For those of you who missed them, here are the most important science news and announcements of the week

Nov 9, 2014 21:57 GMT  ·  By
This week, it was announced that, by cutting into a man's brain, doctors managed to cure his fear of spiders
   This week, it was announced that, by cutting into a man's brain, doctors managed to cure his fear of spiders

It’s Sunday again, which can only mean one thing: it’s time to sit back, relax and take a much needed break reading all about the most important science news and announcements of the week. 

As per usual, researchers kept pretty busy these past few days, what with their knack for digging deep into the mysteries of the world that surrounds us.

The good news is that, the harder brainiacs work, the more positively mind-blowing research papers we can feast our eyes on. So, without further ado, here are the best science news of the past few days.

10. Vampire-like deer spotted in Afghanistan

Those of you who happen to be familiar with Disney’s “Bambi” probably think of deer as totally adorbs creatures. As it turns out, there are some deer in this world that look positively freaky, if not downright scary.

One such creature was spotted in the woods in northeastern Afghanistan not too long ago. The animal, belonging to a species named the Kashmir musk deer, was a male. It sported two rather impressive fangs that made it look like a vampire.

Apparently, one such odd-looking creature was last seen about 6 decades ago. As explained by conservationists, Kashmir musk deer are currently an endangered species. The chief threat to their long-term survival is habitat loss.

9. Remains of 17th-century vessel found in the Caribbean

While exploring the waters off the coast of the island of Tobago in the Caribbean, underwater archaeologists came across several cannons, dining utensils, smoking pipes, burned bricks and even a beer jug.

The artifacts are centuries old and researchers are quite convinced that they ended up at the bottom of the ocean in 1677, when a Dutch warship dubbed the Huis de Kreuningen sank following a confrontation with French colonists.

For the time being, explorers have not yet managed to recover any bits and pieces of timber originating from this warship. Still, having found the cannons and the other items, they are convinced that the Huis de Kreuningen is nearby.

8. Volunteers made to feel the presence of ghosts

In a series of experiments, scientists managed to make a group of volunteers feel the presence of ghosts. Specifically, the participants reported feeling as if an invisible presence were standing right behind them.

The experiments were carried out with the help of a robot and they boiled down to creating a mismatch between the sensory and the motor signals received and processed by the volunteers’ brains. This translated into a state of confusion.

The scientists behind this research project claim that their experiments just go to show that, contrary to what some might argue, ghosts only exist in our brains. Thus, the invisible presences some people report feeling are no more and no less than altered perceptions.

7. Dinosaur tracks discovered in diamond mine in Africa

As is turns out, a diamond mine in Angola, Africa, is home to several dinosaur footprints that researchers say were created in a layer of sediment approximately 118 million years ago.

Paleontologists say that the tracks were left behind by a group of creatures known as sauropods. These dinosaurs emerged in the late Triassic Period and eventually came to populate virtually all corners of the world.

Interestingly enough, footprints created by an ancient mammal about the size of a raccoon and even tracks left behind by a crocodile-like animal were also discovered deep inside the Catoca mine in Angola.

6. Half of the universe’s stars accused of being vagabonds

Having discovered a faint cosmic glow that cannot be explained simply by adding up the light originating from the galaxies documented across the universe, astronomers concluded that space might be populated by a whole lot of vagabond stars.

More precisely, it is now argued that about half of the stars that comprise the universe are renegades aimlessly floating through space. Unlike their lucky siblings, these stars do not have a galaxy to call home.

Astronomers believe that, at some point, these stars were part and parcel of a galaxy. The celestial bodies probably became cosmic vagabonds when gravitational forces pulled them from their place and sent them wandering through space.

5. 6,000-year-old geoglyph was created by children

Archaeologists have reasons to believe that children helped create an ancient geoglyph that is now visible in Russia’s Ural Mountains. The geoglyph, estimated to be about 6,000 years old, depicts a moose.

The claim that children helped put it together is based on the discovery of several tools in the area. Thus, specialists say that these tools are simply too small for adults to have been able to handle them. Hence, chances are they were especially designed for children.

Mind you, the discovery of these tools does not mean that our ancestors believed in child labor. On the contrary, it is believed that kids were asked to help create the geoglyph in order to reinforce their ties with the community.

4. The biggest venomous snake ever lived in Greece eons ago

Some 4 million years ago, the corner of the world that is now Greece was home to a freakishly big venomous snake, paleontologists say. This creature measured about 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) in length and tipped the scale at roughly 57 pounds (26 kilograms).

Specialists say that the creature populated ancient grasslands. Much like modern snakes, it used to feed on small mammals. It is believed that rodents that chanced to cross paths with it were this reptile’s favorite snack.

Seeing how the existence of this species was documented with the help of a few vertebrae alone, researchers cannot comment on what the creature looked like. To make head and tail of its appearance, they need to find a fossilized skull.

3. Nasal spray vaccine could offer protection against Ebola

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has until now killed about 5,000 people, and cases of people infected with the deadly virus have been reported in several countries around the world.

Hence, scientists are hard at work trying to come up with a way to fight the disease. As it turns out, keeping the Ebola virus from making any new victims could be as simple as administering people a nasal spray vaccine.

The vaccine has until now only been tested on non-human primates. Still, scientists documented a survival rate of 100% during their initial tests. Besides, the vaccine managed to keep the animals safe from the virus for 150 days in a row.

2. A guy used his brain to control the hand motions of another

By establishing a brain-to-brain connection between the members of several pairs of volunteers, scientists made it possible for one individual to control the hand motions of another from afar.

Here’s what these experiments boiled down to: one member of a pair thought about firing a cannon as part of a computer game he was asked to play. The resulting brain signals were sent to the other volunteer, whose hand twitched as if he were the one trying to fire the cannon.

This achievement is all the more impressive given the fact that, when the experiments were carried out, the volunteers were located in different buildings. Scientists hope that, one day, they will be able to transmit more complex information in the same manner.

1. Doctors chopped off part of a man’s brain, cured his fear of spiders

For those who doubt it, here’s yet another news story that stands as proof that the human brain is positively stunning and works in mysterious ways. Thus, a group of doctors say that, having chopped off part of a man’s brain, they managed to cure his fear of spiders.

Interestingly enough, the surgeons weren’t even looking to cure the man’s arachnophobia when they performed the intervention. On the contrary, they were merely trying to end the seizures he was experiencing because of a condition dubbed sarcoidosis.

As detailed in the report documenting this odd medical case, the brain region that the surgeons cut out was the left amygdala. Following the intervention, the man not only lost his fear of spiders but also started hating music.

So, there you have them, the coolest science news and announcements of the week. If you’re one of those people who like to stay informed, be sure to check this page again next Sunday. Another top 10 will be waiting for you, as per usual.