Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 3h

Microbiome characterization of a pre-Hispanic man from Zimapán, Mexico: Insights into ancient gut microbial communities 🦠🧬⛏️ journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Microbiome characterization of a pre-Hispanic man from Zimapán, Mexico: Insights into ancient gut microbial communities

The research of microbiome derived from mummified human remains, coprolites and paleofeces has gained significant interest over several decades, aiming to elucidate the evolution of microbial interact...

journals.plos.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 1d

The world's snow leopards are very similar genetically—findings suggest that doesn't bode well for their future 🧬🐆 phys.org/news/2025-10...

The world's snow leopards are very similar genetically—findings suggest that doesn't bode well for their future

There are relatively few snow leopards in the world, and it has likely been that way for a long time, a new study indicates. This situation increases their risk of extinction in a changing environment...

phys.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 2d

youtu.be/yfsW6xdOsNA?...

HEAS Seminar Series - Bence Viola

YouTube video by HEAS

youtu.be

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 2d

Absolutely fascinating talk - thank you @benceviola.bsky.social & @heasvienna.bsky.social! 💀

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 3d

Birds all over the world use the same sound to warn of threats 🐦 theconversation.com/birds-all-ov...

Birds all over the world use the same sound to warn of threats

The findings of a new study about communication between birds also offer key insights into the origins of language.

theconversation.com

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 5d

www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

Making yogurt with the ant holobiont uncovers bacteria, acids, and enzymes for food fermentation

Entomology; Food microbiology

www.cell.com

Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 5d

Making yogurt with ants revives a creative fermentation process 🐜🥛 phys.org/news/2025-10...

Making yogurt with ants revives a creative fermentation process

Researchers recreated a nearly forgotten yogurt recipe that once was common across the Balkans and Turkey—using ants. Reporting in iScience on October 3, the team shows that bacteria, acids, and enzym...

phys.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 6d

‘Thrilled’ Indonesian scientists celebrate return of fossil trove from the Netherlands 💀🇮🇩 www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Thrilled’ Indonesian scientists celebrate return of fossil trove from the Netherlands

The items to be returned, which include Java Man, were collected during the colonial era

www.science.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 7d

Jane Goodall, chimpanzee expert and animal rights campaigner, dies age 91 🙊 www.bbc.com/news/live/c9...

Jane Goodall, chimpanzee expert and animal rights campaigner, dies age 91 - follow live

The primatologist was a

www.bbc.com

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 8d

12,000-year-old monumental camel rock art acted as ancient 'road signs' to desert water sources 🐪 phys.org/news/2025-09...

12,000-year-old monumental camel rock art acted as ancient 'road signs' to desert water sources, study suggests

New findings highlight the pioneering role of human groups who lived in the interior of northern Arabia shortly after the hyper-arid conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), guided by the return ...

phys.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 9d

Air temperatures over Antarctica have soared 35ºC above average. What does this unusual event mean for Australia? 🌡️🇦🇶 theconversation.com/air-temperat...

Air temperatures over Antarctica have soared 35ºC above average. What does this unusual event mean for Australia?

The stratospheric polar vortex high above Antarctica has rapidly heated up. These sudden bursts of heat can bring rapid weather changes in Australia

theconversation.com

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 9d

A 3000-year-old copper smelting site could be key to understanding the origins of iron ⛏️🇬🇪 phys.org/news/2025-09...

A 3000-year-old copper smelting site could be key to understanding the origins of iron

Research from Cranfield University sheds new light onto the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, showing how experimentation with iron-rich rocks by copper smelters may have sparked the inv...

phys.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 12d

Dutch to return 'Java Man' fossils to Indonesia 💀🇮🇩 www.nst.com.my/world/world/...

Dutch to return 'Java Man' fossils to Indonesia |

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands pledged today to return to Indonesia the remains of "Java Man", the first-ever "Homo Erectus" unearthed by modern scientists in a landmark discovery for human evolution.

www.nst.com.my

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 12d

The world's most mysterious and elusive orchid lives underground in Australia. Scientists are trying to rescue this botanic marvel from going completely extinct. 🌸🇦🇺 www.bbc.com/future/artic...

'It lives underground and is fabulous': The race to save the world's rarest orchid

The world's most mysterious and elusive orchid lives underground in Australia. Scientists are trying to rescue this botanic marvel from going completely extinct.

www.bbc.com

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 13d

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The phylogenetic position of the Yunxian cranium elucidates the origin of Homo longi and the Denisovans

Diverse forms of Homo coexisted during the Middle Pleistocene. Whether these fossil humans represent different species or clades is debated. The ~1-million-year-old Yunxian 2 fossil from China is impo...

www.science.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 13d

A million-year-old human skull suggests that the origins of modern humans may reach back far deeper in time than previously thought and raises the possibility that Homo sapiens first emerged outside of Africa 💀🇨🇳 www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Study of 1m-year-old skull points to earlier origins of modern humans

Skull found in China may be Homo longi, potentially revising understanding of human evolution

www.theguardian.com

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 13d

“Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, freshwater depletion, overuse of agricultural fertilisers, and the release of artificial chemicals and plastics into the environment were all already deep in the red.” 🌎🚨 www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Scientists announce that 7 of 9 key 'planetary boundaries' have been crossed

A team of global scientists issued a new report on Wednesday, noting that seven out of nine of key "planetary boundaries" have been crossed. Carbon dioxide emissions have increased ocean acidification...

www.france24.com

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 14d

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time 💉🧬 Wow… www.bbc.com/news/article...

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time

One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

www.bbc.com

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 15d

Solving the mystery of whether a Bolivian salt flat is the world's largest natural mirror 🪞🌎 phys.org/news/2025-09...

Solving the mystery of whether a Bolivian salt flat is the world's largest natural mirror

The largest salt flat in the world is Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, a popular tourist attraction due to its stunning mirror-like surface when covered with a thin layer of water. While considered by many ...

phys.org

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Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 15d

Nice!

Spencer Wells @spwells.bsky.social · 15d

In the heart of the Gobi Desert, where the sands whisper tales of ancient times, lies an unexpected culinary delight immortalized in stone — perhaps indicative of the world's oldest barbecue party 🍖⛏️🇨🇳 www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/23/...