Science news this week: Sunken Cities and the Mystery Tree of Life

Among the advanced gravitational wave detector Back to Life and discovery A 3,000 year old bakery still covered in flourThe science world has once again delighted us with another week of groundbreaking news. And nothing is more groundbreaking at the moment than the combined mass of New York City’s 1,084,954 buildings, which are literally causing the city to sink at a rate of about 0.08 inch (2.1 mm) per year.

Speaking of the heavy stuff, paleontologists in Argentina have unearthed the remains of A Giant long-necked titanosaurwhich is about 100 feet (30 m) long. Dinosaur fossils were so heavy that when they were transported to Buenos Aires for study they caused a traffic accident and smashed the asphalt on the road. Fortunately, no bones, human or dinosaur, were shattered.

Finally, we know that life is full of little secrets (And we should know a thing or two about them), but what really taxed us this week was whether Octopuses have nightmaresWhat China goes into spaceand whether we will find evidence that the “dark matter star”. However, one thing we are now more certain of is the answer to evolutionary scientists. chicken or egg Eq – which came first, Jelly comb or sea sponge?

picture of the week

This unusual little creature is an extremely rare albino echidna, one of two known mammals in the world (along with Platypus) where females lay eggs but also produce milk. Spotted earlier this month On a road in New South Wales, Australia, this white creature covered entirely with feathers has been named Raffie by local authorities.

Albinism is a genetic condition that interferes with the body’s production of melanin, the main pigment that colors animals’ skin, fur, feathers, scales, and eyes. When melanin cells do not function properly, it can cause animals to appear partially or completely white.

Representatives of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) wrote in Twitter post on May 22, 2022. “Detecting a non-albino echidna is also uncommon,” officials added.

Weekend reading

Finally…

The James Webb Space Telescope continues its impressive run of unearthing the secrets of our universe, spying on a giant geyser on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, spewing water hundreds of miles into space – Can contain chemical components for life?