Ring Gen 4 worth it? Here's what we think after four months of testing ]]></title>
432.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>We named the Oura Ring Gen 4 as the best option overall in our guide to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/best-smart-rings"><u>best smart rings</u></a> on the market, and for a good reason. Not only is it the most size-inclusive and customizable model we have tested, but it is also exceptionally accurate and brimming with useful health-tracking features. It comes with a beautifully designed app, too, and thanks to its easy-to-understand health advice, it works well for both beginners and fitness professionals. The Oura Ring Gen 4 is a fabulous <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-fitness-tracker"><u>fitness tracker</u></a>, but is it <em>actually</em> worth it in the long term?</p><p>We will not beat around the bush here — it is one of the most expensive smart rings out there. The Oura Ring Gen 4 costs anywhere from $349 for the basic silver, all the way up to a whopping $499 for the gold and ceramic versions. Unlike the vast majority of its competitors, it also requires a monthly subscription for full access to its features. The Oura membership costs $5.99 USD per month or $69.99 USD per year, nearly as much as Garmin Connect+ and other premium fitness platforms. It is quite a steep investment, even when compared to many top-shelf smartwatches.</p><p>So, do the benefits outweigh the costs? We are now starting our fifth month with the Oura Ring Gen 4, so we have a good understanding of what this smart ring can and can't do, and whether it has the potential to change your lifestyle for the better. As such, we are more than well-equipped to answer the question. Here is our verdict on the overall value of the Oura Ring Gen 4 after four months of intense testing.</p><h2 id="oura-ring-gen-4-long-term-review-2">Oura Ring Gen 4 long-term review</h2><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-oura-ring-gen-4-comfort-and-durability"><span>Oura Ring Gen 4: Comfort and durability</span></h3><ul><li><strong>Heavy and chunky</strong></li><li><strong>Withstands water and harsh temperatures </strong></li><li><strong>Minor scratches only, no scuffs or dents</strong></li></ul><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="GRbFmbyAXUXoy8Qcj7e63Y" name="Oura-Ring-Gen-4-1" alt="A close-up picture of the inner side of the Oura Ring Gen 4" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GRbFmbyAXUXoy8Qcj7e63Y.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Oura Ring Gen 4 is one of the heaviest smart rings we have tested. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>If there is one thing in which the Oura Ring Gen 4 consistently outshines its competitors, it is the durability. This smart ring has graced our hand daily for four months straight, including when we were training in the gym, hiking outdoors and swimming in the sea, and it has never succumbed to accidental damage or design-related issues that blighted some of the other smart rings we tested. True, our Oura Ring Gen 4 did end up suffering a few scratches here and there, but they are so minor we can barely see them anyway. Not to mention, these scratches are definitely less visible than the ones sustained by our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/ultrahuman-ring-air-review"><u>Ultrahuman Ring AIR</u></a> (we managed to severely bruise the surface of this smart ring by simply holding a glass water bottle, and after just two weeks of testing).</p><p>That is not all — the Oura Ring Gen 4 also impressed us with its high resistance to temperature changes. Smart rings are relatively tiny and therefore generally prone to overheating when exposed to blazing sunshine or hot water. The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/amazfit-helio-smart-ring-review"><u>Amazfit Helio</u></a> ring, for example, would regularly overheat and shut down on us when we wore it while exercising outdoors during the scorching months of June and July. The Oura Ring Gen 4, on the other hand, has never malfunctioned in that way.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2134px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.23%;"><img id="VFZm5Qv8k8bXC6ZkxXLZbP" name="Oura-Ring-Gen-4-4" alt="A close-up image of our reviewer's hand wearing the Oura Ring Gen 4" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VFZm5Qv8k8bXC6ZkxXLZbP.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2134" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Chunky and cumbersome, the Oura Ring Gen 4 can be quite uncomfortable to wear. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>All in all, this smart ring is a tough cookie. However, that does not mean that it is also comfortable to wear. The Oura Ring Gen 4 is significantly heavier and chunkier than most other smart rings. Even after nearly five months of wearing it, we still can't fully get used to its sheer size and weight. We always feel its presence, cumbersome and in the way, which can be particularly disruptive when exercising or clenching a fist. This is not something we experienced with other smart rings we tested; quite the opposite. With the Amazfit Helio and Ultrahuman Ring AIR, for example, we could easily forget about their existence regardless of what we were doing.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-oura-ring-gen-4-performance-and-accuracy"><span>Oura Ring Gen 4: Performance and accuracy</span></h3><ul><li><strong>Consistent battery life</strong></li><li><strong>No major connectivity issues</strong></li><li><strong>Very good stat accuracy</strong></li></ul><p>The Oura Ring Gen 4 has served us well for the past four months. Most notably, we have not experienced any major connectivity issues, and this is our pet peeve when it comes to smart rings. Poor app connectivity and patchy data transfer often undermined our experience with these devices in the past (to put it lightly), so it was quite refreshing to see that it is not the case with the Oura Ring Gen 4. True, this smart ring may take a good few seconds to analyze your stress and sleep data when you open the app first thing in the morning, but it does not lag or disconnect for no apparent reason.</p><p>Battery life is another plus point. According to the brand, the Oura Ring Gen 4 lasts up to eight days on a single charge, and that is largely true in our experience. More importantly, it stays that way over time — after nearly five months of testing, its battery life is still as good as it was on day one (and that is not something we see often in fitness trackers in general). Of course, the eight-day threshold is not set in stone, and certain activities, such as tracking exercise sessions, will inevitably speed up the battery drain. However, it does not do it anywhere near as much as it does in other smart rings we tested. Looking back, we have never had to charge our Oura Ring Gen 4 more than once per week.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2132px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.29%;"><img id="UFhn7mPh78NnuseaFyGspf" name="Oura-Ring-Gen-4-3" alt="A close-up image of the Oura Ring Gen 4 charging up on the charging pod" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UFhn7mPh78NnuseaFyGspf.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2132" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Oura Ring Gen 4 boasts up to eight days of battery life. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Last, but not least, the tracking accuracy. The Oura Ring Gen 4 does a particularly good job of measuring heart rate, stress and sleep quality, and has been largely spot-on with detecting when we fall asleep and when we wake up. This stat accuracy then feeds into the tailored sleep and recovery advice, helping to make it genuinely useful and helpful for the user. Speaking of these personalized tips and guidelines, they get even better with time, and that is because the Oura Ring Gen 4 is actively 'learning' how your body works and what your lifestyle typically looks like. This machine learning prowess proved to be particularly useful for our menstrual cycle predictions — they got scarily accurate after just three months of using this smart ring.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="57VkmjbS3iN5xCPLHDyaCC" name="Oura-Ring-Gen-4-10" alt="A screenshot of the sleep report from the Oura app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/57VkmjbS3iN5xCPLHDyaCC.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Oura Ring Gen 4 has some of the best sleep-tracking features on the market. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>We are not fans of the activity detection feature, though. In theory, the Oura Ring Gen 4 should automatically pick up on the type and duration of your activities, and then allow you to accept or amend these logs in the app. All in the bid to save time. In practice, it is way more hassle than it needs to be. The activity detection feature can be quite overzealous, either logging minor movements as workouts (my personal favorite is when our Oura Ring Gen 4 thought we had a dancing workout when in reality we took a quick shower), or mislabeling our activities (cycling instead of running, etc.). Correcting all those little mistakes can be quite time-consuming, and even downright annoying in the long term. So, let us warn you: If you end up buying the Oura Ring Gen 4, be prepared to spend a few minutes each day cleaning up your activity logs.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-is-the-oura-ring-gen-4-worth-it-in-the-long-term"><span>Is the Oura Ring Gen 4 worth it in the long term?</span></h3><p>All in all, the Oura Ring Gen 4 has stood the test of time, consistently providing us with a great user experience over the past five months. However, the question here is not about the quality of this smart ring, but rather about its overall functionality and value for money. This is where things get slightly more nuanced.</p><p>If stress management and maintaining good quality sleep are at the very top of your priority list, the Oura Ring Gen 4 is a worthy investment. Hands down, it is the best sleep tracker we have tested, and you would be hard-pressed to find a wearable with a better combination of build quality, tracking accuracy and customizable features. We found the Oura Ring Gen 4 genuinely helpful in establishing our sleep-wake cycle, spotting patterns in our stress levels or monitoring our post-exercise recovery, and we are confident it could do that for you, too.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="5Q5m69HhZVrKtXJHpARrr5" name="Oura-Ring-Gen-4-9" alt="A screenshot of the Readiness score from the Oura app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5Q5m69HhZVrKtXJHpARrr5.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Oura Ring Gen 4 can help manage your stress better. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>However, a worthy investment does not automatically mean the best possible option. We have tried and tested enough fitness wearables to know that even models on the more affordable end of the spectrum are now getting increasingly better at assessing sleep quality and stress levels. The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/amazfit-balance-review"><u>Amazfit Balance</u></a> smartwatch is a good example here — this Chinese-made alternative to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-garmin-watches"><u>Garmin watches</u></a> is subscription-free and costs only $149, yet it provides some impressive sleep-focused tracking tools and genuinely helpful features for managing stress. It may still fall slightly behind the Oura Ring Gen 4 in terms of the depth and detail of its metrics, but for those who do not need or want science-grade precision, the Amazfit Balance can provide just as much value.</p><p>All in all, it all comes down to whether you are willing to pay for the subscription. Personally, we really like our Oura Ring Gen 4, even though its chunky design can drive us crazy at times, and we will continue to use it for the foreseeable future. However, we can easily imagine a life without this smart ring.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2133px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="fUVPGE59uxWdanAVxpYxnm" name="Oura-Ring-Gen-4-7" alt="A screenshot of the Activity Goal score from the Oura app" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fUVPGE59uxWdanAVxpYxnm.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2133" height="1200" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Oura Ring Gen 4 is an excellent piece of kit, but it is quite expensive in the long term, too. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Anna Gora)</span></figcaption></figure><p>✅ <strong>Buy it if</strong>: You want an accurate and detailed sleep tracker that does not compromise on durability, app connectivity or battery life. The Oura Ring Gen 4 is the best-performing smart ring we have tested, and its sleep-tracking features are some of the best we have seen.</p><p>❌ <strong>Do not buy it if:</strong> You are on a budget. The Oura Ring Gen 4 is a great piece of kit, but, in all fairness, you can get a very similar user experience with some of the subscription-free smartwatches.</p> ]]></dc:content>
433.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/oura-ring-gen-4-review-after-four-months-of-testing</link>
434.                                                                            <description>
435.                            <![CDATA[ We liked the Oura Ring Gen 4 so much that we named it the best smart ring and the best sleep tracker on the market. That does not mean it will work for everyone, though, especially in the long term. ]]>
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439.                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
440.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anna Gora ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GHEUXcJA4GcZNfqV6oLEWK-1280-80.jpg">
441.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Anna Gora]]></media:credit>
442.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[A close-up picture of our reviewer wearing the Oura Ring Gen 4]]></media:text>
443.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A close-up picture of our reviewer wearing the Oura Ring Gen 4]]></media:title>
444.                                                    </media:content>
445.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GHEUXcJA4GcZNfqV6oLEWK-1280-80.jpg" />
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447.                    <item>
448.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Being mean to ChatGPT increases its accuracy — but you may end up regretting it, scientists warn ]]></title>
449.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/what-is-artificial-intelligence-ai"><u>Artificial intelligence</u></a> (AI) chatbots might give you more accurate answers when you are rude to them, scientists have found, although they warned against the potential harms of using demeaning language.</p><p>In a new study published Oct. 6 in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.arxiv.org/pdf/2510.04950" target="_blank"><u>arXiv</u></a> preprint database, scientists wanted to test whether politeness or rudeness made a difference in how well an AI system performed. This research has not been peer-reviewed yet.</p><p>To test how the user's tone affected the accuracy of the answers, the researchers developed 50 base multiple-choice questions and then modified them with prefixes to make them adhere to five categories of tone: very polite, polite, neutral, rude and very rude. The questions spanned categories including mathematics, history and science.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_isS48Pu7_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="isS48Pu7">            <div id="botr_isS48Pu7_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Each question was posed with four options, one of which was correct. They fed the 250 resulting questions 10 times into ChatGPT-4o, one of the most advanced large language models (LLMs) developed by OpenAI.</p><p>"Our experiments are preliminary and show that the tone can affect the performance measured in terms of the score on the answers to the 50 questions significantly," the researchers wrote in their paper. "Somewhat surprisingly, our results show that rude tones lead to better results than polite ones.</p><p>"While this finding is of scientific interest, we do not advocate for the deployment of hostile or toxic interfaces in realworld applications," they added. "Using insulting or demeaning language in human-AI interaction could have negative effects on user experience, accessibility, and inclusivity, and may contribute to harmful communication norms. Instead, we frame our results as evidence that LLMs remain sensitive to superficial prompt cues, which can create unintended trade-offs between performance and user well-being."</p><h2 id="a-rude-awakening-2">A rude awakening</h2><p>Before giving each prompt, the researchers asked the chatbot to completely disregard prior exchanges, to prevent it from being influenced by previous tones. The chatbots were also asked, without an explanation, to pick one of the four options.</p><p>The accuracy of the responses ranged from 80.8% accuracy for very polite prompts to 84.8% for very rude prompts. Tellingly, accuracy grew with each step away from the most polite tone. The polite answers had an accuracy rate of 81.4%, followed by 82.2% for neutral and 82.8% for rude.</p><p>The team used a variety of language in the prefix to modify the tone, except for neutral, where no prefix was used and the question was presented on its own.</p><p>For very polite prompts, for instance, they would lead with, "Can I request your assistance with this question?" or "Would you be so kind as to solve the following question?" On the very rude end of the spectrum, the team included language like "Hey, gofer; figure this out," or "I know you are not smart, but try this."</p><p>The research is part of an emerging field called prompt engineering, which seeks to investigate how the structure, style and language of prompts affect an LLM's output. The study also cited <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://aclanthology.org/2024.sicon-1.2/" target="_blank"><u>previous research</u></a> into politeness versus rudeness and found that their results generally ran contrary to those findings.</p><p>In previous studies, researchers found that "impolite prompts often result in poor performance, but overly polite language does not guarantee better outcomes." However, the previous study was conducted using different AI models — ChatGPT 3.5 and Llama 2-70B — and used a range of eight tones. That said, there was some overlap. The rudest prompt setting was also found to produce more accurate results (76.47%) than the most polite setting (75.82%).</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-voices-are-now-indistinguishable-from-real-human-voices">AI voices are now indistinguishable from real human voices</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/why-openais-solution-to-ai-hallucinations-would-kill-chatgpt-tomorrow">Why OpenAI's solution to AI hallucinations would kill ChatGPT tomorrow</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-slop-is-on-the-rise-what-does-it-mean-for-how-we-use-the-internet">AI slop is on the rise — what does it mean for how we use the internet?</a></p></div></div><p>The researchers acknowledged the limitations of their study. For example, a set of 250 questions is a fairly limited data set, and conducting the experiment with a single LLM means the results can't be generalized to other AI models.</p><p>With those limitations in mind, the team plans to expand their research to other models, including Anthropic's Claude LLM and OpenAI's ChatGPT o3. They also recognize that presenting only multiple-choice questions limits measurements to one dimension of model performance and fails to capture other attributes, such as fluency, reasoning and coherence.</p> ]]></dc:content>
450.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/being-mean-to-chatgpt-increases-its-accuracy-but-you-may-end-up-regretting-it-scientists-warn</link>
451.                                                                            <description>
452.                            <![CDATA[ Being curt or outright mean may make a newer AI model more accurate, a new study shows, defying previous findings on politeness to AI. ]]>
453.                                                                                                            </description>
454.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">4oA3qDJ4HCuXpGZbKQSWAU</guid>
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456.                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:45:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
457.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
458.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Alan Bradley ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vdyBt7bzZLgimum8SAAEKL-1280-80.png">
459.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Malte Mueller/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
460.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Emoticon and chat bubbles on laptop screen.]]></media:text>
461.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Emoticon and chat bubbles on laptop screen.]]></media:title>
462.                                                    </media:content>
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465.                    <item>
466.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ There is such a thing as 'settled science' — anyone who says otherwise is trying to manipulate you ]]></title>
467.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>"Science is never settled" has become a go-to slogan for populists seeking to legitimise politically convenient but fringe scientific positions. In 2020, MAGA Republican Representative Nancy Mace was asked whether she agreed that climate change is the result of humanmade greenhouse emissions. She <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/oct/19/joe-cunningham/sc-house-candidate-nancy-mace-hedges-doesnt-outrig/" target="_blank"><u>responded:</u></a> "My opponent has said that the science is settled on this. Well, the science is never settled. Scientists will tell you that."</p><p>In February, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.notus.org/congress/republicans-spending-vaccines-autism" target="_blank"><u>Senator Roger Marshall</u></a> argued more money should be spent on investigating widely debunked links between autism and vaccines, saying <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.notus.org/congress/republicans-spending-vaccines-autism" target="_blank"><u>"I'm a physician. Science is never settled. That's what makes us scientists."</u></a></p><p>The phrase has also crossed the Atlantic. When asked if President Donald Trump was right to share <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/autism/is-acetaminophen-safe-in-pregnancy-heres-what-the-science-says"><u>widely debunked</u></a> claims about a link between Tylenol use in pregnancy and autism, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://news.sky.com/video/nigel-farage-says-science-is-never-settled-reacting-to-trump-paracetamol-claims-13437274" target="_blank"><u>U.K. Reform party leader Nigel Farage replied, "I have no idea."</u></a> When pressed on whether he would "side with medical experts who say it's dangerous nonsense," he responded, "When it comes to science, I don't side with anybody… because science is never settled."</p><p>The issue is, of course, that in many areas, from the theory of evolution to the theory of gravity, science is very much settled. To pretend otherwise is to misrepresent the position of the scientific community.</p><p>That doesn't mean that scientific positions are eternally fixed and can't be updated in light of new evidence. It means that our current best explanations have been tested enough for us to be confident that they are good descriptions of the way things work.</p><h2 id="myth-of-overturned-consensus-2">Myth of overturned consensus</h2><p>A favorite trope of climate denialists is that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.173.3992.138" target="_blank"><u>scientists in the 1970s predicted "global cooling"</u></a> — an imminent ice age. It's a smart argument, because if you can suggest that the exact opposite of global warming was once the prevailing view, surely you throw the current consensus on climate science into doubt?</p><p>Despite media attention and much discussion of the idea, global cooling was never a consensus scientific position. Reviews of the literature at the time show that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/89/9/2008bams2370_1.xml" target="_blank"><u>even 50 years ago, global warming dominated scientific thinking about the Earth's short-term climate future</u></a>. That climate change is the result of greenhouse gas emissions is now very much the consensus scientific position.</p><p>There are, however, examples in science where consensus positions have been modified or updated. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/37115-what-is-gravity.html"><u>Gravity is a classic case</u></a>. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/15589-galileo-galilei.html" target="_blank"><u>Galileo</u></a><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/32-physics-experiments-that-changed-the-world"> <u>established that acceleration due to gravity is the same for all objects near Earth's surface</u></a>. But it wasn't until <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/20296-isaac-newton.html"><u>Newton</u></a> that we had a universal theory of gravitation.</p><p>Newton's theory unified the behavior of objects falling on earth with the motions of planets. For years, every measurement seemed to confirm it, and the theory became known as a "law" that nature was thought to obey without exception.</p><p>But as experiments expanded and instruments improved, the edges of Newton's "law" began to fray. When dealing with strong gravitational fields like those near a black hole, or when calculating to high precision or over short astronomical distances, Newton's law wasn't sufficient. In the 20th century, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/10-discoveries-that-prove-einstein-was-right-about-the-universe-and-1-that-proves-him-wrong"><u>Einstein's general relativity filled many gaps</u></a> — resolving a range of seeming astronomical anomalies and describing how light bends near a black hole.<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/quantum-physics/physicists-may-be-on-their-way-to-a-theory-of-everything-after-reenvisioning-einsteins-most-famous-theory"> </a></p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/quantum-physics/physicists-may-be-on-their-way-to-a-theory-of-everything-after-reenvisioning-einsteins-most-famous-theory"><u>Yet even the relativistic interpretation of gravity is not perfect</u></a>. We know, for example, that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/quantum-physics/einsteins-equations-need-to-be-refined-tweaks-to-general-relativity-could-finally-explain-what-lies-at-the-heart-of-a-black-hole"><u>it must break down inside a black hole</u></a>.</p><p>First Galileo's and then Newton's theories were superseded, and we know Einstein's isn't correct in every situation. Does that mean these earlier theories are useless and not examples of settled science? Definitely not.</p><p>In contexts where these theories have been rigorously tested and shown to give the correct answers (to a given degree of precision), they remain valid. They aren't wrong — just special cases of the more general theories, valid within a given <em>domain of legitimacy</em> in which they were originally postulated and tested.</p><p>In the same way, whatever supersedes Einstein's theory will have to include it as a special case. The example of gravity shows that scientific knowledge can evolve yet still be considered settled within its domain of legitimacy. We can point to other consensuses, like <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/evolution/evolution-facts-about-the-processes-that-shape-the-diversity-of-life-on-earth"><u>evolution</u></a> or <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/vaccine-rejection-is-as-old-as-vaccines-themselves-science-historian-thomas-levenson-on-the-history-of-germ-theory-and-its-deniers"><u>germ theory</u></a>, as settled science that has been expanded and generalized over time.</p><h2 id="scientific-facts-2">Scientific 'facts'</h2><p>There are also questions that most would call definitively settled. That <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/flat-earth"><u>Earth is round, not flat</u></a>, is perhaps the most obvious. But whether we choose to call this a "fact" or not depends on how we define the word. If we demand 100% certainty, science can't provide it. If you want certainty, you need to look to mathematics, where <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/46254-proof-theorem-axiom.html"><u>knowledge is built through deduction from axioms</u></a> (a fundamental set of premises), independent of the world.</p><p>Science, in contrast, built on evidence and induction, can only ever offer increasing confidence. A key premise of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/20896-science-scientific-method.html"><u>the scientific method</u></a> is openness to new evidence. If you consider yourself 100% certain, then no new evidence, however convincing, can change your mind. That is not good science.</p><p>However, if you accept that science provides evidence for <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/21490-what-is-a-scientific-hypothesis-definition-of-hypothesis.html"><u>hypotheses</u></a>, it can offer what we might <em>call</em> indisputable evidence — so robust that disputing it isn't a tenable position. Overturning the not-flat worldview would require such a massive reconsideration of what we understand about reality as to make it practically impossible.</p><p>So, "settled science" does not mean we know something with absolute certainty, but that the weight of evidence is heavily in favor of this interpretation. Perhaps more importantly, if someone wants to change the currently held conception, the burden of proof is on them.</p><p>All scientific knowledge comes with uncertainty. That is the hallmark of good science. But uncertainty doesn't mean we cannot confidently assert that entropy always increases (<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/50941-second-law-thermodynamics.html"><u>the second law of thermodynamics</u></a>) or that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/planets/how-many-times-has-earth-orbited-the-sun"><u>Earth orbits the sun</u></a>.</p><p>Science embraces uncertainty and is open to revision when new information appears, but that does not mean we shouldn't take a position when the evidence stacks up on one side of the balance. Issues that have been rigorously tested can still be considered settled.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/facts-dont-win-political-arguments.html">Facts don't convince people in political arguments. Here's what does.</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/health-impacts-are-being-felt-in-real-time-how-the-cdc-is-being-decimated-by-the-trump-administration">'Health impacts are being felt in real time': How the CDC is being decimated by the Trump administration</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/citation-cartels-ghost-writing-and-fake-peer-review-how-fraud-is-causing-a-crisis-in-science-and-what-we-can-do-about-it-opinion">Citation cartels, ghost writing and fake peer-review: Fraud is causing a crisis in science — here's what we need to do to stop it</a></p></div></div><p>Not being 100% certain isn't the same as being 50-50. Admitting doubt isn't the same as both-siding a one-sided issue. The fact that scientists acknowledge uncertainty isn't a reason for championing false balance. But these are the fallacious positions populists are taking when they say "I have no idea" or "I don't side with anybody" on scientific questions.</p><p>So when you hear a politician dismissing scientific consensus with phrases like "science is never settled," don't confuse what they are saying with an argument for intellectual humility. They are bluntly attempting to undermine inconvenient truths. Truths which can evolve and grow more nuanced over time, for sure — but whose foundations are strong enough to remain robust in their domain of legitimacy, even as the structure grows around them.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/opinion">Opinion</a><em> on Live Science gives you insight on the most important issues in science that affect you and the world around you today, written by experts and leading scientists in their field.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
468.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/politics/there-is-such-a-thing-as-settled-science-anyone-who-says-otherwise-is-trying-to-manipulate-you-opinion</link>
469.                                                                            <description>
470.                            <![CDATA[ How bad-faith arguments sow doubt by weaponizing scientific humility. ]]>
471.                                                                                                            </description>
472.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">hkzt2qr73xpKxsffk98XvV</guid>
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474.                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:13:10 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
475.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Behavior]]></category>
476.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kit Yates ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7CcNyZHTxzJAfZBTzGfH47-1280-80.jpg">
477.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[David McNew via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
478.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a photograph of an American anti-vaccine protest]]></media:text>
479.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a photograph of an American anti-vaccine protest]]></media:title>
480.                                                    </media:content>
481.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7CcNyZHTxzJAfZBTzGfH47-1280-80.jpg" />
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484.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Decapitator nose ornament: 1,500-year-old gold jewelry depicting a bloodthirsty South American god ]]></title>
485.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">QUICK FACTS</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Name: </strong>Nose ornament with Decapitator</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>What it is: </strong>A<strong> </strong>gilded copper nose ornament</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Where it is from: </strong>Peru</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>When it was made: </strong>Between A.D. 200 and 900</p></div></div><p>This gilt-copper nose ornament, discovered at the archaeological site of Loma Negra in northern Peru, depicts the important Moche deity Ai Apaec, also known as the Decapitator. The ornament is inlaid with accents of turquoise and black stones for his pupils.</p><p>In Moche mythology, Ai Apaec was the supreme creator, a deity who had the power to subdue and restore order. In art from the time, he is commonly depicted with a human face, jaguar fangs, and a spider-like body, along with a ceremonial knife called a tumi in one hand and a decapitated human head in the other to represent his power to subdue.</p><p>The Moche, also known as the Mochicas, lived on the coast of northern Peru from A.D. 200 to 900, prior to the rise of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/41346-the-incas-history-of-andean-empire.html"><u>Inca Empire</u></a>. This piece of jewelry was found at Loma Negra, a rich Moche site near the Ecuadorian border. Hundreds of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/39187-facts-about-gold.html"><u>gold</u></a>, silver and copper artifacts <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/loma-negra/" target="_blank"><u>were looted</u></a> from tombs at Loma Negra in the late 1960s, but many of them, including this ornament, were eventually donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_e8EXBh87_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="e8EXBh87">            <div id="botr_e8EXBh87_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The Decapitator ornament measures 2.8 by 3.9 inches (7 by 10 centimeters) and was made out of a sheet of gilded copper. Semiprecious stones accentuate the Decapitator's eyes, earrings and belt. Ai Apaec also wears a large, silver nose ornament. The tiny figurine was likely attached to a piece of silver so that someone could wear it as a nose ornament. But because most of the Loma Negra artifacts were looted from graves, it is unclear whether this ornament was associated with a specific person.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">MORE ASTONISHING ARTIFACTS</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/roos-carr-figures-creepy-2-600-year-old-carvings-with-removable-genitalia-and-eyes-that-may-have-symbolized-odins-soothsayer-powers">Roos Carr figures: Creepy 2,600-year-old carvings with 'removable genitalia' and eyes that may have symbolized Odin's soothsayer powers</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/miniature-skeleton-a-ghostly-2-000-year-old-party-favor-from-a-roman-banquet">Miniature Skeleton: A ghostly 2,000-year-old party favor from a Roman banquet</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/corleck-head-a-spooky-three-faced-celtic-sculpture-found-on-the-hill-of-death-in-ireland-and-it-may-have-been-connected-to-human-sacrifice-1-900-years-ago">Corleck Head: A spooky three-faced Celtic sculpture found on the 'Hill of Death' in Ireland — and it may have been connected to human sacrifice 1,900 years ago</a></p></div></div><p>Archaeologists have found that the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/uwoja/article/view/8897/7091" target="_blank"><u>Moche practiced human sacrifice</u></a> to honor their gods. This ritual was performed for political reasons, such as the killing of captured enemies, but <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1-500-year-old-tomb-in-peru-holds-human-sacrifices-including-strangled-son-next-to-fathers-remains-genetic-analysis-reveals"><u>recent research</u></a> has shown that family members were also sometimes sacrificed to their high-status relatives.</p><p>The Decapitator is closely associated with spiders in Moche iconography, but experts are unsure exactly why. According to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/313417" target="_blank"><u>The Met</u></a>, "perhaps the manner in which spiders trap their prey in a web and liquefy their internal organs was considered analogous to the Moche practice of prisoner capture and sacrifice by bloodletting."</p><p><em>For more stunning archaeological discoveries, check out our </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/astonishing-artifacts"><u><em>Astonishing Artifacts</em></u></a><em> archives.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
486.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/decapitator-nose-ornament-1-500-year-old-gold-jewelry-depicting-a-bloodthirsty-south-american-god</link>
487.                                                                            <description>
488.                            <![CDATA[ The Moche made human sacrifices to their gods, including Ai Apaec, the Decapitator. ]]>
489.                                                                                                            </description>
490.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">LP4y9hzy5gopNHLQgkSmB5</guid>
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492.                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
493.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jzqaQ7vnDY6oPK6HEb5nk3-1280-80.png">
494.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public Domain)]]></media:credit>
495.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a gold figurine holds an axe in one hand and a severed human head in the other; he is accessorized with small bits of turquoise]]></media:text>
496.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a gold figurine holds an axe in one hand and a severed human head in the other; he is accessorized with small bits of turquoise]]></media:title>
497.                                                    </media:content>
498.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jzqaQ7vnDY6oPK6HEb5nk3-1280-80.png" />
499.                                                                                        </item>
500.                    <item>
501.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Why can pumpkins grow so large, but blueberries can't? ]]></title>
502.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Every fall, pumpkin growers haul their record-breaking giants onto scales, with some pumpkins weighing <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/10/monster-pumpkin-heavier-than-a-small-car-breaks-world-record-680783" target="_blank"><u>more than 2,700 pounds</u></a> (1,225 kilograms). Yet <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-apple" target="_blank"><u>the world's largest apple barely reaches 4 pounds</u></a> (1.8 kg), and the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-blueberry" target="_blank"><u>heaviest blueberry ever grown weighs less than an ounce</u></a> (28 grams). So what allows pumpkins to grow to such staggering sizes while other fruits (yes, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/33991-difference-fruits-vegetables.html"><u>pumpkins are fruits</u></a> and even a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/57477-why-are-bananas-considered-berries.html"><u>type of berry</u></a>) remain comparatively tiny?</p><p>Giant pumpkins are a specific variety of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://ag.purdue.edu/news/2023/10/going-pumpkin-picking-explore-the-many-faces-of-falls-iconic-fruit.html" target="_blank"><u><em>Cucurbita maxima</em></u></a> that's been bred to grow huge — most often Mammoth and Atlantic Giant varieties. A basic reason they can grow so large is that they're indeterminate plants, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.depts.ttu.edu/pss/people/faculty/baliga-vikram/baliga-vikram.php" target="_blank"><u>Vikram Baliga</u></a>, an assistant professor of practice of horticulture at Texas Tech University, told Live Science. Whereas determinate plants reach a set size and then stop, indeterminate plants grow indefinitely.</p><p>"So you'll see these big, sprawling pumpkin plants that take over your entire yard, and sometimes it's just one plant," Baliga said.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_6WdvgEY7_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="6WdvgEY7">            <div id="botr_6WdvgEY7_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Determinate plants tend to produce all their fruit at once, which has <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/110/8/1573/159695" target="_blank"><u>benefits for harvesting</u></a> but limits how large they can grow.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Sign up for our newsletter</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><figure class="van-image-figure "  ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' ><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="Vikzz54ZHkr7YdtP8LSvth" name="XLS-M Multi signup" caption="" alt="The words 'Life Little Mysteries' over a blue background" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vikzz54ZHkr7YdtP8LSvth.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="" height="" attribution="" endorsement="" class="pinterest-pin-exclude"></p></div></div></figure><p class="fancy-box__body-text">Sign up for our weekly <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/newsletter">Life's Little Mysteries newsletter</a> to get the latest mysteries before they appear online.</p></div></div><p>"Some plants, when they grow an organ — whether it's a leaf, whether it's a fruit, whether it's a flower — they have a program that limits how big that particular thing they grow will be," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://scse.d.umn.edu/faculty-staff/jessica-savage" target="_blank"><u>Jessica Savage</u></a>, an associate professor in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth, told Live Science. "Other species don't have that kind of limit. … For some reason, the pumpkins don't seem to have a really strong one that limits their size, and so that allows us to breed for bigger ones."</p><p>With nothing to limit their growth potential, pumpkin plants can continuously add more leaves to generate energy for their fruit.</p><p>"With an indeterminate plant, its goal is to produce as much biomass as it can, as quickly as possible, so your pumpkin is going to put on leaves and stems and all kinds of stuff," Baliga said. "Then, if it needs to produce more energy, it just grows more leaves. It doesn't have that genetic choke point."</p><h2 id="how-to-grow-a-giant-pumpkin-2">How to grow a giant pumpkin</h2><p>Growers take advantage of this by removing all but one pumpkin from the vine.</p><p>"If you've got this plant that's able to bank all these resources and you pull eight pumpkins off the plant and just leave one, it's like 'Great, I'm just going to divert it all into this one fruit. This is my only chance to carry on my <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics"><u>genetics</u></a>,'" Baliga explained.</p><p>Technically, this trick also works with other fruits. Removing all but one peach from a tree, for example, can produce a larger peach. But that's where the laws of physics come into play.</p><p>For one thing, pumpkins grow on the ground, so they're less subject to the pull of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/37115-what-is-gravity.html"><u>gravity</u></a>; a giant peach would not be able to grow as large as a pumpkin because it would fall off the tree long before it reached that weight.</p><p>In addition, a pumpkin's hard rind allows it to grow larger than a fruit with soft skin. "You wouldn't be able to get a really big fruit on something that's really soft because it would start to weigh itself down and it would start to break," Savage said.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:5120px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:66.80%;"><img id="6TDhhYvVVDueCnjg4CoMES" name="Massive pumpkins" alt="Winning giant pumpkin weighing 1101 pounds at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Matanuska- Susitna Valley, Alaska." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6TDhhYvVVDueCnjg4CoMES.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="5120" height="3420" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A 1,101-pound (499 kilogram) pumpkin took home the prize at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska in 2010. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Image Source Limited/Harry Walker via Alamy)</span></figcaption></figure><p>However, a rind that's too stiff won't allow the pumpkin to grow to a massive size. "The people who grow pumpkins work to get that sweet spot — you don't want them so stiff that they can't expand. … If the skin splits, it's not competitive. So you have to have the skin soft enough, but it has to be strong enough that it can support its own weight."</p><p>When they're young, giant pumpkins have soft, thin skin that allows them to grow rapidly. As they mature, the skin hardens, Savage said. Growers <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/atlantic-giant-pumpkin-patch-halloween-de85e03c3f91813cc550210eb5114d24" target="_blank"><u>protect pumpkins from the sun</u></a> by covering them with a tarp to keep them in that soft, rapid growth phase as long as possible.</p><p>At peak growth, giant pumpkins can <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pce.12502" target="_blank"><u>pack on 44 pounds (20 kg) a day</u></a> — and all that mass has to move through the fruit's vascular system, which Savage said is "superpowered." Savage and her team have found that, compared with other pumpkin varieties, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25546629/" target="_blank"><u>giant pumpkins have more phloem</u></a>, which is the part of the vascular system that transports sugar.</p><p>"I often think about it like a highway," she said. "You can move the same amount on a small highway, but you're limited by how fast it happens. If you want to move a lot more resources more rapidly … you have to have more roads."</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:3000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:66.43%;"><img id="W4eDtzmxCQ6KR2jjUeeo9S" name="Massive pumpkins" alt="A woman wearing a viking helmet and fake yellow hair paddles in a gigantic pumpkin in the water as part of a regatta." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/W4eDtzmxCQ6KR2jjUeeo9S.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="3000" height="1993" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Some pumpkins are so giant, people can go boating in them. Here, Cindy Tobeck paddles in a 634-pound (288 kilogram) pumpkin in the Sixth Annual West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Tualatin, Oregon. She took second place.  </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Ken Hawkins/Alamy)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Giant pumpkins also have a lot of time to grow. "A pumpkin stays on the vine for months … they're like a five- to six-month crop, 180 days in some cases," Baliga said. "Whereas your apples, your peaches, your pears, a lot of your blueberries, they tend to be much quicker from flower to harvest."</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED MYSTERIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/57477-why-are-bananas-considered-berries.html">Why are bananas berries but strawberries aren't?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/are-kale-broccoli-and-brussels-sprouts-really-all-the-same-plant">Are kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts really all the same plant?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/chemistry/why-do-avocados-turn-brown-so-quickly-and-are-they-ok-to-eat-at-that-point">Why do avocados turn brown so quickly — and are they OK to eat at that point?</a></p></div></div><p>But an equally important reason giant pumpkins get so big is that we made them that way. "They've been selectively bred for a really long time, just for size, which is different than a lot of other foods where we're also selecting them for taste," Savage said.</p><p>Pumpkins are a symbol of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/24476-autumn.html"><u>fall</u></a> and central to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/halloween"><u>Halloween</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/what-really-happened-at-the-1st-thanksgiving"><u>Thanksgiving</u></a> traditions, so they hold a more prominent place in our culture than other fruits with similar growth potential, like cucumbers.</p><p>For her part, Savage thinks pumpkins will keep getting bigger. "There probably is eventually a limit, but I think we'll keep finding ways to push it," she said.</p><h2 id="fruits-and-vegetables-quiz-do-you-know-where-pumpkins-blueberries-and-broccoli-come-from-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/fruits-and-vegetables-quiz-do-you-know-where-pumpkins-blueberries-and-broccoli-come-from">Fruits and vegetables quiz</a>: Do you know where pumpkins, blueberries and broccoli come from?</h2><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-exNz4O"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/exNz4O.js" async></script> ]]></dc:content>
503.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/why-can-pumpkins-grow-so-large-but-blueberries-cant</link>
504.                                                                            <description>
505.                            <![CDATA[ Most fruit is pretty small, so why do pumpkins grow to such enormous sizes? ]]>
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509.                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Plants]]></category>
510.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
511.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ ashley.s.hamer@gmail.com (Ashley Hamer) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Ashley Hamer ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sBreB4oqRZqh4QRZQ36sBS-1280-80.jpg">
512.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
513.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Handlers guide a giant pumpkin onto the scale during the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Topsfield Fair on October 4, 2025.]]></media:text>
514.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Handlers guide a giant pumpkin onto the scale during the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Topsfield Fair on October 4, 2025.]]></media:title>
515.                                                    </media:content>
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519.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ New blood test can predict risk of postpartum depression with more than 80% accuracy ]]></title>
520.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Like many first-time mothers, Lisette Lopez-Rose thought childbirth would usher in a time of joy. Instead, she had panic attacks as she imagined that something bad was going to happen to her baby, and she felt weighed down by a sadness that wouldn't lift. The San Francisco Bay Area mother knew her extreme emotions weren't normal, but she was afraid to tell her obstetrician. What if they took her baby away?</p><p>At about six months postpartum, she discovered an online network of women with similar experiences and ultimately opened up to her primary care doctor. "About two months after I started medication, I started to feel like I was coming out of a deep hole and seeing light again," she says. Today, Lopez-Rose works at <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://postpartum.net/about-psi/" target="_blank">Postpartum Support International</a>, coordinating volunteers to help new mothers form online connections.</p><p>About one in eight US women go through a period of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/postpartum-depression">postpartum depression</a>, making it among the most common complications of childbirth. It <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/postpartum-depression" target="_blank">typically occurs in the first few weeks after delivery</a>, when there's a sudden drop in the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. As scientists unravel chemical and genetic changes caused by <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/mind/2022/when-depression-sneaks-menopause" target="_blank">those shifting hormones</a>, they are discovering new ways to diagnose and treat postpartum depression, and even ways to identify who is at risk for it.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_09xrIxFW_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="09xrIxFW">            <div id="botr_09xrIxFW_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The first-ever drug for postpartum depression, containing a derivative of progesterone, received US Food and Drug Administration approval in 2019. That marked a new approach to the disorder. This winter, in another major advance, a San Diego-based startup company will launch a blood test that predicts a pregnant woman's risk of postpartum depression with more than 80 percent accuracy.</p><p>The product, called myLuma, will be the first commercially available test to use biomarkers — molecules in the body, in this case the blood — to predict onset of a psychiatric disorder, much in the way that blood tests can detect signs of diseases like cancer and diabetes. Pregnant women who learn they are at risk for postpartum depression could take preventive steps such as taking antidepressants after childbirth or arranging for extra support.</p><p>A blood test could reduce the stigma that keeps many women from seeking help, says Jennifer Payne, a reproductive psychiatrist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a lead investigator on the studies that led to the new test. She is a founder and member of the scientific advisory board for the company that makes myLuma, Dionysus Health.</p><p>"If we have a blood test, it brings psychiatry down to the level of biology, which I think your average person can understand as something that needs treatment and that isn't just in somebody's head," she says.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1540px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:104.94%;"><img id="nHTjk3XBVxAfwCb3hE54DH" name="g-hormone-changes-pregnancy" alt="A graph showing how hormones change during and after pregnancy" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nHTjk3XBVxAfwCb3hE54DH.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1540" height="1616" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The hormones estradiol (the main form of estrogen) and progesterone rise during pregnancy. In some women, their sudden drop after childbirth triggers the onset of postpartum depression. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Knowable Magazine)</span></figcaption></figure><h2 id="unpredictable-effects-of-hormones-2">Unpredictable effects of hormones</h2><p>Payne was a fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health in 2001 when she became intrigued by postpartum depression as a window into the onset of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/health-disease/2022/how-antidepressants-changed-ideas-depression" target="_blank">mood disorders</a>. That led her to a key question: Why does the sudden drop in hormones after childbirth greatly affect some women but not others? While it's not uncommon for women to experience transient feelings of anxiety and sadness within days of giving birth, only in some does <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postpartum-depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20376617" target="_blank">a deeper and more persistent depression take hold</a>.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:117.83%;"><img id="LBjx8Jp5ehQ6kmcsEiNCjM" name="p-lisette-lopez-rose" alt="A selfie of a mother and her 4-year-old daughter" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LBjx8Jp5ehQ6kmcsEiNCjM.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="600" height="707" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Lisette Lopez-Rose overcame her postpartum depression and now helps to coordinate support groups through Postpartum Support International. She and her daughter, now 4, are thriving. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Courtesy of Lisette Lopez-Rose)</span></figcaption></figure><p>As Payne's research evolved, she teamed up with Zachary Kaminsky, then a colleague at Johns Hopkins University, who studied the effects of estrogen on mouse brains. Kaminsky is an epigeneticist: He researches how small chemicals called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2025/epigenetic-clock-can-help-save-wildlife" target="_blank">methyl groups can attach to genes</a> and affect how active they are. Environmental factors from pollution to nutrition can affect the extent of this reversible methylation.</p><p>By comparing female mice given high levels of estrogen to those without it, Kaminsky found that estrogen caused specific gene methylation patterns inside cells in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/mind/2025/memory-formation-long-term-potentiation" target="_blank">hippocampus</a>, a part of the brain that helps control mood. Those findings suggested what to look for in blood samples Payne had collected from 51 women with a history of mood disorders. The women had been tracked throughout their pregnancies and afterward, with some developing postpartum depression within four weeks of childbirth.</p><p>Two estrogen-sensitive genes emerged from the research — <em>HP1BP3</em>  and <em>TTC9B</em>.<strong> </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7039252/" target="_blank">More than 80 percent of the women</a> who had postpartum depression showed a distinctive pattern of greater methylation on one gene and less methylation on the other. What's more, the changes in the genes could be detected throughout each trimester of pregnancy, says Kaminsky, now at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal; he also is a cofounder of Dionysus. In other words, even early in pregnancy, Kaminsky says, "you can predict the women that are going to get postpartum depression."</p><p>Kaminsky, Payne and collaborators repeatedly replicated those findings. As reported in a 2016 paper<strong> </strong>in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/npp2015333" target="_blank"><em>Neuropharmacology</em></a>, they found that through the methylation patterns of those genes, they could correctly predict more than 80 percent of the cases of postpartum depression in 240 pregnant women who had no history of psychiatric disorders. In another collaboration published in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7702696/#R18" target="_blank">2020 in <em>Psychiatry Research</em></a>, scientists at Johns Hopkins, Emory University and the University of California, Irvine, including Payne and Kaminsky, tested blood samples from 285 pregnant women and also confirmed the findings.</p><p>That epigenetic research forms the basis of the myLuma test, which also incorporates additional biomarkers that improve its accuracy, says Kaminsky. Beginning in January 2026, it is expected to become available at some doctors' offices in three states: Florida, Texas and California. Though it isn't yet FDA-approved, doctors are permitted to use such lab tests to help make clinical decisions.</p><h2 id="zeroing-in-on-steroids-2">Zeroing in on steroids</h2><p>Not everyone with postpartum depression has these epigenetic changes, so Payne and other researchers continue to hunt for other biomarkers to understand how hormonal changes trigger postpartum depression. They are zeroing in, for example, on neuroactive steroids, which the body makes from molecules like progesterone in the brain and other tissues.</p><p>One of those metabolites, called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5420429/" target="_blank">allopregnanolone, has a calming effect</a> — it affects a receptor<strong> </strong>in the brain called GABA-A, which is known to be involved in stress reduction. Allopregnanolone rises during pregnancy and drops swiftly after delivery. Another neuroactive steroid, pregnanolone, has similar properties. A third, isoallopregnanolone, tamps down the antidepressant effect of allopregnanolone, increasing feelings of stress.</p><p>In a study of 136 pregnant women published in 2025 in the journal <em>Neuropsychopharmacology</em>, women with an imbalance in pregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone during pregnancy <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-025-02052-z" target="_blank">were more likely to develop postpartum depression</a>. Measuring the ratio of these chemicals in the blood could be another way to predict postpartum depression, says reproductive psychiatrist Lauren M. Osborne of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, who co-led the study with Payne.</p><p>Allopregnanolone, meanwhile, has already proved to be a valuable tool for treatment. A synthetic version called brexanolone was developed by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Sage Therapeutics and FDA-approved in 2019 — the first drug approved specifically for postpartum depression. Originally provided via IV infusion, it has been replaced by an oral version, zuranolone, which was FDA-approved in 2023.</p><div><blockquote><p>If we have a blood test, it brings psychiatry down to the level of biology, which I think your average person can understand as something that needs treatment and that isn’t just in somebody’s head.</p><p>Jennifer Payne, University of Virginia in Charlottesville</p></blockquote></div><p>These are "transformative therapies" because they work rapidly, write the authors of a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-med-050423-095712#right-ref-B17" target="_blank">2025 article in the <em>Annual Review of Medicine</em></a>. Women at high risk of postpartum depression might even benefit from proactively taking zuranolone, though that hasn't yet been tested, says article coauthor Samantha Meltzer-Brody, a reproductive psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina who was an academic principal investigator in studies of brexanolone and an investigator in zuranolone trials.</p><p>The availability of a blood test, she adds, "opens up that entire line of questioning on how do you get ahead of it, so you don't have to wait until someone starts suffering?"</p><p>There are other possible targets for a postpartum depression test. In a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36138128/" target="_blank">2022 article in <em>Molecular Psychiatry</em></a>, Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Sarven Sabunciyan, with Osborne, Payne and Morgan Sherer, then an immunologist at Johns Hopkins, described a small study in which the types of RNA carried through blood in fatty bubbles were different in women who developed postpartum depression — both in pregnancy and afterwards. In particular, there was a decrease in kinds of RNA related to autophagy — the cleansing of debris from cells. Autophagy has been linked to other psychiatric disorders.</p><p>In another potential lead, Eynav Accortt, a clinical psychologist specializing in perinatal mental health at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, found a pattern of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/protein-biomarkers-identified-in-women-who-developed-perinatal-depression-and-anxiety/" target="_blank">altered proteins in plasma samples</a> of women who developed perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, a group of conditions that includes postpartum depression. This included proteins involved in neuron function and in inflammation, which <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.maudsleybrc.nihr.ac.uk/posts/2021/may/inflammation-is-a-core-feature-of-depression-new-evidence-from-large-scale-study/" target="_blank">is known to play a role in depression</a>.</p><p>As researchers continue to explore these possibilities, Payne is leading a large clinical trial that will provide more detailed information on the predictive value of the myLuma test. For example, it will explore the rates of false positives (women who are identified as at-risk who do not develop postpartum depression) and false negatives (women who develop postpartum depression but weren't identified by the test). That is a necessary step toward FDA approval, which could make the test available directly to pregnant women.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/dangers-of-falling-birth-rates-in-the-us-have-been-dramatically-overstated-experts-say">Dangers of falling birth rates in the US have been 'dramatically overstated,' experts say</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-robot-from-china-is-fake-but-is-the-technology-behind-it-possible">'Pregnancy robot from China' is fake, but is the technology behind it possible?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/more-women-die-in-childbirth-in-the-us-than-in-other-wealthy-nations-but-we-know-what-to-do-to-save-them">'We know what to do; we just have to implement it.': Pregnancy is deadlier in the US than in other wealthy countries. But we could fix that.</a></p></div></div><p>Lopez-Rose remembers how scared she felt in the months after her daughter was born. In those dark times, she quit her job, barely slept and was overwhelmed by negative thoughts. She had many self-doubts, but she now knows that reaching out for help was a sign that she was a good mother.</p><p>Today, her daughter is four — and thriving, as is Lopez-Rose. But a blood test, she says, would have warned her of what to look out for, "instead of it being so shocking when I was going through my depression."</p><p><em>This article originally appeared in </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://knowablemagazine.org/" target="_blank"><em>Knowable Magazine</em></a><em>, a nonprofit publication dedicated to making scientific knowledge accessible to all. </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://knowablemagazine.org/newsletter-signup" target="_blank"><em>Sign up for Knowable Magazine’s newsletter</em></a><em>.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
521.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/new-blood-test-can-predict-risk-of-postpartum-depression-with-more-than-80-percent-accuracy</link>
522.                                                                            <description>
523.                            <![CDATA[ Scientists are learning more about this leading complication of childbirth. Treatments are improving and doctors can test for biological markers that flag heightened risk. ]]>
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527.                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Fertility, Pregnancy &amp; Birth]]></category>
528.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
529.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Michele Cohen Marill ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4MUGrdg47dM4Tq687ug8AC-1280-80.jpg">
530.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Justin Paget via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
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532.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a mother holds her baby in a dark room]]></media:title>
533.                                                    </media:content>
534.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4MUGrdg47dM4Tq687ug8AC-1280-80.jpg" />
535.                                                                                        </item>
536.                    <item>
537.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Extremely rare' and 'highly unusual' Roman-era tomb in Germany is completely empty ]]></title>
538.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Archaeologists have discovered an unusual circular stone grave in southern Germany. Dating to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/roman-empire"><u>Roman Empire</u></a>, the large tomb was completely empty — and it may have been erected as a monument to honor someone buried elsewhere.</p><p>"The tomb was both a place of remembrance and an expression of social status," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.professoren.tum.de/en/honorary-professors/p/pfeil-mathias" target="_blank"><u>Mathias Pfeil</u></a>, curator general of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, said in a translated <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.blfd.bayern.de/mam/blfd/presse/pressemitteilung_++_tumulus_von_wolkertshofen_++_blfd.pdf" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a>. "We hadn't expected to discover a funerary monument of this age and size here."</p><p>The tomb was discovered during construction work in the fall of 2024 in the village of Wolkertshofen, located in the southern German state of Bavaria. Archaeologists working alongside the builders noticed fragments of ceramics during the excavation, before reaching a massive stone foundation with a diameter of 39 feet (12 meters). Abutting the circle was a stone square that probably once held a statue or grave marker.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_ESqMceFN_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="ESqMceFN">            <div id="botr_ESqMceFN_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>According to the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, the circular tomb was built next to a Roman road. The shape and arrangement of the carved stones also suggest that the burial mound dates to Roman times, when the area was part of the province of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/981547" target="_blank"><u>Raetia</u></a>.</p><p>But while similar Roman burial mounds have been found in Central Europe and Italy, this discovery is "highly unusual" and "extremely rare" for Germany, the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation noted in the statement. Burial mounds found in this area are typically from a much earlier date.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/octagonal-sword-from-bronze-age-burial-in-germany-is-so-well-preserved-it-shines">'Octagonal' sword from Bronze Age burial in Germany is so well preserved, it shines</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/blue-eyed-ice-prince-toddler-was-buried-with-a-sword-and-a-piglet-1-350-years-ago-in-bavaria">Blue-eyed 'Ice Prince' toddler was buried with a sword and a piglet 1,350 years ago in Bavaria</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/5-000-year-old-burials-in-germany-hold-3-women-with-bedazzled-baby-carriers">5,000-year-old burials in Germany hold 3 women with bedazzled baby carriers</a></p></div></div><p>Additionally, the Wolkertshofen tomb is unusual because no bones or grave goods were found inside it. Coupled with the tomb's proximity to a Roman road and a Roman country estate, this may mean that the burial mound was a cenotaph — a symbolic tomb that commemorated someone who was buried elsewhere.</p><p>"The tumulus [burial mound] was located directly on an important Roman traffic route, and the family thus created a widely visible memorial for the deceased," Pfeil said.</p><p>Further research into the tomb and the surroundings will help experts better understand Roman life in Bavaria, according to the statement.</p> ]]></dc:content>
539.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/extremely-rare-and-highly-unusual-roman-era-tomb-in-germany-is-completely-empty</link>
540.                                                                            <description>
541.                            <![CDATA[ An unusual stone circle that's likely a tomb is providing archaeologists with more information about life in Roman Bavaria. ]]>
542.                                                                                                            </description>
543.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">2wTTtG42vS5cF2D9HDnpfR</guid>
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545.                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Romans]]></category>
546.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
547.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BWCpZjpXEawk8AUJD7Ghfj-1280-80.png">
548.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Manfred Woidich / Archäologiebüro]]></media:credit>
549.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[aerial drone shot of a circle of white stones on excavated brown dirt]]></media:text>
550.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[aerial drone shot of a circle of white stones on excavated brown dirt]]></media:title>
551.                                                    </media:content>
552.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BWCpZjpXEawk8AUJD7Ghfj-1280-80.png" />
553.                                                                                        </item>
554.                    <item>
555.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Indigenous Americans dragged, carried or floated 5-ton tree more than 100 miles to North America's largest city north of Mexico 900 years ago  ]]></title>
556.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Around 900 years ago, Indigenous Americans at <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/22737-cahokia.html"><u>Cahokia</u></a> — the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico until colonial times — felled a giant tree and transported it more than 110 miles (180 kilometers) to serve as a monumental marker post, a new study finds.</p><p>The tree, known as the Mitchell Log, is the largest marker post of its kind in Cahokia, which is now known for its earthen mounds in southwestern Illinois.</p><p>Marker posts were important monuments in Cahokia, but researchers still aren't sure when the people of Cahokia erected and, finally, stopped placing these large logs.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="tfejT8dc"            data-playlist-id="UipnZajy">            <div id="botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>By pinpointing the exact dates when the Mitchell Log was erected and removed,<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://ltrr.arizona.edu/node/4520"> </a>the researchers behind the new study, published Oct. 3 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0333783" target="_blank"><u>PLOS One</u></a>, have created the most precise timeline yet of Cahokia's rise to power and subsequent decline. Additionally, by determining where the marker post came from, the researchers raise new questions on the transport of thousands of similar marker posts during the peak influence of Cahokia.</p><h2 id="a-big-city-2">A big city</h2><p>The city of Cahokia had a population of up to 20,000 people at its peak between 1050 to 1200.</p><p>"Cahokia grew rapidly in the late 11th century, with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/43896-cahokia-ancient-city-immigrants.html"><u>immigrants forming as much as a third of the population</u></a>, before reaching its height in the mid-12th century when Cahokian goods, people, and ideas reached from the Gulf Coast up into the Great Plains," study first author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://ltrr.arizona.edu/node/4520" target="_blank"><u>Nicholas Kessler</u></a>, an assistant research professor at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona, and study co-author<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=ebensn@illinois.edu&widgetId=15" target="_blank"> <u>Erin Benson</u></a>, an Eastern Woodlands archaeologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told Live Science in an email.</p><p>During this time, the Cahokians erected large monumental structures called marker posts. These posts were hewn from massive tree trunks and typically placed near communal courtyards, atop pyramid mounds and in prominent buildings.</p><p>"In the precontact Cahokian world, poles were often placed in special places (plazas, mounds, temples), where they acted as <em>axis mundis</em>, physically connecting the upper, middle, and under worlds and helping mediate those powers and people's relationships with them," Kessler and Benson said.</p><p>However, by 1200, Cahokia's political, social and economic influence was waning, and marker posts were no longer erected.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2579px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:43.58%;"><img id="mRXGZixMk6Ye2fWjr7Kqxc" name="Cahokia-tree" alt="On the left, a map of where samples were taken from the site. On the right, a labelled diagram of tree rings." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mRXGZixMk6Ye2fWjr7Kqxc.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2579" height="1124" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The location of the radiocarbon samples taken from the Mitchell Log at Cahokia in Illinois. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Kessler et al. 2025; <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>)</span></figcaption></figure><p>In an effort to better understand the timeline and origin of the Mitchell Log, the team<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/scientists-dating-methods.html"> <u>radiocarbon</u></a>-dated the post and researched its provenance. They did this by examining the ratios of strontium isotopes, which are atoms of the element strontium that have differing numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. Strontium occurs naturally within the bedrock and has a unique isotopic signature depending on location. This signature acts like a fingerprint and is passed down with minor differences into the water and plants that grow upon it. By examining the signature found within an animal or plant, researchers can determine from which bedrock they originally came from.</p><p>The scientists found that the once 59-foot-tall (18 meters) and 4.4- to 5.5-ton ( 4 to 5 metric tons) log had been most likely sourced from over 110 miles away from southern Illinois.</p><p>The Cahokia people likely transported the log by floating or rafting the log upstream, Kessler and Benson said. "Alternatively, they may have simply carried it overland via trails and roads that surely connected Cahokia to surrounding communities," the authors said.</p><p>With the help of cosmic events archived in the tree's rings, the tree's felling was dated to 1124, coinciding with the timeframe in which the city was at its peak. These cosmic events are characterized by sudden spikes in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/cosmic-rays"><u>cosmic radiation</u></a>, specifically radiocarbon, usually caused by solar storms or supernovas. Trees grow one tree ring annually, which stores radiocarbon, so these sudden spikes are recorded in their rings and can be used to pinpoint a specific calendar year.</p><p>Assuming the Mitchell Log remained standing for one or two generations before natural decay set in, prompting its removal, the marker post likely stood until between 1150 and 1175. This timeframe corresponds to when nearby ceremonial centers were being abandoned at the onset of Cahokia's decline, providing greater insight into the timing of this event, the researchers said.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/200-foot-scorpion-effigy-mound-in-mexico-may-align-with-the-solstices">200-foot scorpion effigy mound in Mexico may align with the solstices</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/the-1st-americans-were-not-who-we-thought-they-were">The 1st Americans were not who we thought they were</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/the-first-americans-had-denisovan-dna-and-it-may-have-helped-them-survive">The first Americans had Denisovan DNA. And it may have helped them survive.</a></p></div></div><p>During the second half of the 12th century, Cahokia underwent various changes, including increased droughts, shifts in the types of exotic goods being traded, the transformation of public spaces and the construction of mounds, the researchers explained in their study.</p><p>Whether all of Cahokia's marker posts were extracted around this time remains a question the authors hope to answer in future studies. In any case, evidence shows that by 1200, no new marker posts were being emplaced in Cahokia. By 1400, the city was abandoned for reasons that are still unknown to archaeologists.</p> ]]></dc:content>
557.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/indigenous-americans-dragged-carried-or-floated-5-ton-tree-more-than-100-miles-to-north-americas-largest-city-north-of-mexico-900-years-ago</link>
558.                                                                            <description>
559.                            <![CDATA[ Researchers have determined the age and origin of a massive tree that was found at the pre-Columbian city of Cahokia in what is now Illinois. ]]>
560.                                                                                                            </description>
561.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">KDfxZ4BTX2KFj6Qi5kwb5S</guid>
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563.                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
564.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sandee Oster ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aMp34oC9thWYDjnBsnGtxc-1280-80.jpg">
565.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Matt Champlin via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
566.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[an aerial view of a grassy field with trees and a mound in the center]]></media:text>
567.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[an aerial view of a grassy field with trees and a mound in the center]]></media:title>
568.                                                    </media:content>
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571.                    <item>
572.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Weird symmetry between Earth's Northern and Southern Hemispheres appears to be breaking ]]></title>
573.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Years ago, scientists noted something odd: Earth's Northern and Southern Hemispheres reflect nearly the same amount of sunlight back into space. The reason why this symmetry is odd is because the Northern Hemisphere has more land, cities, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/pollution"><u>pollution</u></a>, and industrial aerosols. All those things should lead to a higher albedo — more sunlight reflected than absorbed. The Southern Hemisphere is mostly ocean, which is darker and absorbs more sunlight.</p><p>New satellite data, however, suggest that symmetry is breaking.</p><h2 id="from-balance-to-imbalance-2">From balance to imbalance</h2><p>In a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2511595122" target="_blank"><u>new study</u></a> published in the <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America</em>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.larc.nasa.gov/people/norman-loeb/" target="_blank"><u>Norman Loeb</u></a>, a climate scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, and colleagues analyzed 24 years of observations from <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank"><u>NASA's Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)</u></a> mission.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_b85HmL9b_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="b85HmL9b">            <div id="botr_b85HmL9b_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>They found that the Northern Hemisphere is darkening faster than the Southern Hemisphere. In other words, it's absorbing more sunlight. That shift may alter weather patterns, rainfall, and the planet's overall <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change"><u>climate</u></a> in the decades ahead.</p><p>Since 2000, CERES has recorded how much sunlight is absorbed and reflected, as well as how much infrared (longwave) radiation escapes back to space. Loeb used these measurements to analyze how Earth's energy balance changed between 2001 and 2024. The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/basic-page/earths-energy-budget" target="_blank"><u>energy balance</u></a> tells scientists whether the planet is absorbing more energy than it releases and how that difference varies between hemispheres.</p><p>"Any object in the universe has a way to maintain equilibrium by receiving energy and giving off energy. That's the fundamental law governing everything in the universe," said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www2.atmos.umd.edu/~zli/" target="_blank"><u>Zhanqing Li</u></a>, a climate scientist at the University of Maryland who was not part of the study. "The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth"><u>Earth</u></a> maintains equilibrium by exchanging energy between the Sun and the Earth's emitted longwave radiation."</p><p>The team found that the Northern Hemisphere is absorbing about 0.34 watt more solar energy per square meter per decade than the Southern Hemisphere. "This difference doesn't sound like much, but over the whole planet, that's a huge number," said Li.</p><p>To figure out what was driving this imbalance, the scientists applied a technique called partial radiative perturbation (PRP) analysis. The PRP method separates the influence of factors such as clouds, aerosols, surface brightness, and water vapor from calculations of how much sunlight each hemisphere absorbs.</p><p>The results pointed to three main reasons for the Northern Hemisphere darkening: melting snow and ice, declining air pollution, and rising water vapor.</p><p>"It made a lot of sense," Loeb said. "The Northern Hemisphere's surface is getting darker because snow and ice are melting. That exposes the land and ocean underneath. And pollution has gone down in places like China, the U.S., and Europe. It means there are fewer aerosols in the air to reflect sunlight. In the Southern Hemisphere, it's the opposite."</p><p>"Because the north is warming faster, it also holds more water vapor," Loeb continued. "Water vapor doesn't reflect sunlight, it absorbs it. That's another reason the Northern Hemisphere is taking in more heat."</p><h2 id="curiosity-about-cloud-cover-2">Curiosity about cloud cover</h2><p>One of the study's interesting findings is what <em>didn't</em> change over the past 20 years: cloud cover.</p><p>"The clouds are a puzzle to me because of this hemispheric symmetry," Loeb said. "We kind of questioned whether this was a fundamental property of the climate system. If it were, the clouds should compensate. You should see more cloud reflection in the Northern Hemisphere relative to the Southern Hemisphere, but we weren't seeing that."</p><p>Loeb worked with models to understand these clouds.</p><p>"We are unsure about the clouds," said Loeb.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/earth-is-starting-to-spin-faster-and-scientists-are-considering-doing-something-unprecedented">Earth is starting to spin faster — and scientists are considering doing something unprecedented</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/we-are-just-beginning-to-discover-what-earths-inner-core-is-really-made-of">We are just beginning to discover what Earth's inner core is really made of</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/how-long-will-earth-exist">How long will Earth exist?</a></p></div></div><p>"Understanding aerosol and cloud interactions is still a major challenge," agreed Li. "Clouds remain the dominant factor adjusting our energy balance," he said. "It's very important."</p><p>Still, Li said that "Dr. Norman Loeb's study shows that not only does [the asymmetry] exist, but it's important enough to worry about what's behind it."</p><p>Loeb is "excited about the new climate models coming out soon" and how they will further his work. "It'll be interesting to revisit this question with the latest and greatest models."</p> ]]></dc:content>
574.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/weird-symmetry-between-earths-northern-and-southern-hemispheres-appears-to-be-breaking</link>
575.                                                                            <description>
576.                            <![CDATA[ The Northern Hemisphere is absorbing more sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere, and clouds can no longer keep the balance. ]]>
577.                                                                                                            </description>
578.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">E9TM3xiv8twaWgmQKaD8pn</guid>
579.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/roaF57bse8n3aGFXiniEqB-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
580.                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
581.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Larissa G. Capella ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/roaF57bse8n3aGFXiniEqB-1280-80.jpg">
582.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Francesco Ungaro via Pexels]]></media:credit>
583.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a photograph of Earth&#039;s surface taken from above the clouds]]></media:text>
584.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a photograph of Earth&#039;s surface taken from above the clouds]]></media:title>
585.                                                    </media:content>
586.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/roaF57bse8n3aGFXiniEqB-1280-80.jpg" />
587.                                                                                        </item>
588.                    <item>
589.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is about to get very active — Space photo of the week ]]></title>
590.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">QUICK FACTS</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>What it is:</strong> The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, growing a tail</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Where it is: </strong>The inner solar system, barreling toward Mars</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>When it was shared:</strong> Sept. 4, 2025</p></div></div><p>Even as a brilliant, naked-eye comet slices through Earth's sky (cheers, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/superbright-comet-lemmon-gets-its-tail-temporarily-torn-to-pieces-by-solar-wind"><u>Comet Lemmon</u></a>!), the most famous object in the solar system right now is hidden on the far side of the sun: the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/3i-atlas-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-interstellar-visitor-shooting-through-the-solar-system"><u>interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS</u></a>.</p><p>This alien visitor, which most astronomers believe to be a comet originating from an <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-may-come-from-the-mysterious-frontier-of-the-early-milky-way-new-study-hints"><u>unknown star system far beyond our own</u></a>, is only the third interstellar object ever detected in our solar system. It is the largest, fastest-moving, and quite likely the oldest interstellar object ever seen.</p><p>Though it was just <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/nasa-confirms-that-mysterious-object-shooting-through-the-solar-system-is-an-interstellar-visitor-and-it-has-a-new-name"><u>confirmed by NASA</u></a> in early July, the freewheeling ball of ice and dust is already nearing the halfway point on its tour of our solar system. This Wednesday (Oct. 29), 3I/ATLAS will reach perihelion — its closest point to the sun — before beginning its months-long departure from our cosmic neighborhood.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="UEr7tQDntYC9ZzFG2trbY7" name="3iatlas-noirlab" alt="a photo of the comet 3I/ATLAS with its long tail shooting through space" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UEr7tQDntYC9ZzFG2trbY7.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">An edited version of the image 'freezes' the background stars in place as 3I/ATLAS charges through the center of the frame. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the ScientistImage Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab))</span></figcaption></figure><p>We'll miss our interstellar friend, but at least we'll always have the photos. The image above, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2525/?lang" target="_blank"><u>captured Aug. 27</u></a> by the National Science Foundation-operated Gemini South telescope in Chile, may be the clearest image we have so far. As 3I/ATLAS zooms closer to the sun, radiation from our star heats the ice on the comet's body (its nucleus), causing <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/new-images-of-interstellar-object-3i-atlas-show-giant-jet-shooting-toward-the-sun"><u>geysers of gas and dust</u></a> to shoot outward and form a glowing plume (a coma) around it. Radiation pressure from our star's unrelenting solar wind pushes this material into a long, prominent tail angled away from the sun.</p><p>As 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion this week — coming within 1.4 astronomical units, or 130 million miles (210 million kilometers) of the sun, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/" target="_blank"><u>according to NASA</u></a> — it may start releasing gas in overdrive. When the comet becomes visible to telescopes again in early November, it may look both bigger and brighter than how it appeared two months ago. Instruments on the ground, in orbit and even <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-will-be-eyed-by-mars-and-jupiter-probes-as-it-zooms-past-the-sun-this-month" target="_blank"><u>on their way to Jupiter</u></a> will snap to attention, making 3I/ATLAS an even bigger space celebrity as it zooms away from our solar system forever.</p><p>Studying the interstellar comet with the full range of humankind's astronomical instruments could yield untold secrets about the outer reaches of our galaxy and its mysterious history. Until then, all we can do is wait, feel the warm sunlight on our faces, and know that a trove of cosmic information lurks just on the other side of our star.</p><p><em>For more sublime space images, check out our </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/space-photo-of-the-week"><u><em>Space Photo of the Week archives</em></u></a><em>.</em></p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="uJkJUw7u">            <div id="botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div> ]]></dc:content>
591.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/interstellar-object-3i-atlas-is-about-to-get-very-active-space-photo-of-the-week</link>
592.                                                                            <description>
593.                            <![CDATA[ The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is barreling toward its closest point to the sun as perihelion looms on Oct. 29. How different will it look when it reappears on the other side? ]]>
594.                                                                                                            </description>
595.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">gQDpb5zFrMxmHAwhonh4g9</guid>
596.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xkmAJAaj24k73omqaCPNuR-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
597.                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Comets]]></category>
598.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
599.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
600.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Brandon Specktor ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xkmAJAaj24k73omqaCPNuR-1280-80.jpg">
601.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the ScientistImage Processing: J. Miller &amp; M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)]]></media:credit>
602.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[an image of a comet streaking through space with the stars around it reflecting rainbows]]></media:text>
603.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[an image of a comet streaking through space with the stars around it reflecting rainbows]]></media:title>
604.                                                    </media:content>
605.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xkmAJAaj24k73omqaCPNuR-1280-80.jpg" />
606.                                                                                        </item>
607.                    <item>
608.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Did Neanderthals eat anything other than meat?  ]]></title>
609.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Neanderthals, our extinct cousins, are often portrayed as eating nothing but meat — no fruit, no grains, no greens. But did <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals-our-extinct-human-relatives"><u>Neanderthals</u></a> really live on meat alone?</p><p>While there's plenty of evidence that Neanderthals regularly chowed down on meat, a growing body of research shows our close evolutionary relatives, who went extinct more than 30,000 years ago, also ate other parts of animals besides their meat, such as fat extract from the bone marrow, as well as other foods, including pistachios, lentils and wild peas.</p><p>Scientists can estimate the proportions of different foods eaten by ancient humans by analyzing the number of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/37206-atom-definition.html"><u>atoms</u></a> with varying numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, known as isotopes, such as carbon-13 and nitrogen-15. The isotopes humans eat end up <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/neanderthals-were-probably-carnivores"><u>preserved in their teeth</u></a> and bones. These isotopes act as chemical fingerprints, revealing what people and animals ate thousands of years ago.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="tfejT8dc"            data-playlist-id="UipnZajy">            <div id="botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>"Multiple independent isotope studies now converge on the same conclusion," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://cagt.cnrs.fr/slimak-ludovic/" target="_blank"><u>Ludovic Slimak</u></a>, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Toulouse in France and author of "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/454664/the-naked-neanderthal-by-slimak-ludovic/9781802061819" target="_blank"><u>The Naked Neanderthal</u></a>" (Penguin Books, 2023) and "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Last+Neanderthal%3A+Understanding+How+Humans+Die-p-9781509569595" target="_blank"><u>The Last Neanderthal: Understanding How Humans Die</u></a>" (Polity, 2025), told Live Science in an email. "Neanderthals consistently present the isotopic signatures of top-level <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/53466-carnivore.html"><u>carnivores</u></a>."</p><p>At the site of Gabasa in Spain, for example, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248425001009" target="_blank"><u>analyses of calcium, strontium</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2109315119" target="_blank"><u>zinc isotopes</u></a> showed that Neanderthals were hypercarnivores who survived mainly on meat and bone marrow. From what we know, Neanderthals were apex predators, Slimak said, much like wolves and hyenas, which sit at the top of the food chain with no natural predators.</p><p>This idea is supported by earlier <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1814087116?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed" target="_blank"><u>nitrogen isotope studies</u></a>, said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/fakultaeten/mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche-fakultaet/fachbereiche/geowissenschaften/arbeitsgruppen/geo-und-umweltnaturwissenschaften/geo-und-umweltnaturwissenschaften/biogeologie/arbeitsgruppe/people-in-biogeology/permanent-staff/prof-herve-bocherens/" target="_blank"><u>Hervé Bocherens</u></a>, head of the biogeology research group at the University of Tübingen in Germany.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Sign up for our newsletter</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><figure class="van-image-figure "  ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' ><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="Vikzz54ZHkr7YdtP8LSvth" name="XLS-M Multi signup" caption="" alt="The words 'Life Little Mysteries' over a blue background" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vikzz54ZHkr7YdtP8LSvth.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="" height="" attribution="" endorsement="" class="pinterest-pin-exclude"></p></div></div></figure><p class="fancy-box__body-text">Sign up for our weekly <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/newsletter">Life's Little Mysteries newsletter</a> to get the latest mysteries before they appear online.</p></div></div><p>Nitrogen comes in two stable forms, or isotopes: nitrogen-14 and the less common nitrogen-15. When animals eat other animals, the heavier nitrogen-15 slowly builds up in their bodies. That means animals that eat meat have more nitrogen-15 than plant eaters.</p><p>"In most Neanderthal specimens that have been analyzed, the nitrogen-15 content was higher than those measured in large carnivores, such as <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/oldest-evidence-of-neanderthals-hunting-cave-lions-dates-to-48000-years-ago-punctured-bones-reveal"><u>cave lions</u></a>, cave hyenas or wolves," Bocherens told Live Science in an email. "The conclusion was that Neanderthals were 'more carnivore than the carnivores' (hypercarnivores)."</p><p>However, he added, this interpretation is too simple. Nitrogen levels can vary depending on which animals Neanderthals ate, not just how much meat they consumed.</p><p>"<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/56678-woolly-mammoth-facts.html"><u>Woolly mammoths</u></a> consistently exhibit the highest nitrogen-15 levels among herbivores, probably due to the consumption of plants with high nitrogen-15 levels," Bocherens said. The data suggest that Neanderthals were predators that consumed a higher proportion of mammoths than they did of other carnivores in the ecosystem, Bocherens added.</p><p>A <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt7466" target="_blank"><u>2025 study</u></a> offered a different explanation for Neanderthals' unusually high nitrogen-15 levels: They may have eaten maggots, either by accident, in the process of eating rotting meat, or on purpose.</p><p>"Both rotting meat and especially maggots feasting on the rotting meat have high nitrogen levels and any Neandertal eating those foods regularly would have an isotopic signature that is off the charts," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/anthropology/faculty-staff/faculty-profiles/nowell-april.php" target="_blank"><u>April Nowell</u></a>, a Paleolithic archaeologist and professor of anthropology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, told Live Science in an email.</p><p>But could Neanderthals survive on a solely meat-based diet?</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="zbCKzUobgoYwutieNiQGga" name="shanidarcave-GettyImages-2153401861" alt="a view of Shanidar Cave" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zbCKzUobgoYwutieNiQGga.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Archaeologists have found evidence that Neanderthals soaked, pounded and ground lentils, nuts and grasses at Shanidar Cave (pictured here) in what is now Iraq and Franchthi Cave in modern-day Greece. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: ISMAEL ADNAN via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure><p>"They could not if they had a similar physiology as modern humans, which is likely," Bocherens said. "There is a need for dietary sources of energy." Eating too much protein without enough fat and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/51976-carbohydrates.html"><u>carbohydrates</u></a>, which supply most of our energy, can lead to a fatal condition known as protein poisoning or "rabbit starvation."</p><p>Their solution, scientists think, was fat. At one 125,000-year-old German site, researchers found evidence that Neanderthals systematically broke animal bones to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/125-000-year-old-fat-factory-run-by-neanderthals-discovered-in-germany"><u>extract fat from bone marrow</u></a>. Animal brains were another probable source of fat, Bocherens said.</p><p>When whole carcasses are consumed, including marrow and fat reserves, an animal-based diet is perfectly viable, Slimak said.</p><h2 id="neanderthals-ate-more-than-meat-and-fat-2">Neanderthals ate more than meat and fat </h2><p>Neanderthals may have found creative ways to balance their nutrition. They might have <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379113003399" target="_blank"><u>eaten the stomach contents of their plant-eating prey</u></a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/people/chris-stringer.html" target="_blank"><u>Chris Stringer</u></a>, a research leader in human origins at the Natural History Museum in London, told Live Science in an email.</p><p>Scientists agree that Neanderthals also ate plants when they were available. "There is extensive evidence for plant eating by Neanderthals," Nowell said. That evidence includes actual plant remains discovered in caves, microscopic traces left on stone tools, and even plant residues preserved in dental plaque and fossilized feces.</p><p>Food remains found in modern-day Israel suggest Neanderthals ate <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440304001694" target="_blank"><u>legumes, acorns and pistachios</u></a>, Nowell said. In Greece and Iraq, plant remains suggest they <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2022.143" target="_blank"><u>soaked, pounded and ground lentils, nuts and grasses</u></a> — a form of food preparation that may have helped remove bitter flavors. In Gibraltar, researchers found the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2016/8927654" target="_blank"><u>charred remains of edible plants like wild olives and stone pine nuts</u></a>. In Italy, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379123002093" target="_blank"><u>starch grains found on stone tools</u></a> hint that Neanderthals were even making a kind of flour.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED MYSTERIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/are-neanderthals-and-homo-sapiens-the-same-species">Are Neanderthals and Homo sapiens the same species?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/65003-how-smart-were-neanderthals.html">How smart were the Neanderthals?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/why-did-homo-sapiens-outlast-all-other-human-species">Why did Homo sapiens outlast all other human species?</a></p></div></div><p>At El Sidrón Cave in Spain, chemical analyses of dental plaque revealed that Neanderthals ate plants like <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-012-0942-0" target="_blank"><u>yarrow and chamomile</u></a>, likely for medicinal purposes. And, at an open-air archaeological site called El Salt in Alicante, Spain, researchers found <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0101045" target="_blank"><u>significant levels of plant sterols</u></a> (fats in plants that are similar to cholesterol) in fossilized Neanderthal feces.</p><p>In warmer regions, Neanderthals likely gathered a wider range of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248414000189" target="_blank"><u>plant foods</u></a>, including seeds, starchy root vegetables like tubers, and even dates in the warmest regions, said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://people.ucd.ie/robert.power" target="_blank"><u>Robert Power</u></a>, a research fellow in the School of Archaeology at University College Dublin.</p><p>Although Neanderthals were skilled hunters who relied heavily on animal foods, "they varied their diets depending on where and when they lived, adapting to local foods and changing with the seasons," Nowell said.</p><h2 id="neanderthal-quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-our-closest-relatives-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthal-quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-our-closest-relatives">Neanderthal quiz</a>: How much do you know about our closest relatives?</h2><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-XbxaDW"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/XbxaDW.js" async></script> ]]></dc:content>
610.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/did-neanderthals-eat-anything-other-than-meat</link>
611.                                                                            <description>
612.                            <![CDATA[ Neanderthals were meat eaters, but new analyses show that their diets included other morsels. ]]>
613.                                                                                                            </description>
614.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">RVkSY8f9QyXWohXZb53sMe</guid>
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616.                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
617.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
618.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Clarissa Brincat ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8zfTZYbgDGpRjm8t75YTSa-1280-80.jpg">
619.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Aleksei Gorodenkov via Alamy]]></media:credit>
620.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a recreation of a neanderthal man eating a hunk of meat]]></media:text>
621.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a recreation of a neanderthal man eating a hunk of meat]]></media:title>
622.                                                    </media:content>
623.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8zfTZYbgDGpRjm8t75YTSa-1280-80.jpg" />
624.                                                                                        </item>
625.                    <item>
626.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'I screamed out of excitement': 2,700-year-old cuneiform text found near Temple Mount — and it reveals the Kingdom of Judah had a late payment to the Assyrians ]]></title>
627.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>A 2,700-year-old pottery sherd discovered near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the first known correspondence between the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/56659-assyrians-history.html"><u>Assyrian Kingdom</u></a> to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/55774-ancient-israel.html"><u>Kingdom of Judah</u></a> ever found in the city.</p><p>The 1-inch-long (2.5 centimeters) sherd (the term archaeologists use to describe fragments of pottery) is covered with cuneiform text and dates to the First Temple period (1000 to 586 B.C.). It appears to contain a royal correspondence from the Assyrian Kingdom to the Kingdom of Judah demanding to know the status of a late tribute payment.</p><p>The inscription is written in Akkadian, a language that was <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://nelc.yale.edu/languages/akkadian" target="_blank"><u>spoken in the Near East</u></a>, including in Assyria, and which was written using cuneiform text.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_99Ax07iA_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="99Ax07iA">            <div id="botr_99Ax07iA_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>"The inscription provides direct evidence of official correspondence between the Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://huji.academia.edu/AyalaZilberstein" target="_blank"><u>Ayala Zilberstein</u></a>, the excavation director on behalf of the IAA, said in a statement. "The discovery strengthens our understanding of the depth of the Assyrian presence in Jerusalem, and the extent of its influence on and involvement in the conduct of the affairs of the Judean kingdom."</p><p>The sherd was found during an excavation near the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, according to the statement. Researchers found it while "wet sifting" fragments unearthed at Emek Tzurim National Park.</p><p>"I was sifting through the dirt and suddenly noticed a sherd with a strange decoration," Moriah Cohen, who works at the "Archaeological Experience" in Emek Tzurim, an attraction that allows visitors to help sift for artifacts, said in the statement. Cohen added that "after decidedly determining that this was no decoration, but really was cuneiform, I screamed out of excitement."</p><p>The sherd was found in dirt along the edge of Jerusalem's central drainage canal, which dates to the Second Temple period (516 B.C. to A.D. 70), she added. But the fact that the sherd was found there suggests that this area "served as a focus for the activities of high-ranking ministers and persons" during the First Temple period, Zilberstein said.</p><p>It's likely that this sherd was actually part of an inscribed royal sealing, or an impression meant to seal an official letter, from the Assyrian court, Assyriologists <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://biu.academia.edu/PeterZilberg" target="_blank"><u>Peter Zilberg</u></a>, of Bar-Ilan University, and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://antiquities.academia.edu/FilipVukosavovi%C4%87" target="_blank"><u>Filip Vukosavović</u></a>, of the IAA, wrote in a joint statement.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:115.00%;"><img id="TVED4FwCCus3N4fJf6ut5L" name="drainagechannel-halevi.JPG" alt="a woman walks through a narrow stone tunnel" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TVED4FwCCus3N4fJf6ut5L.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="2208" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Assyrian pottery fragment was found next to this underground drainage channel.  </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority)</span></figcaption></figure><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/evidence-of-assyrians-conquest-of-holy-land-discovered-in-jerusalem">Evidence of Assyrians' conquest of Holy Land discovered in Jerusalem</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/quite-enigmatic-rare-stone-carving-of-assyrian-king-surrounded-by-gods-discovered-in-iraq">'Quite enigmatic': Rare stone carving of Assyrian king surrounded by gods discovered in Iraq</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/mind-blowing-discovery-reveals-5-000-year-old-cultic-building-in-israel">'Mind-blowing' discovery reveals 5,000-year-old cultic building in Israel</a></p></div></div><p>"Bullae or sealings of this type bore an impression that was sometimes accompanied by a short inscription in Assyrian cuneiform script noting the dispatch's contents or its destination," they said.</p><p>This idea supports the hypothesis that the correspondence was a royal one about a delayed payment. The text mentions a deadline — the first of Av, a summer month in the Jewish and Mesopotamian calendar. It also mentions a chariot officer, a position known from Assyrian records, who would have conveyed the royal message.</p><p>Although the message does not name the king of Judah, it was likely addressed to the court of the kings Hezekiah, Manasseh or Josiah, the latter of whom ruled over the Kingdom of Judah when it was a vassal kingdom of Assyria, according to the statement.</p><p>It's also unclear why the payment was delayed.</p><p>"While we cannot determine the background for this demand, whether it stemmed from a mere technical delay or was taken as a deliberate step with political significance, the very existence of such an official appeal would seemingly attest to a certain point of friction between Judah and the imperial government," Zilberg and Vukosavović said.</p><p>An analysis of the sherd's material suggests that it was not made locally in Jerusalem. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://antiquities.academia.edu/anatweinberger" target="_blank"><u>Anat Cohen-Weinberger</u></a>, a petrographic researcher at the IAA, said in the statement. Rather, its mineral composition corresponds with cities within the Assyrian Kingdom, such as Nineveh.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/evidence-of-assyrians-conquest-of-holy-land-discovered-in-jerusalem">Evidence of Assyrians' conquest of Holy Land discovered in Jerusalem</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/quite-enigmatic-rare-stone-carving-of-assyrian-king-surrounded-by-gods-discovered-in-iraq">'Quite enigmatic': Rare stone carving of Assyrian king surrounded by gods discovered in Iraq</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/mind-blowing-discovery-reveals-5-000-year-old-cultic-building-in-israel">'Mind-blowing' discovery reveals 5,000-year-old cultic building in Israel</a></p></div></div><p>"A chemical analysis of the bulla's composition is currently being conducted" to more precisely locate its origin, Cohen-Weinberger added.</p><p>The sherd may be tiny, but the finding is a significant one, Zilberg and Vukosavović said.</p><p>"The find opens a window into understanding the political and administrative ties between Judah and Assyria," Zilberg and Vukosavović explained. "It is the very first evidence of its kind of the official, and perhaps even tense, communication that took place between Jerusalem and the world's most powerful superpower during the period we are discussing."</p> ]]></dc:content>
628.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/i-screamed-out-of-excitement-2-700-year-old-cuneiform-text-found-near-temple-mount-and-it-reveals-the-kingdom-of-judah-had-a-late-payment-to-the-assyrians</link>
629.                                                                            <description>
630.                            <![CDATA[ A newfound pottery sherd has cuneiform text from the Assyrian Empire asking the Kingdom of Judah about a late tribute payment. ]]>
631.                                                                                                            </description>
632.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">2VSgoZV6AqBiNUxbNg9iyn</guid>
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634.                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
635.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ lgeggel@livescience.com (Laura Geggel) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Laura Geggel ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6sfaun7K6C36NfbRhDKEjK-1280-80.jpg">
636.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[a close-up of a pottery fragment with cuneiform text]]></media:credit>
637.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Eliyahu Yannai, City of David Foundation. Photographers: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David.]]></media:text>
638.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Eliyahu Yannai, City of David Foundation. Photographers: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David.]]></media:title>
639.                                                    </media:content>
640.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6sfaun7K6C36NfbRhDKEjK-1280-80.jpg" />
641.                                                                                        </item>
642.                    <item>
643.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ COVID-19 mRNA vaccines can trigger the immune system to recognize and kill cancer, research finds ]]></title>
644.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/coronavirus"><u>COVID-19</u></a> mRNA-based vaccines that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.2223" target="_blank"><u>saved 2.5 million lives globally</u></a> during the pandemic could help spark the immune system to fight <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/cancer"><u>cancer</u></a>. This is the surprising takeaway of a new study that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09655-y" target="_blank"><u>we and our colleagues published in the journal Nature</u></a>.</p><p>While developing <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/what-are-mrna-vaccines-and-how-do-they-work"><u>mRNA vaccines</u></a> for patients with brain tumors in 2016, our team, led by <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://directory.ufhealth.org/sayour-elias" target="_blank"><u>pediatric oncologist Elias Sayour</u></a>, discovered that mRNA can train immune systems to kill tumors — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-025-01380-1" target="_blank"><u>even if the mRNA is not related to cancer</u></a>.</p><p>Based on this finding, we hypothesized that mRNA vaccines designed to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 might also have antitumor effects.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_iozh7bYg_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="iozh7bYg">            <div id="botr_iozh7bYg_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>So <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AqVdPM4AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank"><u>we looked at clinical outcomes</u></a> for more than 1,000 late-stage melanoma and lung cancer patients treated with a type of immunotherapy called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.03.006" target="_blank"><u>immune checkpoint inhibitors</u></a>. This treatment is a common approach doctors use to train the immune system to kill cancer. It does this by blocking a protein that tumor cells make to turn off immune cells, enabling the immune system to continue killing cancer.</p><p>Remarkably, patients who received either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy were more than twice as likely to be alive after three years compared with those who didn't receive either vaccine. Surprisingly, patients with tumors that don't typically respond well to immunotherapy also saw very strong benefits, with nearly fivefold improvement in three-year overall survival. This link between improved survival and receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine remained strong even after we controlled for factors like disease severity and co-occurring conditions.</p><p>To understand the underlying mechanism, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=E2q2tK8AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank"><u>we turned to animal models</u></a>. We found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines act like an alarm, triggering the body's immune system to recognize and kill tumor cells and overcome the cancer's ability to turn off immune cells. When combined, vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors coordinate to unleash the full power of the immune system to kill cancer cells.</p><div class="youtube-video" data-nosnippet ><div class="video-aspect-box"><iframe data-lazy-priority="low" data-lazy-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_D_Iz9s9Y6k" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><h2 id="why-it-matters-2">Why it matters</h2><p>Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors has <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.03.006" target="_blank"><u>revolutionized cancer treatment</u></a> over the past decade by producing cures in many patients who were previously considered incurable. However, these therapies are ineffective in patients with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/cold-tumor" target="_blank"><u>"cold" tumors</u></a> that successfully evade immune detection.</p><p>Our findings suggest that mRNA vaccines may provide just the spark the immune system needs to turn these "cold" tumors "hot." If validated in our upcoming clinical trial, our hope is that this widely available, low-cost intervention could extend the benefits of immunotherapy to millions of patients who otherwise would not benefit from this therapy.</p><h2 id="what-other-research-is-being-done-2">What other research is being done</h2><p>Unlike vaccines for infectious diseases, which are used to prevent an infection, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://theconversation.com/modernas-experimental-cancer-vaccine-treats-but-doesnt-prevent-melanoma-a-biochemist-explains-how-it-works-197003" target="_blank"><u>therapeutic cancer vaccines</u></a> are used to help train the immune systems of cancer patients to better fight tumors.</p><p>We and many others are <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://theconversation.com/modernas-experimental-cancer-vaccine-treats-but-doesnt-prevent-melanoma-a-biochemist-explains-how-it-works-197003" target="_blank"><u>currently working hard</u></a> to make <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://theconversation.com/customizing-mrna-is-easy-and-thats-what-makes-it-the-next-frontier-for-personalized-medicine-a-molecular-biologist-explains-216127" target="_blank"><u>personalized mRNA vaccines</u></a> for <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://theconversation.com/brain-cancer-in-children-is-notoriously-hard-to-treat-a-new-mrna-cancer-vaccine-triggers-an-attack-from-within-228666" target="_blank"><u>patients with cancer</u></a>. This involves taking a small sample of a patient's tumor and using machine learning algorithms to predict which proteins in the tumor would be the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-022-01270-x" target="_blank"><u>best targets for a vaccine</u></a>. However, this approach can be <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01674-3" target="_blank"><u>costly and difficult to manufacture</u></a>.</p><p>In contrast, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not need to be personalized, are already widely available at low or no cost around the globe, and could be administered at any time during a patient's treatment. Our findings that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09655-y" target="_blank"><u>COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have substantial antitumor effects</u></a> bring hope that they could help extend the anti-cancer benefits of mRNA vaccines to all.</p><h2 id="what-s-next-2">What's next</h2><p>In pursuit of this goal, we are preparing to test this treatment strategy in patients with a nationwide clinical trial in people with lung cancer. People receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor will be randomized to either receive a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine during treatment or not.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/cancer/universal-cancer-vaccine-heading-to-human-trials-could-be-useful-for-all-forms-of-cancer">'Universal' cancer vaccine heading to human trials could be useful for 'all forms of cancer'</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/these-decisions-were-completely-reckless-funding-cuts-to-mrna-vaccines-will-make-america-more-vulnerable-to-pandemics">'These decisions were completely reckless': Funding cuts to mRNA vaccines will make America more vulnerable to pandemics</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/cancer/new-mrna-vaccine-treats-deadly-brain-cancer-and-it-triggers-a-strong-immune-response">New mRNA vaccine for deadly brain cancer triggers a strong immune response</a></p></div></div><p>This study will tell us whether COVID-19 mRNA vaccines should be included as part of the standard of care for patients receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Ultimately, we hope that this approach will help many patients who are treated with immune therapy, and especially those who currently lack effective treatment options.</p><p>This work exemplifies how a tool born from a global pandemic may provide a new weapon against cancer and rapidly extend the benefits of existing treatments to millions of patients. By harnessing a familiar vaccine in a new way, we hope to extend the lifesaving benefits of immunotherapy to cancer patients who were previously left behind.</p><p><em>This edited article is republished from </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://theconversation.com/" target="_blank"><u><em>The Conversation</em></u></a><em> under a Creative Commons license. Read the </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-mrna-vaccines-could-unlock-the-next-revolution-in-cancer-treatment-new-research-258992" target="_blank"><u><em>original article</em></u></a>.</p><iframe allow="" height="1" width="1" id="" style="border: none !important" data-lazy-priority="low" data-lazy-src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/258992/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced"></iframe> ]]></dc:content>
645.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/cancer/covid-19-mrna-vaccines-can-trigger-the-immune-system-to-recognize-and-kill-cancer-research-finds</link>
646.                                                                            <description>
647.                            <![CDATA[ The researchers found that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines could potentially help patients whose tumors don’t respond well to traditional immunotherapy. ]]>
648.                                                                                                            </description>
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650.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hsP63eK4bcUvQj9mf2YNZa-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
651.                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Cancer]]></category>
652.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
653.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Viruses, Infections &amp; Disease]]></category>
654.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Adam Grippin ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hsP63eK4bcUvQj9mf2YNZa-1280-80.jpg">
655.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
656.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a microscope image of T cells attacking a cancer cell]]></media:text>
657.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a microscope image of T cells attacking a cancer cell]]></media:title>
658.                                                    </media:content>
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662.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Science news this week: Comets light up the skies and race toward the sun, our galaxy's mysterious glow is explained, and scientists tell us why time moves faster as we age ]]></title>
663.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>This week's science news has been comet-ing thick and fast, with a flurry of reports on three dusty space snowballs that are hurtling through our cosmic backyard.</p><p>First are the comets Lemmon and SWAN, which <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/double-comet-alert-comets-lemmon-and-swan-will-reach-their-brightest-this-week-heres-how-to-spot-them"><u>reached their peaks in brightness</u></a> in Earth's skies this week, enabling skywatchers to easily glimpse them. This led to some stunning observations, with Lemmon captured <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/superbright-comet-lemmon-flies-through-auroras-over-scotland-during-surprise-solar-storm"><u>flying through a sky drenched in auroral technicolor over Scotland</u></a> and getting its <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/superbright-comet-lemmon-gets-its-tail-temporarily-torn-to-pieces-by-solar-wind"><u>tail temporarily shredded by solar wind above Czechia</u></a> (also known as the Czech Republic).</p><p>Meanwhile, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/new-images-of-interstellar-object-3i-atlas-show-giant-jet-shooting-toward-the-sun"><u>Comet 3I/ATLAS has been snapped with its jet shooting toward the sun</u></a> as it approaches perihelion, its closest point to our star. Growing almost as rapidly as the comet's tail are tall tales online about the comet's nature, so just to be clear: No, it's almost certainly not an alien spaceship.</p><p>If asteroids are more your thing, we've got some big stories on them too, with news this week that a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/astronomers-discover-skyscraper-size-asteroid-hidden-in-suns-glare-and-its-moving-at-a-near-record-pace"><u>skyscraper-size asteroid has been discovered hiding behind the sun's glare</u></a>, while NASA's plans to visit the asteroid Apophis, the "god of Chaos," have been <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/usd20-million-nasa-mission-to-visit-god-of-chaos-asteroid-saved-from-budget-cuts-in-last-minute-decision"><u>saved from budget cuts in a last-minute decision</u></a>.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-could-the-milky-way-s-mysterious-glow-be-dark-matter"><span>Could the Milky Way's mysterious glow be dark matter?</span></h3><h2 id="mysterious-glow-at-the-milky-way-s-center-could-reshape-a-major-cosmic-theory-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/dark-matter/mysterious-glow-at-the-milky-ways-center-could-reshape-a-major-cosmic-theory">Mysterious glow at the Milky Way's center could reshape a major cosmic theory</a></h2><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="T9jmFjNsvLoKWeN6nswkxC" name="gammaraymilkyway-nfermi" alt="a map of the Milky Way showing a line of gamma ray emissions through the center" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T9jmFjNsvLoKWeN6nswkxC.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A mysterious glow at our galaxy's center could reveal where all the missing dark matter is. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA Goddard)</span></figcaption></figure><p>There's a mysterious and diffuse glow at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, a flattened disk of unusually energetic gamma rays that has puzzled astronomers for more than a decade. Now, a new study has given weight to a possible explanation: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/dark-matter/mysterious-glow-at-the-milky-ways-center-could-reshape-a-major-cosmic-theory"><u>colliding pockets of dark matter</u></a>.</p><p>The results, made using high-resolution supercomputer simulations, suggest that our galaxy's dark matter could have been squished into an oval-like shape through collisions and gravitational mergers.</p><p>The findings could lead to our first ever detection of the mysterious component thought to make up 85% of the universe's matter, solving a major cosmic mystery.</p><p><strong>Discover more space news</strong></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/astronomers-spot-giant-hidden-bridge-and-record-breaking-tail-between-2-dwarf-galaxies"><u>Astronomers spot giant hidden 'bridge' and record-breaking tail between 2 dwarf galaxies</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/james-webb-telescope-finds-that-galaxies-in-the-early-universe-were-much-more-chaotic-than-we-thought"><u>James Webb telescope finds that galaxies in the early universe were much more chaotic than we thought</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/astronomers-detect-first-heartbeat-of-a-newborn-star-hidden-within-a-powerful-cosmic-explosion"><u>Astronomers detect first 'heartbeat' of a newborn star hidden within a powerful cosmic explosion</u></a></p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-life-s-little-mysteries"><span>Life's Little Mysteries</span></h3><h2 id="are-there-any-countries-with-no-mosquitoes-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/mosquitos/are-there-any-countries-with-no-mosquitoes">Are there any countries with no mosquitoes?</a></h2><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="JiWeRLWBocj3PwWbCG79pd" name="Mount Krkjufell" alt="Mount Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall at sunrise in Iceland." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JiWeRLWBocj3PwWbCG79pd.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="900" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Iceland used to be the only country that didn't have mosquitos. But not any more. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: © Marco Bottigelli/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Mosquitos are a near-ubiquitous animal and humanity's deadliest predator — up to 110 trillion mozzies on the planet inflict illnesses upon 700 million people a year, resulting in nearly a million deaths over the same period.</p><p>So is there anywhere on the planet where the buzzing pests don't exist? We thought we knew the answer, but <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/mosquitos/are-there-any-countries-with-no-mosquitoes"><u>a surprising update changed everything this week</u></a>.</p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/newsletter"><u>If you enjoyed this, sign up for our Life's Little Mysteries newsletter</u></a></p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-why-time-moves-faster-as-we-age"><span>Why time moves faster as we age</span></h3><h2 id="new-study-reveals-why-time-seems-to-move-faster-the-older-we-get-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/new-study-reveals-why-time-seems-to-move-faster-the-older-we-get">New study reveals why time seems to move faster the older we get</a></h2><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="76mogY8A4XmcX8ccqjQTAC" name="brain-time-GettyImages-1301754977" alt="a watercolor illustration of a brain with a clock inside of it" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/76mogY8A4XmcX8ccqjQTAC.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Time moves ever faster as we age. Now scientists have found an explanation inside the brain. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure><p>It's a commonly observed adage: As we get slower, time goes by faster. There have been plenty of psychological explanations for this experience, but now <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/new-study-reveals-why-time-seems-to-move-faster-the-older-we-get"><u>scientists have finally found hints of its neurological origins</u></a>.</p><p>The process is called neural dedifferentiation, whereby the activity of different brain regions becomes less specific as we age, leading our brains to shift through fewer distinct states that it may use to mark the passage of time. And if older brains are logging fewer "events" in a given time frame, maybe that's why time seems to fly by.</p><p><strong>Discover more health news</strong></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/wellbeing/you-dont-need-to-be-very-happy-to-avoid-an-early-death-from-chronic-disease-study-finds"><u>You don't need to be very happy to avoid an early death from chronic disease, study finds</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/diagnostic-dilemma-a-toddler-accidently-ate-gonorrhea-bacteria-from-a-lab-dish"><u>Diagnostic dilemma: A toddler accidently ate gonorrhea bacteria from a lab dish</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/new-eye-implants-combined-with-augmented-reality-glasses-help-blind-people-read-again-in-small-trial"><u>New eye implants combined with augmented-reality glasses help blind people read again in small trial</u></a></p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-also-in-science-news-this-week"><span>Also in science news this week</span></h3><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/googles-breakthrough-quantum-echoes-algorithm-pushes-us-closer-to-useful-quantum-computing-running-13-000-times-faster-than-on-a-supercomputer"><u>Google's breakthrough 'Quantum Echoes' algorithm pushes us closer to useful quantum computing — running 13,000 times faster than on a supercomputer</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1-300-year-old-poop-reveals-pathogens-plagued-prehistoric-people-in-mexicos-cave-of-the-dead-children"><u>1,300-year-old poop reveals pathogens plagued prehistoric people in Mexico's 'Cave of the Dead Children'</u></a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/illegal-metal-detectorist-found-a-huge-hoard-of-roman-treasure-in-germany-and-kept-it-hidden-for-8-years"><u>'Illegal' metal detectorist found a huge hoard of Roman treasure in Germany — and kept it hidden for 8 years</u></a></p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-science-long-read"><span>Science long read</span></h3><h2 id="neanderthals-could-be-brought-back-within-20-years-but-is-it-a-good-idea-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-could-be-brought-back-within-20-years-but-is-it-a-good-idea">Neanderthals could be brought back within 20 years — but is it a good idea?</a></h2><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="WrMheJUpHJGcYKqr8DALjj" name="neanderthal-shutterstock_1595983312" alt="A recreation photograph of a Neanderthal man coming out of a cave" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WrMheJUpHJGcYKqr8DALjj.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Neanderthals died out more than 30,000 years ago, but we could be close to bringing them back. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Gorodenkoff via Shutterstock)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the Neanderthal genome was first sequenced in 2010, some scientists have tentatively proposed the resurrection of one of modern humans' closest extinct relatives (the other being Denisovans). But just how would it be done? Is it even possible? And even if we can, should we? <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-could-be-brought-back-within-20-years-but-is-it-a-good-idea"><u>Live Science sought out the answers</u></a>.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-something-for-the-weekend"><span>Something for the weekend</span></h3><p>If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best interviews, crosswords and dives into science history published this week.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/its-really-an-extraordinary-story-historian-steven-tuck-says-of-the-romans-he-tracked-who-survived-the-ad-79-eruption-of-mount-vesuvius"><u>'It's really an extraordinary story,' historian Steven Tuck says of the Romans he tracked who survived the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius</u></a> <strong>[Interview]</strong></p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/arts-entertainment/live-science-crossword-puzzle-15-explosive-death-of-a-star-11-down"><u>Live Science crossword puzzle #15: Explosive death of a star — 11 down</u></a> <strong>[Crossword]</strong></p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/chemistry/science-history-scientists-use-click-chemistry-to-watch-molecules-in-living-organisms-oct-23-2007"><u>Science history: Scientists use 'click chemistry' to watch molecules in living organisms — Oct. 23, 2007</u></a> <strong>[Science history]</strong></p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-science-in-pictures"><span>Science in pictures</span></h3><h2 id="pair-of-holy-islands-in-eerily-green-african-lake-hold-centuries-old-relics-and-mummified-emperors-earth-from-space-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/pair-of-holy-islands-in-eerily-green-african-lake-hold-centuries-old-relics-and-mummified-emperors-earth-from-space">Pair of 'holy' islands in eerily green African lake hold centuries-old relics and mummified emperors — Earth from space</a></h2><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:4928px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="3Ry5wdYuWh4Ko5CVg2ut5k" name="efs-dek-and-daga" alt="An astronaut photo of a large island and a smaller island in a milky green lake" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3Ry5wdYuWh4Ko5CVg2ut5k.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="4928" height="2772" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Ethiopia's Dek and Daga islands are home to holy relics and mummified emperors.  </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/ISS program)</span></figcaption></figure><p>This week, Live Science published a fascinating writeup on this aerial photo taken by an astronaut that shows the islands of Dek and Daga in Ethiopia's Lake Tana.</p><p>The country's northwestern, algae-infested lake hosts a number of islands (some of which only appear during the rainy season) and these islands are home in turn to a plethora of monasteries and churches. The religious buildings were built on these islands partly to protect the country's most valuable holy relics and the mummified remains of at least five emperors during times of war and upheaval.</p><h2 id="follow-live-science-on-social-media-2">Follow Live Science on social media</h2><p>Want more science news? Follow our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7Wmop5Ejy54zyohV1c" target="_blank"><u>Live Science WhatsApp Channel</u></a> for the latest discoveries as they happen. It's the best way to get our expert reporting on the go, but if you don't use WhatsApp we're also on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/livescience" target="_blank"><u>Facebook</u></a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://twitter.com/livescience" target="_blank"><u>X (formerly Twitter)</u></a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://flipboard.com/@LiveScience" target="_blank"><u>Flipboard</u></a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/live_science/" target="_blank"><u>Instagram</u></a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@livescience" target="_blank"><u>TikTok</u></a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://bsky.app/profile/livescience.com" target="_blank"><u>Bluesky</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/livescience-com" target="_blank"><u>LinkedIn</u></a>.</p> ]]></dc:content>
664.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/science-news-this-week-comets-light-up-the-skies-and-race-toward-the-sun-our-galaxys-mysterious-glow-is-explained-and-scientists-tell-us-why-time-moves-faster-as-we-age</link>
665.                                                                            <description>
666.                            <![CDATA[ Oct. 25, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend. ]]>
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670.                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
671.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ ben.turner@futurenet.com (Ben Turner) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Ben Turner ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hd8JprnPTBqbpZNZgkjqYi-1280-80.jpg">
672.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images (left), Petr Horálek (right).]]></media:credit>
673.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[The human brain as a clock and the Comet Lemmon.]]></media:text>
674.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[The human brain as a clock and the Comet Lemmon.]]></media:title>
675.                                                    </media:content>
676.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hd8JprnPTBqbpZNZgkjqYi-1280-80.jpg" />
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679.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthals were more susceptible to lead poisoning than humans — which helped us gain an advantage over our cousins, scientists say  ]]></title>
680.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Humans and our ancestors have been exposed to lead for up to 2 million years, researchers have discovered — overturning the belief that lead poisoning is a relatively modern phenomenon.</p><p>What's more, widespread exposure to the toxic metal may have affected the evolution of our species' communication abilities. This would have given <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/homo-sapiens.html"><u><em>Homo sapiens</em></u></a><em> </em>a key advantage over our cousins, the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals-our-extinct-human-relatives"><u>Neanderthals</u></a>, who were more susceptible to lead's toxic effects, the study suggests.</p><p>"Evolution often advances through adversity. Stressors like drought, food/water scarcity, or toxins don’t just threaten survival; they can also drive the selection of traits that make species more adaptable," said study co-author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.scu.edu.au/about/contacts/directory/107694/" target="_blank"><u>Renaud Joannes-Boyau</u></a>, professor and head of the Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group (GARG) at Southern Cross University in Australia. "Lead exposure may be one such hidden force in our evolutionary history," he told Live Science in an email.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_EUZx3qaa_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="EUZx3qaa">            <div id="botr_EUZx3qaa_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>However, experts noted the study has limitations, as it estimates lead exposure by measuring lead levels in the teeth of many human and related species.</p><p>"It is not obvious whether the amounts of lead detected in the ancient teeth actually were enough to have an impact on health," said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.anthropology.wisc.edu/staff/hawks-john/" target="_blank"><u>John Hawks</u></a>, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who was not involved in the study. "Measurements of chemicals in tooth enamel have become incredibly sensitive. It may be that they are detecting such small levels that made no difference," he told Live Science in an email.</p><p>Lead is toxic, and high levels of the metal in the body can cause multiple health issues, particularly in children, according to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11312-lead-poisoning" target="_blank"><u>Cleveland Clinic</u></a>. It can damage the nervous system, particularly the brain, and other organs and cause severe learning and behavioral problems.</p><p>Nowadays, most lead poisoning is the result of human activities and products, such as paint, mining and smelting, according to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead" target="_blank"><u>Environmental Protection Agency</u></a>.</p><p>But lead also occurs naturally and can be "found throughout Earth's crust, practically in all rocks, soils, sediments, and waterways at various concentrations," the researchers wrote in the study, published Oct. 15 in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr1524" target="_blank"><u>Science Advances</u></a>.</p><p>"Animals, including humans, can be exposed to substantial levels of lead by drinking contaminated water, ingesting contaminated food, or inhaling polluted air (e.g., smoke from fire and dust storms)," the team added.</p><h2 id="contaminated-teeth-2">Contaminated teeth</h2><p>In the new study, researchers looked at 51 fossilized teeth dating to between 1.8 million and 100,000 years ago from a variety of species, including <em>Homo sapiens </em>and our closest relatives, Neanderthals, as well as relatives such as <em>Australopithecus africanus</em> and <em>Paranthropus robustus</em>, and the extinct ape <em>Gigantopithecus blacki</em>.</p><p>"Teeth form incrementally during childhood, so they preserve a detailed record of early-life exposure, the period when the brain is most vulnerable," Joannes-Boyau said.</p><p>The analysis revealed that 73% of the samples showed "clear signals of episodic lead exposure," according to the study<strong>. </strong>This shows that lead exposure is not a modern phenomenon but has instead impacted human ancestors and relatives for millions of years.</p><p>Exposure levels varied, with some lower than modern industrial levels and some higher, but were generally enough to cause impacts in a young, developing brain, Joannes-Boyau noted.</p><h2 id="growing-minibrains-2">Growing minibrains</h2><p>To investigate how lead exposure may have shaped the development of <em>Homo sapiens</em>, the researchers created two different versions of brain "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/minibrains-brain-organoids-explained"><u>organoids</u></a>" — miniature, simplified models of full-size human brains.</p><p>Each organoid version featured different variants of the gene NOVA1. Modern humans have a unique version of this gene that's important for <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8006534/" target="_blank"><u>brain development</u></a> and has also been linked to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/speech-gene-seen-only-in-modern-humans-may-have-helped-us-evolve-to-talk"><u>language skills</u></a>. Neanderthals and other human relatives have a slightly different version of this gene.</p><p>When exposed to lead, the organoid with the modern NOVA1 gene showed greater resistance to the toxic metal than the organoid with the archaic variant. In particular, the <em>Homo sapiens</em> NOVA1 version seemed to help maintain the activity of a gene called FOXP2, which plays a crucial role in the development of human speech and language.</p><p>"When the brain is exposed to stressors like lead, the modern NOVA1 variant helps maintain stable FOXP2 function, protecting pathways linked to speech, communication, and cognition," Joannes-Boyau said.</p><p>In contrast, in the brain organoid with the archaic variant of NOVA1, FOXP2 expression was altered when exposed to lead.</p><p>Study co-author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pmto.ucsd.edu/faculty/muotri-alysson.html" target="_blank"><u>Alysson Muotri</u></a>, director of the University of California San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Education and Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research Center, noted that this could have given humans an evolutionary advantage.</p><p>"Most likely, the modern variant NOVA1 emerged after lead exposure, but was rapidly selected as it gave us an advantage over other hominids," such as Neanderthals, he told Live Science in an email. "This is another example of evolution in action."</p><p>But the data on the NOVA1 gene is open to interpretation, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://anthropology.osu.edu/people/guatelli-steinbe.1" target="_blank"><u>Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg</u></a>, professor in the Department of Anthropology at The Ohio State University, told Live Science in an email.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-could-be-brought-back-within-20-years-but-is-it-a-good-idea">Neanderthals could be brought back within 20 years — but is it a good idea?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/who-was-the-last-neanderthal">Who was the last Neanderthal?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/cdc-standard-lead-poisoning-young-kids">Number of kids diagnosed with lead poisoning could double with new CDC standard</a></p></div></div><p>"The authors argue that the human NOVA1 variant gave humans a competitive advantage over other hominins, including Neanderthals," Guatelli-Steinberg said. "This idea is speculative."</p><p>Hawks said the study raises questions about how these ancient human ancestors and relatives were exposed to lead. "Did they take in lead when they used sparkly minerals as pigments?" Hawks said." Did they absorb it in pollutants from burning? Or from the plant foods they ate? These are open questions. I'd love to know the answers."</p><h2 id="neanderthal-quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-our-closest-relatives-7"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthal-quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-our-closest-relatives" target="_blank">Neanderthal quiz</a>: How much do you know about our closest relatives?</h2><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-XbxaDW"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/XbxaDW.js" async></script> ]]></dc:content>
681.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-were-more-susceptible-to-lead-poisoning-than-humans-which-helped-us-gain-an-advantage-over-our-cousins-scientists-say</link>
682.                                                                            <description>
683.                            <![CDATA[ Humans and our ancestors have been exposed to lead for 2 million years, but the toxic metal may have actually helped our species to develop language — giving us a key advantage over our Neanderthal cousins, scientists claim. ]]>
684.                                                                                                            </description>
685.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">dkAMDfjqHxhpKpRAvBh7UN</guid>
686.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qq3pvPSDCEJ7xwfXPLSHta-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
687.                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
688.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
689.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ james.price@futurenet.com (James Price) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ James Price ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qq3pvPSDCEJ7xwfXPLSHta-1280-80.jpg">
690.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Joe McNally via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
691.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a recreation of a Neanderthal woman]]></media:text>
692.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a recreation of a Neanderthal woman]]></media:title>
693.                                                    </media:content>
694.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qq3pvPSDCEJ7xwfXPLSHta-1280-80.jpg" />
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696.                    <item>
697.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Meat eaten by city-dwelling Americans produces more CO2 than the entire UK — but there are easy ways to slash it ]]></title>
698.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The meat consumed in U.S. cities creates the equivalent of 363 million tons (329 million metric tons) of carbon emissions per year, a new study finds.</p><p>That's more than the entire annual carbon emissions from the U.K. of 336 million tons (305 million metric tons).</p><p>Even though city dwellers are estimated to eat roughly similar amounts of meat per person on average across the U.S., the "carbon hoofprint" — the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/37821-greenhouse-gases.html"><u>greenhouse gas</u></a> emissions from beef, pork and chicken consumption — varies substantially depending on where and how the animals are reared and processed, according to a study published Monday (Oct. 20) in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02450-7" target="_blank"><u>Nature Climate Change</u></a>.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_1UsnOhzg_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="1UsnOhzg">            <div id="botr_1UsnOhzg_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>By tracing the route from where the animal feed is produced all the way to where the meat is ultimately eaten, the researchers revealed that the largest hoofprint per person — in Richmond, Missouri — is more than three times that of the smallest hoofprint per person, in Houghton, Michigan.</p><p>The amount of greenhouse gases emitted varies significantly because each city "has different sourcing geographies, and [there are] different production practices across the country," study co-author <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://seas.umich.edu/research/faculty/benjamin-goldstein" target="_blank"><u>Benjamin Goldstein</u></a>, an assistant professor of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, told Live Science.</p><p>Although scientists already had a good idea of the greenhouse gas footprint of meat at the regional or national level, city-level information is needed to combat these emissions, the researchers wrote in the study.</p><p>To fill this gap, the scientists developed a model, funded in part by organizations in the animal agriculture and food retail sectors, that mapped the meat supply chain for 3,531 cities in the mainland U.S., covering 93% of the U.S. population.</p><p>The team used county-level data from a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/continuousnhanes/overview.aspx?BeginYear=2019" target="_blank"><u>national health and nutrition survey</u></a> and the 2017 U.S. census to estimate the amount of meat consumed per person in each city. Then, they reconstructed the connections linking the 3,143 counties involved in animal feed production, animal husbandry and meat processing to every urban area.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:55.00%;"><img id="UZe7wN6Who3Wcoiu4vRJ5J" name="Goldstein et al_carbon hoofprint us city map" alt="Map of the mainland United States with cities colour-coded by meat-related carbon dioxide emissions." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UZe7wN6Who3Wcoiu4vRJ5J.png" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="880" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The average annual "carbon hoofprint" for each person across 3,531 U.S. cities. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Figure reproduced from: Goldstein et al., (2025) Nature Climate Change. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02450-7">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02450-7. </a>© The Author(s), 2025. Licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND 4.0</a>)</span></figcaption></figure><p>They found that 5.1 million tons (4.6 million metric tons) of chicken, 4.1 million tons (3.7 million metric tons) of beef and 3 million tons (2.7 million metric tons) of pork are eaten by residents of U.S. cities every year — producing a combined carbon hoofprint of 362 million tons of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Carbon_dioxide_equivalent" target="_blank"><u>carbon dioxide equivalent</u></a>. This is comparable to the carbon emissions from U.S. domestic fossil fuel use, which stands at 368 million tons (334 million metric tons).</p><p>Beef production makes up 73% of the hoofprint, on average, but the contribution varies by city, depending on whether the cows graze or are in feedlots. The intensity of greenhouse gas emissions for beef varies by a factor of 4.3 across cities, while chicken varies by a factor of 4.9 and pork by 15.</p><p>Differences in feed production is the main reason for this variation, including the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703793114" target="_blank"><u>rates of nitrogen fertilizer application</u></a> and resulting nitrous oxide emissions, the researchers wrote in the study.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/64530-plant-focused-diet-helps-humans-earth.html"><u>Reducing or eliminating beef consumption</u></a> is already recognized as important for our planet's health. This new research found that halving edible food waste, eating chicken instead of beef, and having a meatless day once a week would slash a city's carbon hoofprint by 51% — a "nontrivial" contribution toward aligning diets with the requirements of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/paris-agreement"><u>2015 Paris Agreement</u></a>, Goldstein said.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/co2-levels-reach-record-new-high-locking-in-more-global-warming">CO2 levels reach record new high, locking in more global warming</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/china-issues-new-pledge-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions-is-it-now-a-global-leader-in-climate-action">China issues new pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions — is it now a global leader in climate action?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/we-are-teetering-on-a-planetary-tightrope-cut-emissions-in-half-right-now-to-prevent-climate-catastrophe-un-warns">'We are teetering on a planetary tightrope': Cut emissions in half right now to prevent climate catastrophe, UN warns</a></p></div></div><p>While the study clarified the links connecting rural food producers and urban consumers, "I'd say the broad contours of what we need to do remain unchanged," Goldstein added. "There's still no such thing as a low carbon cow."</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://cee.princeton.edu/people/anu-ramaswami" target="_blank"><u>Anu Ramaswami</u></a>, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University who was not involved in the research, noted that the model the researchers developed in the study was well crafted and that revealing variation in hoofprints across cities is "very new and insightful."</p><p>Although the conclusion that beef production is the largest greenhouse gas emitter is not new, the research does highlight that individuals do not have to become vegan or vegetarian to have a meaningful impact on the carbon hoofprint, she told Live Science in an email. The proposed shift from beef to other meats is a "more viable" dietary intervention than eliminating meat altogether, Ramaswami added.</p> ]]></dc:content>
699.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/meat-eaten-by-city-dwelling-americans-produces-more-co2-than-the-entire-uk-but-there-are-easy-ways-to-slash-it</link>
700.                                                                            <description>
701.                            <![CDATA[ Halving how much edible food is thrown away, swapping beef for pork or chicken and having one meatless day a week could slash the carbon "hoofprint" of U.S. cities by up to 51%, a new study finds. ]]>
702.                                                                                                            </description>
703.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">Abr2M3LRuAFZkPQJWmy7i4</guid>
704.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aWoksyRB2S2XobF9bSp46e-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
705.                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 09:30:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Climate change]]></category>
706.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
707.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sophie Berdugo ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aWoksyRB2S2XobF9bSp46e-1280-80.png">
708.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Raul Ortin via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
709.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Three brown cows behind bars]]></media:text>
710.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Three brown cows behind bars]]></media:title>
711.                                                    </media:content>
712.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aWoksyRB2S2XobF9bSp46e-1280-80.png" />
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714.                    <item>
715.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Why does pooping feel so good? ]]></title>
716.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>You've downed a cup of strong coffee, and soon you have an urge to poop. After you've done your business, you feel a sense of relief. So why does that bowel movement feel so satisfying?</p><p>"For something that is one of the most common things humans do, I still think we're lacking in complete understanding of how pooping works and why it offers relief," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.seattlechildrens.org/directory/hannibal-person" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Hannibal Person</u></a>, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Seattle Children's Hospital, told Live Science. There are many physical, behavioral and psychological factors that could contribute to this feeling.</p><p>As the bowels fill up, nerve endings communicate an uncomfortable stretching sensation to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/29365-human-brain.html"><u>brain</u></a>. The expansion stimulates the internal sphincter of the anus to open involuntarily. Typically, thanks to the external sphincter, we don't immediately poop.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_jpsvwBYq_pBYGc5Ws_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="pBYGc5Ws"            data-playlist-id="jpsvwBYq">            <div id="botr_jpsvwBYq_pBYGc5Ws_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Sign up for our newsletter</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><figure class="van-image-figure "  ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' ><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="Vikzz54ZHkr7YdtP8LSvth" name="XLS-M Multi signup" caption="" alt="The words 'Life Little Mysteries' over a blue background" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vikzz54ZHkr7YdtP8LSvth.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="" height="" attribution="" endorsement="" class="pinterest-pin-exclude"></p></div></div></figure><p class="fancy-box__body-text">Sign up for our weekly <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/newsletter">Life's Little Mysteries newsletter</a> to get the latest mysteries before they appear online.</p></div></div><p>"We can clench our anus, tighten up our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/what-is-the-pelvic-floor"><u>pelvic floor</u></a>, even flex other muscles, like our hamstring, to kind of hold things back," Person said. But that uncomfortable pressure tells us to get to a bathroom.</p><p>Emptying out the bowels by releasing stool relieves this pressure, which feels good. This has been implied in functional MRI <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nmo.14389" target="_blank"><u>studies</u></a> of the brain, said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/biographies/harris-lucinda-a-m-d/bio-20054572" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Lucinda Harris</u></a>, a gastroenterologist and motility specialist at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Arizona.</p><p>"When you relieve the distension, areas like the anterior cingulate gyrus and the insula show a reward response," she said. These regions of the brain play a role in reacting to pain and relief of pain.</p><p>The gut communicates to the brain via the vagus nerve, one of the major cranial nerves. Evacuating the bowels stimulates the vagus nerve. This can lower a person's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/42219-blood-pressure.html"><u>blood pressure</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/42081-normal-heart-rate.html"><u>heart rate</u></a>, creating a relaxing feeling, Person said. Relieving the pressure and discomfort can also reinforce the behavior in a positive way.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED MYSTERIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/why-does-drinking-water-feel-so-good-when-youre-thirsty">Why does drinking water feel so good when you're thirsty?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/how-much-can-your-stomach-expand-after-a-big-meal">How much can your stomach expand after a big meal?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/what-happens-when-you-hold-in-a-fart">What happens when you hold in a fart?</a></p></div></div><p>While less understood than the effect on the vagus nerve, a bowel movement may also <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16199635/" target="_blank"><u>stimulate the pudendal nerve</u></a>, said Person. This main nerve of the pelvis helps control the tension of the pelvic floor.</p><p>Holding back poop tenses up the pelvic floor muscles. "If people are holding on or tight, that creates more pain and tension in the area," Harris said. "Teaching people to relax those muscles is extremely important."</p> ]]></dc:content>
717.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/why-does-pooping-feel-so-good</link>
718.                                                                            <description>
719.                            <![CDATA[ Here's the science behind why going number two can bring a sense of relief. ]]>
720.                                                                                                            </description>
721.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">TdzVtErTbQfztAg2oCMBFe</guid>
722.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vnSNVEA5MAF9PpUgm5Jkdi-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
723.                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
724.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Dani Leviss ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vnSNVEA5MAF9PpUgm5Jkdi-1280-80.jpg">
725.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Peter Cade/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
726.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Man in night clothes running to toilet.]]></media:text>
727.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Man in night clothes running to toilet.]]></media:title>
728.                                                    </media:content>
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730.                                                                                        </item>
731.                    <item>
732.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Two spacecraft will pass right through comet 3I/ATLAS' tail ]]></title>
733.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>All sorts of crazy things have been suggested regarding <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/3i-atlas-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-interstellar-visitor-shooting-through-the-solar-system">3I/ATLAS</a>, the third known interstellar object that we've discovered. Some are simply conspiracy theories about it being an alien spacecraft, while others have been well-thought out suggestions, like using Martian-based probes to observe the comet as it streaked past the red planet.</p><p>A new paper pre-published on arXiv and accepted for publication by the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society by Samuel Grand and Geraint Jones, of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and ESA respectively, falls into the latter category, and suggests utilizing two spacecraft already en route to their separate destinations to potentially detect ions from the object's spectacular tail that has formed as it approaches <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/the-sun">the Sun</a>.</p><p>Those two spacecraft are Hera and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/europa-clipper-blasts-off-whats-next-for-nasas-biggest-ever-interplanetary-spacecraft">Europa Clipper</a> - both of which are on their way to missions in drastically different parts of the solar system. Hera is on its way to Didymos-Dimorphos, the binary asteroid that was impacted by the DART mission in 2022. Europa Clipper, as its name suggests, is on its way to Europa, one of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, intending to study its ice.</p><p>But, as luck would have it, both spacecraft are going to pass "downwind" of 3I/IATLAS in the next two weeks. Hera will have a window between October 25th and November 1st, whereas Europa Clipper will have a window between October 30th and November 6th.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="uJkJUw7u">            <div id="botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>A few weeks isn't a whole lot of time to set up a rapid experiment to run a test that neither spacecraft were designed for. But sometimes science means doing the best with what you have, and in this case, these two spacecraft are our best bet to study the tail of an interstellar comet.</p><p>That tail has been consistently growing since the comet's discovery in early June. Recent reports of its "gushing" water indicate how massive the tail has become, leaving a wake of water particles, but potentially more importantly, ions, behind it. The comet also recently moved out of view from Earth-based systems, though assumedly its tail will continue to grow until it reaches perihelion on October 29th.</p><p>As the paper explains, ending up in part of its tail isn't as simple as passing directly behind it as it moves through the solar system - the solar wind pushes the particles out farther from the Sun, following a curved path away from the comet. The speed at which the wind hits those particles plays a major role in where they would be, and therefore where exactly the spacecraft would have to pass through to collect data on the tail directly.</p><p>To make those estimates, the authors used a model called "Tailcatcher" that estimates where the path of the cometary ions will go based on different wind speeds. It then calculated the "minimum miss distance" for a given spacecraft for the central axis of the comet's tail. Unfortunately, the model is only as accurate as the solar wind data, which typically is only collected definitively ex post facto - and certainly not enough time to help with this potential mission objective.</p><p>Even with the best estimates of the program, the two spacecraft would be millions of km away from the central axis - around 8.2 million for Hera and 8 million for Europa Clipper. However, that is still within range of being able to collect data on the ions from the tail directly as they can spread over millions of kilometers from very active comets like 3I/ATLAS.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/closest-view-yet-of-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-captured-by-mars-orbiter">'Closest view' yet of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured by Mars orbiter</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/comet-3i-atlas-is-losing-water-like-a-fire-hose-on-full-blast-rewriting-what-we-thought-we-knew-about-alien-star-systems">Comet 3I/ATLAS is losing water 'like a fire hose' on full blast, 'rewriting what we thought we knew' about alien star systems</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/superbright-comet-lemmon-gets-its-tail-temporarily-torn-to-pieces-by-solar-wind">Superbright 'Comet Lemmon' gets its tail temporarily torn to pieces by solar wind</a></p></div></div><p>The downside of this plan is that at least one of the spacecraft - Hera - doesn't have any instruments that could potentially detect either the ions expected in the tail, nor the magnetic "draping structure" that characterizes what the comet's atmosphere does to the magnetic field carried by the solar wind. However, Europa Clipper does - it's plasma instrument and magnetometer are exactly what would be needed to directly detect those ions and magnetic field changes.</p><p>Acting on this bit of serendipity is difficult to say the least - but it's also very time constrained. It's unclear whether the mission controllers for Hera, or perhaps more importantly, Europa Clipper, will see the message in time to do anything about their potential journey through the coma. But if they do, they might be the first in human history to directly sample and interstellar comet's tail - and wouldn't that be something to brag about that had nothing to do with their original intended mission?</p><p><em>The</em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.universetoday.com/articles/hera-and-europa-clipper-will-pass-through-3iatlas-tail" target="_blank"><em> </em><u><em>original version</em></u></a><em> of this article was published on</em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.universetoday.com/" target="_blank"><em> </em><u><em>Universe Today</em></u></a><em>.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
734.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/two-spacecraft-will-pass-right-through-comet-3i-atlas-tail</link>
735.                                                                            <description>
736.                            <![CDATA[ Two ESA spacecraft, Hera and Europa Clipper, are poised to fly through the long tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, a new paper finds. ]]>
737.                                                                                                            </description>
738.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">r7aaKL5hzvR4Kcve4SyKVA</guid>
739.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xZ7EnKNq8oaynwTovpSPeY-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
740.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 22:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Space Exploration]]></category>
741.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
742.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Andy Tomaswick ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xZ7EnKNq8oaynwTovpSPeY-1280-80.jpg">
743.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech (IfA/U. Hawaii)Image Processing: Jen Miller &amp; Mahdi Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)]]></media:credit>
744.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Photograph of a string of blue, red and green lights against a starry background]]></media:text>
745.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Photograph of a string of blue, red and green lights against a starry background]]></media:title>
746.                                                    </media:content>
747.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xZ7EnKNq8oaynwTovpSPeY-1280-80.jpg" />
748.                                                                                        </item>
749.                    <item>
750.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 1,400-year-old hieroglyphs reveal name of powerful Maya queen ]]></title>
751.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>By deciphering hieroglyphic inscriptions on centuries-old rocks, researchers have identified the name of a previously unknown <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/41781-the-maya.html"><u>Maya</u></a> queen. Known as Ix Ch'ak Ch'een, she ruled Cobá, or the "city of choppy water," in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula in the sixth century, according to a translated <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.inah.gob.mx/boletines/epigrafistas-identifican-a-ix-chak-cheen-mujer-que-goberno-coba" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a> from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).</p><p>Cobá was a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ancient-mesoamerica/article/abs/coba-quintana-roo-mexico-a-recent-analysis-of-the-social-economic-and-political-organization-of-a-major-maya-urban-center/A0AC326B8D657A1F3C909738DF2D2EAB" target="_blank"><u>major urban center</u></a> in the Maya world and was occupied from around 350 B.C. to the 14th century. It had a core of elite houses <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.themayanruinswebsite.com/coba2.html" target="_blank"><u>built around four lakes</u></a>, along with thousands of residential structures, numerous white stone roads and several pyramids.</p><p>In 2024, archaeologists with INAH discovered an extensive hieroglyphic text carved into a stone staircase at Cobá, which they named the Foundation Rock, according to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://theyucatantimes.com/2024/11/this-is-the-rock-of-foundation-a-mayan-hieroglyphic-text-recently-discovered-in-coba/" target="_blank"><u>The Yucatan Times</u></a>. Erosion had badly damaged the Foundation Rock, making it difficult to translate the 123 hieroglyph panels. But additional discoveries, including 23 stelae — freestanding inscribed stone pillars — have provided clues to help experts interpret the texts.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_7lNBFTMW_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="7lNBFTMW">            <div id="botr_7lNBFTMW_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Ancient Mayan text experts <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://art.utexas.edu/people/david-stuart" target="_blank"><u>David Stuart</u></a> of the University of Texas at Austin and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://web.siia.unam.mx/siia-publico/c/busqueda_individual.php?id=144584" target="_blank"><u>Octavio Esparza Olguín</u></a> of the National Autonomous University of Mexico recently matched one panel from the Cobá Foundation Rock with two stelae from the site and realized they referred to the same person: Ix Ch'ak Ch'een.</p><p>Although the Foundation Rock mentions the coronation of Ix Ch'ak Ch'een, the specific dates for her reign are unclear. However, the Maya queen's name is mentioned in association with building projects that included a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/65611-how-to-play-maya-ballgame.html"><u>ball court</u></a>, the construction of which is noted to have happened around the date 9.7.0.0.0 in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/anthropologist-claims-hand-positions-on-1-300-year-old-maya-altar-have-a-deeper-meaning"><u>Maya calendar</u></a>, or Dec. 8, 573.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1212px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.27%;"><img id="kBnCtpWz9EWyAGcEcrxWJc" name="Mayaqueen-INAH-2" alt="photo model of the Foundation Rock at Coba, Mexico" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kBnCtpWz9EWyAGcEcrxWJc.png" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1212" height="682" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Foundation Rock from Cobá </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Photogrammetric model by Salvador Medina and Francisco Luna; INAH)</span></figcaption></figure><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/maya-rubber-balls-cremation">Rubber balls used in famous Maya game contained ashes of cremated rulers, archaeologists claim</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/maya-civilization-had-16-million-people-at-peak-new-study-finds-twice-the-population-of-modern-day-nyc">Maya civilization had 16 million people at peak, new study finds — twice the population of modern-day NYC</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/anthropologist-claims-hand-positions-on-1-300-year-old-maya-altar-have-a-deeper-meaning">Anthropologist claims hand positions on 1,300-year-old Maya altar have a deeper meaning</a></p></div></div><p>Ix Ch'ak Ch'een may have been a particularly powerful queen, as the researchers have linked her to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.mesoweb.com/es/gobernantes/Kaan/testigo_celeste.html" target="_blank"><u>Testigo Cielo</u></a>, a ruler of the politically and militarily influential Kaan kingdom that was part of the Maya civilization and known for its snake kings.</p><p>Female rulers among the Maya were <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ancient-mesoamerica/article/abs/whats-in-a-name/C955E5FBDD0827DFE696FEEBF872E45A" target="_blank"><u>rare</u></a> — with only a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-experts/were-there-any-lady-maya-rulers" target="_blank"><u>couple dozen</u></a> known compared to hundreds of kings — but during the Late Classic period (550 to 830), prominent women such as the "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/golden-kingdoms-red-queen-women-of-power" target="_blank"><u>Red Queen</u></a>" came to power. The Red Queen ruled the Maya city of Palenque in the mid-seventh century.</p><p>According to Esparza, research on the Foundation Rock has already provided essential information on dynastic rulers and historical events that happened at Cobá, but their investigation is ongoing.</p><h2 id="ancient-maya-quiz-what-do-you-know-about-the-civilization-that-built-pyramids-across-mesoamerica-2"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-maya-quiz-what-do-you-know-about-the-civilization-that-built-pyramids-across-mesoamerica">Ancient Maya quiz</a>: What do you know about the civilization that built pyramids across Mesoamerica?</h2><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-eyAkve"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/eyAkve.js" async></script> ]]></dc:content>
752.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1-400-year-old-hieroglyphs-reveal-name-of-powerful-maya-queen</link>
753.                                                                            <description>
754.                            <![CDATA[ Mayan language experts have decoded the name of a previously unknown Maya queen on a stone inscription discovered last year. ]]>
755.                                                                                                            </description>
756.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">P5mvuuf3hAPmQNBGduUQtF</guid>
757.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JBqjArfiEQiyKyTEcJ3TVB-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
758.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 20:39:36 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
759.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JBqjArfiEQiyKyTEcJ3TVB-1280-80.png">
760.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Octavio Esparza; INAH]]></media:credit>
761.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a standing stone from the Maya world decorated with a person and hieroglyphs]]></media:text>
762.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a standing stone from the Maya world decorated with a person and hieroglyphs]]></media:title>
763.                                                    </media:content>
764.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JBqjArfiEQiyKyTEcJ3TVB-1280-80.png" />
765.                                                                                        </item>
766.                    <item>
767.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthals could be brought back within 20 years — but is it a good idea? ]]></title>
768.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>When scientists sequenced the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1188021" target="_blank"><u>Neanderthal genome</u></a> in 2010, they learned that Neanderthals <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/modern-human-ancestors-and-neanderthals-mated-during-a-7-000-year-long-pulse-2-new-studies-reveal"><u>interbred</u></a> with human ancestors before mysteriously going extinct. As a result, many people alive today share up to 4% of their DNA with Neanderthals.</p><p>This genetic breakthrough yielded powerful new information about the evolutionary history of Neanderthals and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/homo-sapiens.html"><u><em>Homo sapiens</em></u></a>, but it also raised a new question: Could we bring back <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals-our-extinct-human-relatives"><u>Neanderthals</u></a>?</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/george-church/" target="_blank"><u>George Church</u></a>, a Harvard University professor of genetics, answered this question in the affirmative in an interview with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/george-church-explains-how-dna-will-be-construction-material-of-the-future-a-877634.html" target="_blank"><u>Der Spiegel</u></a> in 2013. Church said that, by chopping the Neanderthal genome up into thousands of chunks and reassembling them in a human stem cell, this "would enable you to finally create a Neanderthal clone," which would require an "extremely adventurous female human" to serve as a surrogate.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_EUZx3qaa_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="EUZx3qaa">            <div id="botr_EUZx3qaa_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>In 2025, the company that Church co-founded, Colossal Biosciences, made news for <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/colossals-de-extincted-dire-wolf-isnt-a-dire-wolf-and-it-has-not-been-de-extincted-experts-say"><u>"de-extincting" the dire wolf</u></a> through cloning and gene editing, creating genetically-engineered <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/land-mammals/colossal-creates-woolly-mouse-in-new-step-towards-mammoth-de-extinction"><u>"woolly mice"</u></a>, and announcing plans to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/sep/17/dodo-birds-gene-editing-advance" target="_blank"><u>de-extinct the dodo</u></a>. Their eventual goal is to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/closer-than-people-think-woolly-mammoth-de-extinction-is-nearing-reality-and-we-have-no-idea-what-happens-next"><u>de-extinct woolly mammoths</u></a>.</p><p>But although Church was confident a decade ago that Neanderthal resurrection was a near-term possibility, other experts told Live Science that doing so is currently an insurmountably difficult task. Even if we could bring them back, there are many reasons we shouldn't, they argue.</p><p>"That is one of the most unethical things I can possibly think of to attempt — full stop," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://anthropology.ku.edu/people/jennifer-raff" target="_blank"><u>Jennifer Raff</u></a>, a biological anthropologist at the University of Kansas, told Live Science of the idea of bringing them back.</p><h2 id="can-we-resurrect-a-neanderthal-2">Can we resurrect a Neanderthal?</h2><p>Resurrecting a Neanderthal is not technologically simple. "You can't just put a Neanderthal genome in a human egg," Raff said. "It just wouldn't work."</p><p>One issue with this process is potential immune system incompatibility, which is often what dooms cross-species pregnancies, as the host uterus rejects the fetus. (It's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/are-neanderthals-and-homo-sapiens-the-same-species"><u>still debated</u></a> whether modern humans and Neanderthals can be called separate species.)</p><p>Although humans and Neanderthals did successfully interbreed in the past, today there is at most 4% Neanderthal DNA remaining in some human groups. "That other DNA might not have been beneficial and so it was slowly purged out of the genome," Raff said.</p><p>Additionally, experts have discovered that humans' <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/the-mystery-of-the-disappearing-neanderthal-y-chromosome"><u>Y chromosomes lack Neanderthal</u></a> DNA, which may point to a fundamental immune system incompatibility between male Neanderthal fetuses and the female <em>Homo sapiens</em> carrying them, even in the past. And a genetic <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.29.679417v1" target="_blank"><u>variant in red blood cells</u></a> in Neanderthal-human hybrid mothers might have resulted in high rates of miscarriage, according to other research.</p><p>Reintroducing Neanderthal genes that were removed by <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html"><u>natural selection</u></a> over thousands of years into a modern human egg would likely have many unintended consequences, Raff said.</p><p>Another route would be cloning, but in order to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/why-no-human-cloning"><u>clone</u></a> one of our extinct cousins, "we would need a live Neanderthal cell," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://law.stanford.edu/henry-t-greely/" target="_blank"><u>Hank Greely</u></a>, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University, told Live Science, which we obviously don't have because Neanderthals died out more than 30,000 years ago.</p><p>With today's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/58790-crispr-explained.html"><u>CRISPR</u></a> technology — a form of genome editing — it is possible to modify a human cell's genome to make it more similar to a Neanderthal's. That's what Colossal did when it <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/our-animals-are-gray-wolves-colossal-didnt-de-extinct-dire-wolves-chief-scientist-clarifies"><u>modified a handful of genes in gray wolves</u></a> to make them look more like dire wolves. But those weren't actually dire wolves, just like a <em>Homo sapiens</em> with a handful of Neanderthal genes wouldn't be a Neanderthal.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  extended-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:52.76%;"><img id="FzfdBS2E9FAhuPtoxnk29h" name="skull-GettyImages-2171189147" alt="a scientist holds a skull in their hands with a series of screens in the background" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FzfdBS2E9FAhuPtoxnk29h.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1013" attribution="" endorsement="" class="extended"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" extended-layout"><span class="caption-text">Resurrecting a Neanderthal would be technologically difficult and ethically fraught. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: EvgeniyShkolenko via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure><p>What's more, CRISPR isn't error proof, and it's difficult to incorporate many genetic changes at once.</p><p>"You might be able to make 20 to 50 changes now," Greely said, but "at some point, you'll be able to change the entire thing."</p><p>While CRISPR technology can be used to cut and modify DNA sequences, a new technique known as base editing, in which scientists change individual letters in DNA's code, may make it easier and faster to precisely edit genomes in the future.</p><p>"I think it's likely that, if you really wanted to do it, within 20 years or so, you could probably have a baby with a wholly Neanderthal genome born alive," Greely said. "But I don't think we will do it, even if it is plausible, for both ethical and legal reasons."</p><h2 id="is-de-extincting-a-neanderthal-ethical-2">Is de-extincting a Neanderthal ethical?</h2><p>De-extincting Neanderthals is ethically repugnant, experts told Live Science. "It's morally abhorrent to even conceive of trying to create another kind of human based on DNA using uncertain technologies to which they could not consent," Raff said.</p><p>But human babies come into the world every day without consenting to being born, Greely said. To him, ensuring the safety of the process and the outcome is the more important ethical issue at hand.</p><p>Patients undergoing in vitro fertilization can spare their children certain inherited diseases by selecting embryos without those gene mutations, or by <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/8-babies-spared-from-potentially-deadly-inherited-diseases-through-new-mitochondrial-donation-trial"><u>mitochondrial donation</u></a>, where IVF doctors transfer healthy mitochondria into an embryo to lower the risk of an inherited disease. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/64166-first-genetically-modified-babies-risks.html"><u>Editing the genomes</u></a> of human embryos, however, remains <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/64166-first-genetically-modified-babies-risks.html"><u>controversial</u></a>, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04105-7" target="_blank"><u>unproven and risky</u></a>.</p><p>"We don't have experience in editing human embryos to show it's safe," Greely said, which means there is currently "no evidence that transforming them into Neanderthal embryos would be safe."</p><p>Even if the Neanderthal embryos could develop into an otherwise healthy Neanderthal, the life they would face once in our world would be unbearably bleak.</p><p>Being the only Neanderthal raised in a 21st-century world of humans would likely be <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/dna-of-thorin-one-of-the-last-neanderthals-finally-sequenced-revealing-inbreeding-and-50-000-years-of-genetic-isolation"><u>lonely and isolating</u></a>, possibly like the lives of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/who-was-the-last-neanderthal"><u>last Neanderthals</u></a> in Europe. "They wouldn't have prior generations or peers to learn from," Raff said.</p><p>And that's the best-case scenario. The darker possibility is that we would keep any de-extincted Neanderthals in zoos like animals, Raff said, which is abhorrent because "Neanderthals are human — they're just a different kind of human."</p><p>Humans don't have a good track record over the centuries of treating other people well, Greely said, so "I have no confidence that we wouldn't be nasty to Neanderthals."</p><h2 id="what-could-we-learn-from-a-resurrected-neanderthal-2">What could we learn from a resurrected Neanderthal?</h2><p>It's also unclear what kind of information scientists would learn given the fact that the world has changed considerably in the 30,000 years since <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/did-we-kill-the-neanderthals-new-research-may-finally-answer-an-age-old-question"><u>Neanderthals went extinct</u></a>.</p><p>"A Neanderthal being reconstructed in this way wouldn't be living in the past — they would be living in the present and in an environment that's neither appropriate nor safe for them," Raff said. And since we don't know anything about how Neanderthals' genes interacted with their environment, we would have no idea how physically similar the reconstructed Neanderthal was to past Neanderthals.</p><p>"It would fail to answer virtually all of the interesting things that we would want to know about Neanderthals," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.rebeccawraggsykes.com/" target="_blank"><u>Rebecca Wragg Sykes</u></a>, an archaeologist and author of "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/kindred-9781472937490/" target="_blank"><u>Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art</u></a>" (Bloomsbury, 2020), told Live Science.</p><p>For example, many researchers are interested in understanding <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals-could-talk-but-how-sophisticated-was-their-language"><u>how sophisticated Neanderthal spoken language was</u></a>. A combination of anatomical studies, genetic information and advanced tool technology suggests they <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/could-neanderthals-talk"><u>communicated with one another</u></a>, but possibly without metaphors or abstract words.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  extended-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="oL2a3myMcPtwwwRHvphhEh" name="neanderthalhunting-gettyImages-1194512815" alt="a recreation of a Neanderthal hunting in the forest" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oL2a3myMcPtwwwRHvphhEh.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="extended"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" extended-layout"><span class="caption-text">Bringing back a Neanderthal would provide little information about their clothes, tool technology or hunting strategies. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: gorodenkoff via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Still, even if scientists could bring back a healthy Neanderthal and tried to teach him or her a modern human language, that wouldn't provide much insight into the language they actually used, Wragg Sykes said, just like reconstructing an ancient musical instrument wouldn't tell you what songs people played on it.</p><p>"Neanderthals were their own enormous range of different populations with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html"><u>cultural</u></a> variations, culinary and very likely linguistic diversity," Wragg Sykes said. Since none of the natural context of Neanderthals' development is replicable, "taking a shortcut by cloning or recreating Neanderthals isn't going to get you there."</p><p>The same logic holds for other abilities. Teaching one re-created Neanderthal how to read or solve an algebraic equation would only provide as much information about ancient Neanderthals as testing one living human would reveal about the abilities of all humans on the planet.</p><h2 id="is-it-legal-to-bring-back-a-neanderthal-2">Is it legal to bring back a Neanderthal?</h2><p>While resurrecting Neanderthals is wildly unethical, the legality of making one is unclear, according to Greely. While human embryo editing of this nature is illegal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://crispr-gene-editing-regs-tracker.geneticliteracyproject.org/united-states-embryonic-germline-gene-editing/" target="_blank"><u>in the U.S.</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://crispr-gene-editing-regs-tracker.geneticliteracyproject.org/eu-germline-embryonic/" target="_blank"><u>in the E.U.</u></a>, it's unlikely that every country in the world has relevant laws on the books.</p><p>"As far as I know, nobody has said it is illegal to make Neanderthals," Greely said. "Theoretically, if a rich guy wanted to set up a lab in the Central African Republic that would be able to do this, it wouldn't be all that hard."</p><p>Other scientists are worried about this exact possibility.</p><p>In a perspective essay published in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003384#pbio.3003384.ref006" target="_blank"><u>PLOS Biology</u></a> in September, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/arthur-l-caplan" target="_blank"><u>Arthur L. Caplan</u></a>, a bioethicist at New York University, warned that "the de-extinction of human predecessors could be undertaken at any time by private entities." Caplan exhorted scientists to start a conversation now, when de-extinction of Neanderthals and other human ancestors is only theoretical.</p><p>Colossal Biosciences' chief science officer, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://colossal.com/team/beth-shapiro-ph-d/" target="_blank"><u>Beth Shapiro</u></a>, was <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.statnews.com/2024/04/04/de-extinction-woolly-mammoths-biologist-beth-shapiro/" target="_blank"><u>asked in 2024</u></a> if they will ever have a Neanderthal de-extinction team. Shapiro told Stat News that "Neanderthals were people, and if you're going to work on people, you need to get informed consent. I don't know how you would get informed consent from a Neanderthal that you wanted to bring back to life."</p><p>But just because Colossal doesn't seem keen on the idea doesn't mean some other unscrupulous entity wouldn't do it if it were legal.</p><p>"Ancient hominid de-extinction should not be left in the hands of private, closely held, for-profit companies," Caplan wrote.</p><p>Instead, finding a well-preserved Neanderthal body could be more valuable for understanding the culture and living conditions of our extinct cousins.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/gene-that-differs-between-humans-and-neanderthals-could-shed-light-on-the-species-disappearance-mouse-study-suggests">Gene that differs between humans and Neanderthals could shed light on the species' disappearance, mouse study suggests</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/78-000-year-old-footprints-from-neanderthal-man-child-and-toddler-discovered-on-beach-in-portugal">78,000-year-old footprints from Neanderthal man, child and toddler discovered on beach in Portugal</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/endurance-athletes-that-carry-neanderthal-genes-could-be-held-back-from-reaching-their-peak">Endurance athletes that carry Neanderthal genes could be held back from reaching their peak</a></p></div></div><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/otzi-the-iceman"><u>Ötzi the Iceman</u></a>, for instance, was frozen in a glacier in the Alps for 5,300 years. Analyzing his remains has revealed that he sported an <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/55804-otzi-clothing-species-identified.html"><u>animal-skin wardrobe</u></a>, that he <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/63044-otzi-mummy-last-supper.html"><u>used toxic ferns to wrap his food</u></a> and that <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/49611-otzi-iceman-mummy-tattoos.html"><u>he had dozens of tattoos</u></a>. And the low-oxygen conditions in a bog in Denmark revealed the exceptionally preserved body of "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/bog-body-tollund-man-last-meal.html"><u>Tollund Man</u></a>," who lived 2,400 years ago. That analysis has shown that he had a tapeworm, that he ate porridge for his last meal, and that he was ritually murdered.</p><p>Similarly, "if we found a Neanderthal in permafrost or a wetland context like a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/bog-bodies-overview-europe"><u>bog body</u></a>, that would teach us a huge amount," Wragg Sykes said, "probably more than you would get by having a cloned Neanderthal. That's what I would be more excited about."</p><h2 id="neanderthal-quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-our-closest-relatives-12"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthal-quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-our-closest-relatives">Neanderthal quiz</a>: How much do you know about our closest relatives?</h2><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-XbxaDW"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/XbxaDW.js" async></script> ]]></dc:content>
769.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-could-be-brought-back-within-20-years-but-is-it-a-good-idea</link>
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771.                            <![CDATA[ With today's technology, we cannot bring back Neanderthals. But even if future advances allow it, should we? ]]>
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775.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
776.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
777.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WrMheJUpHJGcYKqr8DALjj-1280-80.jpg">
778.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Gorodenkoff via Shutterstock]]></media:credit>
779.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[A recreation photograph of a Neanderthal man coming out of a cave]]></media:text>
780.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A recreation photograph of a Neanderthal man coming out of a cave]]></media:title>
781.                                                    </media:content>
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785.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ DNA reveals what killed Napoleon's soldiers during their disastrous retreat from Russia in 1812 ]]></title>
786.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/napoleon-bonaparte.html"><u>Napoleon Bonaparte</u></a>'s disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 saw his massive "Grande Armée" almost destroyed by hunger, enemy attacks and the brutal winter. But now, scientists have identified another deadly force that left the French army on its knees — two previously unsuspected diseases.</p><p>Researchers already believed that infectious disease played a role in the French army's destruction, and it was long thought that typhus and trench fever killed thousands of French soldiers. But a new analysis of a mass grave in Lithuania filled with the skeletons of French soldiers hasn't found traces of any of the bacteria that cause these diseases.</p><p>Instead, researchers have found evidence of two completely different diseases: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/64031-salmonella.html"><u><em>Salmonella</em></u></a><em> enterica </em>and <em>Borrelia recurrentis</em>. The finding adds to a centuries-long debate about the army's devastation.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="tfejT8dc"            data-playlist-id="UipnZajy">            <div id="botr_UipnZajy_tfejT8dc_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Napoleon started his Russian campaign with about 600,000 soldiers, but fewer than 50,000 survived. Historians suspected that freezing cold and starvation during the month-long retreat resulted in an epidemic caused by a typhus bacteria (<em>Rickettsia prowazekii</em>); dysentery, which can be caused by several different microbes; and trench fever, caused by <em>Bartonella quintana</em>.</p><p>But the new study, published Friday (Oct. 24) in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822%2825%2901247-3" target="_blank"><u>Current Biology</u></a>, indicates these soldiers may have been weakened by fevers caused by <em>B. recurrentis </em>and then killed by paratyphoid (a disease unrelated to typhus), which is caused by <em>S. enterica </em>and spreads through contaminated food and water<em>. </em></p><p>"Our study … provides the first direct evidence that paratyphoid fever contributed to the deaths of Napoleonic soldiers during their catastrophic retreat from Russia," the researchers wrote in the paper.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:65.63%;"><img id="aTfrVA6NyxZu7CczSbFPpD" name="Skull of a soldier from Napoleon's army CREDIT Michel Signoli, Aix-Marseille Université" alt="a close-up of a brush uncovering a skull buried in the dirt" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aTfrVA6NyxZu7CczSbFPpD.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1260" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The study examined DNA from the teeth of French soldiers who died during the 1812 retreat and were buried in a mass grave in Lithuania. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Michel Signoli, Aix-Marseille Université)</span></figcaption></figure><h2 id="napoleonic-teeth-2">Napoleonic teeth</h2><p>The new study examined <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/37247-dna.html"><u>DNA</u></a> from the teeth of 13 French soldiers buried during the retreat in a mass grave in Vilnius, Lithuania. (The grave was discovered during construction in 2001.)</p><p>The researchers found no signs of the bacteria that cause typhus or trench fever<em>, </em>but they found genetic traces of <em>S. enterica </em>and <em>B. recurrentis. </em>The remains of body lice had been found on the soldiers in the grave, suggesting they might have been infected with the typhus-causing <em>R. prowazekii</em>, which can be spread by the parasite. But it seems the lice were mainly infecting the soldiers with <em>B. recurrentis, </em>the researchers wrote. That bacterium causes "relapsing fever," which seems to pass after a few days but returns a few days later.</p><p>The researchers stressed their discovery doesn't rule out the presence of other diseases that may have contributed to the soldiers' deaths. "Considering the extreme and harsh conditions that characterized this retreat, the presence of multiple overlapping infections is highly plausible," they wrote. "A reasonable scenario for the deaths of these soldiers would be a combination of fatigue, cold, and several diseases, including paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing fever."</p><h2 id="retreat-from-moscow-2">Retreat from Moscow</h2><p>Napoleon's retreat from Moscow is one of history's worst military disasters. His Grande Armée entered the city on Sept. 14, 1812, and Napoleon expected Tsar Alexander to negotiate for peace. But the Russians had set the city on fire and left no food behind, forcing the French to retreat a few weeks later — meaning the army had to travel roughly 800 miles (about 1,300 kilometers) on foot just as the harsh Russian winter was about to begin. During <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379113993_Snow_accumulation_specifics_in_Moscow_in_winter_202324" target="_blank"><u>Moscow winters</u></a>, temperatures are typically well below freezing and can be as low as minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 27 degrees Celsius).</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-information/battles-and-campaigns/histoire-de-la-campagne-de-russie/" target="_blank"><u>Survivors described</u></a> starving soldiers trudging through blinding snowstorms while their tattered uniforms gave them little protection. Eventually only horses, dogs and the bark of trees were available to eat, and many soldiers froze to death after collapsing from exhaustion.</p><p>Geneticist<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.ibe.upf-csic.es/lalueza" target="_blank"> <u>Carles Lalueza-Fox</u></a> of the Institute of Biology and Evolution at Barcelona's Pompeu Fabra University was not involved in the new research, but he has<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(21)00989-5" target="_blank"> <u>studied traces of </u><u><em>S. enterica</em></u></a><em> </em>in the remains of Spanish soldiers who died in 1652.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/64589-french-soldier-napoleon-war-digital-face.html">This French soldier got slashed in Russia in 1812. Now, we know what he looked like.</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/65920-napoleon-general-found-in-russia.html">Remains of Napoleon's one-legged general found under Russian dance floor</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/medieval-silver-hoard-russia.html">Medieval Russians hid silver hoard before Mongol invasion</a></p></div></div><p>He said he welcomed the latest study. It "emphasizes how the history of past pathogens and epidemics is inextricably linked to history, especially to military history, past migrations and colonisation processes," he told Live Science in an email. "It is likely that, in the past, more soldiers died of disease than fighting."</p><p>Lalueza-Fox added that biology and archaeology were adding new details to the understanding of many historical events: "Epidemics had an impact not only in mortality, but also in social, political and even cultural aspects."</p> ]]></dc:content>
787.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/dna-reveals-what-killed-napoleons-soldiers-during-their-disastrous-retreat-from-russia-in-1812</link>
788.                                                                            <description>
789.                            <![CDATA[ A mass grave holding soldiers from Napoleon Bonaparte's French army reveals some of the diseases that killed the Grande Armée during its disastrous retreat from Russia in 1812. ]]>
790.                                                                                                            </description>
791.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">og8LZyawfXVkNwUNAuoV2H</guid>
792.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TsA7SPxLYzGNYxBCRkDPfD-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
793.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
794.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tom Metcalfe ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TsA7SPxLYzGNYxBCRkDPfD-1280-80.jpg">
795.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Adolph Northen/Barbieri et al, Current Biology]]></media:credit>
796.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a painting of Napoleon&#039;s army retreating in the winter with dead bodies on the snowy ground]]></media:text>
797.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a painting of Napoleon&#039;s army retreating in the winter with dead bodies on the snowy ground]]></media:title>
798.                                                    </media:content>
799.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TsA7SPxLYzGNYxBCRkDPfD-1280-80.jpg" />
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802.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Near stationary' Tropical Storm Melissa is moving slower than a person walking — and it may bring deadly flash floods to the Caribbean ]]></title>
803.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>After circling the central Caribbean Sea and remaining 'near stationary' this week, Tropical Storm Melissa is now about 160 miles (260 kilometers) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and drifting southeastward at 1 mph (1.6 km/h).</p><p>The storm's bafflingly slow advance, which is projected to stay below an average person's walking speed at around 2 mph (3.2 km/h) over the weekend, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/tropical-storm-melissa-puts-caribbeans-most-flood-vulnerable-places-at-risk"><u>could be dire for several Caribbean islands</u></a>, experts warn.</p><p>Tropical Storm Melissa will continue to lumber along a path somewhere between Jamaica and Haiti, with forecasters predicting a slow movement toward the northeast and north in the coming hours, and a westward drift from Saturday (Oct. 25) onward.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_ns77aKlm_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="ns77aKlm">            <div id="botr_ns77aKlm_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Melissa is expected to bring 8 to 14 inches (20 to 35 centimeters) of rain to parts of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica through Sunday (Oct. 26) night, with locally higher amounts possible, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/mobile/refresh/MIATCPAT3+html/232333.html" target="_blank"><u>according to an update</u></a> from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 8 a.m. ET today (Oct. 24).</p><p>"Significant, life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are expected in the southern Dominican Republic and eastern Jamaica, with catastrophic flash flooding and landslides anticipated in southern Haiti," representatives wrote. "Across northern Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, and western Jamaica, 3 to 5 inches [8 to 13 cm] of rain are expected through Sunday night. Flooding impacts may increase across western Jamaica next week."</p><p>Researchers expect the storm to intensify rapidly into a major Category 3 or above hurricane over the weekend, fueled by near-record-warm Caribbean waters, but the storm is likely to remain incredibly slow-moving, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/23/climate/atlantic-tropical-storm-melissa-movement" target="_blank"><u>CNN reported</u></a>.</p><p>Melissa is the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. It's unclear exactly what has been stalling it, but a combination of strong upper-level winds and other dampening conditions across weather systems could be responsible, according to CNN. For instance, the lack of a cold front — a wedge of cold air that pushes warmer air up and causes it to release its energy, creating bad weather — might partially explain Melissa's crawling speed.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:897px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:82.05%;"><img id="rjMvA2Q9iycpWGjMCkLgnG" name="241156_5day_cone_no_line_and_wind" alt="Map showing forecasts for tropical storm Melissa in the Caribbean Sea." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rjMvA2Q9iycpWGjMCkLgnG.png" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="897" height="736" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Tropical Storm Melissa is currently about 160 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, but the center of the storm is on the move. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NOAA/NWS)</span></figcaption></figure><p>But Melissa's lagging pace is not as unusual now as it would have been just decades ago. Research indicates that tropical storms are getting slower, particularly as they approach land masses. A <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0158-3" target="_blank"><u>2018 study</u></a>, for example, found that tropical storms globally slowed by 10% between 1949 and 2016 — and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://experts.news.wisc.edu/experts/james-kossin" target="_blank"><u>James Kossin</u></a>, the study's author, tentatively linked this to human-caused global warming.</p><p>"The magnitude of the slowdown varies substantially by region and by latitude, but is generally consistent with expected changes in atmospheric circulation forced by anthropogenic emissions," Kossin, an atmospheric scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Weather and Climate and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote in the study.</p><p>In a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-019-0074-8" target="_blank"><u>subsequent study</u></a> published in 2019, Kossin and a colleague reported that North Atlantic tropical storms have become more likely to "stall" in coastal regions, bringing more rainfall to those areas. The researchers attributed this observation to both slower moving speeds and abrupt changes in direction, noting that tropical storms now spend many hours simply hovering, which is what Melissa is currently doing.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/now-is-the-time-hurricane-category-6-could-be-introduced-under-new-storm-severity-scale">'Now is the time': Hurricane category 6 could be introduced under new storm severity scale</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/how-strong-can-hurricanes-get">How strong can hurricanes get?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/hurricanes/birth-of-a-hurricane-what-meteorologists-look-for-as-they-hunt-for-early-signs-of-a-tropical-cyclone-forming">Birth of a hurricane: What meteorologists look for as they hunt for early signs of a tropical cyclone forming</a></p></div></div><p>Their results are bolstered by more recent research in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2105636118" target="_blank"><u>PNAS</u></a>, which revealed that the average duration of tropical cyclones has increased over the past 300 years. Additionally, a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz7610" target="_blank"><u>2020 study</u></a> found that future climate change will draw out tropical storms, particularly in the midlatitudes.</p><p>The problem with slow-moving tropical storms is that they can dump huge quantities of rain on certain areas, triggering devastating floods and mudslides. An example of this was Hurricane Harvey's "stall" over Texas in 2017, which caused the highest rainfall total from a tropical cyclone in U.S. history, according to CNN.</p> ]]></dc:content>
804.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/weather/near-stationary-tropical-storm-melissa-is-moving-slower-than-a-person-walking-and-it-may-bring-deadly-flash-floods-to-the-caribbean</link>
805.                                                                            <description>
806.                            <![CDATA[ Tropical Storm Melissa is moving at a snail's pace but will intensify rapidly over the weekend as it feeds off near-record-warm water temperatures in the Caribbean Sea, forecasters say. ]]>
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809.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HEucsBNtdxfRTktKn8Btzg-1280-80.gif" type="image/gif" length="0"></enclosure>
810.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:57:21 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Weather]]></category>
811.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
812.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ sascha.pare@futurenet.com (Sascha Pare) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sascha Pare ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/gif" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HEucsBNtdxfRTktKn8Btzg-1280-80.gif">
813.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[CIRA/NOAA]]></media:credit>
814.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Gif showing satellite imagery of tropical storm Melissa.]]></media:text>
815.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Gif showing satellite imagery of tropical storm Melissa.]]></media:title>
816.                                                    </media:content>
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820.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Eternal Flame Falls: New York's mini waterfall that hides a grotto filled with undying fire ]]></title>
821.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">QUICK FACTS</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Name:</strong> Chestnut Ridge Falls, or "Eternal Flame Falls"</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Location:</strong> Chestnut Ridge Park, Erie County, New York</p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Coordinates:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eternal+Flame+Falls/@42.7019694,-78.7527193,276m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x89d304010d43abff:0xab47b2c7e8064243!8m2!3d42.7016984!4d-78.7515606!16zL20vMDhjeXZx?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAxNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D" target="_blank">42.70158, -78.75113</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"><strong>Why it's incredible:</strong> The falls house a natural gas seep that can burn uninterrupted.</p></div></div><p>Eternal Flame Falls is a waterfall in New York State that houses one of the world's few natural "eternal" flames.</p><p>The waterfall is about 30 feet (9 meters) tall and consists of two tiers; one at the top measuring 8 feet (2.5 m) high and the other at the base making up the remaining height. The cascade flows over an outcrop of shale, a type of sedimentary rock made of compacted clay, silt, mud and organic matter.</p><p>As its name suggests, Eternal Flame Falls features a fire that burns uninterrupted behind the waterfall. The small blaze grows up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) tall, protected from any spray and wind by the walls of a small grotto around it.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_vWvsLZ8R_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="vWvsLZ8R">            <div id="botr_vWvsLZ8R_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>The air surrounding Eternal Flame Falls is filled with a smell like rotten eggs, according to the website <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://nyfalls.com/waterfalls/eternal-flame-falls/" target="_blank"><u>NY Falls</u></a>, which publishes guides to waterfalls in New York. That's because the cascade is surrounded by natural gas seeps that release hydrogen sulfide, methane and other gases into the atmosphere. And the biggest of these seeps is located directly beneath the eternal flame.</p><p>Gases like methane are highly flammable. Thanks to the shelter of the small grotto, the natural gas escaping from this seep can be ignited with a match or lighter and burn permanently. Other seeps around Eternal Flame Falls aren't protected in the same way, so lighting them would not produce a lasting fire. These seeps are invisible, unless they are located at the bottom of the stream and pools near the waterfall, in which case the gas can be seen bubbling up, according to NY Falls.</p><p>The natural gas at Eternal Flame Falls originates from decomposing organic matter in buried layers of shale. Specifically, the gas comes from a geological formation called the Hanover Shale that dates to the Devonian period (<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/devonian-period.htm" target="_blank"><u>419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago</u></a>). Organic matter breaking down in this 90-foot-thick (27.5 m) formation releases gases that accumulate underground. As the pressure builds, these gases escape via fissures in the rock and soil above, giving rise to seeps at the surface.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">MORE INCREDIBLE PLACES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/cairo-fossil-forest-the-oldest-forest-in-north-america-with-385-million-year-old-trees">Cairo Fossil Forest: The oldest forest in North America with 385 million-year-old trees</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/geology/mount-thor-the-mountain-with-earths-longest-vertical-drop">Mount Thor: The mountain with Earth's longest vertical drop</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/geology/north-americas-broken-heart-the-billion-year-old-scar-from-when-the-continent-nearly-ripped-apart">North America's 'broken heart': The billion-year-old scar from when the continent nearly ripped apart</a></p></div></div><p>The best time to visit Eternal Flame Falls is in early spring, when the waterfall and eternal flame look the most impressive, according to NY Falls. The waterfall is highly dependent on meltwater and rainfall, so it usually dries up in the summer and fall. The flame, meanwhile, relies on relatively dry conditions. It burns stronger in the summer but looks better in the spring, because the waterfall diffuses the light like a lampshade, creating an otherworldly glow.</p><p>Eternal Flame Falls is fed by the Shale Creek, which joins another waterway called Eighteenmile Creek about 2 miles (3 kilometers) away, according to NY Falls. The water then empties into Lake Erie.</p><p><em>Discover more </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/tag/incredible-places"><u><em>incredible places</em></u></a><em>, where we highlight the fantastic history and science behind some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
822.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/geology/eternal-flame-falls-new-yorks-mini-waterfall-that-hides-a-grotto-filled-with-undying-fire</link>
823.                                                                            <description>
824.                            <![CDATA[ Eternal Flame Falls sits on a bed of shale rocks rich in organic matter. As this matter breaks down, it produces highly flammable natural gas that escapes through cracks in the ground. ]]>
825.                                                                                                            </description>
826.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">9jTVgyqtjZJ2ALVnC6cNy3</guid>
827.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KYNdhE2A9dLRS2dMnXGUzk-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
828.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Geology]]></category>
829.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
830.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ sascha.pare@futurenet.com (Sascha Pare) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sascha Pare ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KYNdhE2A9dLRS2dMnXGUzk-1280-80.png">
831.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Left: Andrew Czerniak/Alamy; Right: Jason Ondreicka/Alamy]]></media:credit>
832.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[Two pictures of Eternal Flame Falls. On the left we see the flame in winter and on the right, the flame behind the waterfall.]]></media:text>
833.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Two pictures of Eternal Flame Falls. On the left we see the flame in winter and on the right, the flame behind the waterfall.]]></media:title>
834.                                                    </media:content>
835.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KYNdhE2A9dLRS2dMnXGUzk-1280-80.png" />
836.                                                                                        </item>
837.                    <item>
838.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Strange object between Saturn and Uranus is 'evolving' its own ring system, study suggests ]]></title>
839.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>In a universe where change usually unfolds over eons, astronomers have gotten a rare front-row seat to watch a small, icy world beyond Saturn build a brand-new set of rings in real time.</p><p>A team of Brazil-based astronomers found that the bands of material orbiting around (2060) <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/like-nothing-weve-seen-before-james-webb-telescope-spies-a-mysterious-asteroid-comet-hybrid-lurking-past-jupiter"><u>Chiron</u></a>, a 125-mile-wide (200 kilometers wide) object that circles the sun between Saturn and Uranus, are new and still taking shape. The findings suggest that Chiron's surroundings are in a transitional state somewhere between a chaotic cloud of debris and a fully formed ring system, offering scientists a rare snapshot of ring formation in progress, which has never been directly witnessed before.</p><p>"It was an exciting surprise," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chrystian-Pereira" target="_blank"><u>Chrystian Pereira</u></a>, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Observatory in Brazil who led the study, told Live Science. "In a way, it reminds us that the solar system is alive and continuously evolving, even on human timescales."</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="uJkJUw7u">            <div id="botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Chiron joins the asteroid Chariklo and dwarf planets <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/60656-dwarf-planet-haumea-has-rings.html"><u>Haumea</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/impossible-new-ring-system-discovered-at-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-and-scientists-are-baffled"><u>Quaoar</u></a> as one of only four small worlds in our solar system known to host rings, but it may be the most dynamic of them all.</p><p>Chiron's changing environment, detailed in a paper published Oct. 14 in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae0b6d" target="_blank"><u>Astrophysical Journal Letters</u></a>, could help scientists understand how both small icy objects as well as giant planets like Saturn and Uranus built their iconic rings billions of years ago.</p><h2 id="rings-in-the-making-2">Rings in the making</h2><p>Composed of rock, water ice and organic compounds, Chiron belongs to a strange population of objects called centaurs, which orbit between Jupiter and Neptune and behave partly like asteroids and partly like comets. Chiron orbits the sun once every 50 Earth years.</p><p>Since its discovery in 1977, astronomers have seen it occasionally brighten and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ac26c9/meta" target="_blank"><u>even sprout a faint tail</u></a>, evidence that it sometimes vents gas and dust into space.</p><p>In September 2023, when Chiron briefly crossed in front of a distant star from Earth's point of view, the Pico dos Dias Observatory in Brazil detected tiny, repeated dips in the star's light. When the researchers compared this data to similar events cataloged in 2011, 2018 and 2022, they found that the three distinct, dense rings — orbiting at a distance of about 170 to 270 miles (270 to 430 km) from Chiron's center — had stayed in place for more than a decade.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1200px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:60.00%;"><img id="hbkXMxX5Kt45s6UTv9BZQM" name="03-Chiron-Coma.jpg" alt="Artistic representation of an active centaur like Chiron. The different colors in the coma indicate varying compositions of gas, ice, and dust" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hbkXMxX5Kt45s6UTv9BZQM.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1200" height="720" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Artistic representation of an active centaur like Chiron. The different colors in the coma indicate varying compositions of gas, ice, and dust. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: William Gonzalez Sierra)</span></figcaption></figure><p>In the 2023 data, the team also spotted a new disk-like structure stretching from about 120 miles up to 500 miles (200-800 km) around Chiron that hadn't appeared in previous data. The broader, diffuse disk likely formed only within the past decade, possibly from a collision or outburst that released fresh material into orbit, said Pereira.</p><p>Intriguingly, the team also discovered a faint outer feature nearly 870 miles (1,400 km) from Chiron — well beyond what's known as the Roche limit, the boundary where ring material should clump together into a moon rather than stay as debris, the new study notes.</p><p>"This is the first time we've detected any signature of material in that region," Pereira told Live Science, adding that higher-resolution observations are needed to confirm it. "Beyond that limit, particles forming a ring should naturally begin to coalesce into a satellite — yet something seems to be preventing that from happening."</p><p>The researchers aren't certain what caused Chiron's strange setup. One possibility is that volatile ices beneath its surface erupted in a comet-like outburst, ejecting dust and ice that later settled into orbit. Another is that a small moon shattered, scattering fragments that spread along Chiron's equator, according to the new study.</p><p>The latter theory could also explain Chiron's steady brightening over the past decade, which is hard to account for through cometary activity alone, Pereira said.</p><p>Other experts say the findings raise new questions about how rings around small bodies can survive for long periods.</p><p>"It may be that something is adding energy to these particles and allowing them to persist outside the limit without coalescing," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/keighley.e.rockcliffe" target="_blank"><u>Keighley Rockcliffe</u></a>, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland who was not involved in the new paper, told Live Science via email.</p><p>It could also be that the ring is very diffuse or that it simply hasn't existed long enough to coalesce, Rockcliffe said. "Maybe it's recently formed and it hasn't had the chance to form a little centaur-let."</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/saturns-rings">What are Saturn's rings made of?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/impossible-new-ring-system-discovered-at-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-and-scientists-are-baffled">'Impossible' new ring system discovered at the edge of the solar system, and scientists are baffled</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/what-if-earth-had-rings.html">What if Earth had rings?</a></p></div></div><p>To confirm whether Chiron's rings are truly evolving, and not just appearing different from our changing vantage point, astronomers hope to capture more events in which Chiron passes in front of distant stars. Such events, when recorded with high-speed cameras at observatories across multiple continents, are the only direct way to see if the disk's material is changing in opacity, width, or position — signs that, according to Pereira, would reveal the dust and ice are being actively redistributed, offering direct evidence of ongoing evolution.</p><p>"The ideal scenario to satisfy our curiosity, however, would be a space mission dedicated to in-situ observation of this intriguing system," Pereira said.</p> ]]></dc:content>
840.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/strange-object-between-saturn-and-uranus-is-evolving-its-own-ring-system-study-suggests</link>
841.                                                                            <description>
842.                            <![CDATA[ Astronomers have found signs that the small icy world Chiron, orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, may be forming a new ring system in near-real time. ]]>
843.                                                                                                            </description>
844.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">DXCAn8CEvpuabPq2Lz7FwN</guid>
845.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6S4BtKxXEkCMfkcBnkYSec-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
846.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
847.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
848.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sharmila Kuthunur ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6S4BtKxXEkCMfkcBnkYSec-1280-80.jpg">
849.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Observatório Nacional/MCTI/Chrystian Pereira]]></media:credit>
850.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[an illustration of Chiron with rings]]></media:text>
851.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[an illustration of Chiron with rings]]></media:title>
852.                                                    </media:content>
853.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6S4BtKxXEkCMfkcBnkYSec-1280-80.jpg" />
854.                                                                                        </item>
855.                    <item>
856.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Last chance to buy this premium Garmin watch, now at its lowest-ever price at Walmart ]]></title>
857.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Looking for an ultra-advanced adventure smartwatch, but do not want to spend a small fortune on the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/health/garmin-fenix-8-review">Garmin Fenix 8</a>? Consider the Garmin Enduro 2 instead. It is just as durable, advanced and rich in features as its more widely known counterpart. The Enduro 2 used to be just as expensive, too, but since it has been discontinued to make space for the newer Enduro 3, its price has been steadily dropping over the last few months. Now, this ultra-premium watch is the cheapest it has ever been.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-Enduro-2-Ultraperformance-Watch-Solar-Charging/1058400480"><strong>The Garmin Enduro 2 has just been discounted by $81.95 at Walmart, bringing it to its lowest-ever price</strong></a>. Spend $2 more, and you can get a similar deal at <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-EnduroTM-Ultraperformance-Long-Lasting-Preloaded/dp/B09ZZ7Y8WZ/">Amazon</a>.</p><p>Andrew Williams, our trusted reviewer, has given this watch a strong 4-star rating in his full <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/garmin-enduro-2-review">Garmin Enduro 2 review</a>, and if it were not for its sky-high price at the time of testing, he would have given it a perfect score. With this excellent Walmart deal, however, that one drawback is out of the window. 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This adventure watch blows competitors out of the water with its ultra-rugged design, solar-charging capabilities and 34-day battery life. A perfect pick for hikers, endurance athletes and adventure seekers.</p><p><em><strong>Price check</strong></em><strong>: </strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-EnduroTM-Ultraperformance-Long-Lasting-Preloaded/dp/B09ZZ7Y8WZ/" data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label=": $549.95 at Amazon" data-dimension48=": $549.95 at Amazon" data-dimension25="$548"><strong>$549.95 at Amazon</strong></a><a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-Enduro-2-Ultraperformance-Watch-Solar-Charging/1058400480" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="604f44cf-271c-4abf-a256-9c02536ab2f5" data-action="Deal Block" data-label=": $549.95 at Amazon" data-dimension48=": $549.95 at Amazon" data-dimension25="$548">View Deal</a></p></div><ul><li><em><strong>Our experts have also reviewed and rated the </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-telescopes"><em><strong>best telescopes</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-binoculars-for-stargazing"><em><strong>binoculars</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/space/best-star-projectors"><em><strong>star projectors</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/technology/best-cameras-overall-reviewed-and-ranked-by-pros"><em><strong>cameras</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-fitness-tracker"><em><strong>fitness trackers</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-running-shoes-for-supination#:~:text=The%20Gel%20Cumulus%20is%20a,also%20a%20relatively%20affordable%20option.&text=Hoka%20are%20beloved%20for%20their,Mach%20X%20is%20no%20exception."><em><strong>running shoes</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/best-rowing-machines"><em><strong>rowing machines</strong></em></a><em><strong> and more.</strong></em></li></ul><div class="inlinegallery  carousel-layout"><div class="inlinegallery-wrap" style="display:flex; flex-flow:row nowrap;"><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 1 of 5</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="ERntaNrakMtY63XxsqByS3" name="enduro-7.jpg" alt="Garmin Enduro 2 being tested by Live Science contributor Andrew Williams" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ERntaNrakMtY63XxsqByS3.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="caption-text">The Garmin Enduro 2 impressed our reviewer with an ultra-long battery life and exceptional tracking accuracy. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Andrew Williams)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 2 of 5</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="AG24L9fhDKVntcMBYeecy" name="enduro-1.jpg" alt="Garmin Enduro 2 being tested by Live Science contributor Andrew Williams" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AG24L9fhDKVntcMBYeecy.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Andrew Williams)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 3 of 5</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="i7tNkhcC2qsasSdQ8uQbn3" name="enduro-12.jpg" alt="Garmin Enduro 2 being tested by Live Science contributor Andrew Williams" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i7tNkhcC2qsasSdQ8uQbn3.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Andrew Williams)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 4 of 5</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="KTrsqThoupJDLS55FU5UC3" name="enduro-5.jpg" alt="Garmin Enduro 2 being tested by Live Science contributor Andrew Williams" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KTrsqThoupJDLS55FU5UC3.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Andrew Williams)</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="inlinegallery-item" style="flex: 0 0 auto;"><span class="slidecount">Image 5 of 5</span><figure class="van-image-figure " data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="v63nc95habTkBwfNrQ5fK3" name="enduro-6.jpg" alt="Garmin Enduro 2 being tested by Live Science contributor Andrew Williams" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/v63nc95habTkBwfNrQ5fK3.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Andrew Williams)</span></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><p>The Garmin Enduro 2 has everything you may ever want or need from an adventure smartwatch, from an ultra-rugged design and precise sensors to solar-charging capabilities and advanced workout-tracking features. It is also rated 10ATM for water resistance, and thanks to its superb multi-band GPS, it will help you find the way even in the most remote corners of the planet. Hands down, this sleek watch is a real treat for outdoor explorers and endurance athletes.</p><p>However, what the Garmin Enduro 2 truly excels at is the battery life. It is one of the handful of adventure watches that can last up to 34 days on a single charge. With solar charging on top, that goes up to 46 days. Understandably, we named the Enduro 2 as the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-garmin-watches#section-best-garmin-watch-for-long-trips">best option for long trips</a> in our guide to the best Garmin watches. The best part? Now <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-Enduro-2-Ultraperformance-Watch-Solar-Charging/1058400480">you can get this excellent watch for just $548 at Walmart.</a></p><p><strong>Key features:</strong> 1.4in 280 x 280 MIP screen, 10 ATM water resistance, up to 34 days of battery life, titanium casing, 32GB internal storage, multi-band GPS</p><p><strong>Product launched:</strong> August 2022</p><p><strong>Price history:</strong> Before today's deal, the lowest price on the Garmin Enduro 2 was $579.95, and for the better part of this year, it was typically priced between $649.99 and $599.99. Today's offer from Walmart brings the price down to $549.95, which is the lowest price we have ever seen.</p><p><strong>Price comparison:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-EnduroTM-Ultraperformance-Long-Lasting-Preloaded/dp/B09ZZ7Y8WZ/"><strong>Amazon:</strong> $549.95</a> | <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-Enduro-2-Ultraperformance-Watch-Solar-Charging/1058400480"><strong>Walmart:</strong> $548</a> | <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bestbuy.com/product/garmin-enduro-2-gps-smartwatch-51mm-fiber-reinforced-polymer-with-titanium-rear-cover-carbon-gray-2022/JXF9YFKVQW/sku/10926621"><strong>Best Buy</strong>: $749.99</a></p><p><strong>Reviews consensus:</strong> The Garmin Enduro 2 is the crème de la crème of GPS adventure smartwatches. Not only is it exceptionally durable, accurate and jam-packed with advanced tracking features, but it is also surprisingly light and comfortable to wear. The best part? It lasts up to 34 days on a single charge, which is more than most other models on the market. Most reviewers gave the Garmin Enduro 2 a full five stars, despite its high price at the time of testing.</p><p><strong>TechRadar: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/garmin-enduro-2"><strong>★★★★★</strong></a><strong> | Live Science: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/garmin-enduro-2-review"><u><strong>★★★★</strong></u></a><strong>  | T3: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.t3.com/reviews/garmin-enduro-2-review"><strong>★★★★★</strong></a></p><p><strong>Featured in guides: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-garmin-watches#section-best-garmin-watch-for-long-trips">Best Garmin watches</a></p><p><strong>✅ Buy it if:</strong> You want an adventure watch that does not cut any corners.</p><p><strong>❌ Don't buy it if: </strong>You are looking for something less rugged and more budget-friendly (such as the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/garmin-instinct-2s-solar-review">Garmin Instinct 2 Solar</a>, an excellent mid-range sports watch that is <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bestbuy.com/product/garmin-instinct-2-solar-45-mm-smartwatch-fiber-reinforced-polymer-graphite-2022/JXF9YFW485/sku/6494666?utm_source=feed">now $73 off at Best Buy</a>).</p><p><em>Check out our other guides to the </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-telescopes"><em>best telescopes</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-binoculars"><em>binoculars</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/best-astrophotography-cameras"><em>cameras</em></a><em>, </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/best-star-projectors"><em>star projectors</em></a><em> and much more.</em></p> ]]></dc:content>
858.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/exercise/last-chance-to-buy-this-premium-garmin-watch-now-at-its-lowest-ever-price-at-walmart</link>
859.                                                                            <description>
860.                            <![CDATA[ The prices of the excellent Garmin Enduro 2 have been dropping for some time, but we have never seen them this low before — snap this deal up while stocks last. ]]>
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864.                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:59:44 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Exercise]]></category>
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866.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anna Gora ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yk8AEBQgQDPt6rSL3e5NGJ-1280-80.jpg">
867.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Future]]></media:credit>
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874.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ New images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS show giant 'jet' shooting toward the sun ]]></title>
875.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Newly released images of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/3i-atlas-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-interstellar-visitor-shooting-through-the-solar-system"><u>interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS</u></a> appear to show the alien object spitting out an enormous jet of gas and dust toward the sun — just as comets are expected to do.</p><p>Discovered in late June and confirmed by NASA in early July, the comet originates from an <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-may-come-from-the-mysterious-frontier-of-the-early-milky-way-new-study-hints"><u>unknown star system far beyond our own</u></a>. 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object ever detected. At somewhere between 3 and 7 miles (5 to 11 kilometers) wide, it is the largest interstellar object ever to cross our path, and likely the oldest, potentially dating to billions of years before the birth of the sun.</p><p>These and other peculiarities have led a small group of researchers to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/extraterrestrial-life/here-we-go-again-controversial-paper-questions-whether-interstellar-visitor-3i-atlas-is-possibly-hostile-alien-tech-in-disguise"><u>controversially claim</u></a> that the object may be an alien spacecraft sent to spy on us. However, the vast majority of scientists maintain that 3I/ATLAS is a high-speed comet behaving exactly as comets should. The new images of the interstellar interloper, captured Aug. 2 by the Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT) at the Teide Observatory in Spain's Canary Islands, further cement the object's natural origins.</p><div class="jwplayer__widthsetter">    <div class="jwplayer__wrapper">        <div id="futr_botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"            class="future__jwplayer"            data-player-id="n8PLZiU4"            data-playlist-id="uJkJUw7u">            <div id="botr_uJkJUw7u_n8PLZiU4_div"></div>        </div>    </div></div><p>Combining 159 exposures lasting 50 seconds each, the composite image shows the icy body (or nucleus) of 3I/ATLAS as a big, black dot, surrounded by a white glow. A sudden, fan-shaped break in this glowing ring shows where researchers say a large, high-speed jet of material (marked in purple) is blasting off of the comet in the direction of the sun. The image was shared to the transient object monitoring site <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=17445" target="_blank"><u>The Astronomer's Telegram</u></a> on Oct. 15 but has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed study.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2682px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:104.10%;"><img id="6GZUDdYKbNDC2treXQGKpY" name="august02-jet" alt="A composite telescope image of comet 3I/ATLAS" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6GZUDdYKbNDC2treXQGKpY.png" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2682" height="2792" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The composite image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shows the newly detected jet (purple line) pointed in the direction of the sun. The yellow line shows the anti-solar direction while the blue line shows the comet's velocity vector. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Teide Observatory, M. Serra-Ricart, Light Bridges)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Comets are famous for their <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/superbright-comet-lemmon-gets-its-tail-temporarily-torn-to-pieces-by-solar-wind"><u>glowing tails of ionized gas</u></a>, the largest of which can stretch for hundreds of millions of miles in the opposite direction of the sun. Comet jets, by comparison, are much smaller and can point toward the sun. While a cannon of dust aimed at our star might sound suspicious, it's just a standard part of a comet's anatomy, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://iauarchive.eso.org/administration/membership/individual/9025/" target="_blank"><u>Miquel Serra-Ricart</u></a>, an astrophysicist and chief science officer at the Teide Observatory's Light Bridges research institution, told Live Science in an email.</p><p>"This is the usual," Serra-Ricart, who posted the new images, told Live Science. "Jets are pointing to [the] sunward direction and [the] comet's tail in the anti-solar direction."</p><p>This is because comets inevitably heat up as they swoop closer to the sun — but they don't always heat evenly. The sun-facing side of the comet heats up the fastest, and if a particular weak spot on the comet's surface warms up enough, a growing supply of sublimated gases can blast out like a geyser, shooting cometary material thousands of miles toward the sun.</p><figure class="van-image-figure  inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:640px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="g7tktjeNFa8ZjVktKgBfQh" name="The Jets of Comet NEOWISE" alt="an animation of a comet flashing" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g7tktjeNFa8ZjVktKgBfQh.gif" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="640" height="360" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">These Hubble Space Telescope images of comet NEOWISE show a fan-shaped jet spraying out of the comet's nucleus after a close encounter with the sun in 2020. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA, ESA, Q. Zhang (California Institute of Technology), A. Pagan (STScI), and M. Kornmesser)</span></figcaption></figure><p>As the comet's nucleus rotates, the jet can take on a fan shape akin to what we see in the new TTT image, Serra-Ricart added. The famous <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://esahubble.org/videos/heic2015a/" target="_blank"><u>naked-eye comet NEOWISE</u></a> also developed fan-like jets after its close flyby of the sun in 2020, Hubble Space Telescope observations showed at the time.</p><p>Some of that jet material ends up in the comet's coma (the glowing plume of material that surrounds the nucleus), while some may be forced into the comet's tail by radiation pressure from the onslaught of incoming solar wind. This is why comets can sport both a sun-facing jet and an anti-sunward tail at the same time — no alien technology required.</p><div  class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/interstellar-visitor-3i-atlas-could-be-the-oldest-comet-ever-seen-and-could-grow-a-spectacular-tail-later-this-year">'Interstellar visitor' 3I/ATLAS could be the oldest comet ever seen — and could grow a spectacular tail later this year</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/superbright-comet-lemmon-flies-through-auroras-over-scotland-during-surprise-solar-storm">Superbright 'Comet Lemmon' flies through auroras over Scotland during surprise solar storm</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-transforms-into-a-giant-cosmic-rainbow-in-trippy-new-telescope-image">Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS transforms into a giant 'cosmic rainbow' in trippy new telescope image</a></p></div></div><p>It's unclear how far this newly discovered jet extends at the moment, but Serra-Ricart estimated that it could stretch roughly 6,200 miles (10,000 km) from 3I/ATLAS' surface. The jet is likely composed largely of dust particles and carbon dioxide, he added, which is consistent with the makeup of the large gassy plume that the James Webb Space Telescope<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/james-webb-telescope-images-reveal-theres-something-strange-with-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas"><u> detected around the comet</u></a> in August.</p><p>3I/ATLAS <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/closest-view-yet-of-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-captured-by-mars-orbiter"><u>swooped past Mars</u></a> on Oct. 3 and is currently approaching its closest point to the sun (perihelion), which it will reach on Oct. 29. The comet is on the far side of the sun now and won't be visible from Earth again until mid-November. When it reemerges, astronomers will get a rare chance to see how the mysterious visitor changed after its date with the sun and to what extent its jet and tail may have grown.</p> ]]></dc:content>
876.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/new-images-of-interstellar-object-3i-atlas-show-giant-jet-shooting-toward-the-sun</link>
877.                                                                            <description>
878.                            <![CDATA[ New telescope images show that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is shooting a giant jet of gas and dust toward the sun. This is normal behavior for comets, an expert told Live Science. ]]>
879.                                                                                                            </description>
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881.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z8DSSBno3ELorCKvEDUahh-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
882.                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 21:44:29 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Comets]]></category>
883.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
884.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
885.                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Brandon Specktor ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z8DSSBno3ELorCKvEDUahh-1280-80.jpg">
886.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Comet photograph: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the ScientistImage Processing: J. Miller &amp; M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab); Inset: Teide Observatory, M. Serra-Ricart, Light Bridges]]></media:credit>
887.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a photo of comet 3I/ATLAS streaking across the night sky with an inset showing details of the comet&#039;s jet]]></media:text>
888.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a photo of comet 3I/ATLAS streaking across the night sky with an inset showing details of the comet&#039;s jet]]></media:title>
889.                                                    </media:content>
890.                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z8DSSBno3ELorCKvEDUahh-1280-80.jpg" />
891.                                                                                        </item>
892.                    <item>
893.                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Fruits and vegetables quiz: Do you know where pumpkins, blueberries and broccoli come from? ]]></title>
894.                                                                                                <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>If you walk into a grocery store, you'll likely see piles of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/33991-difference-fruits-vegetables.html"><u>fruits and vegetables</u></a> waiting to be purchased. But these foods didn't always look this way; many were domesticated — that is, selectively grown for certain characteristics — over hundreds if not thousands of years to be large and extra tasty.</p><p>These eatables each arose in a unique environment. So, do you know where apples and pumpkins emerged? What about potatoes, cherries and lemons? Aromatic treats made from beans, like chocolate and coffee, were also cultivated by humans. Take our quiz to see if you can nail down the origin of 15 fruits, vegetables and beans.</p><p>Remember to log in to put your name on the leaderboard; hints are available if you click the yellow button!</p><div style="min-height: 250px;">                                <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-exNz4O"></div>                            </div>                            <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/exNz4O.js" async></script><h2 id="more-science-quizzes-2">More <a href="https://www.livescience.com/quizzes/page/3">science quizzes</a></h2><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/animal-quiz-test-yourself-on-these-fun-animal-trivia-questions">Animal quiz: Test yourself on these fun animal trivia questions</a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/whats-inside-earth-quiz-test-your-knowledge-of-our-planets-hidden-layers">What's inside Earth quiz: Test your knowledge of our planet's hidden layers</a></p><p>—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/us-volcanoes-quiz-how-many-can-you-name-in-10-minutes">US volcano quiz: How many can you name in 10 minutes?</a></p> ]]></dc:content>
895.                                                                                                                                            <link>https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/fruits-and-vegetables-quiz-do-you-know-where-pumpkins-blueberries-and-broccoli-come-from</link>
896.                                                                            <description>
897.                            <![CDATA[ Do you know where your staple fruits and vegetables were domesticated? Take Live Science's quiz to find out. ]]>
898.                                                                                                            </description>
899.                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">tpJFzj2MuFLUMjSwq7ucXF</guid>
900.                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZhjmpaZDApgauYGd9ZbiJP-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
901.                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 18:03:28 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                        <category><![CDATA[Plants]]></category>
902.                                                    <category><![CDATA[Planet Earth]]></category>
903.                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ lgeggel@livescience.com (Laura Geggel) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Laura Geggel ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZhjmpaZDApgauYGd9ZbiJP-1280-80.jpg">
904.                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Lew Robertson via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
905.                                                                                                                    <media:text><![CDATA[a spread of fresh fruits and vegetables]]></media:text>
906.                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a spread of fresh fruits and vegetables]]></media:title>
907.                                                    </media:content>
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