What was life really like in Pompeii? This week’s science news has revealed some weird details of the lives of the illfated city’s inhabitants.
First, archaeologists uncovered an extremely rare wall painting depicting an ancient, secretive cult centered around female followers of Dionysus, the god of wine. The fresco portrays a young woman being led by a part-goat, part-human creature through an initiation ceremony. The activities of this cult were kept secret from outsiders, so the fresco offers unprecedented insights into their mysterious practices.
And speaking of mysteries, scientists may have caught a first glimpse of the enigmatic shell of icy objects that lies at the edge of our solar system.
Mystery in our solar system
Scientists believe that, at the edge of our solar system, lies a spherical shell of icy objects, known as the Oort cloud. Exactly what this cosmic casing looks like is unknown, but now NASA supercomputers suggest that the Oort cloud may sport two spiral arms, resembling a miniature galaxy.
To confirm the existence of this structure, scientists will need to track comets and objects originating from the Oort cloud directly, or monitor the light that they reflect, both of which are incredibly difficult tasks. But if they succeed, the findings might offer new insights into where comets come from, how our solar system evolved, and how the Oort cloud impacts our cosmic neighborhood.
Solar system quiz: How well do you know our cosmic neighborhood?
Discover more space news
—Did a supernova 6 million years ago kickstart evolution in Africa? New study offers a clue.
—’Utterly cataclysmic’: James Webb telescope spots 2 alien planets disintegrating before our eyes
—Mars was once a ‘vacation-style’ beach planet, Chinese rover scans reveal
Life’s Little Mysteries
If you’ve ever looked at a cat’s paw, you will have seen an array of soft, round cushions known as “toe beans,” or paw pads. But these pads aren’t just an adorable accident of evolution — according to experts, they serve a myriad of purposes, from shock absorption to body temperature control.
A curious case of parasitic twins
A teenager in India spent the first 17 years of his life with the legs, buttocks and genitals of his half formed twin dangling from his chest. But as of Feb. 8, the boy has had his almost 33-pound (15 kilograms) parasitic twin removed following a successful two hour-long surgery.
Parasitic twins are extremely rare, and in most cases they are removed shortly after birth, so this is an exceptional case.
“A new world has opened before me,” the teen said after surgery.
Discover more health news
—Brewing tea can remove lead and other heavy metals from water, new study finds
—Diagnostic dilemma: Teen’s improbable pregnancy occurred after oral sex
—The deadly ‘black fungus’ infection that decimates flesh
Also in science news this week
—Death reported in Texas measles outbreak is 1st in US in a decade: What to know
—Dogs may have domesticated themselves because they really liked snacks, model suggests
—Neanderthal ‘population bottleneck’ around 110,000 years ago may have contributed to their extinction
—French scientists smash China’s ‘artificial sun’ fusion record by 25%
Science Spotlight
Severed skulls with giant nails through their centers have been found at Iron Age sites across the southeast coast of modern-day Spain. But exactly why these “nailed heads” were created has so-far been a mystery.Archaeologists had two main theories for these remains: the first was that the heads were war trophies designed to intimidate rival communities; the second was that they were created to celebrate the community’s ancestors. To test these theories, researchers in Barcelona analyzed seven of the severed skulls from two separate archaeological sites. “Our premise in approaching the study was that if they were war trophies they would not come from the sites analysed, while if they were venerated individuals, these would most likely be local,” Rubén de la Fuente-Seoanean archaeologist at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and first author of the study, said in a statement.
Using strontium analysis — an element which gets into our bones and teeth and reflects the geography of our diets — the team concluded that the majority of the skulls at the first site came from nonlocal people, while the majority of those at the second site belonged to members of the local community. Perhaps the practice was more complex than previously thought …
Something for the weekend
If you’re looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best long reads, book excerpts and interviews published this week.
—Thutmose II tomb discovery raises new mysteries: Where is his mummy, and why wasn’t he buried in the Valley of the Kings?
—Why America is losing its 50-year ‘war on cancer,’ according to scientist Nafis Hasan
—China is building a space telescope to rival the JWST — and it could survive in orbit decades longer
And something for the sky watchers
—’Planet parade’ 2025: See the ultra-rare planetary alignment peak this week, before Saturn gets swallowed by the sunset
Science in motion
For nearly a decade, researchers in Svalbard have been gathering camera footage from outside the dens of female polar bears and their cubs. They have now released extremely rare footage of three cubs leaving their snowy dens for the very first time.
This might sound unremarkable, but polar bear denning is notoriously difficult to study. Momma bears construct their dens underground in hard to access areas, like the steep slopes of a mountain. However, learning more about their denning behavior is an essential step toward being able to better protect this vulnerable species.
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