Science news this week: AMOC’s collapse signal, the sun’s galactic migration, the world’s smallest QR code and oil’s dying days
This week’s science news was full of archaeological treasure discoveries, starting with the revelation that a foundation stone of a Czech garden barn had been actually a mold of a Bronze Age spearhead.
The mold, carved from ancient volcanic rock and dating to around 1350 BC, is a relic of the ancient Urnfield culture, a late Bronze Age culture of Central Europe known for burying its cremated dead in urns across the Carpathian Basin and beyond. Making uniform weapons with molds like these made it easier for armed conflicts to continue, while also increasing the political and commercial influence of the peoples of the region.
The Gulf Stream powers the AMOC
The Atlantic Southerly Overturning Circulation (AMOC) brings warm weather to Europe and is a conveyor belt of carbon and nutrients across the world. Yet while fresh water flowing from the melting Greenland ice sheet is expected to sap this vital ocean current of its strength, and potentially even push it toward collapse, scientists have yet to find direct signs of this phenomenon.
All that may have changed this week, however, with news of a new modeling study that clearly points to a compelling argument for the weakening of the AMOC – the deviation of the Gulf Stream’s path further north along the U.S. coast. Disturbingly, satellite data shows that this change may already have begun.
Discover more news about planet Earth
—California’s wildfire season is changing, with more fires occurring after the traditional high-risk window, study finds
—The Congo Basin’s “Blackwater” lakes and rivers are now emitting ancient carbon into the atmosphere
—A gem-filled river and striped mountain ridge form a huge ‘Y’ in China’s revitalized desert — Earth from space
The little mysteries of life
Anything that blocks light casts a shadow, including the Earth itself. But where can we spot the shadow of our planet? We asked a few astronomers, and it turns out that, under the right conditions, you can spot the Earth’s shadow every day.
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The sun’s migration through the Milky Way saved life on Earth
Our Sun was born 4.6 billion years ago near the bustling center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, but new research suggests that the existence of life on our planet is linked to a 10,000 light-year migration of our star to its present-day galactic suburbs.
The new study used the Gaia space telescope to analyze the ages, temperatures and composition of our sun and map more than 6,000 stellar “twins.” The results showed that moving our solar system to a calmer environment – away from energetic events such as supernovas – could be what gave life a chance to flourish on Earth.
Discover more space news
—‘Interstellar messenger’ 3I/ATLAS could be almost as old as the universe itself, James Webb telescope observations reveal
—Earth-shattering collision of black hole and neutron star could upend our understanding of monstrous cosmic mergers
—Exceptionally rare observations of planet collisions could shed light on the crash that formed the Moon
Also in science news this week
—Scientists use ‘negative light’ to send secret messages hidden in heat
—Generative AI can amplify and strengthen our illusions, findings show
—Scientists crushed microbes in a steel “sandwich” and made a profound discovery about life in space.
—‘Rectal insertion of garlic for immune support’: Medical chatbots confidently give disastrously wrong advice, experts say
—Falling meteorite punches hole in roof of German house after spectacular ‘fireball’ explosion over Europe
—Giant 10-person “flying taxi” passes first flight test in China
Spotlight on science
Oil is again at the center of the news this week. Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most vital oil transit chokepoint — in response to the U.S.-Israel war with the Middle Eastern country has sent oil prices soaring to more than $100 a barrel.
As the global economy reels from what the International Energy Agency said would be “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,” Live Science investigated recently. how the world can free itself from the political and environmental disaster of fossil fuelsand discovered that he might one day go the way of whale blubber.
Something for the weekend
If you’re looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best articles, crosswords and opinion pieces published this week.
—Diagnostic dilemma: a woman born without a vagina or cervix then conceived a son naturally [Feature]
—Live Science Crossword #33: The “E” in E =mc^2 — 2 down [Crossword]
—AI has just verified a proof that earned it one of the most prestigious prizes in mathematics. Mathematics will never be the same [Opinion]
Scientific news in pictures
It might not seem like much, but that’s because, at least physically, it’s not.
Measuring just 3.07 × 10⁻⁹ square inches (1.98 square micrometers) and created by etching a grid onto a ceramic film using an ion beam, it is the world’s smallest QR code. It is captured here by an electron microscope (the wavelengths of visible light are too thick to resolve it).
And if you’re wondering what it’s for, rest assured that the scientists who created it aren’t trying to design the world’s most boring restaurant menu. Instead, they think their tiny codes could provide an attractive alternative to using easily overwritten magnetic tapes for long-term data storage.
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