This week’s biggest stories
The Nobels were awarded this week, and the incredible work of some extraordinary minds was duly feted, covering areas as diverse as gravitational waves, circadian rhythms and cryo-electron microscopy. However, frustrated classicist that I am, the news that really had me wild with excitement was the news that the Antikythera shipwreck has yielded all sorts of fresh treasures. These include something that just might, maybe, maybe be part of the Antikythera mechanism (squee!) and a bronze arm. With metal detection results indicating that there are seven to nine statues beneath the seabed, it’s going to be hard to wait a year to find out what they’re able to recover. However, there’s no shortage of other intriguing archeology afoot at the moment as reports that Santa Claus’s tomb may have been unearthed show. But if that doesn’t seem like sufficient distraction, do ponder the strange and puzzling notions of pug cafes and drive-by sex toy hacking. And after all that sleep well – you need it.
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Talking point of the week
Look, we need to talk about diversity in science, in terms of both gender and race. Awards like the Nobels have an important part to play in promoting role models, and with huge numbers of collaborators on every research project nowadays, let’s hope we start to see a more diverse selection of laureates and emerging scientific leaders in future.
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Straight from the lab – top picks from our experts on the blog network
Smallest Ichthyosaurus ever found was squid-eating newborn, research reveals | Lost Worlds Revisited
Ichthyosaur fossils often make for dramatic storytelling. Many specimens have been found that show us one of the group’s key adaptations to a fully aquatic life: they gave birth to live young, the skeletons of which can be seen within the mother’s body. Some specimens even appear to show animals caught in the very act of giving birth, although the reality is probably rather less romantic: a build-up of gases in the decaying carcass probably pushed the embryo halfway out of the birth canal (something which can be seen today in stranded pregnant whale carcasses).
Archaeology and blockchain: a social science data revolution? | The Past and the Curious
Everyone from financial markets and politicians to libertarians and doomsday savers are taking an interested in blockchain. Many of these individuals are not focused on the currencies, but the use of blockchain as a means to store and share data. It can create a record of assets that cannot be tampered with and it is being tested for assets such as homes and cars, organic food and sustainable fisheries, and, of course, artifacts.
Could the theory which predicted gravitational waves be wrong? | Life and Physics
Einstein’s theory of General Relativity is elegant and accurate. It makes many correct predictions, including the prediction of gravitational waves, the observation of which won the Nobel Prize in physics this week. Yet if we use General Relativity to predict the motion of galaxies, we get the wrong answer ...
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Science Weekly podcast
This week’s podcast features Marcus du Sautoy, helping to unfold a brief history of counting. How and when did counting come about? How important was it for our survival? And how exactly does counting help us reach the unreachable?
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Eye on science – this week’s top video
Just in case you needed a reminder!
