Discoveries reveal answers to age-old questions, groundbreaking tech advancements, and hidden historical treasures.

From evolution to modern health risks, science continues to reshape our understanding of the world.

1. Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg？

The Egg Came First, Says Nature A microorganism known as Chromosphaera perkinsii was discovered in Hawaii in 2017. Evidence suggests that this species existed more than a billion years ago, predating the emergence of the first animals. Although it is a single-celled organism, it can also form multicellular clusters.

A research team from the University of Geneva in Switzerland observed that the multicellular structure of this organism strikingly resembles animal embryos. Their findings indicate that mechanisms responsible for embryonic development existed long before multicellular animals appeared.

Previously, scientists debated the chicken-or-egg paradox in the context of multicellular life: embryos always develop from multicellular organisms, but multicellular organisms arise from embryos.

This species, which diverged from the evolutionary lineage of animals over a billion years ago, provides insights into how mechanisms enabling multicellular life might have evolved.

Researchers discovered that once Chromosphaera perkinsii reaches its maximum size, it divides without further growth, forming clusters resembling early-stage animal embryos.

Surprisingly, the way these cells divide and the three-dimensional structures they adopt are remarkably similar to animal embryonic development. For instance, they develop specialized regulatory cells that secrete hormone-like substances to control the growth of other cells. This implies that the genetic programs for complex multicellular development existed before animals evolved.

Marine Olivetta, one of the study's authors, remarked, “It’s incredible that a recently discovered species allows us to trace back over a billion years.” This research suggests that principles of multicellular development were established well before animals emerged.

In other words, nature had the tools to create "eggs" long before "chickens" came into existence. Thus, the answer to the age-old question is clear: the egg came first.

This finding also sheds light on ancient embryo-like fossils and challenges traditional perspectives on multicellular biology.

2. Breakthrough in Phase-Change Memory: Energy Use Reduced by a Billion Times

Revolutionizing Data Storage In conventional storage devices like hard drives and flash memory, data is stored in binary form (1s and 0s) using electromagnetic media. While storage capacity has significantly improved, electromagnetic constraints limit the speed of reading and writing data.

Addressing these limitations may require a shift away from electromagnetic storage methods.

Years ago, scientists recognized that crystalline and amorphous states of materials could also represent 1s and 0s for data storage.

For example, crystalline sodium chloride is transparent, while its amorphous form appears as scattered white granules like table salt. These two states can switch rapidly under certain conditions, enabling the development of storage devices potentially thousands of times faster than current hard drives or flash memory. Such advancements are critical for high-performance CPUs.

This principle underpins phase-change memory (PCM), which, while promising, faces significant challenges.

One major issue is the high energy consumption required for phase transitions, making PCM commercially unviable.

Recently, an international team led by the University of Pennsylvania developed a groundbreaking method to reduce the energy needed for phase transitions by a factor of one billion. This advancement could expand PCM's practical applications.

The researchers discovered that passing an electric current through an indium selenide (In₂Se₃) wire caused the wire to abruptly stop conducting electricity. Further analysis revealed that large sections of the wire had transformed into an amorphous state.

Through extensive experiments, the team studied the material’s two-dimensional, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties to understand how electricity triggered the amorphization process.

Initially, a microscopic portion (a billionth of a meter) of the wire underwent amorphization when activated by an electric current. The material's layered structure caused these regions to stack in specific layers, akin to slight movements of snow on a mountaintop.

When a critical threshold was reached, this motion triggered rapid deformation throughout the wire. The deformation generated shock waves similar to seismic waves during earthquakes, prompting large-scale amorphization.

This process allows significant structural changes with minimal energy, avoiding the energy-intensive heating and cooling steps typical of phase transitions, and dramatically reducing power consumption.

This breakthrough offers a new starting point for developing next-generation cache and flash memory technologies.

3. Just 5 Minutes of Intense Exercise Can Lower Blood Pressure

Exercise and Blood Pressure New research highlights that even a short burst of intense physical activity, such as climbing stairs or walking uphill, can significantly lower blood pressure. Published in the journal Circulation, this study was led by an international team from the University of Sydney and University College London (UCL).

The findings suggest that as little as five minutes of vigorous exercise daily may help manage blood pressure, emphasizing the effectiveness of short, high-intensity workouts. Replacing 20–27 minutes of sedentary behavior each day with activities like walking uphill, stair climbing, running, or cycling could achieve clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure.

High blood pressure, a major global cause of premature death, affects 1.28 billion adults worldwide. It increases the risk of strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney damage, and other health complications. Often referred to as a "silent killer" due to its lack of symptoms, managing blood pressure is critical.

The research analyzed health data from 14,761 participants across five countries to investigate the relationship between activity levels and blood pressure. Each participant wore a device on their thigh to monitor daily movements and blood pressure.

Daily activities were categorized into six types: sleeping, sitting, light walking, brisk walking, standing, and vigorous activities like running, cycling, or climbing stairs.

Statistical modeling showed that replacing sedentary behavior with 20–27 minutes of vigorous exercise could reduce cardiovascular disease incidence by 28%.

The study concluded that intense physical activity is key to lowering blood pressure, whereas lighter activities like walking showed no significant impact.

For those unable to sustain prolonged vigorous activity, even five minutes can yield measurable benefits. Everyday scenarios like running to catch a bus or biking to the subway can contribute to these effects.

While walking offers some benefits, the greatest reductions in blood pressure result from activities that challenge the cardiovascular system.

4. Discovering a Maya Megacity with Casual Smartphone Browsing

Uncovering Ancient Ruins A vast Maya cityscape, hidden beneath dense forests in southern Mexico, has been uncovered.

Researchers reported in Antiquity that this newly discovered city, named Valeriana, spans an area comparable to Beijing and exhibits all the hallmarks of a classic Maya political capital.

Its plazas are linked by wide causeways, and its massive temples, pyramids, and reservoirs date back over 1,500 years.

Archaeologists have long suspected that the southern Maya lowlands of Mexico provided favorable conditions for urban development. However, dense forest cover has hindered exploration.

Luke Auld-Thomas, an archaeologist from Tulane University in New Orleans, stumbled upon carbon data collected by the Mexican Nature Conservancy while browsing online.

He noticed significant discrepancies in carbon intake across certain areas, hinting at hidden features beneath the forest canopy.

Using lidar technology, researchers deployed lasers from aircraft to map the terrain below the dense tree cover. Targeted scans revealed unmistakable traces of human-made structures, validating Auld-Thomas’s hypothesis.

He feels like hit by the bullseye blindfolded as he remarked. “We never expected to uncover such a large site with such limited data.”

Reanalyzing the data confirmed that Valeriana, located in the lowlands, was likely a densely populated settlement.

The residents may have enjoyed nearby lagoons, played sports in city courts, or participated in rituals at pyramid temples. The surrounding houses featured arched courtyards resembling amphitheaters.

The site boasts over 400 buildings per square kilometer, with its peak-era density exceeding most surrounding areas by sevenfold. Historically, only the lowland city of Calakmul had greater building density.

Lidar scans also revealed ancient agricultural terraces, which likely sustained the area's dense population. During the Maya Classic Period (250–900 CE), Valeriana may have housed over 50,000 people.

Scholars believe more Maya secrets lie buried beneath the rainforest, waiting to be unearthed alongside their remarkable civilization.

Ancient Mayan city discovered in Mexico jungle by accident | BBC News

Video by BBC News

Flavored E-Cigarettes Pose Greater Health Risks

Flavored E-Cigarettes Pose Greater Health Risks

The Dangers of Flavored Vapes New research reveals that flavored e-cigarettes impair the lungs’ natural defenses, making infections harder to fight. This study compared the effects of flavored and unflavored e-cigarettes.

It’s clear that all e-cigarettes harm the body and are not a harmless alternative to smoking. Researchers assert that adding flavoring to e-cigarettes increases the health risks.

Ajitha Thanabalasuriar, a McGill University assistant professor, investigated cases of teenage lung damage linked to e-cigarettes in 2019. She found that some cases were more severe due to flavored vapes.

To investigate further, her team exposed mice to e-cigarette vapor for several days while using live imaging to observe immune cells in their lungs. The researchers also compared different types of e-cigarettes to assess their effects on immune cells.

Time-lapse imaging revealed that flavored e-cigarettes caused more lung damage and led to immune cell inactivity.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that certain chemicals in flavored vapes disable immune cells responsible for clearing harmful particles, increasing susceptibility to respiratory infections. Unflavored e-cigarettes didn’t have this effect.

The researchers caution against flavor additives, which may cause significant harm. While unflavored e-cigarettes may reduce some risks, the best option is quitting all forms of smoking, including vaping.