Science & Medicine
Here we bring you the latest on all things science from physical science, evolution, astronomy, space, physics, chemistry, and medicine.
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Evolution isn’t random. Scientists find the same genes used for 120 million years
University of York / ScienceDaily
Scientists have uncovered evidence that evolution has relied on the same genetic “cheat sheet” for more than 120 million years, raising the possibility that life on Earth may be more predictable than once believed.
An international group of researchers led by the University of York and the Wellcome Sanger Institute focused on butterflies and moths from South American rainforests. Although these species are only distantly related, many share strikingly similar wing color patterns that serve as warning signals to predators. This phenomenon is known as mimicry.
Shared Genes Behind Butterfly and Moth Mimicry… The researchers set out to identify which genes control these shared color patterns across seven distantly related species. Despite their evolutionary distance, the team discovered that both butterflies and moths repeatedly relied on the same two genes, ivory and optix, to produce nearly identical warning colors.
Instead of altering the genes themselves, evolution acted on regulatory elements, often…Read more here.
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Why Your Dreams Feel So Real Sometimes and So Strange Other Times
By IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca – ScitechDaily
Dreams are shaped by your personality, experiences, and even global events. Your brain transforms everyday life into vivid, often surreal stories while you sleep.
Why do some dreams feel vivid and lifelike while others seem disjointed or hard to understand? A new study from researchers at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca offers answers, showing that both personal traits and shared life experiences shape what we dream about.
Large Study Tracks Dreams and Daily Experiences: Published in Communications Psychology, the study examined more than 3,700 descriptions of dreams and waking experiences from 287 participants ranging in age from 18 to 70. Over a two-week period, participants recorded their experiences each day. Researchers also collected detailed data on sleep patterns, cognitive abilities, personality traits, and psychological characteristics. Read more here.
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Oxford physicists achieve first-ever “quadsqueezing” breakthrough in quantum physics
University of Oxford / ScienceDaily
Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated a new kind of quantum interaction using a single trapped ion. By carefully generating and controlling increasingly complex forms of “squeezing” — including a fourth-order effect called quadsqueezing — they have made quantum behaviors accessible that had previously been out of reach. The work also introduces a new way to engineer these interactions, with potential uses in quantum simulation, sensing, and computing. The findings were published today (May 1) in Nature Physics.
Many physical systems behave like tiny oscillating objects, similar to springs or pendulums. In quantum physics, these are known as quantum harmonic oscillators. This description applies to a wide range of systems, including light waves, molecular vibrations, and even the motion of a single trapped atom.
Controlling these oscillations is essential for modern quantum technologies. Applications range from extremely precise measurement tools to the development of next-generation quantum…Read more here.
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Scientists Propose Radical New Way To Detect Alien Life – Without Traditional Biosignatures
By Institute of Science Tokyo – SciTechDaily
A new study proposes a shift in the search for extraterrestrial life, moving away from individual biosignatures toward large-scale planetary patterns.
What if the clearest signs of life in the universe are not found on a single planet, but hidden in patterns across many worlds? Instead of focusing on one-off clues, a new study suggests scientists could detect life by examining how entire groups of planets compare and interact. This shift could open a new path for astrobiology when traditional signals are uncertain or misleading.
The idea comes from researchers led by Specially Appointed Associate Professor Harrison B. Smith of the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Institute of Science Tokyo and Specially Appointed Associate Professor Lana Sinapayen of the National Institute for Basic Biology. Their work proposes a broader way to search for life beyond Earth. Read more here.
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