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A major new study of ancient DNA has traced the movement of people into southern Britain during the Bronze Age. In the largest such analysis published to date, scientists examined the DNA of nearly 800 ancient individuals.

The new study, led by the University of York, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Vienna, shows that people moving into southern Britain around 1300‒800 BC were responsible for around half the genetic ancestry of subsequent populations.

The combined DNA and archaeological evidence suggests that, rather than a violent invasion or a single migratory event, the genetic structure of the population changed through sustained contacts between mainland Britain and Europe over several centuries, such as the movement of traders, intermarriage, and small scale movements of family groups.

2021 was an incredible year for quantum computing and physics research. From time crystals to quantum immortality, we covered some gems!

Mars-sized object orbiting extremely closely to an M-dwarf star has been validated using the Penn State Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF). The planet, which was originally classified as a false positive in an automated search of data collected by the Kepler space telescope, is about half the size of Earth and is so close to its host star that it orbits in less than 10 hours. If it were orbiting a star the size of our sun it would be skimming the star’s corona—the aura of exceedingly hot plasma.

Plasma is one of the four fundamental states of matter, along with solid, liquid, and gas. It is an ionized gas consisting of positive ions and free electrons. It was first described by chemist Irving Langmuir in the 1920s.

The modern electric vehicle renaissance has been hampered from day one by the physical limitations imposed by the current state of battery technology. Inefficiencies in the form of heavy battery packs and low power densities have long limited not just the range and performance of EVs but the very forms they can take — there’s a reason Tesla started with a Roadster and not a Cybertruck. But steady advancements in power systems over the past few years — alongside skyrocketing demand for larger, electrified vehicles which cater to the US market — has led to a watershed moment in 2021: the emergence of EV pickups and SUVs.

Yes, we all know the Model X exists and Tesla “did it first” — spare me your tweets — however, the sheer number and variety of new, pure EV pickup and SUV models either ready to hit the showroom floor or in active development is staggering compared to just a few years ago. Let’s take a look at some of this year’s standouts.

GM is betting big on its proprietary Ultium battery technology, investing $35 billion in self-driving and EV technologies through 2025. The company has also announced that it intends to sell 30 EV models by the end of 2025 and EVs exclusively after 2035 with the 1,000 horsepower GMC Hummer EV serving as its vanguard offering.

Fear-dealing robots disguised as largemouth bass may be the key to solving a century-old quandary.

An enormous new analysis of the wiring of the fruit fly brain is a milestone for the young field of modern connectomics, researchers say.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recommended the widespread use of a malaria vaccine for the first time.

“As some of you may know, I started my career as a malaria researcher, and I longed for the day that we would have an effective vaccine against this ancient and terrible disease,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “Today is that day, an historic day.”

The challenge: Malaria is a serious parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes. Although eradicated in the U.S. and many other countries, it’s a major threat to people in other parts of the world, claiming more than 400,000 lives every year, and about half of the deaths are children under the age of five.

The Neuro-Network.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐔𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬

𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙎𝙮𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 … See more.

Continue reading “This Tech From UTS Could Be the Next Step in Controlling Robots With Our Brains” »

One Virginia family received the keys to their new 3D-printed home in time for Christmas.

The home is Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the nation, according to a Habitat news release.

Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process.