Friday, August 14, 2026

Newsdesk — page 6 | CountOn2 News

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Newsdesk

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Science

240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a lost chapter before dinosaurs and crocodiles

A 240-million-year-old reptile discovered in Brazil is revealing what evolution looked like just before the rise of dinosaurs and crocodiles. The small predator had unusually positioned legs that may have allowed it to move more efficiently than many earlier reptiles. Its close relatives were previously known mostly from other continents, suggesting these ancient animals spread much farther across the Triassic world than scientists realized.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20265 min read

Science

Potatoes may have given Indigenous Andeans a digestive superpower

The rise of the potato in the Andes appears to have left a lasting mark on human DNA. Indigenous Peruvians carry exceptionally high numbers of a starch-digestion gene, likely because people with more copies gained an evolutionary advantage once potatoes became a staple food. The change began thousands of years before European contact, providing unusually strong evidence that diet can shape human evolution.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20264 min read

Science

For 15,000 years, humans and dogs have been changing each other

Dogs have been shaping—and being shaped by—humans for about 15,000 years, evolving from early partners of hunter-gatherers into an astonishing range of specialized companions. Across the globe, they adapted alongside people to wildly different environments and needs, from powerful Arctic sled dogs and agile rainforest hunters to high-altitude dogs with genetic traits for surviving thin air. Some were even bred for wool, while others played important spiritual or ceremonial roles.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20265 min read

Science

60,000-year-old ostrich eggshell engravings reveal a surprisingly sophisticated human mind

More than 60,000 years ago, humans in southern Africa were engraving ostrich eggshells with intricate geometric patterns that appear far more organized than previously realized. Researchers found recurring grids, parallel lines, right angles, and repeated shapes, suggesting the designs followed deliberate rules rather than being improvised. The engravers may even have planned entire patterns in their minds before carving them.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20262 min read

Science

Exercise may help the aging brain “take out the trash”

Regular exercise may help the brain clear away harmful waste that can build up with age. Researchers found that physical activity supports several processes linked to the brain’s glymphatic cleanup system, including better sleep, lower inflammation, and healthier blood vessels. Because this waste-removal system becomes increasingly important as we get older, exercise could play a meaningful role in protecting against cognitive decline.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20262 min read

Science

The secret hidden in these ancient manuscripts isn’t written in ink

Researchers can now recover DNA from centuries-old parchment without damaging the manuscripts, turning historic documents into unexpected genetic time capsules. The hidden clues could reveal ancient trade routes, livestock history, manuscript origins, and details of everyday life stretching back more than a thousand years.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20263 min read

Science

150-million-year-old dinosaur footprints reveal something strange about its walk

A spectacular 150-million-year-old trail of more than 130 footprints captures a giant sauropod making a complete loop before continuing on its way. Its uneven stride hints that the long-necked dinosaur may have been walking with a limp.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20262 min read

Science

Dogs can tell fear from sadness — and scientists saw it in their brains

Dogs may understand our emotions more deeply than scientists realized. Brain scans show that happy human faces activate regions in dogs linked to higher-level processing and reward, suggesting that smiles carry special emotional significance for them.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20263 min read

Science

King Harold may have lost England by backing the wrong pope

A forgotten fragment of a lost papal letter is offering a surprising new explanation for the Norman Conquest. England may have backed the wrong pope during a bitter religious power struggle, giving Pope Alexander II a political reason to support William the Conqueror’s invasion. The discovery suggests Harold’s downfall in 1066 was shaped by intrigue in Rome as well as bloodshed at Hastings.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20265 min read

Science

Scientists find evidence for two origins of life on Earth

Scientists probing life’s deepest origins have uncovered evidence that the first free-living cells may have emerged not once, but twice. The findings suggest a striking possibility: life may share one ancient genetic code, yet have undergone two separate transitions into free-living existence.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20266 min read

Science

Ozempic may have revealed the brain’s hidden “craving center”

Ozempic-like drugs appear to weaken more than hunger—they may also reduce cravings for alcohol and other addictive substances. Scientists are increasingly tracing this effect to the lateral septum, a brain region that helps connect memories and surroundings with rewarding experiences. Packed with GLP-1 receptors, it may act as a crucial control point between thinking about a reward and feeling compelled to pursue it. The discovery could open new approaches to treating addiction as well as obesity.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20264 min read

Science

MIT neuroscientists discover the brain can reason without words

MIT neuroscientists have found striking evidence that language and logical reasoning are powered by separate systems in the brain. Even people with severe language impairments caused by stroke were able to solve challenging logic puzzles as well as people without those impairments, while brain scans showed that language-processing regions stayed largely quiet during reasoning tasks.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20265 min read

Science

3,500-year-old skeletons challenge what scientists thought they knew about syphilis

Ancient remains from Vietnam suggest diseases like yaws may have been passed from mother to child thousands of years ago, a form of transmission often assumed to indicate syphilis. The discovery could overturn how scientists interpret ancient infections and complicate the long-running mystery of syphilis’s origins.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20264 min read

Science

Scientists turn sheep’s wool into a material that helps regrow bone

Keratin extracted from sheep’s wool helped damaged bone regenerate in animals, producing tissue that was more organized and structurally similar to healthy bone than tissue grown with conventional collagen scaffolds. The discovery could turn an abundant agricultural byproduct into a promising new material for regenerative medicine.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20262 min read

Science

The adult brain can repair itself better than scientists thought

The adult brain may be far better at repairing itself than scientists once believed. In mice, researchers discovered a special group of support cells called astrocytes that respond to damaged brain tissue by rebuilding lost cellular networks. Rather than simply moving into the injured area, these cells perform a remarkable maneuver: they create new nuclei and send them traveling through long cellular extensions to repopulate damaged regions.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20262 min read

Science

Scientists discover a hidden brain rhythm that could improve Parkinson’s treatment

Scientists have pinpointed a brain network—and its distinctive electrical rhythm—that appears to drive the benefits of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. The discovery could lead to more precise, personalized stimulation settings and better results for patients.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20263 min read

Technology

A star’s violent death exposed a hidden supermassive black hole

A supermassive black hole has been found lurking about 30,000 light-years from the center of its galaxy—the first dormant black hole detected so far from a galactic core. It revealed itself only after shredding a passing star and producing a brief, brilliant flare. Astronomers think it may be the remnant of a devoured galaxy or a black hole flung outward during a chaotic cosmic encounter.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20265 min read

Technology

Cell-inspired nanoreactor turns sunlight into hydrogen peroxide

A new hollow nanoreactor mimics living cells to make hydrogen peroxide more efficiently using visible light. Its light-trapping cavity and proton-shuttling shell could open new possibilities for cleaner chemical manufacturing and artificial photosynthesis.

NewsdeskAug 13, 20262 min read