(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Overnight News Digest Science Saturday September 20th 2025 [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-09-20

Graduate students make astounding discovery while studying problem plant: 'It just gets stronger and stronger'

Two graduate students have discovered an innovative technique to turn a problematic wetland grass into a bona fide superhero. Kayla Sklar and Anja Clark are using invasive plants for coastal restoration to prevent shoreline erosion and provide wave protection while creating a habitat for native life. Northeastern Global News reported the duo is gathering phragmites — a tall, aggressive reed — to use as a biomass foundation to plant native Spartina grass as part of the initiative Emerald Tutu. "The important distinction between (human-made) gray infrastructure and nature-based infrastructure is that gray infrastructure is strongest on day one and then weakens over time," the project lead, Gabriel Cira, explained. "The opposite is true for nature-based infrastructure," Cira says. "It's weakest when you first install it. But as those native marsh grass plants grow denser and denser, as their rhizomes expand and connect and anchor everything together, it just gets stronger and stronger."

Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, JeremyBloom, and doomandgloom. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man (RIP), wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw. OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.

x TIL that for some people with irreparably damaged corneas, you can pull one of their teeth, drill a hole in it, install an artificial lens, sew it into their cheek (so tissue attaches), then pull it out and stick it in their damaged eye, and ... it works fine!?! www.nbcboston.com/news/health/... — ryan cooper (@ryanlcooper.com) 2025-09-12T13:42:01.397Z

x There’s an organized anti-science movement that smears experts on climate change, vaccines, and more as "cartoon villains," says @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social. His co-author of the new book "Science Under Siege," @michaelemann.bsky.social, calls disinformation an "overriding crisis." #Velshi — Ali Velshi (@velshi.com) 2025-09-13T18:31:44.276Z

Chinese scientists make startling breakthrough that could leave Tesla in rearview mirror: 'The kind of leap that could redefine EVs'

Battery news coming out of China involves astounding performance upgrades. That's because Tianjin University has developed a lithium-metal pack that could quadruple electric vehicle range, according to Interesting Engineering. It would double the energy density, or amount of power stored per pound, of Tesla's premiere packs, and it would be four times that of Chinese automaker BYD's Blade cells if developed commercially. It's a performance level suitable even for electric aircraft, all per IE. Lithium-metal is an emerging battery type that uses lithium as an anode material instead of graphite. When a battery operates, ions move between the anode and cathode through a substance called an electrolyte. The chemistry of the project is being researched heavily in China, largely because of the operational boosts.

x A spiral galaxy, observed with the Apache Point 2.5m Telescope in the SDSS survey. It is at redshift 0.028 (lookback time 397.0 million years) with coordinates (179.71915, 42.57034). 36 volunteers classified this galaxy in Galaxy Zoo 2. — All the Galaxies! (@allthegalaxies.galaxyzoo.org) 2025-09-15T05:19:09.643762+00:00

Something Weird Is Going on With the Sun, Scientists Find

The Sun — usually so predictable — is exhibiting some surprising behavior and that has scientists very intrigued. Astronomers had predicted that our host star was entering a period of relative quiet back in 2008, but NASA scientists have published a new study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters that found that the Sun has instead defied expectations by becoming more active, with increased sunspots and solar flares. "All signs were pointing to the Sun going into a prolonged phase of low activity," said the study lead author and NASA physicist Jamie Jasinski in a statement about the paper. "So it was a surprise to see that trend reversed. The Sun is slowly waking up." Back in the 1980s, scientists had noticed the Sun's surface was steadily quieting down until approximately the 2008 financial crash.

4,000 Meters Below Sea Level, Scientists Have Found the Spectacular ‘Dark Oxygen’

Nestled between Hawaii and the western coast of Mexico lies the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a 4.5 million-kilometer-square area of abyssal plain bordered by the Clarion and Clipperton Fracture Zones. Although this stretch of sea is a vibrant ecosystem filled with marine life, the CCZ is known best for its immense collection of potato-sized rocks known as polymetallic nodules. These rocks, of which there are potentially trillions, are filled with rich deposits of nickel, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt. Those particular metals are vital for the batteries needed to power a green energy future, leading some mining companies to refer to nodules as a “battery in a rock.” However, a study reports that these nodules might be much more than simply a collection of valuable materials for electric cars—they also produce oxygen 4,000 meters below the surface where sunlight can’t reach.

Scientists 'surprised' by breakthrough that could help unlock nearly limitless energy: 'A potential innovative design path'

Experiments at San Diego's DIII-D National Fusion Facility have demonstrated that a new plasma configuration could help increase the stability of tokamak fusion reactors and inform future designs. Nuclear fusion holds the promise of virtually limitless energy with a low-carbon impact, and new discoveries are helping to speed its development from theoretical to real-world applications. A report by Interesting Engineering shared that a plasma configuration known as "negative triangularity" has shown that it can meet the high-performance conditions needed for a sustained fusion reaction, while also addressing heat-management challenges inside the reactor.

Officials stunned after trail camera captures creatures frolicking in woods: 'That's some seriously beautiful ... footage'

In August 2020, a lightning strike ignited a wildfire that burned through hundreds of thousands of acres in Oregon before ultimately being contained in December 2020. Five years later, trail camera footage shows that the ecosystem is recovering, Oregon Live reports. The Beachie Creek Fire of 2020 damaged much of the surrounding wilderness, including Opal Creek to the east of Salem, Oregon. After the fires, wildlife cameras were set up to track recovery. Although access to some areas of Opal Creek and Jawbone Flats was "nearly impossible," many in the community came together to help get trail cameras installed in these areas.

Experts issue warning after making alarming discovery inside whale's stomach: 'Rare and tragic event'

Plastic pollution has claimed another victim. This time it's a rare pygmy sperm whale off the coast of Honduras. The incident highlights how throwaway items can have consequences far beyond our daily lives. A young pygmy sperm whale was found struggling in the waters near Utila, a small island about 20 miles from mainland Honduras, reported Phys.org. Researchers from the Kanahau Utila Research and Conservation Facility observed the animal repeatedly beaching itself, a clear sign of distress. Despite attempts to help, the whale died later that day. A necropsy revealed what was behind the restaurant's failing health: an 11-inch plastic bag lodged in its stomach, along with a parasitic infestation. According to the research team, these factors "may have contributed to digestive blockage."

Wildlife experts stunned after examining unusual roadkill: 'We're starting to see them more and more'

In 2024, the largest fisher cat ever recorded in Ohio was found as roadkill — a landmark moment in the mammal's remarkable return. Now, researchers are learning more about the animal and its spread to the Buckeye State. The fisher, which has been virtually nonexistent in Ohio for 200 years, is making a recovery thanks to expanding biodiversity in the region. "I think it's great that we're starting to see them more and more and get more reports of them in Ohio," Laurie Brown, a wildlife research technician with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife, told the Akron Beacon Journal upon multiple sightings of the animal in 2024. Brown mentioned that an uptick in sightings in Ohio means that the population of fishers is growing and migrating. The cat mostly lives in southern Canada, areas in New England, New York, and in some scattered locations across Pennsylvania and the Virginias. Ohio is the farthest west they have been sighted.

Startup reveals futuristic plane with remarkable capabilities: 'The power to transform aviation as we know it'

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/20/2343396/-Overnight-News-Digest-Science-Saturday-September-20th-2025?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/