Deciphered

MIT geologists determined the original orientation of many of the bedrock samples collected on Mars by the Perseverance rover, depicted in this image rendering. The findings can give scientists clues to the conditions in which the rocks originally formed. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechMIT geologists unlock the orientation of Martian rocks collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The “oriented” samples, the first of their kind from any planet, could shed light on Mars’ ancient magnetic field.As it trundles around an ancient…

Researchers have partially deciphered the "unknown Kushan script" — a writing system that has puzzled linguists since it was first found in the 1950s. The researchers decoded the ancient text using rock face inscriptions that were discovered near the Almosi Gorge in northwest Tajikistan in 2022, which include sections in an extinct but known language called Bactrian. "We have worked out that the so-called 'Kushan script' was used to record a previously unknown Middle Iranian language," lead study author Svenja Bonmann,…

Researchers deciphered the structure of an ion channel from the rod cells of the eye (shown in blue) while it interacts with the protein calmodulin (purple). This interaction is important to the function not only of the ion channel in the eye, but also of ion channels in other parts of the body such as the heart. Credit: Paul Scherrer Institute / Dina SchusterExciting new findings shed light on the interaction between the protein calmodulin and an ion channel in the eye, potentially unlocking the secret behind our eyes’…

A photograph of the Jarrow amphibian Keraterpeton galvani. Credit: Dr. Aodhan O’Gogain, Trinity College DublinA mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades has been solved regarding ancient <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>tetrapods</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Tetrapods are four-limbed (with a few exceptions, such as snakes) vertebrates constituting the superclass Tetrapoda that includes living and extinct…

The SEA complex is composed of a cage-like core (SEACAT, blue) that regulates the activity of the wings (SEACIT, white and bright). Credit: © Ciencia GraficadaA UNIGE team has discovered the structure of a protein complex that regulates the activity of the major growth regulator.The mTOR protein plays a central role in cell growth, proliferation, and survival. Its activity is affected by the availability of nutrients as well as various growth factors such as hormones. This protein has been linked to a number of diseases,…

Clay tablet with Linear Elamite text. Louvre Museum Sb 9382. Credit: Zunkir / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 A team of researchers, with a member each from the University of Tehran, Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Bologna working with another independent researcher, has claimed to have deciphered most of the ancient Iranian language called Linear Elamite. In their paper published in the German language journal…

A mysterious ancient writing system called Linear Elamite, used between about 2300 BCE and 1800 BCE in what is now southern Iran, might have finally been deciphered, although some experts are skeptical about the findings.What's more, it's unclear whether all the artifacts used to decipher the writings were legally acquired.Only about 40 known examples of Linear Elamite survive today, making the script challenging to decode, but researchers say they've largely accomplished just that, they wrote in a paper published in…