As we celebrated Earth Day this week, the science news was full of worrying implications about the pale blue dot we call home.
Topping the list was new research suggesting that the collapse of a key Atlantic current is much closer than we think. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation recycles huge amounts of carbon, keeping western Europe and the east coast of the United States warm. But many studies suggest that a current collapse is imminent, and a new study uses fresh data and novel analysis to find that we may be underestimating how close the threat is. One team of scientists is even proposing the extreme step of building a giant dam across the Bering Strait to prevent the flow from collapsing.
In other worrying developments, new satellite images show that oil spills are causing untold ecological havoc in the Persian Gulf, and that El Niño could occur by May.
Scientists invent artificial neurons
Tiny artificial neurons that can communicate with real brain cells could lay the foundation for more advanced computers and computer-brain interfaces. In new research we reported this week, neurons were created using an ink mixed with semiconductor and conductor flakes printed on a polymer substrate.
These artificial neurons generate electrical spike patterns that closely resemble patterns in the human brain, and the flexibility of the polymers has enabled the formation of complex and evolving artificial neuron structures.
When artificial neurons were placed next to mouse neurons in the lab, real neurons fired at the same pace. This strongly suggests that the two can transmit the same signal. Although much work remains, this discovery could be the first step toward creating computers with human-like neural structures.
See more health news
—Gene therapy improves hearing in 90% of patients with inherited hearing loss in largest trial of its kind
—Diagnostic dilemma: A teenage patient’s typical diabetes symptoms didn’t improve with treatment — It turns out she also had an even rarer syndrome
— “A landmark moment for the field”: FDA approves first-ever gene therapy for inherited hearing loss
life’s little mysteries
Why are some stars permanently present in the night sky, while others fade or become invisible as the seasons pass?It has to do with the Earth’s own characteristic wobble.
—If you enjoyed this, sign up for the Life’s Little Mysteries newsletter
The mummy was found with “Iliad”
Have you ever had a book you just can’t let go of? A snippet of Homer’s epic poem “Iliad” was discovered in the abdomen of a Roman mummy in Egypt, and you might get punched.
The mummy dates from 30 BC to 641 AD, when the Romans ruled Egypt, and was discovered in a cemetery in the modern town of Al-Bafnasa, known in ancient times as Oxyrhynchus.
Little is known about the ancient bookworm other than that he is an adult male, but he was found in the same cemetery as dozens of other mummies with golden tongues, which the ancient Egyptians believed gave them the power to speak to the gods in the afterlife.
More archeology news
–Neanderthal infants grew faster than modern humans, probably because they evolved in harsh environments.
– DNA study of nearly 200 indigenous genomes reveals unknown Asian ‘ghost’ population contributed to American ancestry
—700-year-old Bolivian mummies contain evidence of the earliest known streptococcal infection in the Americas
Also featured in this week’s science news
— NASA has shut down another Voyager 1 instrument as humanity’s most distant spacecraft prepares for a risky ‘big bang’ flight to conserve power
— Bruce the parrot is missing his upper beak — but that didn’t prevent him from becoming an undefeated jousting champion
—The “Kraken” octopus, which lived during the age of dinosaurs, was a 62-foot-long apex predator of the ocean
—Artemis II Heat Shield Accelerates Fierce Atmospheric Reentry, Ghostly Underwater Photos Revealed
-Artemis moon landing could face significant delays while NASA waits for next-generation spacesuits
— Powered by advanced AI, our table tennis robot rivals the pros — watch it in action
science reading material
Brain-eating amoeba is a relatively rare infection, but it is almost always fatal. Breeding in warm fresh water, they charge into the body like a “bull in a china shop” and destroy brain tissue on a large scale. Live Science reported on the race to develop breakthrough treatments to kill microbes, as climate change heats water and could expand the range of these microbes.
something for the weekend
If you’re looking for something to keep you busy over the weekend, here are some of the best interviews and quizzes published this week.
— ‘It’s very unlikely that we’ll live for 50 years’: Theoretical physicist explains why it’s unlikely that humanity will survive and all forces will be unified [Interview]
— “A powerful, undeniable public example of something positive”: Astronaut Chris Hadfield on the impact of Artemis II and why we need to send a guitar to the moon [Interview]
—Earth Quiz: What do you know about our planet’s most amazing features? [Quiz]
Science news in pictures
Photographers Petr Horarek and Josef Kujar captured this extraordinary cosmic coincidence on April 18 over the ruins of the 15th-century Knyticka Hora castle in the Czech Republic, when the Great Comet of 2026 candidate intersected with a bolide meteor in the sky, forming a giant X. Don’t tell Elon Musk.
Follow Live Science on social media
Want more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp channel to keep up with the latest discoveries. It’s the best way to get expert reports on the go, but even if you don’t use WhatsApp, you can use Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Flipboard, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.
Source link
