Random Science news and articles

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The last 8000 or so years of development of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) has been broadly established, the so called hybrid hypothesis. Starts somewhere around Turkey then over 2000 years reaches the steppes.


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Hindi, Greek and English all come from a single ancient language – here’s how we know

This now-extinct tongue was probably spoken somewhere in Eurasia as many as 8,000 years ago. But how do we know Proto-Indo-European must have existed?

theconversation.com

 

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Very sad to see Jane Goodall died, though she did get to 91. It's not overstating it to say she revolutionised our understanding of animal communications and intelligence. RIP Jane.

Jane Goodall, the gentle disrupter whose research on chimpanzees redefined what it meant to be human

Without formal scientific training, Goodall upended the study of animal behavior. She also inspired countless people to protect nature.

theconversation.com

 

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Congratulation to Prof Richard Robson of University of Melbourne for being a joint winner of the Nobel prize for chemisty. Always good when an Australian gets the silverware.

Scientists win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work in 'metal-organic frameworks'

Scientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi win the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the development of metal-organic frameworks", the award-giving body announces.

www.abc.net.au

 

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Article in the Conversation by a scientist who films snakes biting in extreme slow motion. Probably not for folks who have snake phobias

High-tech cameras capture the secrets of venomous snake bites

A new study shows how different snake species have evolved very different strategies to deliver their deadly bites.

theconversation.com

Vipers strike their usual prey in <90ms 84% of the time, which is faster than most of their prey. Human reaction time is pretty slow at >200ms, Cats, Dogs and even Louie the Fly are quicker - it's why they are so hard to swat. I asked my silicon pal to list some animals:

Reaction Time Across the Animal Kingdom​

Species	Average Reaction Time	Notes
Humans	200–250 ms	Varies by age, fatigue, and training
Dogs	100–150 ms	Guard breeds react faster than human blink
Cats	20–70 ms	Exceptional reflexes for hunting and evasion
Monkeys (e.g. macaques)	~100 ms	Fast visual-motor coordination
Flies (e.g. housefly)	5–30 ms	Barrel-roll evasions filmed at 600 fps
Mantis Shrimp	~8 ms	Punches with extreme speed and force
Dragonflies	~30 ms	Precision aerial hunting reflexes
Rabbits	~100 ms	Prey reflexes tuned for escape
Deer	~120 ms	High alertness and fast motor response
Zebras	~150 ms	Herd prey with strong flight instincts
Snakes (e.g. vipers)	50–90 ms	Strike speed varies by species
Mongooses	~40 ms	Known for lightning-fast snake evasion
Penguins	~150 ms	Slower than most birds, but still quick

Why These Differences Exist​

• Insects like flies and mantis shrimp have ultra-fast neural circuits and perceive time more slowly, giving them more “frames” to react.
• Prey animals (rabbits, deer, zebras) evolved rapid reflexes to escape predators.
• Predators (cats, snakes, mongooses) rely on split-second timing to catch or avoid prey.
• Humans trade raw speed for complex cognition, though elite athletes can train down to ~150 ms.

The ai didn't really discuss the trick the Mantis Shrimp has. Like many crustaceans, it has a direct electrical synapses in the neuromuscular junction of the tail which work much, much faster than those chemical synapses most other animals depend on. Hence the 8ms response time, the speed of the response is part of the reasons these guys have the most powerful punch (per body weight) in nature. But that's another story.

 

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One of the algae involved in the terrible SA bloom has been identified as a species called Karenia cristata, a relatively rare Karenia that produces brevetoxins.

"The research found that Karenia cristata significantly contributed to the bloom, alongside other Karenia species already identified in the mix: K. mikimotoi, K. brevisulcata, K. longicanalis, and K. papilionacea."

Scientists hopeful they have found source of SA algal bloom toxins

Scientists believe they have identified the species responsible for the toxins in South Australia's marine algal bloom that has killed millions of aquatic animals.

www.abc.net.au

"Professor Murray said respiratory symptoms in surfers near Victor Harbor in March had suggested the presence of a brevetoxin-producing species in addition to Karenia mikimotoi, which was the initial species identified within the bloom.

That suggestion was confirmed in early May when the South Australia Shellfish Quality Program confirmed that brevetoxins were present in South Australian waters."

 

[Satan]

Outbreak of highly infectious disease widens after rapper's Aussie concert

Queensland's measles outbreak has widened after health authorities confirmed a fourth infected person had a...

www.9news.com.au

 

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Scientists have discovered a new sun shaped microorganism, Solarion arienae, that belongs somewhere in the Eukaryote linage, as it has a nucleus and mitochondria.

Newly Discovered Organism Could Represent a Whole New Branch in The Tree of Life

It's not every day that biologists announce an entirely new branch of life, and this one has been hiding under their noses for years.

www.sciencealert.com

The really interesting thing is, the mitochondrial DNA in this beasty has a gene that is not present in other mitochondria, a gene that probably belonged to the original organism that the mitochondria evolved in. The gene secA is involved in getting proteins across its membrane when the mitochondrial carrying organsim lived independently. This is extra evidence of endosymbiosis, an idea that started centuries ago and was promoted by Lyn Margulis in the 60's and for which she was treated very badly.

 

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It's 1.00 am on a Friday night and an article (a very interesting one) about Penises seems appropriate. The gals should be glad us blokes don't still have spikes like some of our simian cousins.

The surprising world of animal penises and what they reveal about humans

The evolutionary history of human penises is more romantic than you might think.

theconversation.com

 

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An interesting article about time. The solution to unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics may depend on understanding the true nature of time.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/the-closer-we-look-at-time-the-stranger-it-gets/

 

[GreyCrow]

An interesting article about time. The solution to unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics may depend on understanding the true nature of time.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/the-closer-we-look-at-time-the-stranger-it-gets/

Time is mans measure for the passing of events - and the use of passing indicates measurable moments ie this happened at this time

This is typically phrased as being in the direction of increasing entropy: our unwinding Universe, balls rolling downhill, ice cubes melting in a glass of water and so on.

In this example one could argue that the melted water can return to ice - so its multi-directional and not forward entropy

Anyway it does my head in thinking about it - I might lie down for a period of time determined by the period between wakefulness

 

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I've always believed the world we are inventing as clever monkeys is not healthy.

"Human biology evolved for a world of movement, nature, and short bursts of stress—not the constant pressure of modern life. Industrial environments overstimulate our stress systems and erode both health and reproduction. Evidence ranging from global fertility declines to chronic inflammatory diseases shows the toll of this mismatch. Researchers say cultural and environmental redesign, especially nature-focused planning, is essential."

Humans are built for nature not modern life

Human biology evolved for a world of movement, nature, and short bursts of stress—not the constant pressure of modern life. Industrial environments overstimulate our stress systems and erode both health and reproduction. Evidence ranging from global fertility declines to chronic inflammatory...

www.sciencedaily.com

 

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The 3 peregrine falcon chicks in Melbourne's CBD have taken their first flight.

We have lift-off! Melbourne’s skyscraper peregrine chicks take to the sky

Falcon fledglings’ inaugural flight watched by dedicated fans includes dramatic crash-landing

www.theguardian.com

Apparently they will learn to hunt in the next few weeks, then they will leave for good and look for their own territory. Wikipedia tells me Falcon territories vary greatly but often span 20-30 square kilometers for breeding pairs, though home ranges can be much larger, from 100 to over 1500 km², depending on prey availability.

So these youngsters may find a home in the suburbs, but not close to the CBD.

 

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I received an email from Melbourne Uni about Prof Robson and his Nobel prize in chemistry. Worth a read, it talks about him 'playing' with the original concepts and ultimately developing a whole new class of materials.

_______________________________________________________________________​

Celebrating our Nobel Laureate, Professor Richard Robson

Dear XXXXX

Today is a deeply proud day for the University community – Professor Richard Robson accepted his Nobel Prize in Chemistry during a formal ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Sweden in the early hours of this morning.

Presented his award by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in front of 1500 distinguished guests – including his former PhD students, colleagues and friends – Professor Robson, from the Faculty of Science, said “I’d like to thank my wife, my daughter, and my son for their love and support, and to my colleagues, Brendan Abrahams and the late Bernard Hoskins – who provided the real science and made my ideas possible.”

Professor Robson was recognised for his creation of a new class of molecular materials known as coordination polymers – now sometimes referred to as metal-organic frameworks. This groundbreaking work was carried out here at the School of Chemistry in the early 90s.

Metal-organic frameworks are a new class of solids being developed into gas and energy storage devices, catalytic reactors, and other potentially revolutionary products.

His discoveries laid the foundation for an entirely new field of chemistry and have since transformed research and industry practices around the world.

The idea all started with a request to build large wooden models of crystalline structures for teaching first year chemistry lectures in 1974. In doing so, Professor Robson came up with the idea to use molecules in place of balls and chemical bonds in place of rods.

When he took his idea to the bench almost a decade later to test, he created a crystal with diamond-like connectivity, but more than half of its content was liquid.

By replacing direct chemical bonds with molecular rods, Professor Robson had introduced something completely new into these crystalline structures – space – which meant a substance could flow through a framework and be chemically transformed on the way through.

Professor Robson described this time as a joy.

'I felt elation. All of this was play, it was enjoyable. From the late 80s to the 2000s when I retired, every day was terrific. Each morning, I couldn’t wait to come in.'

Professor Robson has been a lecturer and researcher at the University of Melbourne since 1966.

His dedication to teaching, its nexus with research and his commitment to mentoring budding scientists has been unwavering throughout his career – something that’s still evident today.

Just hours after receiving the news that he had received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Professor Robson – who is 88 – was back in the classroom teaching first year Bachelor of Science students.

It is our privilege to celebrate a member of our University community who has devoted his life to seeking, expanding, and sharing knowledge with his peers, students and the broader community.

As we reflect on this achievement, we are reminded that transformative ideas often start as questions with no clear answers. Fundamental research takes time, vision, and investment – but it is essential to creating the innovative technologies and practical solutions needed to address the world’s most pressing challenges.

Seven of Professor Robson’s PhD students from the 80s and 90s travelled to Stockholm to honour this incredible achievement.

Regards,

Professor Mark Cassidy
Deputy Vice Chancellor Research
University of Melbourne

Professor Moira O’Bryan
Dean, Faculty of Science
University of Melbourne