Uncategorized

Computing

Huijia Lin proved that a master tool of cryptography is possible

Cryptographer Huijia Lin showed that the long-sought “indistinguishability obfuscation” is secure from data attacks.

Psychology

The pandemic may be stunting young adults’ personality development

People typically become less neurotic and more agreeable with age. The COVID-19 pandemic may have reversed those trends in adults younger than 30.

Health & Medicine

This robotic pill clears mucus from the gut to deliver meds

A whirling robotic pill wicks mucus from the gut, allowing intravenous drugs such as insulin to be given orally, experiments in pigs suggest.

Paleontology

Ancient fish fossils highlight the strangeness of our vertebrate ancestors

New fossils are revealing the earliest jawed vertebrates — a group that encompasses 99 percent of all living vertebrates on Earth, including humans.

Health & Medicine

False teeth could double as hearing aids

Dental implants can conduct sound through jawbone, making them candidates for discreet, high-quality hearing aids, researchers say.

Ecosystems

‘Fen, Bog & Swamp’ reminds readers why peatlands matter

In her latest book, author Annie Proulx chronicles people’s long history with peatlands and examines the ecological value of these overlooked places.

Ecosystems

A Caribbean island gets everyone involved in protecting beloved species

Scientists on Saba are introducing island residents to conservation of Caribbean orchids, red-billed tropicbirds and urchins.

Planetary Science

NASA’s DART spacecraft just smashed into an asteroid — on purpose

If the first-ever attempt to knock a space rock off course works, it could provide a blueprint to protect Earth from a killer asteroid.

Anthropology

In Maya society, cacao use was for everyone, not just royals

Previously considered a preserve of Maya elites, cacao was consumed across all social strata, a new study finds.

Environment

Mangrove forests expand and contract with a lunar cycle

The carbon-sequestering trees grow in a roughly 18-year cycle according to tides influenced by the moon’s orbit, a study in Australia finds.

Earth

Here’s how olivine may trigger deep earthquakes

Olivine’s transformation into another mineral can destabilize rocks and set off quakes more than 300 kilometers down, experiments suggest.

Planetary Science

Here is the first direct look at Neptune’s rings in more than 30 years

In 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft took the first pics of Neptune’s rings. Now, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is providing a more detailed look.