Science Tidbits – Page 2 – Peoria Academy of Science

Week of January 15, 2024

January 15, 2024January 11, 2024 Mark

We organized articles we found interesting by category (many correspond to existing sections of our academy (and are in bold). Please let us know what you find interesting (just provide a comment). Perhaps you have an article to add?

Anthropology

Study finds early Neolithic high mountain settlers were already carrying out complex livestock and farming activities.

Astronomy

New Images Reveal The Surprising Truth About What Neptune Really Looks Like. Spoiler alert – it is not that different from Uranus.

Entomology

Unfortunate Insect Trapped In Amber Found Stuck To 75-Million-Year-Old Dino Jaw. What an incredible series of events had to happen for this to be found. Amazing.
New evidence that insect wings may have evolved from gills.

Geology

Fossils Finally Reveal Fiery Colors of Prehistoric Animals. “An ancient frog, bird and dinosaur wore elusive yellow and orange shades, a new lab technique reveals.”
The ocean’s first large swimming apex predators had exceptionally rapid growth, fossil study finds.
Earth’s Early Magma Oceans Detected In 3.7 Billion Year-Old Greenland Rocks. Rocks from southern Greenland reveal a time when the earth was mostly molten.
Rare museum specimen reveals new insights into how trilobites curled themselves into a ball.Similar to the approach used by armadillos and pill bugs.
Fossil evidence of photosynthesis gets a billion years older.
“Juvenile T. rex” might be a separate species after all.

Things that make us go hmmm…

Octopus DNA seems to confirm scientists’ theory about a long-standing geological mystery. It appears West Antarctic Ice Sheet last collapsed 125,000 years ago (according to this study).
A Geologist Found The Oldest Water On Earth, And Then She Tasted It. In a Canadian mine and yes, it contained traces of life.

Week of January 8, 2024

January 8, 2024January 9, 2024 Mark

Here are some of the articles we have been reading recently. We hope you enjoy. Have you shared this list with colleagues and friends? Are there other articles you think we should include? Other topics?

Astronomy

Entomology

Matabele ants recognize infected wounds and treat them with antibiotics. Interesting article. Also learned that the primary pathogen is also a leading cause of wound infections in humans (and several strains are resistant to antibiotics).
Ant face patterns like swirls and stubble might have practical value. Some structures may help prevent abrasion as they tunnel.

Geology

Perfectly Preserved Dinosaur Embryo Found Inside Fossilized Egg. This is one of the most complete dinosaur embryos ever found.
Living fossils: 12 creatures that look the same now as they did millions of years ago. Interesting list.
Singing Ankylosaurs, 310-Million-Year-Old Fossil Spiders, And A “Giant Sea Monster” Join The Planet’s Prehistoric Wonders. 2023 was an interesting year for our understanding of ancient life.
We might officially enter the Anthropocene epoch in 2024.

Ichthyology

10 mind-boggling deep sea discoveries in 2023.

Things that make us go hmmm…

Meet the new species of 2023. Obviously not a complete list, but an interesting selection.
Miracle Plant Used in Ancient Greece Rediscovered After 2,000 Years. If true, this is a most interesting find. Previously last known specimen was given to the Emperor Nero.
‘Stone balls’ worshipped by locals turn out to be 70-million-year-old dinosaur eggs!

Ok, that’s a wrap for this week. Which article did you like the best? Please let us know in the comments below.

Week of January 1, 2024

January 1, 2024January 11, 2024 Mark

We wish all reading this a Happy New Year and hope your year is off to a great start. We organized articles we found interesting by category (many correspond to existing sections of our academy (and are in bold).

Anthropology

Viking dentistry was surprisingly advanced.

Astronomy

NASA is using both Mars and Earth to test future Mars helicopter designs. “On Mars, you have the real off-world conditions you could never truly re-create here on Earth.”

Entomology

Earliest-Known Fossil Mosquito Found in Lebanese Amber. The males of this species also appear to have fed on blood.
As insect populations decline, some plants are becoming self-pollinating. This study was based on field pansies near Paris, France.

Geology

407-Million-Years-Old Microfossils Reveal Earliest-Known Disease-Causing Fungus. During the early Devonian Epoch.
Most rare earths on Earth? Wyoming mine could soon be ranked number one for critical minerals. “Beyond raw volume, the Halleck Creek deposits are additionally valuable because of their unique composition and relative purity,…”

Herpetology

Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency. Most species are threatened with extinction.
Tiny fanged frog discovered in Southeast Asia (Sulawesi)
Women in herpetology project highlights 50 stories from around the world.

Ichthyology

Validation of the Use of Otoliths to Estimate Age and Growth of Larval Lake Whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis.

Things that make us go hmmm…

Humans see brown eyed dogs as less threatening. We may have influenced the evolution of dog eye color.

Week of December 25, 2023

December 25, 2023January 9, 2024 Mark

We wish all reading this a Merry Christmas and hope you are enjoying time with family and friends. We organized articles we found interesting by category (many correspond to existing sections of our academy (and are in bold).

Intersection of art and science

In the spirit of the season, we thought this article about a hidden layer in a Rembrandt painting would be a good read. Yes, scientists found a layer of lead in the painting (which may have helped the canvas survive a more humid environment).

Astronomy

James Webb Space Telescope reveals crisp view of Uranus and its rings.
Study finds the universe is significantly older than previously thought. This does challenge the status quo understanding of 13.8 billion years. Of course, this is what scientific inquiry is all about. According to this study, the age is now thought to be 26.6 billion years. Wow. What do readers think about this?

Entomology

Suburban backyard in Brisbane is home to over 1,000 species.
Do bugs deserve more respect? Of course they do…
Wasps that recognize faces cooperate more.
CSIRO is gathering citizen data to determine whether Christmas beetle populations are in decline. Yes, there really are Christmas beetles.

Geology

Glasford, Illinois, impact crater. Did you know there was a meteor impact near Glasford.
This fossilized fruit may be the oldest member of the frankincense and myrrh family. Given the season, we couldn’t help posting this.
Recent Morocco earthquake had unusual deep slip according to model. The earth ruptured roughly 25 km beneath the surface.

Herpetology

New species of lizard (fossil) is thought to be the ancestor of modern geckos. This fossil was discovered after examining fossils at the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.
Personality determines reproductive strategies of poison dart frogs.

Ichthyology

First global estimate of marine aquarium trade to encourage sustainable practices. 55 million marine organisms worth an estimated $2.15 billion are sold annually. This is a valuable as such global industries as tuna.

Things that make us go hmmm…

AI used to recreate the seven wonders of the ancient world. Most interesting images. Wonder how close they are to what ancients observed?
Message hidden in a Victorian era silk dress is actually a long lost code. Who knew about this meteorological code used so long ago?

Periodic tidbits about science

December 19, 2023January 9, 2024 Mark

We frequently encounter articles and news regarding science. We thought that we would begin sharing these articles (with a little commentary). Hence, the name – science tidbits. We will try to arrange these by date (with the most current on top).

We enjoy reading your comments. This is the easiest way for us to know we are supplying information you want. Make certain you click on any of the linked articles (usually with a title of Week of…). Once you have the specific post open, you should see a comment area near the bottom.

Week of December 18, 2023

December 19, 2023January 11, 2024 Mark

Here are some of the articles we encountered recently. We organized them by category (many correspond to existing sections of our academy (and are in bold).

Anthropology

Mesopotamian Bricks Reveal Anomaly In Earth’s Magnetic Field 3,000 Years Ago. Researchers examined 32 clay bricks inscribed with the names of 12 kings. Iron oxide grains in the tablets retain the direction and strength of the magnetic field when the bricks were fired. We encourage you to read the article to learn more.
America’s native population arises from a single wave of Asian migration, suggest dental anthropologists. “For more than 50 years, dental anthropologists have studied variation in the shape of human teeth to study the patterns of migration that people took as they populated the world.” Results from these studies indicate that Native Americans came from one population which split from East Asian populations at one time.

Astronomy

Sky This Month: December 2023. Jupiter is near its best for the year. Much more information is found in this article.

Entomology

Beetle elytra: evolution, modifications and biological functions. This article is a synopsis of information concerning the hardened fore wings of beetles. Yes, very in depth, but a good overview of our present state of knowledge.
Tap-dancing spider rediscovered after disappearing for 92 years. In Portugal of all places.

Geology

Drones capture new clues about how water shapes mountain ranges over time. Penn State scientists used drones to map rock properties in central Taiwan.
New unified theory shows how past landscapes drove the evolution of Earth’s rich diversity of life. This article discusses sediment “pulses” which affect the amount of biodiversity. Interesting read (if you are interested).

Herpetology

The radiation continuum and the evolution of frog diversity. Over 1,200 frog species across 43 families are examined in this research paper.

Ichthyology

A global biodiversity tipping point as first marine fish extinction declared. “The Java Stingaree (Urolophus javanicus) was known only from a single specimen collected in 1862 from a fish market in Jakarta, Indonesia.”

Things that make us go hmmm…

Scientists claim they’ve had a 20 minute conversation with a WHALE – and say it could pave the way for conversations with aliens someday. Scientists (from SETI and UC Davis) had a 20 minute conversation with a humpback whale in SE Alaska recently. “In the absence of any aliens, the researchers hope to use whales to develop strategies for non-human communication.” What do you think?