Nullary Sources

A Buffalo-area man ends his fight to reclaim Albert, his 12-foot alligator seized in 2024

chz — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:43 -0700

An upstate New York man who had his alligator seized after sharing a home for more than three decades has given up his court fight to get back the reptile he affectionately named Albert.

Tony Cavallaro sued the state Department of Environmental Conservation after officers met him with a warrant in the driveway of his home in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg in March 2024. The officers sedated the 12-foot (3.6-meter), 750-pound (340-kilogram) alligator and drove him away in a van.

Free him

One DNA letter can trigger complete sex reversal

chz — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:25 -0700

News release from Israel’s Bar-Ilan University:

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have discovered that changing just one letter in DNA can completely alter sex development in mice. In the new study, published in Nature Communications, a single-letter insertion in a non-coding regulatory region caused XX mice, which would normally develop as females, to develop instead as males with testis and male genitalia.

The finding is especially striking because the mutation was not made in a gene itself, but in a distant stretch of DNA that helps control a key developmental gene. The study highlights the major role of the non-coding genome—the 98% of DNA that does not make proteins but helps regulate when and how genes are turned on and off.

Finally we found the letter that makes mice trans

‘Oldest octopus’ fossil is no octopus at all, scans reveal

chz — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:00:33 -0700

News release from the University of Reading:

A famous 300-million-year-old fossil that was thought to be the world’s oldest octopus – even featuring in the Guinness Book of Records – has turned out to be something else altogether.

In what amounts to a case of mistaken identity, the fossil hid its true nature through decay 300 million years ago, before being fossilised.

Using the latest synchrotron imaging to search inside the fossil rock, researchers discovered tiny teeth preserved inside the rock that prove that Pohlsepia mazonensis is not an octopus at all, but an animal related to a modern Nautilus – a multi-tentacled animal with an external shell.

Hate it when that happens

From this year’s Revision demoparty just held in Germany, here’s the second-place finisher in the…

chz — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:30 -0700

From this year’s Revision demoparty just held in Germany, here’s the second-place finisher in the wild category, “Beyond the Pixels” by Otomata Labs for the GBA. Sometimes you just gotta fuck around with subpixel rendering in an area of a screen the size of a postage stamp, we’ve all been there

Fish “Steals” Glowing Protein: Genome Sequencing Proves Unique Survival Strategy

chz — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:01:41 -0700

Tohoku University news release:

In a striking example of nature’s ingenuity, a collaborative research team has revealed that a bioluminescent fish glows not by producing its own light-emitting molecules, but by “stealing” them from its prey.

Through high-quality whole-genome sequencing, the researchers have now conclusively demonstrated that the fish Parapriacanthus ransonneti lacks the gene required to produce luciferase - the enzyme responsible for bioluminescence - confirming a rare biological strategy known as “kleptoproteinism.”

Damn how can we get in on that gene thievery that sounds awesome

Common Disinfectant Chemicals Far More Toxic When Inhaled, Study Finds

chz — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:00:39 -0700

Amy Quinton for the University of California, Davis:

Breathing in common disinfectant chemicals known as quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs, may be far more harmful than swallowing them, according to a mouse study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study found significant lung injury at blood QAC exposure levels similar to those measured in humans.

The findings raise questions about whether airborne exposure from disinfectant sprays and cleaning products could contribute to respiratory disease such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study was published in Environmental Science and Technology.

“The surprising result of this study was that these compounds, when inhaled, caused 100-fold more lung injury and 100-fold more lethality compared to oral ingestion,” said lead author Gino Cortopassi, a biochemist and pharmacologist with the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine.

This only strengthens my already steely resolve to huff an entire can of Lysol at once

Bumblebees can perceive rhythm, despite their brains being the size of a sesame seed

chz — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:48 -0700

As part of our continuing coverage of bees, here’s Andrew Barron for The Conversation:

Humans are creatures of rhythms. As far as we know, humans have always sung and always danced. We can recognise a song by its rhythm alone, regardless of whether it is played fast or slow.

We seem to have an almost effortless capacity to pick up on rhythmic patterns, and we have presumed this ability to require the very large and powerful human brain.

But our new research, published today in the journal Science, shows humans are not alone in mastering rhythm. Even the bumblebee, which has a brain the size of a sesame seed, has an ability to quickly learn abstract rhythms.

BEE RHYTHMS

Man who flew drugs into prisons using drones jailed

chz — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:33 -0700

Shehnaz Khan for the BBC:

A man who took a selfie with drones which were used to drop illegal drugs and contraband into prisons has been jailed.

The article includes the selfie, what a legend

CEO of America’s largest public hospital system says he’s ready to replace radiologists with AI

chz — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:00:32 -0700

Marty Stempniak for Radiology Business:

The chief executive of America’s largest public hospital system says he is prepared to start replacing radiologists with artificial intelligence in some circumstances, once the regulatory landscape catches up.

…

“Undeniable proof that confidently uninformed hospital administrators are a danger to patients: easily duped by AI companies that are nowhere near capable of providing patient care,” [Mohammed] Suhail told Radiology Business. “Any attempt to implement AI-only reads would immediately result in patient harm and death, and only someone with zero understanding of radiology would say something so naive. But in some sense, they’re correct: Hospitals are happy to cut costs even if it means patient harm, as long as it’s legal.”

Sure, we’re still living in hell and fall deeper every day, but at least we still have sick burns

Scientists may be overestimating the amount of microplastics in the environment – and the culprit is lab gloves

chz — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:00:40 -0700

Anne McNeil and Madeline Clough for The Conversation:

We are chemists at the University of Michigan working in a collaborative team. We set out to understand how many microplastics Michiganders were inhaling when outside, and whether that depended on where they lived.

When preparing our samples, we followed all the standard protocols while conducting our research – we avoided plastic use in the lab, wore nonplastic clothing and even used a specialized chamber to reduce potential contamination from the laboratory air.

Despite these precautions, we found plastic counts in the air that were over 1,000 times greater than previous reports. We knew these numbers didn’t seem right, so what happened?

After a long path to pinpointing the contamination source, we found that laboratory gloves, which the scientific community recommends using as a best practice, can transfer particles to the surface of our samples – in this case, small metal sheets used to collect material depositing from the air. Moreover, the particles led to an overestimation of microplastic abundance in our study.

I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s actually just literally impossible to do science

From a performance in London in December of last year, here’s a new song by Jamiroquai, “Shadow in…

chz — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:32 -0700

From a performance in London in December of last year, here’s a new song by Jamiroquai, “Shadow in the Night.” Apparently they’re pretty close to releasing a new album, so it seems like this’ll probably be on it? Anyway it’s disco o'clock

When Coupled Volcanoes Talk, These Researchers Listen

chz — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:35 -0700

Robin George Andrews for Quanta Magazine:

The eruption did more than cool the skies and scorch an entire network of valleys. It also collapsed two of the three peaks of Mount Katmai into a single pit 1 kilometer deep and 2.5 kilometers across. At the time, it seemed obvious what had happened: Katmai had unleashed most of its magma, and it had left a giant chasm in its wake.

But the truth isn’t always obvious. In the 1950s, detailed geologic mapping of Katmai and its surroundings (opens a new tab) by Garniss Curtis, a geologist at the University of California, Berkeley, revealed that the eruption had emerged not from the now-collapsed peaks of the volcano, but from an opening in Earth’s crust 10 kilometers to the west that had never been seen before.

After extensive fieldwork, scientists reached a conclusion: Two-thirds of Katmai had disappeared because this opening had stolen Katmai’s magma. The idea was controversial (opens a new tab), because volcanoes were always thought to act independently, tapping their own supplies of molten, eruptible rock. But Katmai and the opening, dubbed Novarupta, offered the first real clue that volcanoes could be connected, or “coupled.”

Gay volcanoes

Giant dragonflies once roamed Earth’s skies. New research upends the textbook theory of why they went extinct

chz — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:48 -0700

Roger S. Seymour and Edward Snelling for The Conversation:

Insects first took to the skies about 350 million years ago, some 200 million years before birds first flapped their wings.

By the end of the Carboniferous period, 300 million years ago, some flying insects had become gigantic. Huge dragonfly-like insects called griffinflies had wingspans of 70cm – five times the size of the largest modern dragonflies.

These giant insects lived in a time when Earth’s atmosphere contained more oxygen than it does today: around 30%, compared with the modern 21%.

Because large flying insects lived in a time of high oxygen levels, scientists have proposed that they required these high external oxygen levels to power the rapid burn of energy during flight.

In new research published today in Nature, we studied the muscles of dozens of modern flying insects and made a surprising discovery: there is no reason the griffinfly could not survive in today’s atmosphere.

I guess we’ll have to move on to my theory about why prehistoric bugs were so big: because they were juicing

Red Devils’ new away shirt pays tribute to Magritte and surrealism

chz — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 12:00:43 -0700

Article from Belgium’s Belga News Agency:

The Belgian football team’s new away kit pays tribute to artist René Magritte and Belgian surrealism. Unveiled on Friday by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) and Adidas, the kit will be worn for the first time during a friendly against the USA on 28 March in Atlanta ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

Featuring a graphic print in “the purest surrealist style” as a nod to Magritte’s work, the light blue and pink shirt combines elements of the RBFA crest with football references. The design includes the inscription “This is not a shirt” on the collar, in reference to Magritte’s The Treachery of Images.

Honestly this jersey is great, I kinda want one 👀

Sperm loses its sense of direction in space

chz — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:00:38 -0700

Andrew Paul for Popular Science:

[Biomedical researcher Nicole] McPherson and her colleagues examined how zero gravity (or zero-G) conditions affect the sperm of three different mammals, including humans. Since hitching a ride into orbit was unlikely, they placed the samples in a 3D clinostat machine instead. This device simulates zero-G by flipping and disorienting the cells placed within it.

They then put the sperm cells in an artificial maze built to resemble a female reproductive tract. In each instance, the cells had immense difficulty navigating what should have been a relatively straightforward path.

lmao sperm mazes

However, it wasn’t all bad news for the little swimmers. The researchers discovered that supplementing human sperm with the sex hormone progesterone—critical for successful pregnancies—helped improve the odds of fertilization. According to McPherson, this may be because eggs also produce progesterone to help guide sperm. Still, they cautioned more analysis is needed before reaching a definitive conclusion.

You heard it here first: we have to feminize the sperm

When Temperatures Drop, Heart-Related Deaths Rise

chz — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:39 -0700

News release from the American College of Cardiology:

On the heels of one of the coldest winters in memory for large swaths of the country, new research highlights an often overlooked cost of cold weather: months with lower temperatures see significantly greater rates of death from heart attacks, strokes and coronary artery disease than milder months.

Just more conclusive proof that hot is better than cold and summer is better than winter, no please don’t run the numbers on how bad heat waves are for heart attacks I beg you

According to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26), hotter temperatures were also associated with increases in cardiovascular deaths, but at a more modest rate.

NEVER MIND, SUMMER STAYS WINNING

Can a mouse be cloned indefinitely? Decades-long experiment has answers

chz — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:01:48 -0700

Heidi Ledford for Nature:

After 20 years, 58 generations and more than 30,000 cloning attempts, a team of researchers has hit the limit on the number of times a single mouse can be serially re-cloned.

The results, published on 24 March in Nature Communications, suggest that asexual reproduction is ultimately unsustainable for mice, and potentially other mammals, too. The clones looked normal and lived as long as normal mice. But large mutations — including the loss of an entire chromosome — accumulated in the cloned lineage at an unusually high rate.

I’ll factor this into my master plan at once

From the posthumous 1983 album Loose Blues, which was recovered from sessions recorded in 1962,…

chz — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:00:47 -0700

From the posthumous 1983 album Loose Blues, which was recovered from sessions recorded in 1962, here’s Bill Evans and friends with his standard “Time Remembered.”

Moons orbiting wandering exoplanets could be habitable—with one catch

chz — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:30 -0700

Sam Jarman for Phys.org:

Provided they host thick, hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, moons orbiting free-floating exoplanets could retain much of the heat generated deep within their interiors by tidal forces. Led by David Dahlbüdding at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and Giulia Roccetti at the European Space Agency, a new study predicts that hydrogen could act as a potent greenhouse gas—potentially providing habitable conditions for billions of years after their host planets are first ejected from their stellar systems. The work has been published in (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society](https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/stag243/8496061?guestAccessKey=).

…

The team’s calculations reveal that in the thickest hydrogen-dominated atmospheres considered (reaching 100 times Earth’s surface pressure), the effect of collision-induced absorption would make conditions both warm and stable enough to sustain liquid water. In some cases, these habitable conditions could persist for up to 4.3 billion years after the host planet’s ejection—comparable to the current age of Earth.

Oh hell yeah I want to live on the moon of a rogue planet that sounds super cool, especially the part where I’d die instantly

Localization Lore: Women’s History Month 2026

chz — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:27 -0700

Here’s a blog post from freelance Japanese-English translator Elizabeth Bushouse:

Welcome to the Women’s History Month edition of my Localization Lore series, where I highlight some of the women who have worked in the Japanese to English video game localization industry. The first couple ladies may be familiar to those of you who read my inaugural post on the translations of Ys 1, but keep reading to learn more about others who helped make the industry what it is today!

You’ve definitely never heard of any of the women except maybe one in the post, by which I mean that I’ve definitely never heard of any of the women in the post except one and I’m projecting my ignorance onto you to make myself feel better about it