The evolution of science and technology: How humanity evolved with it?

Photo Courtesy: Image by Syed Ali Mehdi from Pixabay | For representational purpose only

Saanvi Singh

Was it a moment or a day or perhaps a bright morning once upon a time, or a fine evening in the past? How do we trace the origins of science and technology? It is an ongoing journey that started even before the beginning of our own species and is seen to be constantly developing and becoming more efficient over time.

Do we start with the prehistoric and early human era? Somewhat 2 million years ago, when people used stone tools for survival. The era when clothing was invented, and people could then live in cool climates. Then came the ancient civilizations, where humanity explored through the ideas of betterment in agriculture and medicine. The discovery of metallurgy led to stronger and more versatile tools and weapons. Post this came the classical period of history of science and technology.

Famous scientists like Archimedes proposed his principle of buoyancy. Europe and the Middle East saw watermills and windmills being used for power. The 13th century brought with it the Late Medieval Period, where mechanical clocks regulated time, and printing presses helped in mass communication. Modern science instruments like the microscope and barometer were invented in the 1600s – 1700s. Then in the 1750s, the world saw an industrial revolution.

The period before the Industrial Revolution was all about survival, discovery, and laid the base for the foundations of scientific thought. The transformation of the traditional approach and the adoption of more efficient solutions helped in several ways. The introduction of fire, somewhat 1.5 million years ago, led to the betterment of necessities of life like cooking, protection. The introduction of the concept of wheel revolutionized transportation, made it easier, helped in the easy flow of goods and people, and helped new industries such as pottery, spinning, and weaving flourish. The innovation of the printing press enhanced the ways knowledge was spread back then, prepared people and society for the large-scale exchange of knowledge.

In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus, God of fire, is often portrayed as a champion of humanity, considering fire a divine gift to mankind, which symbolized knowledge and progress. At the same time, another god, named Zeus in Greek Mythology, punished him, fearing that fire would make humans rebellious. Fire was seen as a double-edged sword; on one hand, it improved the way of living, but at the same time, it was capable of uncontrollable destruction. Martin Luther praised the printing press as “the latest and greatest gift, by which God intends the work of true religion to be known throughout the world and translated into every tongue". He called it God’s highest and most extreme act of grace. But, at the same time, a 20th-century thinker, Marshall McLuhan, thought that the press gave way to propaganda, censorship, and misinformation.

The early 18th and 19th centuries saw the rise of the Industrial Revolution with the introduction of machines and mass production that brought major changes in people’s lives. This period observed a shift from traditional economic practices and became more centered on mass production and the machine system. Mechanization, implying the invention of new machines like the steam engine and power looms, resulted in a faster pace at which work was being done than before. Industries like iron and steel and textiles saw major hikes in their production rates with the introduction of these machines into the market.

For instance, with the adoption of machinery in the iron and steel industry, coal production in the UK boosted from 100 million tons to 265 million tons during 1870 – 1910. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, some were sparked with happiness, while others had deep concerns about the situation.

People like Dadabhai Naoroji were in favor of the usage of modern machinery and technology; however, they had concerns about the ‘drain of wealth’ to Britain during the colonization period that affected India’s economic growth. Jawaharlal Nehru believed that industrialization was an essential factor that contributed to the building of an independent nation and a beneficial economy. However, people like Rabindranath Tagore laid his belief in the fact that true progress can be achieved with nature, culture, and rural life, not with modernization techniques. People like R.C Dutt and Bal Gangadhar Tilak believed that industrialization was exploitative for India as it impacted the Indian economy under colonial control and turned India into a raw material supplier.

Post this, the 20th and 21st centuries brought with them the scientific revolutions and a digital era.

The early 1900s saw Max Planck, a German Physicist, come up with his Quantum Theory, followed by Albert Einstein, the renowned scientist, bringing up the theory of relativity. The mid-1900s saw advances in medicine with the mass production of vaccines, and the invention of transistors, computers sparked the field of electronics and computing. The late 1900s brought with it the era of the internet. From 2000 onwards, the world saw a rapid rise in technological advancements across fields. People from diverse backgrounds, fell under the huge umbrella of science and technology.

The journey of mobile communication from 1G to 5G expanded global communication, enhancing speed and efficiency. With the introduction of platforms like Linkedin in 2003, Facebook in 2004, YouTube in 2005, and Twitter in 2006, the world was taken over by this hike in social media services and impacted people across the globe.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, sees social media as “an amazing business tool”. In his words, “I get feedback from 11 million people.” Famous actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas believes that social media is a way to connect and support. At the same time, Lily Allen, a Pop Star, despite building her career through the social networking site Myspace where her vocal recordings got published, confessed that the internet felt “damaging on mental health, actual health and our relationships.”

Followed by this, multiple developments were observed in fascinating areas like space and astronomy, physics and energy and then came the masters of all, “Computing and Artificial Intelligence”. It changed the way the world operated, it changed the way humans processed material. The concepts, for example, machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics, not only made the digital world turn into a reality but also made it smarter and more intelligent than humankind.

Among some people, it changed their lifestyles, brought comfort in daily lives, improved health, education, and business. However, among others, it turned into a nightmare and made people face challenges like loss of jobs in a flash, privacy issues, and other ethical concerns.

At a developer conference in Bengaluru, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella advocated for the utilization of AI tools to empower millions of Indian developers across the nation. Nicolas Cage, a renowned Hollywood actor, addressing his own field, asserted that AI could assist filmmakers in visual effects, cost reduction, and the better portrayal of ideas. However, he simultaneously expressed his concerns regarding the excessive dependency on AI in films that threatened the idea of emotional authenticity.

Kamal Haasan, a famous film star, in 2025 said, “I like AI, but not sure if AI will like me.” He drew attention to the plight of deceased musicians and emphasized his preference for authentic human expression over digital replicas of human art and creativity. Similarly, another celebrated actor, Tom Cruise, highlighted AI’s potential to undermine originality and emotional authenticity.

The evolution of science and technology reflects humanity’s constant search to survive, adapt, and progress—from stone tools and fire to telescopes and electricity. Each breakthrough reshaped societies, improved lifestyle, and expanded human imagination far beyond. Today, artificial intelligence is writing destinies much like past revolutions did, influencing jobs, education, health, and connections, while continuing to guide humans into an ever-unfolding future. This era of AI is never ending and will continue to bring inevitable changes and introduce even smarter and newer ideologies to the world. Saanvi Singh is a first year student at Plaksha University The evolution of science and technology: How humanity evolved with it? | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........→September 10, 2026

Teen Discovers Coconut Fungi Can Filter Plastic and Sunscreen From Sea—And Wins Science Fair

Coconut fungi experiment by Vera Wang wins awards at 2026 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair – Released by SOEST

An East Honolulu high school student discovered a fungi in coconut husks that could clean up plastics and sunscreen from the ocean—and her won multiple awards at the Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair.

Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School, won in multiple categories after conducting experiments in Anthony Amend’s lab at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. And she qualified for the International Science & Engineering Fair taking place next May in Arizona.

Her science fair success, including the discovery that the fungi may be a previously-uncharacterized species, all began during her sophomore year.

Ms. Wang designed and built an ocean filter that removed sunscreen and microplastics from the surface water which was inspired by traditional Polynesian weaving while incorporating modern environmental science.

It was not only scientifically effective, but was sustainably made entirely from coconut byproduct waste. Soon, Wang realized that removing the pollutants from water is only part of the problem. The next challenge she considered was how to dispose of them responsibly—and again found success.

“I learned that the pore structure of coconut fiber supports the movement of air and water, which can create a favorable environment for microbes,” Wang said. “That led me to wonder whether coconut husk could do more than physically capture pollutants. So this year, my research at the Amend Lab began exploring the fungal communities living in coconut husks and studying their growth and degradation abilities on sunscreen and plastic media.”

They discovered that fungi found naturally on coconut husks can biodegrade (decompose) sunscreen and plastic, and that a tannin compound can be used to identify sunscreen- and plastic-degrading fungi. The tannins present in the fibers might be encouraging growth of these complex degraders.

Additionally, their genetic testing showed that some of the fungal species did not have a match to anything in the world’s largest reference database of known genes and genomes, indicating that these may be previously uncharacterized species.

Kauai in Hawaii by Karsten Winegear

Among her awards, Wang’s project earned 1st place in the Microbiology category and a scholarship award from the McInerny Foundation.

“I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to pursue my project in the Amend Lab,” said Wang, who worked closely with Kaylee Christensen, a graduate student in the Marine Biology Graduate Program.

“My research would have never, ever, been possible without Anthony and Kaylee. This project has been part of a much longer journey, so having it recognized feels both surreal and deeply rewarding.”

“This work was made possible because of Vera’s vision, and it gives me such optimism about the future of science in Hawaiʻi,” said Amend, who is based in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).

Her success is a testament to our public school system which is doing a wonderful job supporting and training our next generation of students. I can’t wait to see what discoveries she makes in college.” Teen Discovers Coconut Fungi Can Filter Plastic and Sunscreen From Sea—And Wins Science Fair

Read More........→September 09, 2026

Survey Finds Blackbirds to Have the Most Beautiful Songs in the Avian World–Science Explains Why

– SWNS

The next time you hear a blackbird singing in the dead of night, know that you’re listening to the most pleasant song in the world.

What the bird lacks in dressage it makes up for in repertoire, a new survey and study from the University of Tübingen found in which researchers set out to discover the key ingredients that make birdsong pleasant.

The blackbird topped the ‘pleasantness’ table with an average score of 4.52 out of 5, beating the willow warbler to first position (4.45) . The blackcap filled out the top 3.

“You don’t have to be a ‘bird person’ to find bird sounds beautiful,” said study author Dr. Nadine Kalb from Tübingen U. “Being able to recognize birds by their appearance or song did not affect how people rated calls.”

By asking people to listen to birdsongs and rate them for pleasantness, then cross-referencing the results with information about the calls’ acoustic characteristics, Kalb and co-authors identified key aspects that make some birdsongs seem more pleasant than others.

Participants rated the perceived pleasantness of 123 different bird songs on a scale from 1 (not very pleasant) to 5 (very pleasant). Calls which are varied, higher-pitched, and not too loud are considered most pleasant.

The research team suspected that some acoustic characteristics, such as a high amplitude—perceived as a loud noise—would be associated with a lower pleasantness rating.

But they also suspected some personal characteristics, such as individuals’ knowledge about birds, would influence pleasantness ratings, and so participants were also asked questions which measured their birding skills and their perception of birds.

“I’m very interested in human-bird relationships,” said senior study author Dr. Christoph Randler, also from the University of Tübingen.

“Bird sounds are often considered one of the most enjoyable aspects of spending time in nature, and previous research has shown that they can contribute to psychological restoration and well-being. However, not all bird sounds are perceived equally positively.”

For example, the barn owl finished rock bottom with an average pleasantness score of just 1.32.

A narrower bandwidth, which captures the range of frequencies a song used, and greater complexity, the number and variety of elements in the song, were perceived as more pleasant, as were birdsongs at a higher frequency or with a relatively low amplitude. The songs that scored highest also avoided a key frequency range where human hearing is highly sensitive.

“We might be wired to prefer more variable sounds with moderate amplitudes and frequencies because they signal a safe, healthy, and restorative environment where we can relax,” said Dr. Kalb.

To follow up the research, they want to carry out larger studies with broader samples including more men, different cultures, and more experienced birdwatchers.

“I would love to investigate how bird sounds influence people in real-world environments,” Dr. Randler said. “That would help us better understand the role that healthy ecosystems play in supporting both biodiversity and human well-being.”

Top 20 Most Pleasant (Old World) Bird Songs

• 1. Common Blackbird (4.52 average pleasantness score)
• 2. Willow Warbler (4.45)
• 3. Blackcap (4.43)
• 4. Mistle Thrush (4.33)
• 5. Garden Warbler (4.30)
• 6. Dunnock (4.30)
• 7. Chaffinch (4.29)
• 8. Common Nightingale (4.26)
• 9. Common Linnet (4.26)
• 10. European Goldfinch (4.26)
• 11. European Pied Flycatcher (4.25)
• 12. Eurasian Wren (4.24)
• 13. Skylark (4.23)
• 14. Eurasian Golden Oriole (4.17)
• 15. Common Cuckoo (4.13)
• 16. Tree Pipit (4.08)
• 17. Common Redstart (4.08)
• 18. European Greenfinch (4.08)
• 19. Eurasian Treecreeper (4.05)
• 20. European Robin (4.04) 

Survey Finds Blackbirds to Have the Most Beautiful Songs in the Avian World–Science Explains Why

Read More........→September 06, 2026

EV Charging Answer: Quantum Technology Will Cut Time it Takes to Charge Electric Cars to Just 9 Seconds

Institute for Basic Science

Scientists in South Korea have proven that a new technology will cut the time it takes to charge electric cars to just nine seconds, allowing EV owners to ‘fill up’ faster than their gasoline counterparts.

And even those plugging-in at home will have the time slashed from 10 hours to three minutes.

The new device uses the laws of quantum physics to power all of a battery’s cells at once—instead of one at a time—so recharging takes no longer than filling up at the pump.

Electric cars were rarely seen on the roads 10 years ago, but millions are now being sold every year and it has become one of the fastest growing industries, but even the fastest superchargers need around 20 to 40 minutes to power their car.

Scientists at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea have come up with a solution. Co-author Dr. Dario Rosa said the consequences could be far-reaching.

“Quantum charging could go well beyond electric cars and consumer electronics. For example, it may find key uses in future fusion power plants, which require large amounts of energy to be charged and discharged in an instant.”

The concept of a “quantum battery” was first proposed in a seminal paper published by Alicki and Fannes in 2012. It was theorized that quantum resources, such as entanglement, can be used to vastly speed up battery charging.

The researchers used quantum mechanics to model their super fast charging station with calculations of the charging speed showing that a typical electric vehicle with a battery containing around 200 cells would recharge 200 times faster.

Current collective charging is not possible in classical batteries, where the cells are charged in parallel, independently of one another.

“This is particularly exciting as modern large-capacity batteries can contain numerous cells.”

The group went further to provide an explicit way of designing such batteries.

This means charging times could be cut from 10 hours to three minutes at home and from around 30 minutes to just a few seconds at stations.

Co-author Dr Dominik Šafránek said, “Of course, quantum technologies are still in their infancy and there is a long way to go before these methods can be implemented in practice.”

“Research findings such as these, however, create a promising direction and can incentivize the funding agencies and businesses to further invest in these technologies.

“If employed, it is believed that quantum batteries would completely revolutionize the way we use energy and take us a step closer to our sustainable future.”

The findings were published in the February 8 edition of the journal Physical Review Letters. [GNN updated the earlier broken link.] EV Charging Answer: Quantum Technology Will Cut Time it Takes to Charge Electric Cars to Just 9 Seconds

Read More........→September 04, 2026

Deep Sleep Brain Waves Offer Protection Against Alzheimer’s, Shows New Research

Credit: Ruliff Andrean for Unsplash+

Poor sleep quality has been linked to cognitive decline, neuro-degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease in seniors—but it may be possible to counteract certain risks.

A new study shows that specific sleep brain waves provide protection against the harmful effects of a brain chemical associated with wakefulness, sleep transition, and narcolepsy.

Concordia University-led researchers examined levels of the neurotransmitter orexin in the cerebral spinal fluid of 60 adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease over a three-year period.

They found that individuals with elevated levels of orexin, which is vital to sleep and appetite regulation, were more likely to exhibit symptoms of cognitive decline, including poorer memory and thinking, more severe behavioral and psychiatric symptoms and had higher levels of biological markers associated with neurodegenerative disease and inflammation.

However, that relationship was found to be mitigated by specific brainwaves during sleep. Individuals who produced stronger sleep spindles and sleep oscillations — types of brainwaves associated with memory support and preservation — during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep had less cognitive decline over time than those with weaker ones.

This sleep activity appears to provide neural resilience against the negative effects of higher levels of orexin on their cognition and mental health.

“This study shows that there is a direct association between orexin levels in the brain and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease,” says study co-author Thanh Dang-vu, a neurologist and professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology.

Clear pathways to treatment

The study’s data, published in the journal Neurology, was collected by researchers at Lleida University in Catalonia, Spain. The 60 participants spent a night in a sleep laboratory where researchers recorded their brain activity using overnight poly-somnography. The following morning, cerebrospinal fluid samples were collected to measure orexin and other established Alzheimer’s biomarkers.

Participants also completed a series of cognitive and neuropsychiatric assessments at regular intervals over the next three years, allowing researchers to examine how sleep, brain chemistry and cognitive decline changed together over time.

“Having this longitudinal data is important, because Alzheimer’s disease is a moving target,” says the study’s co-first author Arsenio Paez, a neuroscience lecturer in the Sleep, Cognition and Neuroimaging Lab.

“With this data, we can see how the course of people’s Alzheimer’s disease changes over time. Alzheimer’s is a very long process, so this gives us a better picture of how conditions can change over time and we might intervene at different stages of the disorder.”

The researchers note that orexin-blocking drugs are already being used to treat insomnia and narcolepsy, and are being explored as possible therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

This study suggests that monitoring sleep spindles, slow oscillations and orexin levels could help measure disease progression and to identify which patients would benefit from specialized treatment.“This study shows us that there are new ways to potentially act on sleep to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and opens the door for further studies moving forward,” says Dang-vu. Deep Sleep Brain Waves Offer Protection Against Alzheimer’s, Shows New Research

Read More........→September 04, 2026

Indian scientists develop ‘smart’ cancer drug that targets tumour cells

(File Photo/IANS)

New Delhi, (IANS) Indian scientists have developed a new smart cancer drug candidate designed to become active primarily inside cancer cells, offering a potentially more targeted approach to cancer treatment and reducing the risk of damage to healthy cells.

The research has been led by Dr Asis Bala of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in collaboration with Dr K.P. Bhabak of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.

The drug candidate, named RK-251, is designed to remain relatively inactive in normal tissues and become activated inside cancer cells, according to reports.

Conventional cancer treatments can affect healthy cells along with tumour cells, often resulting in significant side effects.

The new approach seeks to overcome this limitation by using a biological difference between cancerous and healthy cells as a trigger for drug activation, the report noted.

Cancer cells typically generate higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), molecules that can cause cellular damage but can also be exploited for targeted drug delivery. When RK-251 enters a cancer cell, the elevated ROS levels are designed to trigger activation of the compound, releasing NBDHEX, a potent anticancer agent.

NBDHEX works by targeting proteins that are important for the survival and treatment resistance of several cancer cells. By releasing the compound primarily in the cancer-cell environment, RK-251 could potentially deliver its anticancer action more selectively while limiting exposure to healthy tissues.

In preclinical experiments, RK-251 showed strong activity against aggressive triple-negative breast cancer cells, while producing considerably less effect on healthy cells. The findings indicate that the ROS-responsive mechanism could help improve the selectivity of cancer treatment.

The researchers also evaluated the drug candidate using zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio). The experiments did not show obvious signs of toxicity, while the compound displayed the expected fluorescence in the presence of reactive oxygen species. This provided additional evidence for the proposed mechanism of action and supported further investigation of the drug candidate.However, RK-251 is still at the preclinical research stage and is not yet available as a treatment for patients. Further laboratory studies, safety assessments and validation through appropriate clinical trials will be necessary before the drug can be evaluated for use in humans. Indian scientists develop ‘smart’ cancer drug that targets tumour cells | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........→August 29, 2026

Woman Can See Again After World’s First Transplant of a Central Retina

Elena with her dog Joe, and Professor Michele Reibaldi – credit, Ospedale Molinette, supplied

From Turin comes a surgical world-first: the simultaneous transplant of a complete human macula, along with the cornea, sclera, and connective tissue, from one of the patient’s eyes to the other.

It allowed a woman blind for several years to immediately gain enough vision to recognize both her son and her faithful canine companion, Joe.

La Stampa, a Turn-based national newspaper, reported that the intervention was lead by the “intuition” of ocular surgeon Professor Michele Reibaldi, who himself described the process as a “complicated marathon,” lasting 6 hours and requiring careful coordination by surgeons, anesthetists, and orderlies.

The patient was 67-year-old Elena, who lost her eyesight in a road incident which completely severed the optic nerve in her left eye. Responsible for transmitting light absorbed and delineated through the eye to the brain, the irreversible damage was not shared by the rest of eye tissues, which remained largely intact.

In an interesting coincidence, the reverse was true for her right eye. While the optic nerve was undamaged, the trauma of the crash destroyed other parts of her eye including the retina, the cornea, and the portion of the eye containing ocular stem cells, rendering any hope of a normal corneal transplant impossible.

In short, there was enough undamaged components between her two eyes to create one that could function. The only problem was that it would require a surgery never done in the history of medicine, a macular transplant. The macula is a small, light-sensitive region at the back of the retina, itself located in the middle of the eyeball, responsible for high-definition sight. The common cause of blindness, macular degeneration, refers to this small tissue.

Elena also needed a new cornea, and the sclera—the white of the eyeball. Professor Reibaldi resolved to salvage those from the left eye and transplant them all to the right eye, in which the ocular nerve was preserved through the crash.

“This procedure represents a new frontier in ocular surgery,” Reibaldi, who practices at the Molinette Hospital in Turn’s City of Health and Science, said according to a translation. “Before today, such a contemporaneous transplant of the anterior eye tissue had occurred just once before, while the central retina has never been possible.”

“Now we will wait and see how well the transplanted retina functions, though early signs are encouraging.”

Follow-ups have confirmed that the tissues have reattached correctly, and that Elena is regaining sight in her right eye.Reibaldi praised the extraordinary collaboration within the team which carried out the procedure, before adding that the biggest prize for them was “the incredible moment in which Elena, opening her eyes, could finally recognize her son and faithful companion in life, Joe the dog.” Woman Can See Again After World’s First Transplant of a Central Retina

Read More........→August 27, 2026

When Zoo Elephants Are Rewilded in Africa, Here’s How Good Their Coping Skills Are

Rewilded elephants on Khamab Kalahari Reserve – Elephant Reintegration Trust of South Africa / SWNS

New research shows that elephants develop successful coping mechanisms when returning to the wild from human captivity.

In fact, the team found that “rewilded” elephants can fit quite well within wildlife systems and readapt—even after long-term captivity.

For the new study, a team from the Elephant Reintegration Trust of South Africa examined the behavioral and physiological responses of 11 formerly-captive elephants which had been released onto four different reserves.

For five years each elephant was observed for three weeks at a time at least once annually.

The team looked for indicators that the elephants might be uncomfortable in their wild surroundings and for behaviors that might be “hold-overs” from their time in captivity, such as conflict or confrontation.

The findings showed that, overall, rewilded elephants behaved “very similarly” to their wild neighbors.

Fecal samples collected to test for signs of metabolic stress showed levels within the normal range for wild elephants.

“What I found most fascinating was watching elephants that had spent decades in captivity adapt so successfully to life in the wild,” said co-author Tenisha Roos.

“Seeing them respond to their environment and function much like wild elephants was truly awe-inspiring and a powerful reminder of their remarkable resilience, adaptability, and behavioral flexibility.”

Credit – Glen Carrie / Unsplash

The differences may reflect their previous captive experiences, social circumstances, environmental conditions, and tourism or management pressures, according to the research team.

They say their findings, published in the journal PLOS One, show that rewilded elephants behave “very similarly” to their wild counterparts, despite some consistent differences—suggesting that they have adapted well to their return to wild habitats.

The research team also noted a high degree of variability in behavior between individual rewilded elephants, but that might be related to each animal’s personality.

Each elephant likely found their own unique ways to cope with their relocation.

The 11 animals in the study represent more than 50% of the rewilded elephant population across South Africa so far.

“While a few elephants showed slightly elevated stress biomarkers, all values remained within the normal range for wild populations, indicating successful adaptation—with no evidence of chronic stress.”

Andy Rouse captured antics of Kenyan family of elephants – SWNS

Co-author Tammy Eggeling said: “Although previously-captive elephants may carry the memories of confinement, our research has shown that, when given the opportunity, they can leave that past behind.

“They are able to learn new skills, adapt to unfamiliar environments, and ultimately thrive as wild elephants.”

Co-author Brett Mitchell added: “The data from this project show that when captive elephants are rewilded and given the opportunity, they can regain full autonomy and re-establish natural patterns of movement and behavior.“Through this research, we are also seeing that rewilded elephants can make a meaningful contribution to the conservation of their species.” When Zoo Elephants Are Rewilded in Africa, Here’s How Good Their Coping Skills Are

Read More........→August 17, 2026

Mom and Baby Beat 1-in-a-Million Odds to Survive the ‘Rarest of Pregnancies’

This photo provided by the family shows, from left, Kaila, Suze, Ryu and Andrew Lopez at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles in August 2025 – family photo

A Los Angeles woman recently celebrated the first Christmas with her baby boy, Ryu, born to truly remarkable circumstances.

Ryu developed outside his mother’s womb, and remained hidden for months behind an ovarian cyst that grew to be the size of a basketball. It was so unbelievable, the surgical/OBGYN team that delivered Ryu documented it for a case study in a medical journal.

The manner in which Ryu came into being represents a circumstance that’s “far, far less than 1 in a million,” said Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of labor and delivery at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, where Ryu was born. “I mean, this is really insane.”

Now 41, Suze Lopez has always had an irregular cycle, so missed periods—even consecutive ones—are a normal occurrence. It was almost 20 years ago that she was diagnoses with a pair of ovarian cysts, one of which was removed immediately, and one of which was not.

So in early 2025 when Lopez noted her abdomen swelling, her first thought was the cyst. She never felt kicking, and never had morning sickness—and indeed her instinct was at least partly correct.

The pressure and pain in her abdomen grew as days passed, and she was certain that, even if it risked her ability to conceive again, it was time to remove the other cyst which unbeknownst to her had grown to weigh a mind-boggling 22 pounds.

She needed a CT scan to prepare for surgery, which required a pregnancy test for the radiation, and to her utter surprise the test came back positive. Lopez was delighted, but the pain and discomfort grew and soon she had to be hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai where her medical team found a near fully-developed fetus in an amniotic sack lodged against her pelvis.

The term for where the fetus develops is “implants” and the term for a fetus that implants outside of the womb is an “ectopic pregnancy.” Almost all of these go on to rupture and hemorrhage. As such, fetal mortality can be as high as 90% in such cases and birth defects are seen in about 1 in 5 surviving babies, SF Gate reports.

However, because fetal Ryu implanted against the pelvic wall and not against the liver, it was far more manageable, and the reason why Lopez didn’t have more pain earlier.

Lopez and her boy beat the odds, despite a mammoth surgical procedure that both delivered Ryu at 8 pounds and removed the ovarian cyst—together weighing as much as an adult bobcat. During the procedure, Lopez lost half her blood, and had to be continually given transfusions.

“The whole time, I might have seemed calm on the outside, but I was doing nothing but praying on the inside,” Andrew Lopez, Suze’s husband, told SF Gate. “It was just something that scared me half to death, knowing that at any point I could lose my wife or my child.”Instead, they both survived without any maleffects. Ryu “completes” their family, said his mother, and recently celebrated his first Christmas alongside his older sister Kaila. Mom and Baby Beat 1-in-a-Million Odds to Survive the ‘Rarest of Pregnancies

Read More........→August 08, 2026

Drones are Saving Hundreds of Fawns From Mower Deaths in Germany (WATCH)

Credit: Erika Fletcher

A Bavarian wildlife rescue organization is using thermal imaging drones to locate and rescue vulnerable fawns hidden in tall meadow grass ahead of the annual mowing season.

Every spring, thousands of fawns are killed by mowing machinery across Germany. Baby deer instinctively freeze when threatened, a natural defense mechanism that protects them from predators but leaves them vulnerable to farm equipment.

Traditionally, this work was done on foot—with volunteers walking through the meadows in lines—an extremely labor-intensive task for this volunteer rescue group founded in 2020.

Now, with the thermal imaging of DJI drones, the rescue group, Rehkitz-Rettung Mangfalltal, can locate these hidden animals more quickly and efficiently before mowing begins, especially with the drone’s AI technology features that help pilots reliably spot fawns, baby hares, and ground-nesting birds.

Since integrating drone technology into their workflow, the group’s annual count of rescued fawns has ballooned from 10-15 in previous years to between 300 and 350 fawns today.

In a case study, operators used the Matrice 4 Series’ precision positioning controls to spot heat signatures in vegetation, verify them visually, and direct ground teams to the exact location. (See the video below…)

Whenever the thermal camera detects a heat source, its location is pinned with centimeter-level accuracy using the drone’s GPS and shared instantly with the ground team.

The German case study also provides a video step-by-step guide on the rescue process, including drone operations from an altitude of 80–100 meters and how to handle fawns once they are found.Thanks to the Rehkitz-Rettung Mangfalltal volunteers and drone pilots, farmers are able to happily proceed with mowing—confident that fields have been safely cleared of hidden animals. WATCH the Reuters news video below… Drones are Saving Hundreds of Fawns From Mower Deaths in Germany (WATCH)

Read More........→August 08, 2026

Fruit and honey fuelled the early evolution of the human brain

Jennie Brand-Miller, University of Sydney; David Raubenheimer, University of Sydney, and Les Copeland, University of Sydney

Intelligence is an energetically expensive luxury – as the rise of artificial intelligence has reminded us. The human brain is no exception.

Comprising roughly 2% of the body weight, it uses one fifth the body’s energy in the resting state – compared with less than half of this in non-human primates. A five-year-old child devotes 66% of the energy they need to stay alive to their brain.

How did our ancestors foot the energy bill to run their uniquely large brains? Eating more meat is often considered to be the answer. But there’s a catch. The brain relies on a form of fuel that is not present in meat: glucose.

Our new study, published today in Science, shows that carbohydrates contributed more than half our total energy requirements over four million years of evolution. It holds important clues for why we crave sweet foods today – and how we can eat more healthily.

The matter of meat

Many anthropologists have credited meat eating as the stimulus to produce a large brain. After all, it required tools to butcher the carcass and access the fat-rich marrow inside bones.

Protein and fat in fruit and leaves are dilute, requiring hours of chewing, while animal foods are dense sources that can be devoured quickly. Bone marrow is a rich source of essential fats.

In truth, humans do not require more protein as a proportion of energy than other primates.

Our increasingly large brains and high reproductive rate demanded carbohydrate calories (found in plants but not meat), while our taller and heavier bodies needed fat calories to move those big muscles.

Although the body can synthesise glucose from precursors such as amino acids, the process is finite and energetically inefficient. Furthermore, there are limits on using just protein as fuel. For example, it can lead to a type of poisoning known as “rabbit starvation”.

A minimum amount of dietary carbohydrate was necessary. Our new study shows that, for much of evolution, the sugars in fruit and honey were the source.

Modelling ancient diets

We modelled the diets of hominins – the group consisting of humans and our immediate ancestors – over four million years of evolution.

First, we calculated overall demand for glucose by the organs and tissues which use it as their primary source of energy. Apart from the brain, red blood cells and the kidneys require glucose.

We then accounted for reproductive needs. The fetus and placenta use glucose not just as an energy source but as a structural component of growing tissues. Synthesis of DNA, RNA and nerve cell membranes requires glucose. During lactation, women use about 80g of glucose each day to produce the sugars in human milk.

Then we modelled the availability of macronutrients – carbohydrates, fats and proteins – from foods, starting with the diminutive ancient ape known as Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis).

This early ancestor of ours walked on two legs, and was likely to be a ripe fruit specialist like chimpanzees today. Over two thirds of her energy came from naturally-occurring sugars.

Indeed, some scientists think frugivory – a feeding strategy primarily characterised by eating fruit – kick-started the evolution of large brains because, living in tropical forests, our ancestors required good cognition to remember when and where the best fruits were ripening. They needed strategic thinking to beat the birds and other competitors.

We finished up with the known diet composition of contemporary human foragers in warm climates. In six incremental steps, we incorporated increasing proportions of animal-based food, starting with 5% of calories and finishing with 35–50%.

Around one million years ago, mastery of fire allowed cooked starch, which unlike raw starch can be easily digested to provide glucose, to replace some of the sugars. Relatively recently, about 100,000 years ago, grinding stones and hearths indicate that the starch inside cereal grains became more accessible.

Lessons for modern diets

Did early hominins consume sufficient carbohydrate to cover the obligatory demands of the brain and other tissues? Yes, if you were a male, but only just if you were a pregnant female.

As we ventured out of tropical environments into cold and arid territory, the intake of carbohydrates would have become limiting. Plants would be plentiful, along with protein and marrow fat, but fruit and honey would be seasonal.

We speculate that limited amounts of dietary carbohydrate selected for genes that result in higher blood glucose levels. This would improve the growth and future survival of the fetus.

Today, the same genes likely predispose us to type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Low carbohydrate diets may therefore be helpful in specific clinical contexts.

But our findings provide an evolutionary explanation why healthy humans require about half their energy as carbohydrates. They also give us insight into why humans crave sweetness – a pleasurable signal on the tongue that encouraged foods that fuelled the mind and body millions of years ago.

Intrinsically, sugars are highly reactive molecules that are bundled in nature with antioxidants and other natural compounds that reduce harm within the cell.

Ideally, we consume them in that form – as fruit – rather than refined sugars.

Jennie Brand-Miller, Emeritus Professor of Human Nutrition, University of Sydney; David Raubenheimer, Leonard P. Ullman Chair in Nutritional Ecology, Nutrition Theme Leader Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, and Les Copeland, Professor of Agriculture, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read More........→August 07, 2026

Brain scans provide world‑first evidence dogs can distinguish between human fear and sadness

Mia Cobb, The University of Melbourne

What causes a dog to slink away from a cranky person, when they will quietly approach and lean against someone who is weeping? We’ve all seen it – they can respond to our feelings. And science agrees dogs have emotions too.

These social skills could underpin dogs’ success in living with us. But do you think your dog could tell an angry person’s face from a sad or fearful one?

New research published in the journal iScience explored that question, and revealed interesting findings from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of dogs’ brains.

Scanning dogs’ brains

Dogs are sensitive to human faces. They look longer in response to our emotional expressions and sounds compared with neutral ones.

Scientists weren’t sure whether dogs were just differentiating “good mood” (happy) from “bad mood” (angry, fearful or sad), or treating these expressions as genuine indicators of different emotions.

The new study, by Raúl Hernández-Pérez, a neuroscientist at the University of Vienna, and colleagues, explored this gap using MRI to scan pet dogs’ brains while they were viewing photos of human faces.

Building on their earlier work, the researchers found evidence that dogs do process images of our distinct emotional expressions differently.

The researchers used machine learning and showed that when looking at a dog’s whole brain, a different brain region was activated to distinguish between fear and sadness (the right rostral suprasylvian gyrus, to be precise), than between fear and anger (this was in the right mid ectosylvian gyrus and left splenial gyrus).

The analysis didn’t detect a difference in the brain areas activated when dogs were shown images of human anger and sadness. Fear stood out from the other negative emotions.

This raises the question: why?

It might be that fear and anger are simply more attention-grabbing than sadness.

Other research has found dogs react to fear and anger faster, and with a bigger physical response, such as a raised heart rate. This is likely because they’re the expressions most likely to call for a quick response from dogs to stay safe.

Sadness is less likely to pose a direct threat to dogs living with people, so they experience less urgency to respond to it. We know some dogs don’t respond with the heroic Lassie behaviour we might like when we are in distress.

Although the numbers in this new research were small (eight and twelve dogs across the two parts of the study), this is the first MRI-based proof-of-concept evidence that dog brains can distinguish between two human facial expressions of distinct negative emotions. It indicates dogs’ neural representation of our emotion goes beyond a simple valence (good/bad) split.

This shows us that perceiving emotion in others (even across species) isn’t handled by one single “emotion centre” in the brain – in dogs, in humans, or in other animal species. It’s spread across a network of regions working together as part of living socially.

A sense-ational result

The authors of this study point out that using still images of humans is a very people-centred way to explore how dogs interpret our emotional states.

We know dogs live in rich sensory worlds where the scent and sound of our speech also convey emotions, shaping how dogs respond to us.

In fact, even wolves who have grown up around people show the same kind of response to the odour of human fear as dogs. This highlights the important role of learning, as distinct from evolutionary differences in canid bodies or how they respond to people. Dogs (and wolves) are learning about us in every interaction we have with them.

Dogs are adept at watching, smelling, and listening to our emotions, learning how these signals predict our behaviours toward them, and using this information to live with people harmoniously.

Returning the favour, learning more about how dogs express their emotions seems like the least we can do.

Mia Cobb, Research Fellow, Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read More........→August 06, 2026

New Species of Monkey Found in DR Congo Shows How Much There’s Left to Discover

Colobus congoensis – credit, released by Daniel Rosengren, Frankfurt Zoological Society

When news reaches the public that a new species has been identified, the chances really are 9 times out of 10 that it’s some deep sea slug or a spider.

From the Congo comes the story of the exception—a new species of colobus monkey has been identified, becoming just the 5th such occasion in 75 years of research on the Colorful Continent.

A pair of Colobus congoensis – credit, released by Daniel Rosengren, Frankfurt Zoological Society

The creature with black fur and an innocent face, also bears a striking set of orange lips.

Named Colobus congoensis and known locally as “Likweli” in its home of Lomami National Park, the monkey had lain hidden from our sight within this remote region of the Congo Basin despite decades of scientific exploration in Central Africa.

The mystery of this new species began with an unexpected sighting in 2008, when researchers captured a partially obscured photograph of the monkey. A decade later, researchers encountered the animal again and obtained a much clearer image. That discovery sparked further investigation into the elusive primate.

Now, new genetic, anatomical, and acoustic analyses have confirmed that the monkey represents a distinct evolutionary lineage that diverged from its closest known relative, the black colobus monkey, 4 to 5 million years ago

“This discovery is both exciting and deeply personal, highlighting the extraordinary biodiversity of my homeland and how much remains undocumented,” said Junior Amboko, a Congolese scientist and co-corresponding author of the findings in a statement.

Smaller than related colobus monkeys—about 15 pounds—it is distinguished by sleek, light-reflecting fur and dramatic facial features created by long black facial hairs and large folded ears. White perianal markings further distinguish this species.

In a separate response to the BBC, Amboko said that the animal had a small range compared to other colobus monkeys, suggesting it could be already Endangered. In the statement, it’s detailed that between 2018 and 2022, researchers recorded 114 sightings across an estimated range of around 900 square miles.

“As part of our search, we interviewed people in 52 villages close to where the animals live. And only people in 8 villages [had ever seen] them.”While the scientists’ official recommendation in their paper describing the monkey is that it should be listed as Endangered, the locals also told them that the monkey was a target of local indigenous hunters. New Species of Monkey Found in DR Congo Shows How Much There’s Left to Discover

Read More........→July 29, 2026

Curious Kids: can spiders swim?

Leanda Denise Mason, Edith Cowan University

Can spiders swim?

Waubra Preschool students, Victoria, Australia

What a great question!

Most spiders don’t swim by choice. But they sure can survive in water when they need to. From floating like a boat, to paddling like a rower, to carrying their own scuba bubbles, spiders have developed brilliant ways to deal with water.

Let’s dive into the science in some more detail, and look at how spiders handle getting their paws wet, with examples from our local bush.

Spiders can run across water

Water has surface tension – this acts like a kind of invisible skin that can hold up small, light objects.

Many spiders are tiny and have water-repellent hairs on their legs, so they can stand or run on water without sinking.

For example, fishing spiders wait at the water’s edge and scuttle across the surface to grab insects, tadpoles or even small fish.

If prey escapes underwater, this spider can even hide beneath the water’s surface briefly, then come back up.

Spiders can hold their breath underwater for days

Spiders don’t have gills, so they can’t get oxygen from water like fish do. But they have evolved clever strategies for staying alive if they stay in the water for a long time.

For example, the Australian Sydney funnel-web spider often falls into backyard swimming pools. People might see one and think it drowned, but it can actually survive underwater for hours by holding its breath much longer than a human could.

That’s because it breathes much more slowly than we do. Like many spiders, it has both tracheae (tiny air tubes) and book lungs (they look like a book with many pages) for breathing. Some spiders can close these and become watertight, to hold their breath for a long time.

Some trapdoor spiders have been recorded only taking a breath every six minutes.

Do not burst their bubble

Some spiders take the air with them like a scuba diver.

On the Great Barrier Reef coast, a little intertidal spider called Desis bobmarleyi actually lives part of its life under seawater. At high tide, it hides in a silk-lined air pocket in coral or shells. It uses the long hairs on its legs and body to trap a bubble around itself so it can breathe underwater between the tides. When the tide goes out, this spider comes out to hunt on the wet reef.

And in other parts of the world, there’s the famous diving bell spider, the only spider that spends its whole life entirely underwater.

It weaves an underwater silk web that it fills with air – like an underwater house. This spider can stay underwater for more than a day at a time by letting its air-bubble vessel actively pull oxygen from the water.

Can you spot Desis bobmarleyi among the corals? coenobita/iNaturalist, CC BY

Flood proofing, trapdoor spider style

Some spiders sit tight and make their homes flood-proof. Remember those trapdoor spiders we mentioned? Trapdoor spiders live snug in burrows underground with a silken lid on top (like a little trapdoor).

In areas that get sudden heavy rains, a trapdoor spider might build its burrow with a raised entrance – a bit like a chimney – so water flows around or over it rather than straight in.

Some Australian trapdoor spiders in the outback clay pans have been found to build thick muddy silk doors that fit perfectly like a bath plug into the surrounding soil. The water just goes straight over the top.

Even if water does get in, some trapdoor spiders can seal their bodies and essentially hold their breath. They don’t swim in their flooded burrows, but they can wait out a flood without drowning.

What to do with a soggy spider

If you ever find a spider struggling in water – say in a swimming pool or even in a bucket – you can help as long as you’re careful.

First, always ask an adult before trying to assist a spider. Nobody has died in Australia in 60 years from spider venom. But some (such as the Sydney funnel-web) can still be fatal, so you must be sure not to touch or provoke it.

A good way to save a spider in a pool is to use a net or a scoop with a long handle. Gently lift the spider out and put it on the ground away from the water. The spider might look dead at first, but don’t be surprised if it “comes back to life” as it dries out – just like trapdoor spiders do.

And remember: never poke a spider with your bare hands, even if it seems lifeless. Spiders such as funnel-webs can still bite underwater or right after being rescued, and they will defend themselves if they feel threatened. So, play it safe and use tools or ask an adult or a spider expert to help.

If anyone is bitten, get an adult to seek medical attention immediately.

Next time you’re exploring nature (or even looking into the toilet), keep an eye out for our eight-legged friends and how they interact with water. You might spot a little spider boat captain or an air-bubble diver right in your backyard.

Leanda Denise Mason, Vice Chancellor Research Fellow in Conservation Ecology, Edith Cowan University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read More........→July 17, 2026

Staggering Results Show HIV-Transmission Reduced 100% with Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir Injection

A 2-stage trial testing a new and acclaimed HIV-prevention drug has shown almost unthinkable results of no new infections among a sample size of 3,200 participants.

Called PURPOSE 1, the aim of the first trial was testing a subcutaneous injection of the drug Lenacapavir given twice a year to people in a high-HIV-incidence country, which in this case was Uganda or South Africa.

The results were nothing short of extraordinary—100% efficacy, not a single young woman contracted HIV.

This was followed up by PURPOSE 2, which expanded the geographical area significantly to more countries on more continents, and expanded the pool of individuals from beyond just young women to men—and to those of all ages. 5,000 participants took part.

The result was the same: 99.9% reduction in infection rates.

Both were considered phase 3 clinical trials, and were conducted in a randomized, double-blinded protocol, but were not tested against a placebo. Instead, the Lenacapavir injections were compared to the current standard of HIV prevention—a pill called Truvada or Descovy taken daily.

These both were also found to prevent HIV transmission by 99.9% during development, but must be taken every day to achieve this level of protection. As anyone who’s tried to stick to a once-a-day pill regime long-term will agree, it’s not an easy thing to maintain month after month.

By contrast, the twice-yearly injections are much easier to adhere to, and they also come with the added benefit of removing the social stigma of being seen taking a daily pill and therefore at risk of HIV transmission. This can be particularly alleviating in high-HIV-prevalent countries where male homosexuality is illegal, such as Uganda.

Indeed the superiority of a twice-yearly injection was so clear that both PURPOSE trials were halted early over ethical reasons. A 52-week follow-up screened for HIV developments.

Lenacapavir was named by Science Magazine as the Breakthrough of the Year in 2024, and was approved by the FDA for use in humans under the brand name Yeztugo.

It works to break down the HIVs capsid shell by binding to an “highly conserved” protein on the exterior. That means that no matter how many times or into what form the virus mutates, the exterior shell protein remains—presenting the perfect target for the drug.

In layman’s terms, the drug then works through the protein to disrupt the capsid shell, which the virus ‘takes down’ and ‘builds up’ several times during its lifecycle with perfect geometric precision. The disruption prevents the virus from completing its life cycle.

Initial R&D, regulation compliance, and proof of efficacy and safety requirements mean that producing Lenacapavir has cost its developer, Gilead Sciences, an undisclosed total cost that would be reasonable to estimate at well over a billion dollars based on normal pharma development costs.Gilead has nevertheless committed to providing the drug at cost in certain low-income regions and has licensed generic manufacturers to produce it for approximately $40 per year in 120 low and middle-income countries starting in 2027 Staggering Results Show HIV-Transmission Reduced 100% with Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir Injection

Read More........→July 13, 2026

What happens inside a tennis player’s brain as they try to return a 148mph serve?

OpenStax College/Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions website via Wikimedia., CC BY-NC-SA

Michelle Spear, University of Bristol

The fastest serve so far at this year’s Wimbledon tennis championships was struck by the Argentinian Thiago Agustín Tirante on the opening day.

His serve of almost 148mph (238km/h) was still some way under the Wimbledon record of 153mph, set by Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in 2025. And despite Tirante giving his opponent less than a fifth of a second to play each serve, he lost the match in straight sets.

Which means his rocket serves were successfully returned on lots of points. Our emerging understanding of how the human brain works can help explain how this feat is achieved.

Whether you’re a player or a spectator, the ability to see a tennis ball travelling that quickly across the court is a marvel of human physiology. At nearly 150mph, the ball is travelling faster than anyone can watch it move.

By the time your brain has processed the sight of the ball leaving the racket, it is already well on its way to the other end of the court. Yet professional tennis players return these high-powered serves with astonishing accuracy.

The reason is that they do not rely on reaction alone. Returning a tennis serve depends on one of the brain’s most remarkable abilities: predicting the future.

Predicting the future

Tennis players – and spectators – face the same basic problem: the visual information arrives in their brain slightly late.

Before a player becomes aware of a tennis ball hurtling across the court, light reflected from its surface has to be detected by their eyes’ retinas, converted into electrical signals, then transmitted along the optic nerves to the brain. There, the visual cortex begins analysing its colour, shape, speed and direction.

Even under ideal conditions, this takes around a tenth of a second. During that time, a ball travelling at nearly 148mph will have covered several metres.

For a spectator, this delay is rarely noticeable. The brain’s predictions are so accurate that the ball appears to move smoothly across the court, despite what you are seeing being a fraction of a second out of date.

But the player standing at the other end of the court needs to do a lot more than just watch the ball. They must move their body to that specific point on the court, position their racket and time their swing with great precision if they want to be in with a chance of winning the point.

In fact, much of this process begins before the ball has even left the opponent’s racket. It is an extraordinarily complex system.

How the brain works it all out

As the server prepares to strike the tennis ball, the receiver is already gathering information. The height and position of the ball toss, the rotation of the server’s trunk, the movement of their shoulder and forearm, the angle of the racket face and the speed of the swing all provide clues about what is about to happen.

Elite players have, of course, spent many thousands of hours learning to recognise these subtle biomechanical cues. Their brains combine the latest cues with all that previous experience to estimate the likely speed, direction and spin of the serve – before the ball has even crossed the net.

Central to this is the cerebellum, a densely folded structure tucked beneath the back of the brain. Although best known for coordinating movement and balance, advances in brain imaging and computational neuroscience have revealed it is also one of the brain’s great prediction engines.

Rather than simply responding to sensory information as it arrives, the cerebellum continuously generates internal models of how the body and external world behave. As fresh visual information reaches the brain, these models are updated almost instantaneously, allowing movements to be adjusted before conscious awareness has caught up.

But the cerebellum does not work alone. A specialised region of the visual cortex, known as area MT or V5, is exquisitely sensitive to movement, and calculates the speed and direction of the ball as it crosses the player’s visual field.

This information travels along the dorsal visual stream – often called the brain’s “where pathway” – to the posterior parietal cortex, where the ball’s position is integrated with information about the player’s own body.

The brain’s two visual streams

OpenStax College/Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions website via Wikimedia., CC BY-NC-SA

From there, premotor regions begin preparing possible movements. The supplementary motor area helps organise their sequence, and the primary motor cortex sends commands to the muscles of the trunk, shoulder, arm and wrist.

At the same time, the frontal eye fields and the superior colliculus (a small structure in the midbrain that rapidly redirects the eyes towards objects of interest) generate rapid eye movements towards where the ball is expected to be next – rather than where it was a fraction of a second ago.

This is why the fastest returns in tennis are not simply feats of lightning-fast reflexes. They are the product of a brain that is constantly making, testing and refining predictions. The players who appear to have more time have become exceptionally good at anticipating what will happen next.

Tennis and beyond

Neuroscientists are still trying to understand why some tennis players acquire these remarkable predictive skills faster than others. Is it simply a matter of hours spent on court, or are some brains naturally better equipped to build the internal models that underpin elite performance?

For now, the answer appears to be a combination of both.

Understanding how the brain predicts movement has implications far beyond tennis. Similar neural mechanisms help us catch a falling glass before it hits the floor, judge when it is safe to cross a busy road, or drive through traffic.

These predictive systems are becoming an important focus of neuroscience research. Insights into how the cerebellum and wider motor networks anticipate movement are helping researchers improve rehabilitation after neurological injury, understand disorders of movement and coordination, and design robots capable of interacting more naturally with an unpredictable world.

Meanwhile, insights from neuroscience might also help hone a future Wimbledon tennis champion.

Michelle Spear, Professor of Anatomy, University of Bristol

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read More........→July 09, 2026

Application lodged to build microreactor at US university

A rendering of the KRONOS plant at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Image: NANO Nuclear)

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it has received an application from the University of Illinois to construct the first research KRONOS micro modular reactor on the university's campus.

The Construction Permit Application (CPA) was submitted on 31 March by The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, NANO Nuclear Energy Inc's partner for the KRONOS MMR deployment at the University of Illinois (U of I).

"With this submission, NANO Nuclear becomes the first commercially-ready microreactor developer and the third commercially-ready Generation IV advanced reactor developer to submit a CPA, placing NANO Nuclear among a small group of advanced nuclear companies progressing toward commercial deployment," the company said.

It added: "The preparation of a CPA represents the culmination of years of engineering development, thousands of pages of technical documentation, coordinated input across reactor design, safety analysis, environmental review, and regulatory compliance disciplines, and establishment of a viable supply chain. In NANO Nuclear's partnership with the U of I, the CPA submission builds on an extensive body of work developed through continuous engagement with the NRC, including completion of the readiness assessment, a voluntary but highly rigorous process aimed at ensuring a complete and high-quality application. Importantly, this iterative process reflects a high level of alignment with regulatory expectations and provides strong confidence in the application's readiness for acceptance for docketing and formal NRC review."

"The NRC is reviewing the application to determine whether it is complete," the regulator said. "If accepted, the agency will begin a detailed technical evaluation of the reactor's safety and security and publish a notice of opportunity to request an adjudicatory hearing on the application before the NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board."

It noted that if the construction permit is granted, the university would need to submit a separate operating licence application and receive NRC approval before the reactor could begin operation.

NANO Nuclear acquired the Micro Modular Reactor Energy System technology through its USD85 million acquisition of Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation's nuclear technology, which was completed in January last year. At that time, NANO Nuclear renamed the technology as the KRONOS MMR. The MMR is a 45 MW thermal, 15 MW electrical high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, using TRISO fuel in prismatic graphite blocks and has a sealed transportable core.

NANO Nuclear signed a strategic collaboration agreement with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in April 2025 to construct the first research KRONOS micro modular reactor on the university's campus. The agreement formally established the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a partner in the licensing, siting, public engagement, and research operation of the KRONOS MMR, while also identifying the university campus as the permanent site for the reactor as a research and demonstration installation.

The university plans to re-power partially its coal-fired Abbott power station with the KRONOS MMR, providing a zero-carbon demonstration of district heat and power to campus buildings as part of its green campus initiative. The project team aims to demonstrate how microreactor systems integrate with existing fossil fuel infrastructure to accelerate the decarbonisation of existing power-generation facilities."Through every step of the process thus far, we at The Grainger College of Engineering have worked diligently alongside our partners at NANO Nuclear Energy to ensure our goals in constructing the first KRONOS MMR on the university's campus can become a reality," said Caleb Brooks, Professor and Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Scholar of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering. "By submitting the Construction Permit Application to the NRC, we are taking the next step in signifying that the work will be done correctly and precisely. And we continue to look forward to the possibilities of what can become the most advanced nuclear research platform on any US campus." Application lodged to build microreactor at US university

Read More........→July 03, 2026