MI weekly selection #366
New dark matter candidate
A subatomic particle known as a d-star hexaquark has been identified as a possible dark matter candidate. “The next step to establish this new dark matter candidate will be to obtain a better understanding of how the d-stars interact – when do they attract and when do they repel each other,” said study author Mikhail Bashkanov.
Ancient Earth may have been covered in water
Scientists who studied ancient ocean crust from a site in Northwestern Australia say Earth may have been fully covered by water about 3.2 billion years ago Researchers, who analyzed an oxygen isotope trapped in the rocks, say a lack of land could explain why the isotope wasn’t absorbed.
Studies of animal, human ovary tissue find no stem cells
An analysis of more than 24,000 cells from the ovarian cortex of 21 patients as well as thousands of cells from the ovarian medulla confirmed what animal research has shown: No evidence of ovarian stem cells exists. “This study now lays the ground on which to produce new methods that focus on the egg cells that already exist in the ovary,” said Pauliina Damdimopoulou, co-author of the study in Nature Communications.
CRISPR editing used inside human body for first time
CRISPR has been injected into a human body to edit DNA for the first time in a procedure that doctors hope may restore a blind patient’s sight and lead to other groundbreaking treatments. “We’re helping open, potentially, an era of gene-editing for therapeutic use that could have impact in many aspects of medicine,” said study leader Eric Pierce.
Homo erectus was prodigious toolmaker
Stone tools found alongside Homo erectus brain cases in Ethiopia suggest the early hominids created both simple and complex cutting implements. The tools and fossils date back between about 1.26 million and about 1.6 million years ago, and tools found included double-edged stone axes, which researchers say would have taken great skill to craft.