14 DAY TRIAL // It's been yet another awesome week for science. Discoveries and achievements were announced, and humanity is just a wee smarter than it was 7 days ago. For those who missed them, here are last week's 10 most important announcements from the world of science.
10. Two Gorgeous Female Sculptures Were Unearthed in Greece
Archaeologists are now busy exploring a 4th century tomb in Greece. Earlier this week, they announced the discovery of a set of gorgeous female sculptures inside this Alexander the Great-era construction.
The two women both have long hair and are depicted wearing a tunic. Besides, whoever made these sculptures went through the trouble of creating a set of earrings for each of them.
The sculptures sit between two marble pillars. This is yet to be confirmed, but researchers suspect that they were put there to guard the entrance to the tomb. Hence the fact that they have one of their arms outstretched.
9. A New Planet Might Be Forming Just 335 Light-Years from Us
If astronomers are right, it is only a matter of time until our good old Earth gets another companion. Thus, evidence obtained with the help of telescopes indicates that a brand new planet is forming just 335 light-years from us.
This planet is forming in the proximity of a star that goes by the name HD 100546. Mind you, researchers have not yet managed to catch a glimpse of the planet believed to be coming together close to this star.
Still, they claim to have found evidence that a cloud of hot gas is orbiting HD 100546. It is this cloud that astronomers believe will soon enough form a gaseous giant whose mass will be about 3 times greater than that of Jupiter.
8. A 232-Carat White Diamond Was Discovered in South Africa
If diamonds are indeed a girl's best friend, the rock pulled from a mine in South Africa by Petra Diamonds Limited workers must be the absolute coolest BFF ever.
The 232-carat white diamond was recovered from a mine not far from the town of Cullinan, and experts say that what makes it stand out – apart from its size, that is – is the fact that it is mindbogglingly clear.
The folks behind mining group Petra Diamonds Limited promise that they will soon enough try and pair the rock with a worthy owner. If you have a humongous pile of cash to spare, this lucky owner might just be you.
7. Yet Another Fountain of Youth Was Found
Let's face it, many of us dream about living longer and looking positively stunning up until the day when we draw our final breath. Thanks to researchers in the US, this might actually happen.
Long story short, these brainiacs claim to have found a gene that slows the aging process and that also promotes good health. The gene is known to the scientific community as AMPK and its effects have until now only been tested on fruit flies.
Thus, researchers say that insects that had this gene activated in various key organ systems lived about 30% longer than they should have and stayed healthy until their last day. Apparently, this happened because the gene helped them get rid of damaged cell components at a faster pace.
6. A Ship Lost in the 1840s Was Discovered in the Arctic
Back in 1845, British explorer Sir John Franklin, together with a bunch of other daredevils, set sail for the Arctic, looking to navigate and map the Northwest Passage. Just a year later, the two ships involved in this expedition disappeared.
Earlier this week, Canadian authorities announced the discovery of one of the vessels carrying Sir John Franklin and his crew in the waters off the coast of Nunavut's King William Island. It's still unclear if this ship is the HMS Erebus or the HMS Terror.
Researchers promise to study the ship's remains in detail and soon enough announce to the world exactly which of the two vessels that went missing back in the 1840s is now resting in the waters of the Canadian Arctic.
5. The Mysterious Case of the Woman with No Cerebellum
The human body is nothing short of impressive, and a medical case report that ended up making headlines this week more than proves it. The report in question tells the tale of a woman who lived 24 years without even knowing she had no cerebellum.
As explained by scientists, the cerebellum is a part of the brain that deals with coordination and precise movements. Simply put, it's the brain part we must thank for the fact that we are able to walk and talk.
Despite having no cerebellum, this woman was well able to get around. Besides, she could use speech to communicate with others. Doctors suspect the woman lost her cerebellum either in the womb or at an early age and that she did not develop severe medical complications because her brain rewired itself.
4. A Star Was Documented at the Core of a Cosmic Explosion
By the looks of it, a cosmic drama is now unfolding in a galaxy about 11 million light-years from us. Thus, a star here is said to be holding on for dear life at the core of an explosion that sent loads of debris flying all around it.
Even sadder, astronomers say evidence at hand indicates that all this debris is the remains of the star's sister, which exploded in a supernova after siphoning the better part of its hydrogen envelope to its baby sister.
Due to glow of the stellar explosion that marked the demise of this star's former companion, it took scientists nearly two decades to document the presence of the remaining celestial body among all the debris scattered around by the supernova.
3. 97 Million Years Ago, a Crocodile Made Love to a Duck
OK, so this didn't actually happen. Still, this fictional scenario is probably the best way to explain the anatomy of a dinosaur that lived 97 million years ago and that was perfectly adapted to living and hunting in aquatic environments.
This not-so-little fellow tipped the scale at about 44,000 pounds (nearly 19,960 kilograms) and measured roughly 50 feet (over 15 meters) from head to tail. Despite its impressive size, it did not attack other massive animals, but instead feasted on fish.
In order to be able to navigate aquatic environments, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus had a flexible tail that resembled a rudder and flat feet similar to paddles. What's more, its bones sported several cavities that researchers suspect served as a means of buoyancy control.
2. The Identity of Jack the Ripper Was Revealed
Having analyzed DNA samples collected from blood stains on a shawl belonging to one of this world-famous serial killer's victims, armchair detective Russell Edwards concluded that Jack the Ripper was Polish immigrant Aaron Kosminski.
The history enthusiast details this theory in a book dubbed “Naming Jack the Ripper,” and claims that, since his theory is based on DNA evidence, it must be right. Unfortunately, there are many who don't really agree with him.
First off, there is no way to say for sure whether or not the blood-stained shawl belonged to Jack the Ripper victim 46-year-old Catherine Eddowes. What's more, it's been decades since these crimes were committed, during which time the shawl is likely to have collected DNA traces from all sorts of people.
1. Brainiacs Got Busy Turning Light into a Solid
The absolute coolest science news of the week is the one concerning solid light. In a nutshell, scientists with Princeton University in the US claim to have found a way to make photons, i.e. the basic elements of light, become bound together and freeze in place.
This constitutes a never-before-seen behavior for light and is all the more impressive seeing how photons almost never interact with one another. To compel them to cozy up together, researchers placed the photons in the proximity of a special structure designed to make them inherit the properties of a solid.
This achievement is expected to help scientists reach a better understanding of the physics of matter, and also pave the way to the development of room-temperature semiconductors and other exotic materials.
These are the 10 coolest science news of the week. Tune in next Sunday to read the weekly roundup for September 15-21.