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How the tobacco plant makes nicotine: researchers say they have cracked the mechanism

Nearly 200 years after nicotine was first extracted, scientists say they have finally mapped the full biochemical pathway behind its production.

  • Nicotine is produced in the roots and later accumulated in the leaves of the tobacco plant.
  • Researchers identified the complete enzymatic chain responsible for nicotine biosynthesis.
  • The finding could lead to crops with controlled nicotine levels or medically useful related compounds.

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Why the great Maya cities were abandoned

Researchers still disagree on the cause: severe droughts, internal warfare and resource depletion all remain prime suspects.

  • Repeated droughts in the 9th and 10th centuries are the leading suspect in the Classic Maya Collapse.
  • Internal warfare and deforestation amplified urban societies' vulnerability to climate change.
  • The collapse was regional and gradual — northern Yucatán cities survived long after the south was abandoned.

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Știință +2

A massive underground tunnel of unknown origin found beneath Jerusalem

Israeli archaeologists uncovered a large subterranean gallery during pre-construction salvage excavations. Its age, purpose and builders remain a mystery.

  • A large underground tunnel was found beneath a future construction site in Jerusalem.
  • Salvage excavations were conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority before building work began.
  • The tunnel's origin, age and function remain unknown pending further research.

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A new statistical model spots the 'invisible' species in ecosystems

American researchers have built a tool that more accurately estimates true biodiversity, including species that elude direct observation during field surveys.

  • The model estimates undetected species using detection patterns of known ones.
  • Absence from data is treated as a probability, not as proof of non-existence.
  • The method works on existing datasets, requiring no additional fieldwork costs.

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Mysterious long-period radio signals linked to cosmic cataclysms

Astronomers have found the first solid evidence linking a long-period radio transient to a violent astrophysical event, shedding light on one of astronomy's enduring puzzles.

  • First direct evidence links a long-period radio transient to a cosmic cataclysm.
  • LPRTs pulse at unusually long intervals — minutes to hours — unlike ordinary pulsars.
  • The finding could turn these signals into tools for detecting violent events across the universe.

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Știință +3

X-59: NASA's quiet supersonic jet breaks the sound barrier for the first time

The experimental aircraft completed its first supersonic test flight in California, a milestone for a programme aiming to bring back commercial supersonic travel over land.

  • X-59 broke the sound barrier for the first time, flying from Edwards Air Force Base, California.
  • The aircraft is engineered to sharply reduce the sonic boom associated with supersonic speed.
  • The Quesst programme aims to overturn a 50-year ban on commercial supersonic flights over land.

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Știință -2

Congo's cobalt mines fuel both smartphones and Ebola outbreaks

Global demand for minerals used in consumer electronics is accelerating deforestation in the Congo Basin, eroding natural barriers between humans and deadly viruses.

  • Mining-driven deforestation in the Congo Basin expands contact between humans and natural Ebola virus reservoirs.
  • Cobalt and gold from the region are used in batteries found in smartphones sold worldwide.
  • Researchers warn that the deforestation 'edge effect' increases both the frequency and scale of Ebola outbreaks.

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A Chinese fossil sheds new light on the origins of dinosaur flight

A newly described four-winged microraptor species from northwestern China provides fresh clues about how dinosaurs first took to the air 120 million years ago.

  • The 120-million-year-old Chinese fossil belongs to a new species named Jian changmaensis.
  • Microraptors had four feathered limbs that enabled them to glide through the air.
  • The find helps clarify evolutionary links between feathered dinosaurs and early birds.

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Știință -1

Short-form videos weaken memory retention, study finds

Chinese researchers published in Communications Psychology found that heavy consumption of short videos — TikTok, Reels, Shorts — impairs information retention compared to longer video formats.

  • Short-form videos reduce information retention compared to longer video content.
  • Brains trained on short content process fast but consolidate less into long-term memory.
  • The study, published in Communications Psychology, was conducted by Chinese researchers.

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US startup Antares achieves first private nuclear micro-reactor test

The Mark-0 prototype reached criticality — the point at which a nuclear chain reaction becomes self-sustaining — in what is a first for a private American company.

  • Antares reached criticality with the Mark-0 prototype, the essential first step toward a working reactor.
  • Criticality means the nuclear chain reaction sustains itself without external energy input.
  • This is the first time a private US company has achieved this milestone with a micro-reactor.

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