MI weekly selection #597

Asteroid samples reveal ancient salty incubators

Samples from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu have revealed the presence of salts, indicating that salty water environments were common in the early solar system. This finding suggests that such environments could have been incubators for life’s building blocks, a discovery that highlights the potential for organic evolution on asteroids.

Full Story:Eos

Monkeys’ yodelling surpasses human vocal range

Monkeys in Latin America’s rainforests have been found to yodel better than humans, thanks to unique vocal membranes that create dramatic pitch shifts. The study highlights how these membranes, which humans lost during evolution, enable monkeys to achieve vocal ranges up to three octaves, surpassing the typical human yodelling range of one octave.

Full Story: Earth

Supersonic vehicles show unusual turbulence

Researchers have uncovered surprising turbulence patterns around high-speed shapes, which could enhance the design of future hypersonic vehicles. Using 3D simulations, the study found unexpected airflow disturbances around cone-shaped models at speeds above Mach 5. These findings suggest that engineers may need to consider these airflow discontinuities when designing vehicles for shipping and weapons.

Full Story: Live Science

El Niño events show increased frequency over 7,000 years

A study reveals that lingering El Niño events, lasting more than a year, have become more frequent over the past 7,000 years. Researchers analysed oxygen isotopes in Pacific Ocean corals to track these events, finding they are now five times as common, and the increase is likely due to changes in Earth’s orbit affecting sunlight on oceans.

Full Story: PhysOrg

Stone tools in China hint at possible Neanderthal presence

Stone tools discovered at the Longtan site in southwestern China resemble the Quina style associated with Neanderthals, potentially indicating that Neanderthals migrated to the region 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. The study suggests that similar tools might have been independently developed by other ancient humans, such as Denisovans, in response to harsh climates.

Full Story: CNN