Weekly Science Picks
FollowWe came to the end of this week and it is our time to recount the most exciting and incredible stories from the world of science and technology. As usual, we had to make a hard decisions and after a careful consideration we decided to promote the news as follows:
Dinosaur fossils from China help researchers describe new ‘Titan’
Paleontologists have characterized a new dinosaur based on fossil remains found in northwestern China. The species, a plant-eating sauropod named Yongjinglong datangi, roamed during the Early Cretaceous period, more than 100 million years ago. This sauropod belonged to a group known as Titanosauria, members of which were among the largest living creatures to ever walk the earth.
Fifth of Neanderthals’ genetic code lives on in modern humans
The last of the Neanderthals may have died out tens of thousands of years ago, but large stretches of their genetic code live on in people today. Though many of us can claim only a handful of Neanderthal genes, when added together, the human population carries more than a fifth of the archaic human’s DNA, researchers found.
How reintroducing wolves helped save a famous park
Wolves had been absent from Yellowstone National Park for more than 70 years when they were reintroduced in the 1990s – and their return had some surprising benefits.
Acid Treatment Could Provide Breakthrough Stem Cell Technique
Scientists have found a surprisingly simple way to turn mature cells back into a primitive state. Simply giving mouse blood cells an acid bath is enough to produce so-called pluripotent cells that can develop into any cell type in the body, they report in two new papers this week. The remarkable transformation contradicts many assumptions about cell biology and may ultimately lead to new ways to treat disease and injuries.
Please stay curious and scientifically passionate. New stories are coming soon!