Painted flowers show an understanding of symmetry and spatial division long before written numbers came into use. Plus, travel the vast ocean with sea turtles and what to watch from the Trump administration in 2026.
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The mathematically patterned pottery shards were made in Mesopotamia some 8,000 years ago.Credit: Yosef Garfinkel
Pottery made by people of the Halafian culture, who inhabited northern Mesopotamia between around 6200 and 5500 BC, is painted with flowers that have 4, 8, 16 or 32 petals, and some show arrangements of 64 flowers. These patterns show a clear understanding of symmetry and spatial division long before written numbers came into use around 3400 BC, argue scientists in a new study. The skill might have helped the Halafian people with tasks such as sharing harvests or dividing communal fields, the authors say.
Science News | 5 min read
Reference: Journal of World Prehistory paper
Researchers have engineered a time capsule for cells, capable of collecting and storing messenger RNA (mRNA), the molecular product of gene transcription. These ‘TimeVaults’ are made by modifying mysterious cell structures called vaults to recognize and store mRNA. The researchers could trigger the ‘record’ button of the TimeVaults by treating cells with a drug and stop it by withdrawing the drug. “I anticipate that TimeVaults will allow us to observe facets of biology previously inaccessible to us,” says biological engineer Randall Platt.
Nature | 5 min read
Reference: Science paper
In the year since US President Donald Trump returned to office, some of his administration’s actions — including firing thousands of government scientists, cancelling billions of dollars in grants and blocking funding for elite universities — have foundered. Many are tied up in the courts, and Trump’s proposals to slash federal science budgets are still pending before a sceptical US Congress. But there is undoubtedly more disruption to come. Here’s what US scientists and their global collaborators can expect in 2026:
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