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Ray tails have long been mysterious. Scientists may have finally discovered their function

Tails aren’t just animal accessories, they usually carry specific functions, but when it comes to rays, their function has been somewhat mysterious until now. Cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) — like manta rays (Mobula birostris), eagle rays (Myliobatis aquila) and other rays in the Myliobatid order — are distinct because of their diamond-shaped bodies and long, whip-like tails.... Read Original Article

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Study finds microplastics in our brains are accumulating, with unknown outcomes on our health

Dr. Matthew Campen, a professor at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, has been searching the brains of dead people to find something virtually all of us have polluting inside our skulls: Tiny particles of plastic known as micro and nanoplastics. But despite the ubiquity of microplastics in the human body, they’re not always easy to find.... Read Original Article

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January 2025 was the hottest January in recorded history

January 2025 was the hottest January in recorded human history, with global temperatures entering record territory according to the Copernicus/ECMWF ERA5 dataset. According to climate scientist Zeke Hausfather’s newsletter The Climate Brink, January 2025 was warmer than every preceding January chronicled by scientists, surpassing the prior record set in January 2024 “by a sizable margin.”... Read Original Article

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A controversial autism therapy is gaining prominence, but some say it hurts neurodiverse people

Kathryn Parsons, a 51-year-old digital marketing professional in Stamford, Connecticut struggled to hold down a job because employers didn’t understand her autistic behaviors. She struggled to adapt, which is a common problem for autistic people, so like many others on the spectrum, Parsons tried applied behavior analysis (ABA).

A controversial but widely-used form of autism treatment, Parsons believed ABA could be an ideal solution, and at first she thought it was effective.... Read Original Article

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Aviation expert: “I am embarrassed” that Trump blamed DEI for D.C. air disaster

An American Airlines passenger jet collided in midair with a Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C., at roughly 9 p.m. on Wednesday night, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River. The jet reportedly had 64 people on board and the helicopter carried three military personnel. Authorities believe all 67 people died, among them a number of prominent American and Russian figure skaters who were returning from Wichita, Kansas.... Read Original Article

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Building blocks of life discovered on asteroid Bennu

The building blocks for organic matter have been discovered on the asteroid Bennu, as deatiled in a new study in the journal Nature Astronomy. The research gives new insight into how life originated on Earth and where we might find it elsewhere in the universe.

“Organic matter in meteorites reveals clues about early Solar System chemistry and the origin of molecules important to life,” the authors write, adding that samples from asteroids found on Earth are often contaminated by exposure to our planet.... Read Original Article

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Bats harbor tons of deadly viruses but don’t get sick. Scientists may have just discovered why

Most scientists today believe the COVID-19 pandemic began at a Chinese wet market, with the coronavirus in question likely originating from a bat. It wouldn’t be surprising, given that many viruses have been linked to bats, including the Ebola, Marburg, Nipah and Hendra viruses, as well as coronaviruses like SARS-1 and MERS.... Read Original Article

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