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Plastics play a fundamental role in modern life, but their resistance to biodegradation makes them very difficult to dispose of. New research reveals how “plastivore” caterpillars can metabolically degrade plastics in a matter of days, not decades, and store them internally as body fat – but at what cost? In 2017, a groundbreaking study demonstrated that…

While conventional computers store information in the form of bits, fundamental pieces of logic that take a value of either 0 or 1, quantum computers are based on qubits. These can have a state that is simultaneously both 0 and 1. This odd property, a quirk of quantum physics known as superposition, lies at the…

The discovery of new fossils and a new species of ancient ancestor may help shift the perception of human evolution from linear evolution to that of a tree with many branches, new UNLV research published on August 13 in the journal Nature shows. UNLV anthropologist Brian Villmoare and a team of international scientists discovered new fossils…

Artist’s illustration of the ancient reptile Kostensuchus atrox Gabriel Diaz Yanten, CC-BY 4.0 An ancient crocodile relative that lived around 70 million years ago was probably such a formidable predator that it could have eaten medium-sized dinosaurs for breakfast. “Its large teeth had serrated edges like steak knives, which is a strong signal that this…

A life reconstruction of Spicomellus afer, an ankylosaur fossil discovered in Morocco Matthew Dempsey A dinosaur fossil found in Morocco may be the most bizarrely and elaborately armoured vertebrate that has ever walked the planet. The first fossil of Spicomellus afer was discovered in Morocco and reported in 2021. It was only a rib fragment…

These succulent plants glow after being infused with phosphor particles that absorb and slowly release light Liu et al., Matter There are the bad product ideas that just make you sigh, and then there are the ones you absolutely loathe. For me, glowing plants created by pumping leaves full of phosphorescent chemicals fall firmly in…

Unexpectedly bright northern lights illuminated UK skies in 2024 John Hayward/SWNS If you’re a fan of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, then you’re in luck. Last year was a bonanza, with auroras visible from all over the world – and twice they showed up brighter and farther south than in recent living memory. With…