Jumping Spiders Display Surprisingly Humanlike Sleep Patterns

Scientists have discovered that jumping spiders experience at least two distinct sleep stages, including one resembling rapid eye movement sleep in humans. Researchers at the University of Bonn monitored Australian Portia fimbriata spiders using infrared cameras, documenting eye movements, leg twitches and periods of deep inactivity. Experiments involving sound stimulation revealed that sleeping spiders responded more slowly than awake individuals, particularly during REM-like episodes. Sleep disruption also produced compensatory changes in subsequent rest, supporting the conclusion that these animals experience regulated sleep rather than simple inactivity. Published October 27 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings suggest that complex sleep architecture may have evolved much earlier than previously recognized. However, researchers cannot determine whether spiders actually dream because their brain activity was not measured. (ABC News)

Earth’s Water May Have Formed During Planetary Growth

Earth may have generated substantial quantities of its own water during planetary formation rather than receiving most of it from icy asteroids and comets. Researchers at the University of New Mexico recreated conditions in Earth’s primordial hydrogen-rich atmosphere by heating iron-bearing silicate rocks to temperatures between 1,200 and 1,400 degrees Celsius. In hydrogen environments, nearly 80% of the rocks’ iron oxide transformed into metallic iron, producing water vapor through chemical reactions. Comparable experiments using helium did not produce the same transformation. Published in Nature Geoscience, the findings suggest that rocky pebbles falling through the young planet’s atmosphere could have generated enormous quantities of water approximately 4.5 billion years ago. Similar processes might occur on rocky exoplanets, potentially making water more widespread throughout the universe. The actual contribution to Earth’s oceans remains uncertain. (UNM UCAM Newsroom)

AI Digital Twins Identify Potential Premature Birth Treatment

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that simulates immune-system changes during pregnancy and identifies medications that might prevent premature birth. Scientists at Stanford Medicine created individualized digital twins using measurements from approximately 250 million immune cells and longitudinal data from 63 pregnancies. The system, called SIMCO, evaluated nine potential drug regimens and identified a combination of aspirin and lansoprazole that produced a substantially stronger predicted delay in labor-related immune changes than aspirin alone. Experiments in an animal model also demonstrated delayed labor under inflammatory conditions. Published October 21 in Science Advances, the findings suggest that computational simulations could accelerate the discovery of pregnancy treatments while reducing unnecessary experimental exposure. Researchers have received FDA authorization to begin human clinical testing, but effectiveness and safety for preventing premature birth in patients remain unproven. (Stanford Medicine)

Ancient DNA Reveals Unexpected Ice Age Connections

Ancient DNA has revealed that prehistoric European populations maintained long-distance genetic connections despite previously appearing relatively isolated. Researchers at the University of Vienna analyzed human remains and genetic material recovered from cave sediments associated with the Gravettian culture, which flourished approximately 34,000–25,000 years ago. A woman buried around 30,000 years ago at Isturitz Cave in France possessed predominantly western European ancestry alongside genetic contributions from central and eastern populations. Modeling places this genetic exchange approximately 32,500–31,500 years ago. Scientists also recovered human nuclear DNA from 22,000-year-old sediments at Spain’s El Mirón Cave without needing skeletal remains. Published in Science Advances, the findings suggest that Ice Age communities combined regional continuity with extensive population connections. The research also strengthens evidence that southwestern Europe served as a refuge during extreme glacial conditions. (Universität Wien)

Ancient Arctic Ice Shelf Reveals Antarctic Warning

Scientists have discovered evidence of an enormous prehistoric ice shelf that once stabilized three major Northern Hemisphere ice sheets before disappearing during the end of the last ice age. Researchers investigating Baffin Bay, between Greenland and Canada, used seafloor sonar mapping and sediment cores to reconstruct an ice shelf more than a mile thick that existed approximately 20,000 years ago. Deep grooves carved into the seabed revealed its extraordinary size and its role in restraining the Greenland, Innuitian and Laurentide ice sheets. Sediment evidence suggests the floating structure disappeared over roughly 500–1,000 years, potentially accelerating the movement of land-based glaciers into the ocean. Published October 21 in Nature Geoscience, the findings provide a historical comparison for Antarctica, where the loss of floating ice shelves could accelerate glacier retreat and future sea-level rise. (State of the Planet)