Sam's News — science — 2026-09-15¶
Science¶
7.5 Ancient DNA reveals plague killed Siberian hunter-gatherers 5,500 years before Black Death¶
Ancient DNA analysis reveals Yersinia pestis killed Siberian hunter-gatherers approximately 5,500 years ago, predating the Black Death by millennia. DNA from the plague bacterium was detected in 18 of 46 individuals tested (40 percent), with an unusually high concentration of child and adolescent deaths suggesting severe lethality despite lacking later transmission-enabling mutations.
- Plague detected in prehistoric Lake Baikal remains ~5,500 years ago
- 40 percent detection rate in 46 individuals tested
- Concentrated deaths among children and young teenagers
- Published in Nature, led by Ruairidh Macleod (Oxford)
- Early strains may have carried severe immune-reaction genetic factors
Sources: ScienceDaily AI Web Searched, ScienceDaily — Health RSS
7.5 UV imaging reveals possible ancient camouflage on 125-million-year-old crocodile fossil¶
Ultraviolet imaging of a 125-million-year-old crocodile fossil (Montsecosuchus depereti) from northeastern Spain revealed preserved soft tissues and an alternating band pattern on the tail, potentially representing the oldest known animal camouflage pattern in a crocodylomorph. The 50-centimeter specimen also showed evidence of lacking the high caudal fin present in modern crocodiles and possible sensory organs in specialized scales.
- Fossil: Montsecosuchus depereti, 125 million years old, ~50 cm long
- Location: Pedrera de Meià site, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain (Lower Cretaceous karstic lake)
- UV imaging revealed preserved soft tissues, scales, and alternating band tail pattern
- Possible sensory organs in scales around neck, limbs, trunk, tail
- Specimen MGB-512 housed at Museum of Natural Sciences Barcelona
Sources: ScienceDaily AI Web Searched
7.5 Supermassive black hole winds found 100 times more powerful than previously measured¶
Using the XRISM X-ray satellite, astronomers observed quasar H1821+643 and discovered that supermassive black hole winds are approximately 100 times more powerful than previously estimated, with turbulence extending roughly 300,000 light-years beyond the host galaxy. The energy in this turbulence matches billions of supernova explosions.
- XRISM observations of quasar H1821+643 (constellation Draco, 3.4 billion light-years away)
- Black hole winds ~100 times more powerful than previous estimates
- Turbulence extends ~300,000 light-years beyond host galaxy
- Energy comparable to billions of supernova explosions
- Research led by Satoshi Yamada, Tohoku University Frontier Institute
Sources: ScienceDaily AI Web Searched
Computational Biology¶
7.5 Stanford AI Models Map Cell Biology Across 112 Million Cells from 12 Species¶
Stanford researchers developed TranscriptFormer, an AI model trained on 112 million cells across multiple species, enabling cross-species cell biology mapping.
Sources: Phys.org RSS
Health¶
7.5 Scientists Identify Major Epigenetic Brain Changes Between Ages 50 and 75¶
Researchers identified major epigenetic and structural brain changes occurring between ages 50 and 75, including sharp decline in embryonically-derived microglia, reduced blood-brain barrier maintenance, and erosion of three-dimensional genome architecture. The findings, published in Science using single-cell methods on hippocampal tissue, suggest these changes may explain why aging is the strongest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration.
- Age window: ages 50–75 shows sharp decline in embryonically-derived microglia
- Microglia replaced by cells with pro-inflammatory molecular signatures
- Substantial decline in blood-brain barrier maintenance populations
- Broad erosion of 3D genome architecture across multiple brain cell types
- Aging is strongest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
Sources: ScienceDaily AI Web Searched, ScienceDaily — Health RSS
Space¶
7.5 BepiColombo's BELA laser altimeter nears Mercury exploration phase¶
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is entering its final stage with the BELA laser altimeter ready to map Mercury's surface.
Sources: Phys.org RSS
7.5 Webb discovers smallest known brown dwarfs in star-forming region IC 348¶
The James Webb Space Telescope has identified brown dwarfs—substellar objects with less mass than the smallest stars—in the nearby star-forming region IC 348, including some of the smallest known examples.
Sources: Phys.org RSS
7.5 James Webb detects mysterious changing rings on centaur object Chariklo¶
James Webb Space Telescope observations of Chariklo, a small ringed world between Saturn and Uranus, reveal inexplicable changes in its ring system.
Sources: Live Science RSS
History & Demography¶
7 Australian Indigenous population was vastly larger pre-contact and decimated by colonization¶
New research reveals Australia's pre-European Indigenous population was much larger than previously believed, with colonization causing an estimated 93% population loss.
Sources: Phys.org RSS
AI Hardware¶
7 Room-Temperature Skyrmion-Based Synapses Enable Energy-Efficient AI Hardware¶
Researchers have developed room-temperature skyrmion-based synapses that could lead to more energy-efficient AI computing hardware.
Sources: Phys.org RSS