Scientific Discoveries

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New saber-toothed predator from Argentina suggests its lineage survived longer than believed
Science News

New saber-toothed predator from Argentina suggests its lineage survived longer than believed

In 2014, members of a local museum found fragments of an ancient fossil dating to the end of the Pliocene or early Pleistocene epoch in a seaside cliff on the Argentine pampas. They belonged to a large predator, but the only group they fit, saber-toothed marsupial relatives, had supposedly gone extinct earlier, leaving the identity of the fossil a mystery. That was until Eric del Campo, a paleontologist at the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires and lead author of the study, and his colleagues took a closer look.

📅 2026-10-05 18:40:10    •    Phys.org
How changing recipients of golden roses reflect centuries of evolving papal influence
Science News

How changing recipients of golden roses reflect centuries of evolving papal influence

Almost every ceremonial object or ornament of the medieval papal monarchy has disappeared or lost its original purpose. Yet one survives: the golden rose. On Sept. 26, 2026, during Pope Leo XIV's visit to France, he traveled to Lourdes, home to one of the world's most famous shrines to the Virgin Mary. After praying, Leo presented a golden rose to Our Lady of Lourdes—the fifth time he has dedicated a rose to a Marian shrine or image.

📅 2026-10-05 18:40:01    •    Phys.org
Tracking uncovers $80 million spent on AI political ads, most without disclosure
Science News

Tracking uncovers $80 million spent on AI political ads, most without disclosure

The 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns are the first in which AI-generated political ads are regularly appearing on people's televisions and social media feeds. We are researchers who have been studying political advertising through the Wesleyan Media Project since 2010. This election cycle—using data from media reports, student coders and AdImpact, a firm that tracks political ad spending—we've tracked about $80 million in spending on almost 170 unique ads that use AI.

📅 2026-10-05 18:20:11    •    Phys.org
Whether it's banning books or preventing artists from touring, silencing often backfires
Science News

Whether it's banning books or preventing artists from touring, silencing often backfires

If the goal was to silence rapper Macklemore by preventing him from touring with singer Ed Sheeran, it clearly backfired. Macklemore delivered a monolog in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and performed his pro-Palestinian protest song "Hind's Hall" during a Sept. 4, 2026, concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where he was an opening act for Sheeran.

📅 2026-10-05 18:00:10    •    Phys.org
Why Great Plains rivers depend on wetlands as well as climate
Science News

Why Great Plains rivers depend on wetlands as well as climate

When a prairie river carries more water in one year than another, the obvious place to look for an explanation is the sky. A year with more snow and rain should have more water in rivers. That was also how I initially thought about year-to-year changes in river flow. But while studying the Prairie Pothole Region, I learned that this is only part of the story. What happens after water reaches the ground can be just as important as how much falls from the sky.

📅 2026-10-05 18:00:01    •    Phys.org
Why can't people regenerate limbs like salamanders?
Science News

Why can't people regenerate limbs like salamanders?

Imagine losing an arm and simply growing a new one. This amazing ability of regeneration isn't just something from a superhero movie—it actually happens in real life for some animals.

📅 2026-10-05 17:40:21    •    Phys.org
Pollen study reveals the hidden history of grasses
Science News

Pollen study reveals the hidden history of grasses

Scientists used machine learning and super-resolution microscopy to overcome a challenge that has stymied research into the natural history of grasses for decades. Their method allowed them to detect subtle differences among grass pollen grains and trace changes in grass diversity and the proportions of the two main photosynthetic types of grasses at one site over a period of 25,000 years.

📅 2026-10-05 17:40:16    •    Phys.org
Waste plastic yields carbon quantum dots with emissions tunable from UV to yellow-green
Science News

Waste plastic yields carbon quantum dots with emissions tunable from UV to yellow-green

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are fluorescent carbon nanomaterials with potential applications in sensing, optoelectronics, displays, anticounterfeiting and environmental technologies. Their optical properties can be adjusted by modifying the carbon structure and surface chemistry, particularly through defect states and the incorporation of heteroatoms. However, achieving predictable and continuous tuning of photoluminescence from a single carbon precursor remains difficult.

📅 2026-10-05 17:20:12    •    Phys.org
Lightsaber-like plasma antenna uses laser-ionized air to transmit radio waves
Science News

Lightsaber-like plasma antenna uses laser-ionized air to transmit radio waves

Researchers have demonstrated a technique that uses a laser to produce a plasma beam antenna capable of transmitting radio waves. The article, "Laser-Induced-Plasma-Filament Antenna Transmitting 30 MHz VHF," is published in the IEEE Journal of Microwaves.

📅 2026-10-05 17:20:10    •    Phys.org