This week a 390-million-year-old forest in England snatches the title for the world’s oldest forest, geologists conclude we’re not yet living in the Anthropocene, and Asian elephants have been observed burying and loudly mourning for their dead calves. Finally, we investigate all four of Earth’s hemispheres.
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We Just Got One Step Closer To Seeing A Live Mammoth By 2028
A world-first achievement has been announced by de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences, who have set themselves the goal of creating a woolly mammoth by 2028. Using a multi-pronged approach, their woolly mammoth team say they’ve unlocked how to “reprogram” an elephant in creating stem cell-like cells that can differentiate into the three germ layers needed to give rise to every cell type in the body. Read the full story here
At 390 Million Years Old, England Just Usurped The US For Oldest Forest On Earth
We know it’s been mere months since we told you the world’s oldest forest is in New York state, but scratch that: it’s actually in southwest England. At 390 million years old, a bunch of fossilized trees on the other side of the Atlantic has supplanted the US’s record by several million years. Read the full story here
Geologists Conclude We Are Not Living In The Anthropocene – For Now
For over a decade, scientists have argued about whether or not we are living in a new geological epoch. Now, a committee of scientists has voted down a proposal to introduce a new geological age known as the Anthropocene, defined by humanity’s growing influence on our environment. Read the full story here
Asian Elephants Have Been Seen Burying Their Dead Calves For First Time
Funerals could easily be assumed to be a uniquely human phenomenon, but a new study appears to challenge that after researchers observed Asian elephants burying dead calves and loudly mourning for them. Both African and Asian elephants have previously been observed interacting with their dead and displaying grief-like behaviors, but the current study aimed to take it a step further by determining whether a calf’s cause of death had any effect on the behavior seen. Read the full story here
Man Takes 217 COVID-19 Vaccines In 29 Months For “Private Reasons”, Is Fine
A team of medical professionals has outlined the unusual case of a man who received 217 COVID-19 vaccinations within the space of 29 months. The unnamed male from Magdeburg, Germany, took the vaccines for “private reasons”, according to a case report. During that time, he attracted the attention of the public prosecutor of Magdeburg, who managed to confirm that he had taken 130 vaccinations but decided not to file criminal charges for fraud. Read the full story here
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Feature of the week:
People Are Only Just Learning That Earth Has Four Hemispheres
An unexpectedly controversial post popped up on social media platform X on Tuesday, stating that the island nation of Kiribati is the only country that sits in all four hemispheres. People in the replies had a lot to say (which isn’t exactly an unusual thing on this particular site) – but what kind of claims were they making, and who was right? Read the full story here
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Source Link: We’re One Step Closer To Seeing A Live Mammoth By 2028, Man Takes 217 COVID-19 Vaccines In 29 Months, And Much More This Week