[Music] Welcome to this new edition of Robotitos news. What do you think about reviewing what happened in the world of science last week? But first I'd like to tell you about our sponsor today, Surf Shark. You may have heard of VPNs or Virtual Private Networks, but you're not sure what they're good for. Believe it or not, you might need them at any time. Have you ever connected to a public Wi-Fi network , logged into a work network, or accessed your bank account from a home network? In any of these cases, you're exposed to malicious individuals who can acquire your data, but fortunately, there are VPNs like Surfrt that provide a secure connection for your devices when you access the internet. If your connection is secure, your information remains private. And not only that, as you may have heard, a VPN can also give you access to content from other countries on platforms like Netflix, Prime, and others. Personally, I 'm delighted with that because I get bored very quickly. Just download it, create an account, and that's it. It's not expensive either, you're in luck today. If you want to get Surfshark with a great deal, you can go to surfshark.com/titus or click on this link I'm leaving in the description, enter the code Titus to get 4 extra months. Take advantage of this great offer, it's limited. Now, last week, scientists discovered a fossil that rewrites the history of helmeted dinosaurs, which you might say, don't worry, isn't what you think. When we talk about helmeted dinosaurs, we are referring to pachycephalosaurs, a group of bipedal dinosaurs that had a very thickened skull on the upper part. That helmet was not a separate ornament, but a dome of solid bone that could measure more than 20 cm thick. Some also had bumps and small horns around them. Paleontologists believe they used them for head- to-head butt-fights, like today's rams, or perhaps to display strength and show off to potential mates or rivals. What happened now? Well, a fossil has appeared in the Gobi Desert that is marking a before and after in what we know about these animals. This is the sabacefale Rimpoche, the oldest known pachycephalosaur. It lived about 108 million years ago, which is 14 million years older than the fossil record for this group . The most surprising thing is its state of preservation. It is the most complete skeleton found so far. Its skull is intact, it has the first fossil hand of its species, it has stomach stones and a tail with tendons. Paguicephalosaurs lived mainly between 86 and 66 million years ago. Until now, the remains were only poorly preserved skull fragments. That's why this newly discovered animal is considered a unique piece for understanding how this group evolved. It was found in the Kuren du formation. Although parts of the neck, spine, and some limbs are missing, what has been found is in exceptional condition, which is rare in such ancient fossils. The skull was preserved in three dimensions without deformation, thanks to the soft sandstone that quickly covered it and protected it from pressure for millions of years. In life, this animal was small, measuring 1 m and weighing just over 6 kg. The interesting thing is that although he was a teenager, his cranial dome was already fully developed. This indicates that from a young age they could use their heads as a weapon or as a sign of competition. This discovery makes it possible to compare, for the first time, the development of the dome and the body in the same specimen. Furthermore, the study has shown that its dome was formed mainly by forehead bones, while in later species the structure was more elaborate. This makes this specimen a bridge species for understanding how these peculiar heads evolved. And there is still much to study in his hands, stomach and tail. Of course, this research, in case you're wondering, was published in Nature magazine. Dinosaurs with helmets. What's next? dinosaurs like you. The insect apocalypse has arrived in Fiji. 79% of native ants are already disappearing. As you may know, insects keep the planet running, pollinating, recycling nutrients, and maintaining the stability of ecosystems. Without them everything would fall apart. The problem is that many species are disappearing at a rapid rate. Scientists are already calling this phenomenon the insect apocalypse, and it is causing a lot of global concern. The difficult part is knowing whether this decline is temporary or a trend that has been going on for centuries, and that's where a new study published in the journal Science comes in. Instead of relying solely on current counts, the researchers decided to read the DNA of ancient insects using specimens preserved in museum collections. They chose the Fiji Islands as a natural laboratory because they are closed ecosystems and very sensitive to change. They are perfect for understanding how the long-term human presence impacts. The researchers analyzed almost all of the archipelago's ant species, and the results were clear. 79% of endemic species show signs of decline. Many began to fall just as humans arrived. Meanwhile, invasive ants introduced by humans have grown unchecked , especially in recent centuries with colonization, global trade, and modern agriculture. The work was not easy, of course; conducting direct monitoring on tropical islands is complicated. So they drew on decades of museum collections and applied museomics techniques to sequence degraded DNA. With this data, scientists identified 65 distinct events in which new species arrived in Fiji. Some naturally occurred millions of years ago and others were brought more recently by humans. The pattern is clear. Local species are more fragile and declining in number, while invasive species are multiplying, and what happens on islands can foreshadow problems in larger ecosystems. Either way, the analysis shows that protecting insects is not optional; it's essential to keeping our ecosystems alive. Hey, no, this is not a joke. There used to be a lot of fireflies around my house, but now there are almost none left. You may have noticed that. If you live by my house, of course. Study reveals that heading in soccer damages the brain even without concussions. Yes, soccer is not only the most popular sport in the world, but it's also one of the most studied for its effects on brain health. A new study published in Network Open, the largest to date on the subject, has found that repeatedly heading a ball can cause microscopic changes in the brain, even in amateur players. Scientists analyzed 352 adult soccer players who performed more than 1,000 headers a year and showed alterations in the frontal area of the brain, just behind the eyes. In addition, they performed slightly worse on memory and learning tests, although without symptoms of concussion. The damage is silent but measurable. Previous studies had already detected changes in the white matter of soccer players. The challenge was to connect these changes with a clear cognitive effect, and now they have succeeded in doing so. To achieve this, scientists developed a technique capable of observing the interface between gray matter and white matter, which is a difficult area to study with traditional MRIs. They applied this method to players with several years of experience and found that those who headed the ball the most showed clear signs of damage in that region. The explanation points to a phenomenon known as co-op, an internal blow that occurs on the side opposite the impact as if the brain were bouncing inside the skull. In healthy people, the line between gray and white matter is sharp. In players who headed more, this boundary was blurred, which is a possible indicator of microinjuries. This suggests that even without concussions, repeated impacts can accumulate damage and affect cognitive functions over the long term. Experts point out that this area could be key to understanding diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. They also warn that the risk is not exclusive to professionals; it is also present in amateur soccer players. So you know, try not to use your head when playing football. What do you mean, which head? That's what you came for, to talk nonsense. New evidence suggests that a comet wiped out the Clovis culture and mammoths. As you can imagine, the Earth receives a shower of cosmic dust every day. These are tiny micrometeorites that disintegrate in the atmosphere. It is estimated that around 100 tons fall daily. From time to time, much larger objects arrive. The best known is the one that wiped out the dinosaurs and left the crater in Mexico. There are also aerial explosions called airbursts that reach the ground, but can cause serious effects. And a new study suggests that one of those explosions changed history. About 12,800 years ago, such an event would have caused the global cooling known as the Younger Dryas, altering the climate and life in North America. According to researchers, this aerial impact caused the extinction of megafauna such as mammoths and the disappearance of the Clovis culture, one of the oldest on the continent. This scenario is part of the recent Dryas impact hypothesis or YDH. Although controversial, the study published in Plus One presents compelling new evidence . Scientists analyzed quartz deformed by external pressure found at three key sites. In Muray Springs, Arizona. at Black Water Drew in New Mexico and at Arlington Canyon in California. Shocked quartz is known as shocked quarst and appears under conditions of extreme heat and pressure, such as in nuclear explosions or meteorite impacts. It does not form under normal circumstances. In addition to these fractures, scientists found other classic signs of space impact, such as platinum, glass spheres, gold, nanodiamonds, and microspherules. So everything points to a cosmic catastrophe. The hypothesis is that fragments of a comet exploded in the atmosphere, causing massive fires, smoke in the air, and a sudden drop in temperatures. This chaos would have led to cultural collapse and the extinction of large species. Although not all scientists are convinced, the evidence adds strength to this hypothesis. Researchers emphasize that understanding these past events also helps us prepare for future impacts that could once again alter our planet. As I say, not all scientists are convinced. Your homework is to find those scientists who have yet to be convinced. I'll treat you to a coffee or something on Thursday. Quantum computers are finally about to be useful. Yes, quantum computers often sound like something far away, yes or no? Something complex and even useless outside the laboratory. But today they are already beginning to be used for something very specific: to explore exotic quantum materials. What's that? You might say, these materials are special because they could transform electronics and computing of the future. To understand them, scientists have sought new phases of matter that are as rare as they are unknown. The problem is that traditional methods are no longer sufficient to study the complex phases predicted by theories. And this is where quantum computing changes the game. A theoretical model called the Kitaef honeycomb predicts materials with strange magnetism and particles called anions that have been impossible to recreate in practice for decades. And now a team has managed to simulate this model on a quantum computer with 104 qubits made of ultra-fine atoms. At the same time, another group used Google machines with up to 105 superconducting qubits. Both experiments confirmed the existence of anions. And it's not just a minor detail. These particles are radically different from common qubits and are very difficult to imitate. How is this? Well, in physics almost all particles are divided into fermions and bosons. Qubits are bozones, but interesting materials usually involve fermions, which makes them difficult to simulate. So Kitaev's model served as a bridge. By fine-tuning the interactions between qubits, scientists were able to create new particles, opening up the possibility of designing materials never before seen. In addition, in the case of Google something additional was tested. The scientists were able to bring the material out of equilibrium as if constantly shaking it to observe how it reacted. And this is important because many real-life experiments also alter materials with lasers or magnetic fields to see how their properties change. Although there will be no immediate applications, these results mark real progress. Materials physics could be the first area where quantum computers show their true value. The work, in case you want to know more about it, was published in Nature. If you don't quite understand quantum computing, we have a very well-explained video on Plato's robot . It's chewy, and if you still don't understand, next time I'll try to make it into mush. Let's see if that way it works for you. Our sun is becoming more active, and NASA doesn't know why. In 2019, it was thought that the new solar cycle would be as calm as the previous one, but the reality was different. The sun surprised us with much more activity than expected. Since 2008, records show that the solar wind has continued to increase, shattering the traditional idea that the sun follows a fixed 11-year cycle. Solar cycle 25, the one we are experiencing now, is much more intense. More sunspots, more flares, and more coronal mass ejections are seen than initially predicted. The curious thing is that for centuries scientists have used these spots as a reference to predict solar activity. Still, the sun remains difficult to anticipate. There are historical periods when almost no sunspots were seen, such as the Mounder Minimum, which occurred between 1645 and 1715, or the Dalton Minimum, which occurred between 1790 and 1830. More recently, cycles 22 and 23 appeared normal, but the solar wind steadily decreased . This made us think that another period of prolonged calm was coming. The start of solar cycle 24 in 2008 was weak in appearance but actually marked a change. Since then, not only has the speed of the solar wind increased, but so has its density, energy, and pressure. So everything points to a more active sun and more intense space weather, capable of generating storms that affect communications, satellites, and even power grids on Earth. Researchers note that this fits with the Halale cycle, a 22-year pattern spanning two normal solar cycles that could hold the real key to solar behavior. It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue or stabilize. What is clear is that sunspots don't tell the whole story, and to understand the sun we need to analyze more variables and pay attention to its constant changes. If you want to know more about this issue and are concerned, the work was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The sun is so heavy, isn't it? But we'll see in 5 billion years who laughs better. Of course we're all going to be dead here. I hope those dogs that won't let me record go away first. A new model of physics challenges the Big Bang story we thought we knew. You may have asked yourself these questions: How did the universe begin? What process gave rise to everything we know? If you've ever wondered that, let me tell you, it's one of the biggest questions in science, and it still has no definitive answer. Now, a study published in Physical Review Research proposes a different approach. Instead of relying on the theory of cosmic inflation, they are exploring the role of gravitational waves. In case you didn't know, inflation holds that in a fraction of a second after the Big Bang, the universe expanded at an incredible speed. It is an accepted model, but it is complex and still debated. The new proposal puts gravitational waves at the center of the story. These space-time vibrations predicted more than a century ago could explain the formation of the cosmos. The researchers used computer simulations and worked with a mathematical model called citer space. According to their results, gravity and quantum mechanics could be sufficient to explain the origin. Gravitational waves are compared to small waves that travel through space-time. They can be generated by extreme phenomena such as black hole collisions or supernova explosions. Still, they are very difficult to detect. It wasn't until 2015 that they were directly measured for the first time with ultrasensitive instruments, confirming Einstein's prediction. We made a video on Plato's robot back then. What times? Although we know there was a big bang, we don't understand what caused it or what happened before. That's why every new model that can explain it is so valuable. This approach stands out because it does not depend on unverifiable elements. This is a physics we already know, which makes it simpler and, above all, verifiable. We may never have absolute certainty about how the universe began, but studies like this bring us a little closer to understanding our cosmic origins. If you want to study this further, the research was published in Physical Review Research. And finally, there's a 90% chance we'll see a black hole explode in the next 10 years. This according to a new study. Uh, yes, a new study suggests that in the next decade we could witness a deep-space explosion capable of testing several theories about black holes. The work published in Physical Review Letters estimates that there is a 90% probability of such an event occurring within the range of current telescopes. The interesting thing is that it would not only confirm the hypothesis about the origin and death of black holes, but it would also release all the fundamental particles of the universe. We're talking about electrons, neutrons, dark matter, and even particles never seen before. It would be like obtaining a complete catalogue of everything that makes up reality. The basis of this idea comes from Hawking radiation. Since 1974, it has been suggested that black holes, in addition to absorbing, also emit particles, which are lost more slowly until they disappear. When that end comes, the process accelerates into an explosion resembling a miniature supernova. That's when all the released particles could be detected . Large black holes would take too long to reach that point, but there are so-called primordial black holes, which are much smaller and were formed just after the Big Bang. Being light, they should heat up more and emit particles at an increasing rate until they explode. Scientists think that if we've never seen such an explosion, it's because they may last longer than we thought. The study proposes an adjustment to the model, the existence of a dark electron, which would be a heavier version of the common electron. That particle would give primordial black holes a small charge, and with that charge they would temporarily stabilize and delay their death. That means we could still see such an explosion in modern times. If detected, it would confirm Hawking radiation for the first time and demonstrate the existence of primordial black holes, as well as providing us with a unique record of all the particles in the universe. If you want to know more about the subject, the study was published in Physical Review Letters. I think I said that, no, it doesn't matter. And well, that's it for this week's scientific news summary. You know that if you want to know more about each of them, you can click on the links I'm leaving in the description. These links will take you to the Robotitus page where you can find the most detailed notes and also other notes that came up here. Don't forget to download the science news app so you have it at your fingertips. Below is the space calendar. Thank you very much for tuning in. Have a great week. [Music]