A fiery side-effect of melting glaciers & paging Dr Droid for gallbladder surgery
They studied six volcanoes in southern Chile using rock dating and crystal analysis to understand the impact of the Patagonian Ice Sheet on past eruptions. They found that thick glaciers can keep magma trapped deep underground. But as the ice melts and the pressure eases, the magma can rise and explode more violently. This process, already seen in Iceland in the 1970s, may also affect other glaciated regions like Antarctica, North America, and New Zealand.
New Delhi: New research posits that one of the side effects of melting glaciers due to global warming could be an increasing number of volcanic eruptions. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison drew this connection in a presentation on 8 July at the Goldschmidt conference of the European Association of Geochemistry. The study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal later this year.
Also read: That morning brew could be doing more than just jumpstarting your day—helping your cells age gracefully
Robot performs gall bladder surgery without human intervention
A robot trained by Johns Hopkins researchers successfully performed a complex portion of a gallbladder removal surgery on a lifelike model. The findings were published in a new paper in the peer-reviewed Science Robotics journal on 9 July. Unlike previous robots that follow strict, pre-programmed instructions, this one, called SRT-H, learned and adapted from voice commands by surgeons, like a real surgical trainee.
It was trained using surgery videos and captions and can even respond to voice commands like 'grab the gallbladder head' or 'move left'. Think of it as a surgical assistant that's both incredibly precise and smart enough to think on its feet.
The robot handled a full sequence of 17 surgical tasks, adjusted to different anatomy, and coped with unexpected situations like changes in how the gallbladder looked. While slower than a human, its accuracy matched that of surgeons, said the paper. According to the authors, this robot could pave the way for autonomous systems to one day assist or even lead real surgeries, especially in high-risk or remote situations.
Airport radar signals might be detected by alien civilisations
Every time a plane takes off from Heathrow airport or JFK airport in the US, or a military radar scans the skies for incoming threats, the Earth may be sending out a cosmic 'we're here!' to the universe. New research presented at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting on 8 July reveals that the radar systems used by airports and militaries across the globe are powerful enough to be detected by alien civilisations up to 200 light-years away—if those aliens have radio telescopes as sensitive as ours. However, these are preliminary results and have not been published in a journal yet.
These unintentional signals radiate far beyond our planet. Researchers from the University of Manchester, who presented this work, simulated how these waves spread into space. They found that from the perspective of nearby stars like Barnard's Star, Earth might appear to blink with distinct, artificial patterns. Military radars, in particular, act like sweeping lighthouse beams, and their focused energy could stand out as clear signs of intelligent life.
The research suggests that any technologically advanced planet, not just ours, might light up the cosmos in this way, offering a universal clue to alien astronomers that someone is out there, watching the skies.
Why are sharks blue?
Blue sharks don't just wear their colour, rather they engineer it. New research presented at the Society for Experimental Biology's Annual Conference on 9 July said that sharks' iconic blue shimmer comes from a hidden world of nanoscopic crystals and pigments embedded deep within their skin's tiny scales, called dermal denticles. These scales are armoured with pulp cavities filled with reflective guanine crystals, which act as mirrors, and melanin vesicles, which absorb light. Together, they act like coordinated teams of glitter and blackout curtains, filtering light to create that signature deep-sea blue.
But the twist is that this isn't just a static paint job. These structures may allow the shark to change its color. The research team, using powerful imaging tools and computer models, found that subtle shifts in the spacing of these crystals could shift the shark's hue from vibrant blues to greens and golds. Changes in water depth, water pressure, and even atmospheric humidity causes these shifts in colour.
Also read: It's official: New object zipping through our solar system is the 3rd known interstellar visitor
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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Scientists just found a 140,000-year-old child's skull in Israel, and what they found could change human history
A child's skull, almost 140,000 years old, was found in Israel. Researchers believe it shows interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals. The skull has both Homo sapiens and Neanderthal traits. CT scans helped in the analysis. Some scientists disagree and want DNA evidence. The discovery could change views on human evolution. It suggests interbreeding occurred earlier than thought. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Skull shows both modern and Neanderthal features New reconstruction raises old questions Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Debate continues among scientists Implications for human evolution A nearly 140,000-year-old child's skull found in Skhul Cave, Israel, may show evidence of interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals, researchers said in a new study. The partially reconstructed skull, first discovered almost a century ago, belonged to a child believed to be around 3 to 5 years old and was recently examined using modern scanning research, published in the July-August issue of L'Anthropologie, was led by Anne Dambricourt Malasse at the Institute of Human Paleontology in France. Her team used CT scans to re-analyse the skull, which was previously restored with plaster, limiting scientific study for braincase of the child displays features common to Homo sapiens, but the mandible — or jawbone — appeared more similar to Neanderthal anatomy. It lacked a chin and showed traits typical of Neanderthals, suggesting a possible mixed lineage."This study is maybe the first that has put the Skhul child's remains on a scientific basis," said John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the research. "The old reconstruction and associated work, literally set in plaster, did not really enable anyone to compare this child with a broader array of recent children to understand its biology."The skull had several missing parts, including much of the facial area and the base. The rest of the bones were in fragments. Using modern technology, the team developed a clearer reconstruction, bringing new attention to the child's all experts agree with the hybrid theory. Some researchers caution that DNA evidence is needed to confirm the claim. Others believe the observed traits may reflect natural variation within early modern humans."Even if not 1st-generation hybrids, it's certainly possible that the Skhul fossils reflect some gene flow between the 2 populations," said Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London, who also did not take part in the study. "Overall though, looking at all the material, including the skeletons, the material still primarily aligns with Homo sapiens, in my view."If proven to be a hybrid, the skull would support the idea that modern humans and Neanderthals interbred more often and earlier than previously thought. This could change long-held views about human migration and studies suggest that genetic exchange between the two species may have occurred about 100,000 years ago. The Skhul child may provide a physical example of this interaction."I have long thought that hybridisations were not viable and I continue to think that they were mostly abortive," said Malasse. "This skeleton reveals that they were nevertheless possible, even though this little girl lived only 5 years."
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Can aliens spy on Earth? Scientists say our radar systems could give us away
Alien astronomers, even with inadequate technology, could recognise the radio signals from airports on Earth. This was revealed in an upcoming study that shows how aliens may be able to spy on us using our radio signals. According to a study headed by researcher Ramiro Caisse Saide of the University of Manchester, radar systems used to monitor aircraft at major airports like Heathrow in London and JFK in New York may generate radio waves powerful enough to be detected by extraterrestrial civilisations up to 200 light-years away. The researchers examined how radio waves from military and civilian radar operations travelled outside Earth. This was done to predict how they would seem when they reached nearby stars. According to the findings that were presented at the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) 2025 in Durham, UK, signals emitted from airports across the world are over 2,000 trillion watts. This is powerful enough to detect extraterrestrial planets that are 200 light-years away using the Green Bank Telescope, which happens to be the most sensitive telescope in the world and is located in Virginia, US. By carefully simulating how these radar signals spread out from Earth over time and space, the researchers looked at how visible they would be from nearby stars such as Barnard's Star and AU Microscopii. Out of roughly 1,000 star systems in that range, the nearest potentially habitable world beyond our solar system is Proxima Centauri b which is only 4.2 light-years away. Another key question is whether an astronomer from another planet could comprehend what we are communicating and seeing. The signal wouldn't be artificial because it would seem to rise and fall throughout a 24-hour period when several airports came into view of the extraterrestrial astronomers due to Earth's rotation. Additionally, the study contributes to those on Earth who are searching for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence in estimating how far away they would be able to spot a civilisation that is comparable to our own. 'By learning how our signals travel through space, we gain valuable insights into how to protect the radio spectrum for communications and design future radar systems,' co-researcher Professor Michael Garret was quoted as saying by the Royal Astronomical Society. Military radar systems, which are more focused, create a unique pattern – like a lighthouse beam. They have an accumulated peak emission reaching about 1×1014 watts in a given field of view of the observer. This, according to the researchers, is weaker than airport radar. Caisse Saide, a PhD student, added, 'In this way, our work supports both the scientific quest to answer the question, 'Are we alone?' and practical efforts to manage the influence of technology on our world and beyond.'
NDTV
4 days ago
- NDTV
140,000-Year-Old Skull Suggests Ancient Human-Neanderthal Hybrid: Study
Researchers shed new light on a skull, belonging to a young child, found almost 100 years ago in Skhul Cave on Mount Carmel in Israel. The skull, likely of a girl, was part of mysterious human remains found at a 140,000-year-old burial site. In a new study, published in the July-August issue of the journal L'Anthropologie, Anne Dambricourt Malasse at the Institute of Human Paleontology in France and her colleagues suggested that the skull, estimated to be 3-5 years old, could have been a cross between modern humans and Neanderthals. "This study is maybe the first that has put the Skhul child's remains on a scientific basis," John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who wasn't involved in the new research, said as quoted by New Scientist. "The old reconstruction and associated work, literally set in plaster, did not really enable anyone to compare this child with a broader array of recent children to understand its biology." 140,000-year-old child's skull may have been part modern human, part Neanderthal — but not everyone is convinced #archaeology #Anthropology #science #SciChat — Gary McFarlane (@GaryM) July 12, 2025 The middle section of the skull's face and a large part of the base were missing. Meanwhile, the rest was in pieces. The braincase shows modern features typical of Homo sapiens. The researchers found the mandible had distinct Neanderthal characteristics. The jaw was also more Neanderthal-like, with a lack of chin. When the remains were unearthed, scientists then consolidated the pieces with plaster in an attempt to put the skull back together, making it difficult to study. Now, the researchers used modern CT scanning techniques to get a new and detailed look, suggesting that the child might be a hybrid of modern humans and Neanderthals. However, others argue it's premature to conclude without DNA evidence. Some scientists believe the skull's features could represent variability within Homo sapiens rather than hybridisation. "Even if not 1st-generation hybrids, it's certainly possible that the Skhul fossils reflect some gene flow between the 2 populations," Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London who was not involved in the study, told Live Science. "Overall though, looking at all the material, including the skeletons, the material still primarily aligns with Homo sapiens, in my view." If confirmed as a hybrid, it would imply that Neanderthals and modern humans interbred more extensively than previously thought. It would change our understanding of human evolution. Studies suggest there was cross-population gene flow between Neanderthals and humans around 100,000 years ago, which could have resulted in the mixed features observed in the Skhul child. "I have long thought that hybridisations were not viable and I continue to think that they were mostly abortive," says Malasse. "This skeleton reveals that they were nevertheless possible, even though this little girl lived only 5 years."
