Science news this week: A human population isolated for 100,000 years, the biggest spinning structure in the universe, and a pit full of skulls

The biggest science news this week took us to a region 140 million light years away, where scientists discovered the largest rotating object in the known universe. The huge rotating filament is wider than the Milky Way and is connected to a chain of 14 galaxies, astronomers have discovered. The filament rotates at about 68 miles per second (110 kilometers per second).Closer to home, researchers have turned to southern Africa, where a human the population has been genetically isolated for 100,000 years.The study focused on a number of 10,000-year-old human skeletons discovered south of the Limpopo River, which rises in South Africa and flows east through Mozambique to the ocean. All the remains of people who lived more than 1,400 years ago had a radically different genetic makeup than modern humans. These people “constitute the extreme end of human genetic variation,” the researchers write in the study.On the other side of the world, archaeologists from China discovered a huge pit of skulls outside the gates of a 4,000-year-old city. What intrigued archaeologists, however, was that almost all of the skulls came from men – a stark departure from the pattern of human sacrifice found in other nearby settlements. Archaeologists have also been baffled by an elaborate 2,700-year-old tomb in Greece that contained a woman wearing an upside-down crown.In some disconcerting news of modern times, a massive ecosystem engineering project launched in China decades ago had unexpected consequences. As part of the Great Green Wall, China has launched a vast tree planting project to combat desertification. But while those efforts were successful, they also changed precipitation and evaporation patterns across the country, leading to lower water levels in some of the country's most populated regions, a new analysis found.Speaking of deserts, World's hottest temperature record, set in Death Valley in 1913, may be due to human errornew research reveals. And in Europe, the collapse of key Atlantic current could lead to centuries of drought.Our favorite interstellar visitor is erupting Comet 3I/ATLAS appears to have spiral jets erupting from its surface, which could be a sign of "ice volcanoes." (Image credit: Josep M. Trigo-Rodríguez/B06 Montseny Observatory)The world has been fascinated by the interstellar visiting comet 3I/ATLAS since it appeared in our consciousness in July. Since then, we have learned a lot about the cosmic intruder, which is not an alien spaceship.Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.Researchers have now observed the fast space rock using the Joan Oró telescope at the Montsec Observatory in northeastern Spain and compared its observations with those made by other observatories in the region. The team noticed that the comet warmed and brightened rapidly as it approached the sun, indicating that ice was sublimating on its surface. This would make 3I/ATLAS similar to other objects in our solar system, such as dwarf planets orbiting beyond Neptune.Discover more space news — James Webb Telescope spots strange 'super-puff' planet frantically chasing its own atmosphere through space— An extra-solar planet once orbited near Earth – and maybe that's why we have a moon—Russia accidentally destroys its only working launch pad as astronauts blast off to the ISSThe little mysteries of life How do our dreams change as we age? (Image credit: FreshSplash via Getty Images)Dreaming is an almost universal human experience. But there can be huge variations in how vivid, realistic, or memorable dreams are across different people. But what about dreams of the same person? Do they change as a person ages?—If you liked this, sign up for our newsletter Life's Little MysteriesMaking water from scratch This week, MIT engineers described a way to extract water from the air. (Image credit: Ikra Iftekhar (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0))MIT researchers have found a way to suck water from the air and turn it into drinkable water – and the process only takes a few minutes. Older evaporative water collection systems cool humid air or use sponge materials to absorb water vapor and condense it into droplets. Earlier versions typically rely on sunlight to power evaporation, which can take hours or days and does not work in dry regions.The new method uses sound waves to shake liquid from sponges and is 45 times more effective than evaporation alone, researchers say. However, one of the challenges of the new device is that it requires a power source, but the researchers believe they can get around this by pairing their device with a solar cell.Discover more technology news—When an AI algorithm is labeled “feminine,” people are more likely to exploit it—New 'physics shortcut' lets laptops solve quantum problems once reserved for supercomputers and AIAlso in science news this week—The Law of “Maximum Randomness” Explains How Broken Objects Break in the Most Annoying Way Possible—Injecting an anesthetic into a “lazy eye” could correct it, according to a first study—Anacondas grew massive 12 million years ago – and it worked so well they haven't changed size since—Volcanic eruption triggered 'butterfly effect' that led to Black Death, researchers sayBeyond the headlines New discoveries of carbon-free helium tanks are revolutionizing the industry. (Image credit: Pulsar Helium)Helium is used in MRI machines, superconductors and quantum computers – and a massive shortage is looming. Historically, helium was only found in tiny quantities alongside natural gas, making the extraction of usable helium a huge source of carbon emissions.But like the editor of Live Science Sascha Paré discovery, a handful of huge reservoirs of highly concentrated, carbon-free helium have changed the geological situation.Could this help us find other massive caches of helium – and solve the helium shortage?Something for the weekendIf you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best interviews, opinion pieces, and science stories published this week.—“Intelligence comes at a price, and for many species the benefits simply aren't worth it”: A neuroscientist's take on the evolution of human intellect [Book extract]—Your AI-generated image of a cat riding a banana exists because children are scratching the dirt for toxic elements. Is it really worth it? [Opinion]—History of science: a computer scientist exposes “Moore’s law”, which has guided the design of chips for half a century – December 2, 1964 [Science history]Science in motion Thanks to this discovery, Carreras Pampa, Bolivia, became one of the main dinosaur track sites in the world. (Image credit: Raúl Esperante)During excavations at the Carreras Pampa site in Bolivia, scientists discovered more than 18,000 fossilized dinosaur footprints and swimming marks. The vast trail of ancient footprints spans an area of 80,570 square feet (7,485 square meters), and the sheer size of the area is visible in a video taken by researchers at the site.Follow Live Science on social mediaWant more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp Channel for the latest discoveries as they happen. It's the best way to get our expert reports on the go, but if you don't use WhatsApp, we're here too Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Flipchart, Instagram, TikTok, Blue sky And LinkedIn.