Posted on Oct 1, 2022 in Planet Earth, Science, Science News
This weekend’s stories include The Black Frogs of Chernobyl to Scientists Discover Massive “Ocean” Near Earth’s Core to Elon Musk presents Humanoid Robot Optimus, and much more.
How a Chinese fossil discovery rewrites the history of life on Earth–Paleontologists describe some of the oldest teeth, jaws and limbs ever discovered, reports Salon.com. “Essentially, these discoveries could push back our understanding of humans’ early animal ancestors by about 10 million years.”
Scientists Discover Massive “Ocean” Near Earth’s Core–The study confirmed something that it was only a theory, namely that ocean water accompanies subducting slabs and thus enters the transition zone, reports NDTV.com. “Scientists have discovered a reservoir of water three times the volume of all the oceans beneath the Earth’s surface, according to an international study. The water has been found between the transition zone of the Earth’s upper and lower mantle.”
Pando, the world’s largest organism, has stopped growing –Pando is a stand of aspen in Utah that is 14,000 years old and weighs 12 million pounds. Humans threaten to end its long reign, reports Big Think.
The fundamental problem with gravity and quantum physics, reports Big Think. “We have two descriptions of the Universe that work perfectly well: General Relativity and quantum physics. Too bad they don’t work together.”
China has discovered a brand new Moon mineral, reports Big Think. “China has discovered a previously unknown Moon mineral: Changesite-(Y). The mineral contains helium-3, which is an attractive isotope for fueling nuclear fusion reactors.
The Milky Way’s Spiral Arms May Have Carved Earth’s Continents–A controversial new theory suggests the Milky Way galaxy’s arms sent comets hurtling toward early Earth, where impacts built new continental crust, reports Scientific American.
Physicists Rewrite a Quantum Rule That Clashes With Our Universe, reports Quanta. The past and the future are tightly linked in conventional quantum mechanics. Perhaps too tightly. A tweak to the theory could let quantum possibilities increase as space expands.
To understand the scale of the climate emergency, look at hurricanes, reports Peter Kalmus for The Guardian. “Climate breakdown is far more intense in 2022 than even many scientists expected, yet the world still isn’t treating this like a crisis.”
Why scientists fear monkeypox spreading in wild animals–Monkeypox rampant in wildlife would make the virus impossible to control, warn scientists, reports Nature.
Fossilized Fish Reveal Earliest Known Prequel of ‘Jaws’–In two deposits in China, paleontologists dug up remains that suggest jawed fish are tens of millions of years older than previously known, reports the New York Times.
Chernobyl black frogs reveal evolution in action, reports Germán Orizaola and Pablo Burraco for The Conversation. “one of the most interesting research topics in Chernobyl is trying to detect if some species are actually adapting to live with radiation.
Massive Study Finds Coffee Drinkers Will Probably Outlive The Rest of Us, reports Science Alert. “Based on an analysis of just under half a million records in the UK Biobank, people who drink two to three cups of coffee each day tend to live longer and exhibit less cardiovascular disease compared with those who abstain from the beverage.”
Biologists Create a New Type of Human Cells, reports Science Alert. “The new cells closely mirror their natural counterparts in early human embryos. As a result, scientists are better able to understand what occurs just after an embryo implants in the womb.”
Tesla boss Elon Musk presents humanoid robot Optimus, reports The BBC. The CEO said the robot was work-in-progress but could be on sale to the public in a few years’ time.
The superbugs that target babies--Over-use of antibiotics has created a deadly, largely hidden health crisis. reports BBC Future. “Has the overuse of antibiotics created a deadly risk to newborns? Kamala Thiagarajan investigates the hidden health crisis devastating families around the world – and the solutions that could stop it.”
Untangling the evolution of human hair, reports Science News. “We’re the only weirdos that are naked except for our head,” says biological anthropologist Tina Lasisi, who is studying the variation in human hair and how it evolved. Though humans’ nearly hairless bodies stick out like a cowlick among other primates, our nakedness isn’t unique in the world of mammals. Dolphins and whales are naked.”
The surprising power of internet memes, reports BBC Future. “The science of these viral mash-ups reveals why they are so effective at spreading ideas and beliefs.”
How erstwhile physics teacher Alexandr Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize for Literature, reports Hamish Johnston for Physics World. “Johnston looks looks at the small but important role physics played in the life of the Russian author and dissident Alexandr Solzhenitsyn.”
Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions, reports Next Big Idea Club. “Sabine Hossenfelder is a theoretical physicist who researches quantum gravity.
Breaking boundaries: how the physicist Ernest Rutherford won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, reports Physics World. “With the 2022 Nobel prizes due to be announced, Physics World editors look at the physicists who’ve won prizes in fields other than their own. Matin Durrani finds out how Ernest Rutherford scooped the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.”
Curated by the Daily Galaxy Editorial Staff
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