Latest news with #NatureCommunications
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
From droughts to downpours: How AI is revolutionizing extreme weather forecasting
The Brief A new groundbreaking study uncovers ways to use A.I. to prepare for extreme weather. A.I. could even help predict wildfires. Issues remain about the ethical use of this technology, and trust in the data. MILWAUKEE - There is a lot of talk these days about artificial intelligence or A.I., and that is also true in the world of weather forecasting. A.I. is rapidly transforming how we model, detect, and respond to extreme weather and climate events. In a 2025 review published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers explored the full potential of A.I. and its ability to forecast floods, droughts, heatwaves, and even wildfires. The goal was to uncover ways to help communities prepare before disaster strikes. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android What we know Machine learning and deep learning A.I. models were found to outperform some traditional forecasting techniques and seemed to excel at identifying and predicting extreme events. That accuracy went up when multiple data sources were integrated into the models, like satellite imagery, climate data, and ground sensors. The study went beyond basic forecasting and used A.I. to explore the "why," "what if," scenarios of different extreme weather events and even asked A.I. "how confident" it was in those predictions. Droughts: Hybrid models were able to help predict impacts on agriculture and forest health. Heatwaves: Specific models were able to give improved forecasts of regional temperature anomalies. Wildfires: Deep learning A.I. was able to provide early detection of dangerous fire events. Floods: A.I. was seen to enhance early warning systems and real-time alerts. The other side Not everything in the study was a net positive. The authors clearly stressed the need for transparent, ethical, and localized AI systems, particularly in high-stakes scenarios where false alarms can erode public trust or mislead disaster responses. In short, A.I. isn't ready to be handed the reins and will still need significant human oversight, but it could be an amazing tool for forecasters in the very near future. There are other significant hurdles as well, such as: Data Limitations: Extreme events, by their very nature, are rare, which makes it hard to train A.I. models. There's also a shortage of data that reflects the diverse geographic and socio-economic realities of our country and our planet. Integration Issues: AI models, in some cases, under-performed traditional methods. Real-world applications came up short due to high uncertainty, and incomplete data. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News What's next To unlock A.I.'s full potential, the study's authors suggest we develop better datasets that are tailored for each type of extreme weather event. They call for greater collaboration across A.I., climate science, and policy disciplines and again stress the need for ethical safeguards, especially for vulnerable communities. The Source Camps-Valls, G., Fernández-Torres, M.Á., Cohrs, K.-H., Höhl, A., Castelletti, A., Pacal, A., et al. (2025). Artificial intelligence for modeling and understanding extreme weather and climate events. Nature Communications, 16, 1919.
Observer
2 days ago
- Science
- Observer
Tools made of whale bones reveal inventiveness of prehistoric people
Artifacts found at archeological sites in France and Spain along the Bay of Biscay shoreline show that humans have been crafting tools from whale bones since more than 20,000 years ago, illustrating anew the resourcefulness of prehistoric people. The tools, primarily hunting implements such as projectile points, were fashioned from the bones of at least five species of large whales, the researchers said. Bones from sperm whales were the most abundant, followed by fin whales, gray whales, right or bowhead whales - two species indistinguishable with the analytical method used in the study - and blue whales. With seafaring capabilities by humans not developing until thousands of years later, the Ice Age hunter-gatherers who made these implements would have been unable to actually hunt whales for their resources in the Bay of Biscay, a gulf of the Atlantic Ocean. "These whales were likely opportunistically acquired from stranded animals or drifted carcasses, rather than actively hunted," said biomolecular archaeologist Krista McGrath of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, co-lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Communications, opens new tab. "The majority of the bones were identified from offshore, deep-water species - such as sperm whale and fin whale - which would have been very difficult to hunt for these prehistoric groups. And there is no evidence from this time period that they had the level of technology that active hunting would have required, like seafaring boats," McGrath said. The 71 whale bone artifacts analyzed by the researchers were found at 27 cave or rock shelter sites. The two oldest ones, both from the bones of fin whales, came from the Spanish Cantabrian sites of Rascaño, dating to about 20,500 years ago, and El Juyo, dating to about 19,800 years ago. The rough age range of the artifacts was from 14,000 years old to more than 20,000 years old, but most were 16,000 to 17,500 years old. The main raw material used to manufacture spear points at the time was antler from reindeer or red deer because it is less brittle and more pliable than land mammal bone. But whale bone offered some advantages, including its large dimensions, with some of the projectile points measuring more than 16 inches (40 cm) long, a size difficult to achieve using antler. "They can be very long and thick, and were probably hafted on spear-style projectiles rather than arrows. They are usually found as fragments, many of which bear fractures related to use, and they were most likely used to hunt the main game animals of the time - reindeer and red deer, horse, bison and ibex," said archaeologist and study co-senior author Jean-Marc Pétillon of the French National Centre for Scientific Research. Bone tools were used by members of the human evolutionary lineage dating back far before our species Homo sapiens emerged more than 300,000 years ago in Africa. The artifacts examined in this study pushed back the oldest-known use of whale bones for toolmaking by 1,000 to 2,000 years. The objects were previously discovered at the various sites and kept in museum collections. The researchers used modern analytical techniques to determine the species from which the bones came and the age of the artifacts. Humans living in this period of prehistory generally were inland hunters, obtaining most of their subsistence needs from the hunting of large hoofed mammals, Pétillon said. The new findings enhance the understanding of their exploitation of seashore resources, Pétillon added. Previous research had shown that Ice Age people gathered seashells, hunted seabirds and fished for marine fishes as a complement to meat from terrestrial animals. "The new findings tell us that these prehistoric groups were likely very well adapted to these coastal environments, and very likely had deep local ecological knowledge and understanding of their coastal habitats," McGrath said. "Whale bones would have been for more than just making tools. There is evidence for their use as fuel as well - the bones contain large amounts of oil - among other things. And the rest of the whale would also certainly have been used – teeth or baleen depending on the species, meat, skin. A single whale provides a lot of resources," McGrath said.—Reuters
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New high-resolution structures of measles virus enzyme could lead to protective measures
May 30—Using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM), researchers at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, have revealed the first high-resolution renderings of the measles virus's (MeV) polymerase. This enzyme is crucial for the virus's ability to hijack cells and make copies of itself, which is one aspect that makes the virus so effective at infecting people and spreading throughout the body. For a virus that's been documented since at least the ninth century, there is still plenty we have to learn about the measles virus and how it operates, Associate Professor Bin Liu, PhD, explained as he discussed his new study published in Nature Communications. "Even well-known viruses like measles still have uncharted molecular terrain, and illuminating its structure provides valuable insights for therapeutic development," Liu said. By revealing measles' structure, Liu, along with Postdoctoral Researchers Dong Wang, PhD, and Ge Yang, PhD, have unlocked valuable insights that could help other researchers develop preventative and therapeutic measures to combat this deadly virus that can cause complications ranging from pneumonia to ear infections to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). "Although an effective vaccine is available, recent measles outbreaks highlight the urgent need for alternative antiviral treatments," Liu said. "Because the polymerase is essential for viral genome replication, it represents a critical target for antiviral intervention." The study presents two new, distinct renderings of MeV polymerase complexes known as Lcore-P and Lfull-P-C. According to Liu, one of the most intriguing findings is the structural role of the measles virus C protein in forming the Lfull-P-C complex with two other proteins, L and P. This is surprising because the C protein was traditionally seen as a regulatory protein, not part of its core replication machinery. Now, it's shown to physically bridge and modulate the L protein's activity, potentially influencing how efficiently the virus replicates. Additionally, the study shows that the C protein widens the polymerase's RNA channel in the polymerase, possibly enhancing the processivity of RNA synthesis. That kind of physical alteration, revealed via cryoEM at near-atomic resolution, is a remarkable mechanistic insight. It suggests that the measles virus has evolved an elegant, multi-protein solution for efficient replication inside host cells. This kind of structural adaptation is a biological engineering marvel, and it highlights how even simple viruses can have complex, dynamic protein machinery. By revealing detailed interactions within the Lfull-P-C complex, the paper opens doors for next-generation antiviral drug designs that halt viral replication. "This shifts the measles conversation from 'solved by vaccines' to 'still relevant for therapeutic innovation,'" Liu concluded.
The Star
2 days ago
- Science
- The Star
20,000YO whale bone tools are the oldest known evidence of humans using tools
A file picture from 2021 of a projectile made from gray whale bone, dating back to about 18,000 years ago. — ALEXANDRE LEFEBVRE/AP Scientists have pinpointed the oldest known evidence of humans making tools from whale bone. The bones, fashioned into narrow projectiles for hunting, had been uncovered in excavations dating back over a century in the Bay of Biscay near Spain and France. Scientists figured the tools were quite ancient, but many were small fragments so it was hard to determine their age. Technological advancements in the past decade have now made it possible to date the oldest of the tools to about 20,000 years ago. Scientists found that the bones came from blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales and other species. "Humans and whales have clearly been encountering one another for a long time,' said Vicki Szabo with Western Carolina University in North Carolina, United States, who studies the history of whaling and was not involved with the latest research. Scientists think that ancient humans were crafting whale bone instruments in places including the Arctic and South Pacific. There's been solid evidence of whale bone tools dating back to about 5,000 years ago, but the new research published in the journal Nature Communications pushes the timeline back. Ancient humans weren't necessarily hunting whales, said study author Jean-Marc Petillon with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. More likely, they were scavenging the bodies of beached whales and fashioning their dense, heavy bones into tools to hunt reindeer or bison. The tools indicate that ancient people in the area took advantage of resources near the sea for survival. They likely also collected seashells and fished. Finding such evidence has been difficult as rising sea levels disrupt coastlines across the globe, scientists said. "It's one more contribution to the importance of coastal environments for human groups, even in this long past," said Petillon. – AP
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
13 Things You'll Never Control In Life, So Stop Obsessing
Here's the harsh truth: no matter how much you plan, prepare, or perfect, there are some things in life you will never be able to control. And yet, you exhaust yourself trying. You twist yourself into knots, obsess over the 'what ifs,' and lose sleep trying to force outcomes that were never in your hands to begin with. It's not just a waste of time—it's a slow erosion of your peace. Here are 13 things you absolutely cannot control—so stop trying, and start setting yourself free. No matter how flawless you are, someone will misunderstand you, dislike you, or straight-up resent you—and that's not your problem to solve. You could bend over backward, be the most thoughtful person in the room, and still end up the villain in someone else's story. Trying to control how others see you is a recipe for burnout, not belonging. You can't make everyone approve of you—and you shouldn't. The sooner you let go of managing their perceptions, the freer you'll feel. You can set boundaries, communicate clearly, and show up with kindness—but at the end of the day, how someone treats you is a reflection of them, not you. As Psych Central points out, your boundaries matter, but you can't control another person's behavior. If they're dismissive, disrespectful, or cruel, that's their baggage to carry. The trap is thinking you can love someone into treating you better. You can't. Your worth is not tied to someone else's behavior—and trying to control it will only drain you. You can do everything 'right'—work hard, stay consistent, follow all the advice—and still not get the outcome you want. According to research in the Nature Communications journal on cognitive control, people allocate more effort when they expect a reward, but outcomes are still influenced by factors beyond their control. TL;DR: Success isn't a formula; it's a combination of timing, opportunity, and a million variables you'll never fully have influence over. Trying to predict or force the result will only make you bitter when life doesn't play by your rules. Focus on what you can control—your process, your effort, your resilience—and let the outcome go. You can't make someone stay if they're ready to go. People leave—relationships end, friendships fade, seasons change. You can beg, overextend, and lose yourself trying to keep them, but if they want out, they'll go. The pain is real, but so is the freedom that comes from accepting this truth. You don't have to hold on so tight. Love, career breakthroughs, family, personal growth—none of it happens on the timeline you expect. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology on critical life events confirms that major transitions are often unpredictable and can have significant impacts on psychological health, especially when they occur unexpectedly. Basically, you can plan your whole life down to the minute, and the universe will still throw you curveballs. Trying to force timing will leave you frustrated and disconnected from the present. Surrendering to your timeline—messy, unpredictable, and imperfect as it is—is where the peace lives. You are not responsible for anyone else's happiness, sadness, anger, or insecurity. You can support, empathize, and love—but you can't fix how someone feels. As Psych Central shares, trying to regulate another person's emotional world will leave you drained, resentful, and stuck in cycles that aren't yours to carry. The freedom is in the boundaries: This is mine. That is yours. You can replay it a thousand times, dissect every decision, and spiral over the 'should haves'—but the past is done. No amount of mental gymnastics will rewrite what's already happened. What you can control is the meaning you give it—and how you move forward. Let the past be a teacher, not a prison. You can visualize, plan, and set intentions—but you can't predict the future, no matter how hard you try. Life will always throw unexpected challenges, opportunities, and plot twists your way. Trying to control what's next robs you of the present. The antidote? Radical presence. Show up fully now—it's the only thing that's ever been in your hands. You can give advice, express your concerns, and hope for the best—but you can't make decisions for anyone else. Watching people you love make choices you wouldn't is one of life's most painful realities. But their path is theirs—not yours to control, fix, or rescue. Letting go of that responsibility is hard—but it's also the only way to protect your own peace. Grief, heartbreak, burnout—none of it moves on your schedule. You can't rush the process, no matter how much you want to feel better now. Healing unfolds on its own messy, non-linear timeline—and that's okay. The pressure to 'get over it' only makes it harder. Give yourself the grace you so freely give to others. You can explain, clarify, and pour your heart out—but some people will never fully get you. And that's not a reflection of your worth. Spending your energy trying to convince others of your perspective will leave you feeling unseen and unheard. Save that energy for the people who do get you—those are your people. The news cycle, global events, the heartbreak of injustice—it's overwhelming. And while you can advocate, vote, donate, and make your voice heard, you can't singlehandedly fix it all. Trying to control the world's chaos will break you. Focus on the impact you can make—your community, your relationships, your corner of the world. That's where real change starts. Here's the kicker: the more you try to control, the more out of control you feel. It's a trap—because the need for control is often just anxiety in disguise. The antidote? Surrender. Letting go isn't giving up—it's trusting that you'll figure it out, even when the plan falls apart. You can't control everything. But you can control how you meet the chaos—with grace, courage, and a little bit of trust.
