For those who missed them, here are the 10 most important science news and announcements of the week

Oct 26, 2014 19:57 GMT  ·  By
This week, surgeons announced that they had successfully resuscitated and transplanted dead hearts into patients
   This week, surgeons announced that they had successfully resuscitated and transplanted dead hearts into patients

Don't look know, but it's Sunday again. That's right, yet another week has gone by and the time has come to review the most important science news and announcements of the past few days.

Mind you, some of these news and announcements might make you jump for joy at the thought that scientists are one step closer to curing all sorts of conditions and deciphering the mysteries of the world we live in.

Others (and I actually mean one particular one) might make you want to shake your head in disapproval. But hey, we're not here to judge. We're here to talk cold, hard facts. And, not to beat about the bush any longer, that's exactly what we're going to do.

10. Doctor in New York City diagnosed with Ebola

This week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that a doctor in New York City had been diagnosed with Ebola. The 33-year-old man is said to have contracted the virus while in Guinea.

Despite the fact that this doctor is the country's fourth Ebola patient so far, health officials, together with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, maintain that the situation is well under control and that ordinary folks have nothing to fear.

The 33-year-old doctor is currently in isolation at the Bellevue Hospital Center, and those who had close contact with him before he was admitted are being monitored. Hopefully, neither of them will be found to have contracted the virus as well.

In case anyone was wondering, yes, this is the one news that stands to ruin your otherwise perfect weekend.

9. Mammoth tsunami could soon hit Hawaii

Having analyzed marine debris deposited in a sinkhole some 100 meters (328 feet) away from the shoreline on the island of Kauai, researchers found that, about 500 years ago, Hawaii was hit by a mammoth tsunami.

This tsunami stood an impressive 9 meters (approximately 30 feet) tall and was birthed by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck not far from Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

What's kind of worrying is the fact that, according to evidence presented in a paper in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, such major earthquakes and accompanying mammoth tsunamis can happen once every thousand years.

Hence, the scientists behind this research project say that it might not be such a bad idea if officials in Hawaii were to review existing tsunami response plans and double the evacuation area in some regions.

8. Copper cube cooled to near absolute zero

This week, brainiacs with the National Nuclear Physics Institute in Italy announced that, with the help of a machinery known to the scientific community as a cryostat, they had successfully cooled a copper cube to near absolute zero.

More precisely, they managed to bring the cube's temperature down to -273.144 degrees Celsius (0.006 kelvin). Just to put things into perspective, it need be said that absolute zero is considered to be -273.15 degrees Celsius (0 kelvin).

Interestingly enough, the National Nuclear Physics Institute says that they carried out this experiment not just because they wanted to set a new world record, but also because they hoped this project would help them better understand why the universe packs more matter than anti-matter.

7. King Tutankhamun had a club foot and buck teeth

This might come as a bit of a surprise to some people, but paleontologists claim that, according to evidence at hand, ancient Egypt's King Tutankhamun was plagued by several deformities that might have ultimately caused his death.

Specifically, it appears that this ancient ruler had a club foot, buck teeth and hips that closely resembled those of women. Simply put, this young pharaoh was in pretty poor health condition and didn't look anything like one might expect a king would.

Ever freakier, it appears that Tutankhamun displayed these deformities because he was a child of incest. Thus, it is said that he was born to an ancient Egypt ruler named Akhenaten and his sister, who decided to have a child together in an attempt to keep the family's blood line pure.

6. Nose cells used to help paralyzed man walk again

In an attempt to help a paralyzed man walk again, researchers used cells collected from his nose and strips of nerve tissue taken from his ankle to fix a horrific spinal cord injury that he suffered years ago, when stabbed in his back.

This rather peculiar treatment for paralysis actually worked. Thus, it was about 6 months after the intervention during which the nose cells and the nerve tissue were transplanted into his spinal cord that the man took his first steps.

The 40-year-old man can now get around relying on nothing but a frame for support and says that he feels great. Given the success they had treating this paralysis patient, the doctors who saw this case through wish to continue experimenting with this innovative therapy in the years to come.

5. Roman gladiators were vegetarians

Having analyzed the makeup of several bones unearthed in present-day Turkey back in 1993, researchers found that Roman gladiators chiefly ate grains of rather poor quality and beans. Simply put, they were vegetarians.

Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, the scientists behind this investigation go on to detail that, although they were no strangers to meat, Roman gladiators only consumed it once in a blue moon. Still, they had plenty of strength to battle each other.

Interestingly enough, it appears that, to tone their bodies and strengthen their bones, Roman gladiators used to drink a mixture of plant ashes and water. As explained by archaeologists, this concoction was sort of like an all-natural sports supplement for them.

4. A partial solar eclipse happened

This week, on Thursday, October 23, a partial solar eclipse was visible from North America just before sundown. At the time when the eclipse reached its peak, as much as 70% of the sun's surface was hidden behind the moon.

It is understood that, courtesy of this partial solar eclipse, the sunset that folks in North America got to feast their eyes on this past Thursday was freakishly red. Besides, the sun appeared crescent-shaped.

Truth be told, astronomers are way past the point where, strictly scientifically speaking, partial solar eclipses can even stand a chance to impress them. Thus, this past Thursday's event was more of an entertainment opportunity than a chance to peek into the mysteries of the universe.

3. WWII vessels found off the coast of North Carolina

As it turns out, the remains of two WWII vessels currently sit at the bottom of the ocean not far from North Carolina, US. Researchers with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the two ships are resting at a distance of 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the shoreline.

The two vessels, said to be the freighter Bluefields and the German U-boat 576, both ended up at the bottom of the ocean back in 1942, on July 15, in the aftermath of a confrontation that took place close to Cape Hatteras.

According to historical records, it was the German U-boat 576 that attacked the freighter Bluefields and the other US ships traveling together with it. While the crew aboard the freighter was saved, the folks aboard the German U-boat all died during this confrontation.

2. Odd dinosaur resembled the Hunchback of Notre Dame

This week, paleontologists introduced us to a fairly bizarre dinosaur that roamed the Earth some 70 million years ago and that looked strikingly similar to the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

These ancient beasts could grow to be about the size of a T. rex and walked around carrying an impressive humpback. Besides, they had a freakishly big abdomen that researchers say very much resembled what we like to call a beer belly.

The species, dubbed Deinocheirus mirificus, populated regions close to rivers and lakes. It is said that these dinosaurs used to eat fish and aquatic plants. To secure their next meal, they used their beaks to catch aquatic creatures unfortunate enough to cross paths with them or to pull plants out of the ground.

1. Dead hearts resuscitated and transplanted into patients

Not too long ago, surgeons in Sydney, Australia, operated on three patients and transplanted resuscitated hearts into their bodies. Of this patients, two are now in good health condition and one is well on the road to recovery.

The hearts that were used to save these people had all been dead for about 20 minutes before being resuscitated, placed in a special solution to boost their resilience and then transplanted, the team behind this series of one-of-a-kind interventions explains.

The surgeons who carried out these procedures say that, were more doctors to start using dead hearts when performing transplants, the number of heart sufferers lucky enough to survive their condition could up by as much as 30%.

So, these are this week's most important news and announcements from the world of science. If you're one of those people who like to keep tabs on what researchers are up to these days, be sure to check this page again a week from now. Another top 10 will be waiting for you, as per usual.