Latest findings on early human skull raise questions about human ancestry

According to reports, a recent age estimate of the skull of an early human brings up more questions concerning the current human ancestry.

The aforementioned fossilized skull was first discovered in Zambia in 1921. Broken Hill was regarded as a main discovery back then. It was located specifically in a place called Broken Hill hence the name. Broken Hill was in fact the earliest recovered fossil of an extinct human species in the African continent.

Scientists note that a later assessment insinuates that Broken Hill is much younger than initially concluded by the experts. The previous age estimate of the skull was about 500,000, whereas the current estimate is about 299,000 years old with which the team used two new comprehensive dating methods. They add that the new findings affect how the tempo and mode of modern human ancestry were previously perceived.

As explained by the researchers, they found Broken Hill difficult to examine because it was found in a mining site that got massively ruined due to mining operations later on.

Average-sized black holes discovered in space

Scientists reached another milestone as they discovered an average-sized black hole of which existence clears up uncertainties regarding objects in outer space.

With data gathered from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and two X-ray observatories, researchers located the black hole in the act of annihilating an adjacent star. Black holes are immensely dense matters with powerful gravitational pulls even light cannot get away with.

This latest discovery has a mass that is 50,000 times more than that of our sun. It is situated more or less 740 million light-years from our planet in another galaxy where there are fewer stars.

Scientists have been looking for mid-size black holes for 40 years. Yet, less than 10 of them have been discovered. They believe that several objects similar to this exist, and are just waiting to be discovered. They noted that the phenomenon of a black hole swallowing a star is such a rare occurrence that it takes place only once in 10,000 years on average.

New details about T. Rex found

New details about teenage Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs were brought to light, scientists say. Fossilized skeleton samples of T. rex found in Montana, USA were inspected by a crew of researchers. The two dinosaurs named Jane and Petey by the researchers were proved to be twice as long as a horse and were slightly taller than a horse.

Fossilized skeleton samples aided the researchers in charge to comprehend the history and development of the ancient animals on a deeper level. They detached thin parts from the leg bones of the two dinosaurs. Then, they studied the bone pieces under a microscope. The experts explained that examining the microstructure of the fossils provides significant information about the growth rate, age, and metabolism of the creature.

Based on their findings, young T. rex dinosaurs would move around swiftly and had teeth similar to a knife, while a fully-grown counterpart had teeth that could squash huge bones. In addition, an adult T. rex can grow up to 12 meters long and 5 meters tall.

Study: Dinosaur species survived extreme volcanic eruptions

Some dinosaur species survived horrendous volcanic eruptions about 183 million years ago, a study shows.A crew of scientists located fossilized trails from dinosaurs on a farm in South Africa. Evidence shows that extreme volcanic activities took place in the said area during the Early Jurassic period. Fossils found from the period mentioned support the idea that the mass extinction of both land and ocean species is attributed to the catastrophic volcanic phenomenon. On top of that, this natural phenomenon is also believed to have triggered the change in the chemical composition and structure of the atmosphere.

When there is a scarcity of skeletons in sight, fossil footprints are used as evidence to identify which animals were present in earlier eras. These traces are often found on layers of volcanic rocks. The fossil footprints belonged to a minimum of three dinosaur species — a small two-legged carnivore, a similarly four-legged herbivore, and a possibly ancient mammal species.

20-million-year-old tree found in Greece

A 20-million-year-old fossilized tree has been discovered by Greek scientists on the island of Lesbos. They added that it was the first tree to be spotted in good condition with branches and roots still intact. This makes it an extraordinary discovery even for the experts themselves.

Preserved by large amounts of volcanic ash, the said tree is estimated to be 19 meters in length. Leaves from fruit trees were also spotted surrounding the tree. The existence of trees and animal bones suggests that life existed on the volcanic island approximately 17 to 20 million years ago.

The team of scientists is looking into reconstructing the ecosystem that once existed in the area. In the meantime, the fossilized tree is subject to further research.

The petrified forest where they recovered the fossilized tree was a result of a volcanic explosion that took place 20 million years earlier. Prior to the destructive volcanic activity, the 15,000-hectare land used to be a subtropical forest.

Study: Full moon affects sleep

A recent study concluded that a full moon has impacts on human sleep cycles. They found that during the nights leading up to a full moon, more natural light was observed after sunset. This prompts people to go to bed at a later time and have shorter sleeping time.

Upon spotting this pattern, the experts inferred that the human sleep cycle is synchronized with the cycle of the moon. The same study revealed that people went to sleep 30 minutes later and slept more or less 52 minutes shorter on nights prior to a full moon.Experts share that it takes the moon 27.3 days to go around the Earth, while it takes 29.5 days to finish an entire cycle.

The scientists explained that more studies are needed to determine other factors that contribute to the sleeping patterns of the participants. This includes biological disparities among test subjects and differences in community formats.

Study: Shark population declined by 71 percent in 50 years

A new study conducted by scientists shows the severity of the decline in shark population worldwide in the last 50 years. As per records, the count of sharks and rays dropped beyond 70 percent from 1970 to 2018. Particularly, 24 out of 31 shark and rays species are at risk of extinction, while 3 other species are believed to be critically endangered.

According to the experts, both sharks and rays do not have bones. What they have is a skeleton consisting of cartilage. It also takes them more years to reproduce unlike other kinds of fish. On top of that, they produce smaller numbers of young fish.

Scientists convey that sharks are good at hunting, can swim fats, and have heightened senses. Although they sound beneficial, the same extraordinary characteristics also put them in danger. Since they can speedily sense food in the open ocean, they become an easy target for fishermen.

Ancient conch shell still produces sound after thousands of years

The 31-centimeter long, spiral-shaped conch shell which is known to be the oldest seashell is gaining popularity rapidly. What makes this object interesting is that it still produces a sound similar to a foghorn from ancient times even after 18,000 years.

The said shell was believed to be a ceremonial cup until experts examined it anew. Now they believe that the shell was turned into a wind instrument thousands of years ago. Eventually, the scientists requested a French horn player to try the conch shell. The deep sound produced by the shell stirred emotions among them. They also relayed their concern as playing it might damage the instrument, but it remained intact anyway. According to them, the instrument created clear sounds in C, C sharp, and D notes.

The ancient wind instrument was recovered during a cave exploration with prehistoric wall paintings in the Pyrenees Mountains. It is currently displayed in a French museum.