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New cat species identified in Bolivia, first in over a century

 A diminutive wild cat that inhabits Bolivia’s ​cloud forest has been identified as a previously unknown species, marking the first time a new living cat species has been formally ‌named and described in more than a century. The cat, called Tilcayo by local communities, is ​part of a group called tiger cats found across much...

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Cities on the moon may run dry far faster than space barons think

As NASA and China speed up their lunar space programmes, a more-than-temporary human settlement on the moon inches closer to reality. Space agencies with these plans are targeting the moon’s south pole region, where permanently shadowed craters are supposed to hold large quantities of water ice, which a human base can use as a water...

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Why are moths attracted to bright lights?

— Delin Paul Recent research has actually suggested that this description is misleading. Many moths may not be deliberately flying towards the lights but because artificial lights interfere with a technique they use to keep themselves flying in the right direction. For an insect flying at night, the brightest part of the natural environment is...

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Rattlesnake blood could reinvent the fight against deadly venoms

Herpetologists first discovered in 1933 that rattlesnakes are immune to their own venom. Native to the Americas, rattlesnakes are pit vipers, a family of vipers with a heat-sensing pit organ between each nostril and eye. Venom resistance in snakes comes in two forms: either the targets in their bodies have evolved such that the venom...

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AI and bioweapons: the problem with finding out when a model has been dangerous

In a report published on September 10, Anthropic — the U.S.-based company that builds and provides the Claude AI model — said it blocked users from using the model for a range of potentially harmful activities across cybersecurity, surveillance, and biotechnology between December 2025 and August 2026. While Anthropic has in general been more open...

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Science Snapshots: September 20, 2026

North Korea’s nuclear tests reawakened sleeping faults While underground nuclear explosions usually set off brief aftershocks fading in weeks, North Korea’s tests at Mt. Mantap did the opposite, causing earthquake activity intensifying over years after testing ceased, new data show. Analysing 17 years of regional seismic records, scientists spotted 1,400 small quakes around the Punggye-ri...

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Ways to conquer plastic waste and produce useful materials

Since their synthesis by the chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland and the explanation of their structure by Nobel laureate Hermann Staudinger, and their use since the 19th century, plastics have become convenient materials for daily use and are preferred over glass, which breaks easily. Plastics are manufactured by industry and used every day for their convenience...

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Fungus found evolving resistance to drug meant for humans

A fungus that can cause severe pneumonia in people with weaker or weakened immune systems appears to have become resistant to a drug that never intended to kill it, according to the findings of a study by researchers from around the world published in Science Translational Medicine. The study focused on mycophenolic acid (MPA), an...

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U.S. ‘weapons in orbit’: what we should expect modern space war to look like

On September 14, the U.S. Space Force said the country has deployed “on-orbit space control weapons” in space that could “defend against hostile adversary action”. The statement confirmed for the first time that such capabilities existed in orbit, although neither the Space Force nor other branches of the U.S. military provide specific information on the...

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Why scientists are rethinking the chemical ‘arms race’ against fungi

For a long time, fungal infections have meant itchy skin, discoloured nails and sometimes hair loss. These symptoms are collectively called dermatophytosis and are caused by a group of fungi called dermatophytes. ‘’Unfortunately, immunocompromised patients can get lesions all over their body. The itchiness and the lesions can get so severe that people even get...

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