Mi weekly selection #98
3D map shows the adolescent universe
Astronomers have pieced together an image of what the adolescent universe looked like using just four hours of telescope observation time, producing a three-dimensional map. The map, millions of light-years across, shows areas of high-density matter that appear to be galaxies as they were just 3 billion years after the Big Bang. Researchers used a powerful algorithm that helped clean up noise in their data.
Ancient Easter Islanders mixed with Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans
Despite their remote location, the ancient Rapa Nui people of Easter Island mixed with Native American people long before Westerners traveled to the island in 1722. Researchers believe it’s most likely the Rapa Nui sailed to South America, bringing Native Americans back with them, between 1300 and 1500.
A potential sixth mass extinction just before the Permian “great dying” event
There may have been a sixth great extinction that occurred during the Permian period, just before the event known as “the great dying” 252 million years ago. Researchers have found evidence of a large extinction in the Arctic of marine animals that may not have had time to recover before the next major event. This event could be classified as a potential sixth mass extinction.
A microscopy technique that allows researchers to view cellular processes at an even higher resolution and speed
Fresh off his Nobel Prize in chemistry for his high-resolution microscope work, Eric Betzig and colleagues have created a microscopy technique that allows researchers to view cellular processes at an even higher resolution and speed. The new work exposes less of the living cell to toxic light and brings them into view with unprecedented clarity.
Stem cell-derived cardiac tissue sheets could lead to new heart treatments
Researchers have converted human induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiac tissue sheets that resemble the structure of a real tissue. The breakthrough could lead to new therapies for heart disease. Evidence showed that transplanting the cardiac sheets improved the heart conditions of mice with failing hearts.