Washington State University researcher Cameron Peace, while analyzing DNA samples sent by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association from trees on abandoned farms, found that one sample matched a long-predicted but never-located ancestor in his North American apple pedigree database. The discovery means a living tree in Maine has been quietly passing traits like flavor, hardiness and disease resistance to hundreds of modern apple varieties for centuries.
A Past Lives episode reconstructs the story of Asana, a young Scythian priestess whose mummified remains, known as the Siberian Ice Maiden, were found preserved in the Altai Mountains permafrost. The narrative imagines her final days, tracing how illness, a riding accident and her role as a spiritual diviner led her to the high plateau where she died roughly 2,500 years ago. The piece situates her individual story within the broader Scythian nomadic world of the Eurasian steppe.
Apple's new AirPods 5 launch at $129 for the standard model, adding active noise cancellation that was previously missing from the lineup. A $149 version bundles a Wireless Charging Case and extended battery life, making it the more compelling purchase for most buyers.
Archaeologists have compiled the largest-ever digital map of the Roman road network, spanning nearly 186,000 miles across the empire. The comprehensive survey reveals that longstanding assumptions about the extent and layout of these roads were incomplete, with researchers noting the mapped network likely represents just a fraction of what actually existed.
Initial hands-on reviews of Apple's AirPods 5 have surfaced, highlighting notably stronger active noise cancellation compared to prior models and the addition of swipe-based volume controls on the earbud stems. Reviewers note these changes as the most tangible upgrades in the new lineup.
A technical write-up walks through why physical phenomena like light and sound intensity fall off with the square of distance, rather than linearly or cubically. The explanation builds from the classical formula for a sphere's surface area, using a paper-cylinder analogy to show how wrapping a sphere in a fitted cylinder reveals the 4πr² relationship at the heart of the law.
Peru's government ended its anchovy fishing season early after warming Pacific waters pushed the fish into deeper, colder areas, illustrating the reach of this year's unusually powerful El Niño. Scientists say the event is forecast to become one of the strongest on record, and its effects—drought near the equator, Central America and the western Pacific, alongside heavy rain in the Horn of Africa, the western US and South America's Pacific coast—may differ from past strong El Niños because of added warming from climate change.
Egyptian archaeologists excavating the Mariette Necropolis at Saqqara during the 2026 season uncovered a mastaba tomb built for an official named Younmin and his father Ity, dating to roughly 4,400 years ago under Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi. The structure has two chapels decorated with carved agricultural and offering scenes that retain traces of original paint, and Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the find on September 7.
Sony has released the WH-1000XM4C, a variant of its popular WH-1000XM4 headphones featuring a new color option and a revised sound profile. The core hardware and noise-cancelling performance remain largely unchanged from the original model, but Sony has tweaked the tuning to offer a different listening experience.
Researchers applied mass spectrometry-based proteomics to analyze adhesives and glues found on a range of ancient Egyptian artifacts without damaging them, publishing their findings in Science Advances. Alongside expected animal collagens and egg proteins, they identified plant-derived proteins from sesame and moringa (drumstick tree) sources, expanding the known palette of binding materials used by ancient craftspeople.
Amazon is discounting Anker's Soundcore P30i wireless earbuds to $24.99, about half their usual price. The buds include active noise cancellation, up to 45 hours of total battery life with the charging case, and a case design that can prop up as a phone stand.
New research led by Curtin University and the University of York has identified Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire as the true source of the massive sandstone pillars forming the Devil's Arrows near Boroughbridge. Each stone weighs over 25 tonnes and stands up to seven meters tall, and the study overturns earlier assumptions that nearby Plumpton Rocks supplied the material. The monument likely dates to around 2000 BC, during the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age.
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