Delivering defibrillators by drone to real 911 calls

Good news! This is only the beginning of what can be done with drones!

Time to renew my first aid training? 😊

"... "There’s only really 10 minutes to help that person survive" ...

The 911 dispatcher coordinates with a drone pilot to fly the drone to the location of the cardiac arrest. Stark said that in their research they have been able to strategically position drones to lower response times from an average of 6 to 7 minutes to less than 4 minutes. ..."

"In Clemmons, North Carolina, Duke University researchers are sending defibrillators by drone to real 911 calls, the first program of its kind in the US. The drones’ median response time is 2 to 3 minutes faster than an ambulance, giving bystanders a chance to start lifesaving treatment sooner."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

Defibrillator Drones Deployed During Emergencies in NC Town

In a U.S. First, Drones Deliver AEDs in North Carolina County  (original news release)

North Carolina Town First in U.S. to Deploy Defibrillator Drones During Actual 911 Emergencies "Unlike emergency vehicles, drones aren't limited by roads."

IUCN counted 135,690 African forest elephants (an increase of 16%) between 2016 and 2024 thanks to better detection using DNA signatures

Good news! How much is there still an undercount?

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) still claims African elephants "remain critically endangered." Really! I bet, the IUCN would still make this dubious claim when there a 500,000 or more African elephants. It's good for their business, I suppose!

"A recently published survey from the IUCN counted 135,690 African forest elephants between 2016 and 2024, 16 percent more than the previous attempt (2006-2015). The increase is partly due to better detection—this time around, the researchers used DNA signatures in dung to track individual elephants—so it’s not clear whether it reflects a real recovery."

"... This is the first time African Forest Elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) have been assessed independently from African Savanna Elephants (Loxodonta africana), following their recognition as distinct species in 2021. ..."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

DNA Methods Help Uncover Endangered African Elephants

DNA methods help uncover further African Forest Elephants – but species remains critically endangered "A new assessment of African Forest Elephants reveals an estimated 135,690 individuals1, with an additional 7,728 to 10,990 elephants based on more tentative ‘guesses’. Updated methods provide a clearer, more accurate understanding of the species’ status - revising population figures by an additional 16%, compared to figures published in 2016."

Pentagon officials order Europe to take over NATO within two years: report

Good news! About time! For too long Europe has relied too much on the superpower US for maintaining peace and security in Europe while neglecting their own militaries!

Bravo President Trump!

We probably need a new defense arrangement between Europe and the US for the 21st century not least so the US can better address other geostrategic challenges.

"The U.S. threatened to withdraw from some NATO defense coordination mechanisms if Europe doesn't take over the body by 2027, Reuters reported, citing "five sources familiar with the discussion" including one U.S. official, who said the message had alarmed some on Capitol Hill. ..."

"Summary

• US could withdraw from some NATO planning mechanisms if unsatisfied with progress
• Unclear how US would measure progress
• Trump rhetoric towards alliance runs hot and cold

The United States wants Europe to take over the majority of NATO's conventional defense capabilities, from intelligence to missiles, by 2027, Pentagon officials told diplomats in Washington this week, a tight deadline that struck some European officials as unrealistic.

The message, recounted by five sources familiar with the discussion, including a U.S. official, was conveyed at a meeting in Washington this week of Pentagon staff overseeing NATO policy and several European delegations. ..."

Pentagon officials order Europe to take over NATO within two years: report | Just The News ""Five sources familiar with the discussion" reportedly say the message was giving this week in D.C., and if Europe can't make 2027 deadline, U.S. may withdraw from some NATO defense coordination mechanisms."

Exclusive: US sets 2027 deadline for Europe-led NATO defense, officials say

Hamas refuses disarmament in Gaza, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal declares in Istanbul

What else was to be expected from these coward mass killers!

Will the citizens of Gaza Strip and West Bank finally get rid of this scum of the earth! Don't hold your breath! If these citizens can accomplish that and get rid of the PLO, then something like a peaceful two state solution becomes much more realistic!

Hamas refuses disarmament in Gaza, Mashaal declares | The Jerusalem Post "Israel's Foreign Ministry, sharing footage of Mashaal's address, slammed the comments, calling them a "direct contradiction of the core terms of the peace plan itself.""

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal addresses an Istanbul conference, December 6, 2025.

IDF’s WhatsApp addiction becomes a military liability

I bet similar concerns are true for any social media or messaging app used by soldiers in any Western country.

"... In Israel 2025, you don't need advanced military systems to gather intelligence, you just need to be in the right WhatsApp group. The app that has become the nation’s favorite communications tool continues to penetrate deeply into the army, and two years after the start of the war, the situation is only getting worse: duty rosters, classified discussion times, recruitment dates and troop movements - everything flows with remarkable ease within huge groups, which frequently include members who have long since finished their service. The threat is clear: live and sensitive tactical information is available at the touch of a button - exactly what Israel's enemies are looking for. ..."

IDF’s WhatsApp addiction becomes a military liability - Globes "Despite the sensitive information circulating in Israeli military WhatsApp groups, no one supervises their members, and the app has become an integral part of army routine."

A logo for espionnage

Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu asks Israel's President for a pardon given his three pending court cases

This was perhaps one of the strangest news of the week! What is going on with Benjamin Netanyahu!

Can these ongoing trials not be delayed or postponed?

How much are these trials politically motivated?

"Netanyahu has been on trial in the Jerusalem District Court since 2020 in three cases.

The first involves gifts received by him and his wife from businessman and film producer Arnon Milchan;

the second arises from recorded conversations between Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, proprietor of Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot, in which Netanyahu apparently offers Mozes legislation that will aid his newspaper commercially in exchange for favorable coverage; and the

third concerns alleged favorable treatment of telecommunications company Bezeq, then owned by Shaul Elovitch, in return for favorable coverage on the Walla! website, which Elovitch also owned.

The charges are receiving bribes, breach of trust, and fraud.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump wrote to President Herzog in support of a pardon for Netanyahu. ..."

Netanyahu asks for pardon - Globes "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted a request to President Isaac Herzog for a pardon "to attain unity in the people and to restore confidence in the institutions of the state.""

Astronomers spot one of the largest spinning structures ever found in the Universe

Amazing stuff!

"Their findings, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, could offer valuable new insights into how galaxies formed in the early Universe.

Cosmic filaments are the largest known structures in the Universe: vast, thread-like formations of galaxies and dark matter that form a cosmic scaffolding. They also act as ‘highways’ along which matter and momentum flow into galaxies. Nearby filaments containing many galaxies spinning in the same direction – and where the whole structure appears to be rotating – are ideal systems to explore how galaxies gained the spin and gas they have today. They can also provide a way to test theories about how cosmic rotation builds up over tens of millions of light-years.

In the study ... found 14 nearby galaxies rich in hydrogen gas, arranged in a thin, stretched-out line about 5.5 million light-years long and 117,000 light-years wide.

This structure sits inside a much larger cosmic filament containing over 280 other galaxies, and is roughly 50 million light-years long. Many of these galaxies appear to be spinning in the same direction as the filament itself- far more than if the pattern of galaxy spins was random. This challenges current models and suggests that cosmic structures may influence galaxy rotation more strongly or for longer than previously thought.

The researchers found that the galaxies on either side of the filament's spine are moving in opposite directions, suggesting that the entire structure is rotating. Using models of filament dynamics, they inferred the rotation velocity of 110 km/s and estimated the radius of the filament’s dense central region at approximately 50 kiloparsecs (about 163,000 light-years).

“What makes this structure exceptional is not just its size, but the combination of spin alignment and rotational motion,” ...

The team used data from South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope, one of the world’s most powerful telescopes, comprising an array of 64 interlinked satellite dishes. This spinning filament was discovered using a deep survey of the sky called MIGHTEE, combined with optical observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to reveal a cosmic filament exhibiting both coherent galaxy spin alignment and bulk rotation."

From the abstract:

"Understanding the cold atomic hydrogen gas (H i) within cosmic filaments has the potential to pin down the relationship between the low density gas in the cosmic web and how the galaxies that lie within it grow using this material.

We report the discovery of a cosmic filament using 14 H i-selected galaxies that form a very thin elongated structure of 1.7 Mpc. These galaxies are embedded within a much larger cosmic web filament, traced by optical galaxies, that spans at least ~15 Mpc.

We find that the spin axes of the H i galaxies are significantly more strongly aligned with the cosmic web filament (⁠⁠) than cosmological simulations predict, with the optically selected galaxies showing alignment to a lesser degree (⁠⁠). This structure demonstrates that within the cosmic filament, the angular momentum of galaxies is closely connected to the large-scale filamentary structure.

We also find strong evidence that the galaxies are orbiting around the spine of the filament, making this one of the largest rotating structures discovered thus far, and from which we can infer that there is transfer of angular momentum from the filament to the individual galaxies.

The abundance of H i galaxies along the filament and the low dynamical temperature of the galaxies within the filament indicates that this filament is at an early evolutionary stage where the imprint of cosmic matter flow on galaxies has been preserved over cosmic time."

Astronomers spot one of the largest spinning structures ever found in the Universe | University of Cambridge "Astronomers have identified one of the largest rotating structures ever reported: a “razor-thin” string of galaxies embedded in a giant spinning cosmic filament, 140 million light-years away."

A 15 Mpc rotating galaxy filament at redshift z = 0.032 (open access)

Figure 2.Top left: the on-sky distribution of H i galaxies (squares), SDSS and DESI optical galaxies (circles and lines, depending on the availability of optical PA measurements), and the cosmic filament. The MIGHTEE COSMOS footprint is shown in a block. Other panels show the DESI multiband cutout image and the H i moment-1 map of each H i-selected galaxy. ...

Scientists rule out fourth neutrino particle in search for new physics

Amazing stuff!

"An international team, including researchers ... working on the MicroBooNE experiment at the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, has found no evidence of a long-suspected fourth type of neutrino, known as the ‘sterile neutrino’.

Their results ... rule out the single sterile neutrino model with 95% certainty.

Ruling out this long-suspected particle sharpens the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, bringing scientists a step closer to uncovering the true nature of neutrinos and the fundamental laws that govern the universe. ...

With sterile neutrinos now ruled out, the mystery of neutrinos remains. MicroBooNE is continuing the search for new physics and delivering vital data on how neutrinos behave in liquid argon, crucial knowledge for future experiments, including the next-generation Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) for which Cambridge researchers continue to lead development. ..."

From the abstract:

"The existence of three distinct neutrino flavours, νe, νμ and ντ, is a central tenet of the Standard Model of particle physics. Quantum-mechanical interference can allow a neutrino of one initial flavour to be detected sometime later as a different flavour, a process called neutrino oscillation.

Several anomalous observations inconsistent with this three-flavour picture have motivated the hypothesis that an additional neutrino state exists, which does not interact directly with matter, termed as ‘sterile’ neutrino, νs. This includes anomalous observations from the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND) experiment and Mini-Booster Neutrino Experiment (MiniBooNE), consistent with νμ → νe transitions at a distance inconsistent with the three-neutrino picture.

Here we use data obtained from the MicroBooNE liquid-argon time projection chamber in two accelerator neutrino beams to exclude the single light sterile neutrino interpretation of the LSND and MiniBooNE anomalies at the 95% confidence level (CL).

Moreover, we rule out a notable portion of the parameter space that could explain the gallium anomaly. This is one of the first measurements to use two accelerator neutrino beams to break a degeneracy between νe appearance and disappearance, which would otherwise weaken the sensitivity to the sterile neutrino hypothesis. We find no evidence for either νμ → νe flavour transitions or νe disappearance that would indicate non-standard flavour oscillations.

Our results indicate that previous anomalous observations consistent with νμ → νe transitions cannot be explained by introducing a single sterile neutrino state."

Scientists rule out fourth neutrino particle in search for new physics | University of Cambridge

MicroBooNE finds no evidence for a sterile neutrino

Search for light sterile neutrinos with two neutrino beams at MicroBooNE (open access)

Bird flu gene makes our body's fever defense powerless

Bad news!

"Scientists have discovered that avian influenza viruses have a gene that makes them incredibly resistant to heat, rendering our body's natural defense system – fever – powerless in fighting infection. In fact, higher temperatures actually help the viruses replicate. ..."

"A gene in avian flu viruses protects them against heat generated by a human’s fever, essentially neutralizing one of the body’s prime defenses; higher temps even help the viruses replicate, according to Cambridge and Glasgow university scientists."

From the editor's summary and abstract:

"ditor’s summary

Birds operate at body temperatures several degrees higher than those of mammals, and, like mammals, birds are infected by influenza viruses. Influenza viruses can move between animal hosts, often reassorting their gene segments as they transition. Knowing that the body temperature of humans often elevates when sick, Turnbull et al. investigated whether virus gene segments originating from hot-blooded birds may give the virus an advantage in feverish mammals. They found that a viral polymerase containing an avian origin PB1 subunit indeed allowed the virus to replicate at higher temperatures in vitro and in a hyperthermic mouse model. ...

Structured Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Influenza A viruses circulate in diverse species of birds and periodically spill over to cause severe or fatal infections in humans. Avian influenza A viruses are adapted to replicate in the gastrointestinal tract of birds at ~40° to 42°C. By contrast, human-adapted seasonal influenza A viruses tend to cause mild symptoms and thrive in the cool upper respiratory tract at ~33°C but struggle to replicate in cells cultured at 40°C. Notably, the normal body temperature of avian hosts exceeds that of a typical human fever. ...

RATIONALE

We sought to harness the strain-specific temperature sensitivity of influenza viruses to assess the antiviral potential of febrile temperature in vivo. We hypothesized that elevated temperature can inhibit the replication of human-origin influenza A viruses, whereas avian viruses, adapted to higher temperatures in birds, may be able to resist this defense.

RESULTS

To avoid false comparison, we wanted to engineer viruses that were identical apart from their ability to replicate at different temperatures. Taking advantage of the segmented viral genome, we found that avian-origin PB1 proteins (a component of the viral polymerase) enabled viral replication at higher temperatures.

Notably, the 1918, 1957, and 1968 pandemic influenza viruses all acquired an avian-origin PB1 that enabled temperature-resistant replication, and they were associated with more-severe disease compared with their seasonal descendants.

We used a human-origin laboratory-adapted virus (PR8) that is avirulent in humans for our in vivo experiments. PR8 causes severe disease in mice but, like seasonal influenza A viruses, it replicates poorly at 40°C.

We made a series of chimeric PB1 proteins and mapped two amino acid substitutions that conferred avian-like temperature resistance to PR8.

This allowed us to generate two similar viruses for comparative experiments: one that replicated poorly at 40°C and one “avianized” mutant that replicated effectively at this temperature.

In mice housed under standard conditions, the parental virus and the avianized mutant both caused severe disease.

However, when we simulated a fever in mice by elevating the ambient temperature to increase core body temperature, the mice were protected against the parental virus and experienced relatively mild symptoms. By contrast, the avianized temperature-resistant virus caused severe disease in mice, despite their higher body temperature.

CONCLUSION

Because the avianized mutant that replicates effectively at 40°C in vitro was the only virus that caused severe disease in the presence of a simulated fever, we conclude that elevated temperature itself can be a potent antiviral defense in vivo. ..."

Bird flu gene makes our body's fever defense powerless

Bird flu viruses are resistant to fever, making them a major threat to humans (original news release) "Bird flu viruses are a particular threat to humans because they can replicate at temperatures higher than a typical fever, one of the body’s ways of stopping viruses in their tracks, according to new research led by the universities of Cambridge and Glasgow."

Avian-origin influenza A viruses tolerate elevated pyrexic temperatures in mammals

Credits: Global Health NOW: Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’: Public Health Vending Machines Are More Than a Novelty

Avian-origin influenza A viruses tolerate elevated pyrexic temperatures in mammals

High income Americans are more likely to steal from self-checkouts: report

Are high income earners just more honest than middle and lower income earners?

Bad news for retailers! Are they doing enough to prevent this checkout theft? Or are retailers actually accepting these losses as cost of doing business?

20% of self checkout customers think they are doing free work for the retailer. What a delusion!

46% of self checkout thieves admit they were caught.

P.S. The official news release by LendingTree does not seem to mention the differences of self checkout theft by income group.

"... A sizable 40% of six-figure earners admitted to deliberately not scanning an item at a store, according to a recent LendingTree report — more than double the 17% of people making $30,000 and under who say they have done the same thing.

Meanwhile, 27% of people in households earning between $50,000 and $99,999 reported that they had purposefully taken something without scanning it. ..."

"Key findings

• Self-checkout registers remain popular. While 55% of Americans like self-checkouts for their speed and convenience, 69% of people who use them believe they make it easier to steal. ... 
• Many self-checkout users admit to theft, whether intentionally or unintentionally. 27% have purposefully taken an item without scanning — a massive 12 percentage point increase from 15% in 2023. Millennial (41%) and Gen Z (37%) self-checkout users are the most likely age groups to have stolen purposefully at least once. Additionally, 36% of users admit they’ve accidentally left with an unscanned item, including 22% in the past year. 61% who’ve accidentally taken something say they kept it the last time.
• Sticky fingers are dealing with tighter systems. 42% of self-checkout users who’ve purposefully stolen something say it’s become more difficult in the past year, citing more employee monitoring (61%), cameras or AI‑assisted monitoring near kiosks (49%) and weight/scale verifications being more sensitive (42%). 
• Sticker shock is driving theft. Self-checkout users who’ve purposefully stolen an item are often motivated by the current financial climate making essentials unaffordable (47%), price increases tied to tariffs (46%) and prices feeling unfair or too high (39%). Those who think they’ll steal again say they’re most likely to take essentials like food, water and health care products (60%).
• Remorse is mixed, but repeat intent is real. 46% of self-checkout users who’ve purposefully taken an item say they’ve been caught, yet 31% don’t feel remorseful. In fact, 55% of those who’ve deliberately stolen at self-checkout say they think they’ll do it again.

..."

Wealthy Americans are more likely to steal from self-checkouts: report | New York Post

More Consumers Stealing From Self-Checkout, With Many Blaming Higher Prices (LendingTree report)

Credits: The Flyover

Trilobites Survived Three Mass Extinctions! What Can Their Fossils Tell Us?

Recommendable!

This Is The Latest Example In The UK's Disturbing Decline—And Is A Warning To The US: Steve Forbes

Very recommendable! Largely abolishing the trial by jury is surely a bad idea and unusual for the UK!

How antibody therapy clears Alzheimer's plaques: Key immune mechanism identified

Good news!

"Lecanemab, sold under the name Leqembi, is a monoclonal antibody therapy for Alzheimer's disease that clears toxic amyloid plaques and delays cognitive decline. ...

They showed that the "Fc fragment" of this monoclonal antibody is essential for engaging microglia—the immune cells of the brain—thus initiating the cellular machinery needed for plaque removal. This is the first direct mechanistic explanation for how this class of therapies works. It clarifies uncertainties in the field and offers a blueprint for developing safer, more effective Alzheimer's treatments.  ...

They identified key cellular machinery needed to clear the amyloid plaques: namely, phagocytosis and lysosomal activity.

Without the Fc fragment, none of these critical cellular processes were triggered. ...  uncovered a microglial gene program, marked by strong expression of the gene SPP1.  ..."

From the abstract:

"Controversies over anti-amyloid immunotherapies underscore the need to elucidate their mechanisms of action.

Here we demonstrate that Lecanemab, a leading anti-β-amyloid (Aβ) antibody, mediates amyloid clearance by activating microglial effector functions.

Using a human microglia xenograft mouse model, we show that Lecanemab significantly reduces Aβ pathology and associated neuritic damage, while neither fragment crystallizable (Fc)-silenced Lecanemab nor microglia deficiency elicits this effect despite intact plaque binding.

Single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic analyses reveal that Lecanemab induces a focused transcriptional program that enhances phagocytosis, lysosomal degradation, metabolic reprogramming, interferon γ genes and antigen presentation.

Finally, we identify SPP1/osteopontin as a major factor induced by Lecanemab treatment and demonstrate its role in promoting Aβ clearance.

These findings highlight that effective amyloid removal depends on the engagement of microglia through the Fc fragment, providing critical insights for optimizing anti-amyloid therapies in Alzheimer’s disease."

How antibody therapy clears Alzheimer's plaques: Key immune mechanism identified

New immune process identified that may alleviate Alzheimer's disease (original news release)

The Alzheimer’s therapeutic Lecanemab attenuates Aβ pathology by inducing an amyloid-clearing program in microglia (open access)

Fig. 1: Lecanemab drives strong transcriptional changes in human microglia associated with Aβ plaques.

Fig. 2: Lecanemab alleviates Aβ pathology by triggering effector functions in the microglia.

During evolution why did some animals return to the water again?

Amazing stuff!

"... But for some species that evolution also involved a return trip. Dozens of major mammal and reptile groups ultimately made their way back to the beach and into the water. ...

“These secondarily aquatic groups adapted in strikingly similar ways to their new aquatic home — evolving flippers and a suite of other features that made them better swimmers,” ...

For the study, the researchers analyzed hundreds of specimens in the collection of the Yale Peabody Museum and dozens of other institutions around the world, taking new measurements (more than 11,000), photographs, and CT scans. The team also made use of classic paleontology methods, phylogenetic machine-learning algorithms, and even World War II-era naval statistics — all to reconstruct one of the most significant evolutionary transitions in natural history. ...

The lack of a robust, comprehensive explanation for when various animal groups fully returned to the water has divided the scientific community for years. Researchers had to rely upon their own interpretations of fragmentary fossil samples that had uncertain relationships to one another — with some features suggesting the animals lived on land and other features suggesting they lived in the water. ...

For example, the researchers were able to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Spinosaurus, the ancient and ambiguously aquatic dinosaur that has been the subject of intense debate among paleontologists. Spinosaurus lived from roughly 113 to 94 million years ago in what is now northern Africa.

One body of evidence suggests that Spinosaurus frequently dived and hunted for prey underwater, like a seal or penguin; another body of evidence suggests that Spinosaurus walked and foraged for food near the water’s edge, like a modern-day heron.

“Our results shed new light on how much time Spinosaurus spent submerged, which could support the underwater hunting view,” Gordon said. “We confidently recovered highly aquatic habits for Spinosaurus, indicating that it spent the vast majority of its time submerged in the water.” ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Amniote limb proportions predict flippers and aquatic habits with >90% accuracy

• Mesosaurs and other Paleozoic reptiles did not evolve highly/fully aquatic habits

• Mesozoic marine reptiles show lineage-specific patterns of aquatic adaptation

• Phylogenetic ROC analysis reconstructs cryptic phenotypes in extinct species

Summary

Among mammals and reptiles, the recurring evolution of fully aquatic forms from land-dwelling ancestors highlights the remarkable powers and implications of natural selection.

The most aquatically specialized of these groups have limb morphologies that betray a fully marine lifestyle, but the transitional forms near the base of each lineage have more ambiguous features, making it difficult to determine which fossil species were aquatic.

Here, we use a scalable phylogenetic machine-learning pipeline to test previously proposed osteological correlates of interdigital webbing, soft-tissue flippers, and aquatic habits in amniotes.

We collect >11,000 original measurements from amniote limbs and use these measurements to train and test phylogenetic logistic regression models that can predict aquatic affinities in extinct species. We then interpret and select among competing predictor models with receiver-operating characteristic analysis. Ultimately, relative hand length makes the best predictions, reconstructing soft-tissue flippers and aquatic habits with >90% accuracy across amniotes and clarifying the aquatic habits of fossil species with historically ambiguous ecologies.

Placing these predictions on the phylogenetic tree of amniotes reveals semi-terrestrial habits in mesosaurs and all other sampled stem reptiles, highly/fully aquatic habits in all known ichthyosauromorphs, and multiple independent origins of highly/fully aquatic habits among sauropterygians, mosasaurs, and theropod dinosaurs.

Taken more broadly, these results enable a broader comparative assessment of amniote limb proportions that reveals distinct evolutionary landscapes in limb morphometry for highly/fully aquatic vs. semi-terrestrial amniotes, as well as between total-group mammals and reptiles."

Back to the beach: Why did evolution return some animals to the water? | Yale News "A new study offers insights into which animal groups’ evolutionary path brought them from the land and back to water."

Limb proportions predict aquatic habits and soft-tissue flippers in extinct amniotes

Graphical abstact

The new method uses machine-learning models, trained on modern species, to predict the aquatic habits and associated soft-tissue adaptations of ancient extinct species.

Terahertz Radar: A New Era in Auto Safety under any weather conditions, night and day

To have more than one kind of sensor on a car and not to relay on a single kind of sensor is probably a good idea! Unfortunately, this complicates things.

"... conditions that render nearly all of today’s car-mounted sensors useless: fog and bright early-morning sunshine. Radar can’t see small objects well, lidar is limited by fog, and cameras are blinded by glare. Carey and his cofounders decided to create a sensor that could have done the job—a terahertz imager. ...

But thanks to some intense engineering and improvements in silicon transistor frequency, beaming terahertz radiation over hundreds of meters is now possible. Teradar, the Boston-based startup Carey cofounded, has managed to make a sensor that can meet the auto industry’s 300-meter distance requirements. ..."

Terahertz Radar: A New Era in Auto Safety - IEEE Spectrum "Startup Teradar’s tech combines lidar’s precision with radar’s simplicity"

Teradar company

Teradar’s system can steer beams of terahertz radiation with no moving parts.

Protein-prediction tools based on AI (AlphaFold family) revolutionize science

Good news! Amazing stuff!

"AlphaFold2 — the revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) tool that predicts highly accurate 3D structures of proteins from sequence data — was unveiled by its creators at Google DeepMind five years ago this month.

An update of the tool, AlphaFold3, was released last year. It can predict how potential therapeutics could interact with proteins. It may take a while for AlphaFold’s biological insights to translate to drug discovery, but the platform has already established itself as top dog in the protein-structure prediction arena.

One analysis identified more than 200,000 studies that used AlphaFold directly or indirectly, encompassing work by nearly 800,000 scientists. ..."

"... The 2021 release of AlphaFold2’s code and a database that has swelled to hundreds of millions of predicted structures mean that scientists can now get a reliable prediction for almost any protein. ...

Some 3.3 million users in more than 190 countries have accessed the AlphaFold database (AFDB), which is hosted by EMBL–EBI and contains more than 240 million structural predictions, encompassing most known proteins. More than one million AFDB users come from low- and middle-income countries, including China and India ..."

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

AlphaFold is five years old — these charts show how it revolutionized science "Since it was unveiled in 2020, Google DeepMind’s game-changing AI tool has helped researchers all over the world to predict the 3D structures of hundreds of millions of proteins."

Very impressive!

Cockroaches release indoor allergens

Cockroaches are more nasty than we have previously known!

"The presence of cockroaches, particularly in lower-income urban households, is a known risk factor associated with the development of allergies or asthma among children. However, a causal relationship between cockroach presence and levels of endotoxins in homes was unclear. Kakumanu et al. addressed this with laboratory assays from apartments in North Carolina. They found that roach feces, especially from females, increased allergen and endotoxin levels in homes. Compared with bedrooms, kitchens had more allergens because they provided the main sources of food for roaches. Importantly, when exterminators eliminated the pests, air quality greatly improved, illustrating the need for effective pest control to protect children’s health."

From the abstract:

"Background

Cockroach allergens are well recognized as important risk factors in the development and prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma in children, especially in low-income urban households. The German cockroach gut hosts a diverse community of highly abundant microbes, including gram-negative bacteria that shed large amounts of endotoxins in cockroach feces.

Objective

We sought to delineate the causal relationship between the presence of cockroaches in homes and levels of household endotoxins.

Methods

In laboratory assays, we measured the amount of endotoxin produced by cockroaches.

In-home monitoring estimated the size of the cockroach population in each home and quantified cockroach allergen Bla g 2 and endotoxin levels in household dust and on heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) filters. An environmental intervention was implemented in a subset of the infested homes to eliminate cockroaches. Bla g 2 and endotoxin levels were quantified for 6 months after the intervention.

Results

Large amounts of endotoxin are excreted by female (2900 endotoxin units [EU]/mg feces) and male (1400 EU/mg) cockroaches.

At baseline, household dust and HVAC filters in infested homes had significantly higher levels of allergen (Bla g 2) and endotoxin than uninfested homes. Environmental intervention resulted in significant declines in cockroaches as well as allergen and endotoxin levels. In contrast, cockroach numbers and allergen and endotoxin concentrations remained high in infested-control homes.

Conclusions

Cockroaches are a significant source of both endotoxins and potent allergens, potentially resulting in coexposure of asthmatic children to both."

In Other Journals | Science

Indoor allergens and endotoxins in relation to cockroach infestations in low-income urban homes

On H-Neurons: On the Existence, Impact, and Origin of Hallucination-Associated Neurons in LLMs

Maosong Sun and his team was fascinated by hallucinating neurons!

From the abstract:

"Large language models (LLMs) frequently generate hallucinations -- plausible but factually incorrect outputs -- undermining their reliability. While prior work has examined hallucinations from macroscopic perspectives such as training data and objectives, the underlying neuron-level mechanisms remain largely unexplored.

In this paper, we conduct a systematic investigation into hallucination-associated neurons (H-Neurons) in LLMs from three perspectives: identification, behavioral impact, and origins.

Regarding their identification, we demonstrate that a remarkably sparse subset of neurons (less than 0.1% of total neurons) can reliably predict hallucination occurrences, with strong generalization across diverse scenarios.

In terms of behavioral impact, controlled interventions reveal that these neurons are causally linked to over-compliance behaviors.

Concerning their origins, we trace these neurons back to the pre-trained base models and find that these neurons remain predictive for hallucination detection, indicating they emerge during pre-training.

Our findings bridge macroscopic behavioral patterns with microscopic neural mechanisms, offering insights for developing more reliable LLMs."

[2512.01797] H-Neurons: On the Existence, Impact, and Origin of Hallucination-Associated Neurons in LLMs

On Learning Sim-to-Real Humanoid Locomotion in 15 Minutes

This could be an interesting, new paper by Pieter Abbeel and his team!

From the abstract:

"Massively parallel simulation has reduced reinforcement learning (RL) training time for robots from days to minutes. However, achieving fast and reliable sim-to-real RL for humanoid control remains difficult due to the challenges introduced by factors such as high dimensionality and domain randomization.

In this work, we introduce a simple and practical recipe based on off-policy RL algorithms, i.e., FastSAC and FastTD3, that enables rapid training of humanoid locomotion policies in just 15 minutes with a single RTX 4090 GPU.

Our simple recipe stabilizes off-policy RL algorithms at massive scale with thousands of parallel environments through carefully tuned design choices and minimalist reward functions.

We demonstrate rapid end-to-end learning of humanoid locomotion controllers on Unitree G1 and Booster T1 robots under strong domain randomization, e.g., randomized dynamics, rough terrain, and push perturbations, as well as fast training of whole-body human-motion tracking policies. We provide videos and open-source implementation at: this https URL."

[2512.01996] Learning Sim-to-Real Humanoid Locomotion in 15 Minutes

President Trump to Have Approved tiny Kei Cars for U.S.

Good news!

"... While outlining how his new plans will improve the affordability of new cars in America, Trump announced that he has tasked U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy with clearing the regulatory deck to allow small cars of the sort sold in Asia, such as Japan's kei cars, to become available in the United States. ..."

President Trump Appears to Have Approved Kei Cars for U.S. [Updated] "Trump saw diminutive cars on a recent visit to Asia. Now, he wants them in the States."

Credits: The Flyover

Lebanon’s Break with a 76-Year Taboo

Good news! Will the Middle East finally become normal!

Can you believe it Lebanese officials refused to directly negotiate with Israeli officials since the founding of Israel in 1948? Officially, Lebanon is at war with Israel since 1948! Incredible!

"... Yesterday, Lebanon crossed that boundary when a civilian Lebanese delegation sat down with Israeli officials and entered a negotiating framework with the goal of implementing a “cessation of hostilities”. Not a secret back channel, not a militia-mediated exchange, not a UN shuttle. A meeting between civilians, face to face, with names known, and a formal agenda—something we were raised to believe was impossible. ..."

Lebanon’s Break with a 76-Year Taboo - by Issam Fawaz "A civilian Lebanese delegation sitting with Israeli officials marks an unprecedented breach of a long-standing red line. The meeting forces the nation to confront its history and current limits."

Colombia seeks to break endless cycle of cocaine production and trafficking

Recommendable! Very tough!

Elon Musk Reveals Partner Shivon Zilis’ Indian Roots | Musk's Children’s Unique Nobel-Inspired Names

Recommendable! E.g. the lady played ice hockey!

Volkswagen geht volles Risiko: Gelingt der riskanteste Software-Deal der Auto-Industrie mit Rivian?

Empfehlenswert!

Inside Stunning Homes That Embrace Nature | Architectural Digest

Recommendable! Don't miss the last part showing a greenhouse in Los Angeles with lots of exotic plants!

The History of Medical Museums

Recommendable!

Will Bhutan Rewrite Asian Politics? with James Ker-Lindsay

Recommendable!

Architect Frank Gehry (1929-2025) | 60 Minutes Archive

Very recommendable! R.I.P.

How Has Putin Shaped World Politics in 25 Years? with Palki Sharma

Not recommendable! Too much glorification of this war criminal and dictator who is trying to reestablish the former Soviet Union.

Vladimir Putin’s India Visits: A 25-Year Timeline of Key Moments of his 7 trips to India with Palki Sharma

Recommendable!

Jaishankar’s Message to the West on Immigration Crackdown with Palki Sharma

Recommendable!

'IN HIS ELEMENT': Laura Ingraham shares Trump's highlights at FIFA drawing

Very recommendable! President Trump appeared funny and enjoying himself!

Neanderthal 1: The discovery that rewrote history

Very recommendable!

India–Russia Summit: New $100B Trade Goal, Energy & Mobility Deals Signed with Palki Sharma

Recommendable! A deeper relationship between these two countries is forming!

Trump Speaks to Netanyahu, Warns Israel Not to ‘Interfere’ in Syria

An attention grabbing and kind of unusual headline!

Apparently, Ahmed al-Sharaa is to be given a chance to transition Syria from 50 some years of autocratic dictatorship to something better without having to worry too much about Israeli military interventions.

Will Ahmed al-Sharaa be able to prevent terrorist attacks on Israel?

Caveat: I did not read the entire article.

Trump Speaks to Netanyahu, Warns Israel Not to ‘Interfere’ in Syria | Frontpage Mag

President Ahmad Al Shara and his wife greet children orphaned in Syria's civil war

A Russian cosmonaut turned out to be a spy and was removed from SpaceX mission

Well Putin the Terrible himself was a KGB agent!

"A Russian cosmonaut was removed from SpaceX’s February mission after allegedly photographing classified SpaceX engines and documentation at company headquarters, violating U.S. national security laws."

Friday, December 5, 2025 - Join The Flyover

Cosmonaut removed from SpaceX's Crew 12 mission for violating national security rules: report

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev

President Trump Brokers Peace Deal for Rwanda & Congo

Good news! Blessed are the peacemakers!

Whether the renaming of the United States Institute of Peace to Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace will end peacefully is not yet said. 😊

"President Trump hosted the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday as they signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement aimed at ending a 30-year conflict.

The deal, dubbed the Washington Accords, was signed at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace and includes a ceasefire, disarmament of militias, refugee returns, and accountability for war crimes. ..."

Friday, December 5, 2025 - Join The Flyover

Source

PM Narendra Modi Tells visiting Vladimir Putin India Is Not Neutral But On The Side Of Peace In Ukraine War

Good news! Bravo PM Modi! In the face of the warmonger Putin the Terrible!

PM Narendra Modi Tells Vladimir Putin India Is Not Neutral But On The Side Of Peace In Ukraine War

Credits: Nikkei Asia newsletter

q.e.d: and other AI Tools for Smarter research Manuscript Review

Good news! I will add it to my Christmas wish list! 😊

A solution for the chronic shortage of expert reviewers?

"... There are only so many experts available to properly evaluate a study and provide meaningful feedback, while others may have conflicts of interest or biases. ...

To build a powerful AI reviewer that provides users with constructive feedback. Together, he and a team of scientists from various backgrounds including AI, engineering, and biology created q.e.d. Its name is derived from quod erat demonstrandum, a Latin phrase meaning “which was to be demonstrated,” which is typically signed at the end of mathematical proofs and philosophical arguments. Though not a peer, q.e.d is an online tool that aims to help scientists improve their research before submission.

With q.e.d, users simply upload their manuscript or even an early draft to q.e.d’s website. Within 30 minutes, they receive a report that breaks the research down into ... a “claim tree.” The AI identifies the claims made within the work, examines the logical connections between them, pinpoints strengths and weaknesses, and suggests both experimental and textual edits. ...

Since its launch in October 2025, researchers from more than 1,000 institutions worldwide have tried q.e.d, and it has garnered much buzz amongst the scientific community. ...

 Refine, another AI peer-review agent. ..."

q.e.d: An AI Tool for Smarter Manuscript Review | The Scientist "A team of researchers developed q.e.d, an AI-powered system designed to deliver rigorous and constructive feedback on scientific manuscripts in minutes."

q.e.d. website "Used by scientists at 1,000+ institutions to evaluate the science they read and write."

The following map displays the number of institutions in each country where researchers use qed