Category archives: Weekly Selection

MI weekly selection #273

MI weekly selection #273

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Older fossils raise questions about how dinosaurs are defined New fossil finds are raising questions about long-held beliefs on what attributes constitute a dinosaur. As older remains are found, the number of features that determine whether a creature was a dinosaur has dropped, and only one remains: a hip-socket hole, according to a number of […]

MI weekly selection #272

MI weekly selection #272

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

2,000-year-old life-size carvings of camels found in Saudi Arabia Life-size stone carvings of camels dating back about 2,000 years have been found in Saudi Arabia. The 12 or so carvings are stylistically different from others found on the Arabian Peninsula and are offering researchers clues as to how rock art developed in the region. The […]

MI weekly selection #271

MI weekly selection #271

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Some mental health conditions share genetic patterns A study of brain tissue from people with either schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, depression or alcoholism suggests there are some similar gene expression patterns among those conditions. New Scientist Musk’s Tesla Roadster plots new orbital course The new projected orbit of SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster, launched […]

MI weekly selection #270

MI weekly selection #270

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Unusual behavior of Centaurus A dwarf galaxies raises dark matter questions Scientists were surprised to find 14 dwarf galaxies swarming around the galaxy Centaurus A that are aligned and share an orbital plane, instead of moving in random orbits like their counterparts. The finding challenges current thoughts on how dark matter affects dwarf galaxies’ behaviour […]

MI weekly selection #269

MI weekly selection #269

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Distant dwarf planet Haumea boasts a super-fast spin A dwarf planet that exists far past Neptune spins extremely fast on its axis. Haumea’s fast spin, once every four hours, contributes to its elongated shape. Space.com Ancient jawbone suggests earlier exit from Africa for modern humans The oldest human fossil ever found outside of Africa has […]

MI weekly selection #268

MI weekly selection #268

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Changing weather in Arctic may threaten musk oxen Musk oxen, used to living in the Arctic’s extreme cold, may not do well in the region’s changing climate. The warmer, rainy weather has limited their ability to find food, leading to a decline in health. The New York Times Hunter-gatherers can identify smells better People living […]

MI weekly selection #267

MI weekly selection #267

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Space travel can hurt astronauts’ eye nerves Tissues that surround part of astronauts’ optic nerves become damaged due to long-term space travel. The study looked at 15 astronauts who had been in space for about six months. Live Science Evidence that world’s freshwater is acidifying The world’s freshwater appears to be acidifying. Researchers noted an […]

MI weekly selection #266

MI weekly selection #266

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Genes linked to exploration in birds may help them adapt to climate change Birds whose genes favour exploration of new habitats will likely handle climate change better than those inclined to stay where they are. Researchers have identified a pair of genes, DRD4 and DEAF1, in yellow warblers that are linked to migration and exploration […]

MI weekly selection #265

MI weekly selection #265

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Sponge, algae growth on rise in Caribbean reefs Sponges and algae appear to be taking over reefs from coral in the Caribbean. Fewer predators due to overfishing and coral bleaching are spurring the growth of sponges, which have developed a nutritional relationship with the algae. National Geographic Arecibo grabs images of close-flying asteroid Puerto Rico’s […]

MI weekly selection #264

MI weekly selection #264

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Mussels all over world show signs of plastic ingestion Microplastics are showing up in mussels around the world, including in the Arctic, and they may be making their way into human diets. Reuters Inflammatory protein found to attract amyloid-beta buildup in brain Large lumps of the inflammation-related ASC protein attract amyloid-beta, the protein that gathers […]