MI weekly selection #365
Many amphibians have that certain glow
Many amphibians, mostly salamanders and frogs, fluoresce under certain light conditions. Researchers tested 32 amphibian species using blue light and found that all glowed green or yellow, but they haven’t yet figured out why this occurs.
Massive blast ever observed in faraway galaxy observed
Astronomers have detected the biggest explosion ever observed in the universe so far, likely caused by a supermassive black hole. “In some ways, this blast is similar to how the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 ripped off the top of the mountain,” says study leader Simona Giacintucci of the blast that occurred in the Ophiuchus cluster, about 390 million light-years away.
Large exoplanet may be habitable
An exoplanet more than two times the size of Earth and located about 124 light-years away may have water on its surface, increasing the chances that it could be habitable. Astronomers developed models with information about the exoplanet’s mass, radius and atmosphere in order to make predictions about its atmosphere and interior, with one scenario showing water there to be similar to oceans on Earth.
Genetic tests point to 2 species of red panda
Himalayan red pandas and Chinese red pandas may be two distinct species, and not subspecies, according to genetic tests. The findings reveal separate evolutionary journeys for each group.
Mediterranean diet linked to healthier gut biome
Older people following the Mediterranean diet has greater diversity in their gut biomes and exhibited changes linked to healthier aging. Subjects who followed the diet were found to have increased levels of bacteria that produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids and decreased levels of bacteria involved in producing bile acids whose overproduction has been linked to bowel cancer, insulin resistance and fatty liver disease.