Teodora Radojkovic
Mr. Patrick Youell
9B Science
January 21. 2016.
SCIENCE NEWS 2015
Two thousand and fifteen was certainly the year of big science news. This blogpost shows three of many news from last year that I found very interesting. These news are:
1.New human species
2.New views of planet Mars
3.New antibiotic after 30 years
NEW HUMAN SPECIES
In 2015. Scientists have found new human fossil called Homo naledi. In September, Lee Berger led the researches of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. They found 1500 fossil specimens that represent at least 15 individuals of a new human species, at least new to science. The H. naledi assemblage includes nearly every bone in the body-many more than have been recovered for most other extinct Homo species.
Berger wanted to announce his findings of the possible new human species by the end of 2014. So he had to analyze bones quickly. He had scientists come from 15 different countries, 20-odd senior scientists and more than 30 young scientists.
Number 1: skeleton of h.naledi
Number 2: Monitors in the command center follow excavation in the cave by Elliot and Becca Peixotto
Dr. Joe Michalski, Mars researcher at the Natural History Museum in London mentioned that life can not only survive but thrive in the conditions that are “extreme” in comparison of what is habitable for human. He goes on by saying “On Earth, whenever we find water, we find life”. Scientists and astronomers have found water in ice form and in structures of many types of minerals, which lead us to a theory that there was life on Mars and possibly can be.
NASA also says that something happened to the Red planet so she lost all of the “life” she might had.
This announcement may not be rivers and seas, but even the smallest amount of water on the other planet and possible life on other planet is big news for astronauts and future investigation and may just make sending astronauts to Mars a lot easier.
NEW ANTIBIOTIC AFTER 30 YEARS
Humans started making antibiotics in 1940s. Before 1960s they have made more than 20 new classes of antibiotic, but since then, only two.
A team of scientists led by Kim Lewis have identified new antibiotic called teixobactin. Teixobactin kills some kinds of bacteria, and it does it by preventing them from building their outer coats. They did a successful test on infected mice, but when they tried to, on purpose, evolve strains of bacteria that resist the drug, they failed. Teixobactin appears resistant to resistance.
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/01/07/antibiotic-resistance-teixobactin/
But what is really interesting is how scientists found it. They developed a device called an iChip. iChip can allow scientists to explore almost untouched wilds for other antibiotics and unknown chemicals, and soon, it could maybe be used to find other types of drugs or potential energy sources.
“Even more mystifying is what the bones may reveal about H. naledi’s behavior. When researchers find fossils of human ancestors, they typically spot animal bones in the vicinity, too. But no animal remains accompanied the H. naledi fossils, apart from a smattering of small bird and rodent bones. That absence of medium- to large-size animals is among the evidence that suggests the cave chamber was inaccessible to such creatures, and that H. naledi took pains to dispose of its dead there. Such behavior was thought to be exclusive to the large-brained anatomically modern humans (and possibly Neandertals). Yet H. naledi’s brain was the size of an orange.” –Kate Wong
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-s-top-10-science-stories-of-20151/
While working, scientist Lucas Delezene found a fossil pile of 190 teeth - a critical part of any analysis, since teeth alone are often enough to identify a species. But these teeth weren’t like anything the scientists in the “tooth booth” had ever seen. Some features were astonishingly humanlike—the molar crowns were small, for instance, with five cusps like ours. But the premolar roots were weirdly primitive. “We’re not sure what to make of these,” Delezene said. “It’s crazy.”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/
Number 3: H.Naledi’s hand has curved fingers, which is a clue that they were able to climb trees and rocks. The thumb and wrist are looking modern.
Number 4: H. naledi is much closer to appearance to H. erectus or “Turkana boy”(right side) than to australopithecines, such as Lucy. (left side).
But it possesses enough traits shared with no other member of our genus that it warrants a new species name.
Scientists still need to find the age of H. naledi which has raised more questions than it has been answered.
NEW VIEWS OF PLANET MARS
The astronomers have had pictures of Mars since early 70’s, from first spacecraft to orbit Mars. It has been suggested that water once flowed on the surface of Mars. In September 2015. this theory was confirmed by NASA’s Dr. Jim Green at the press conference in Washington DC.
The evidence that water existed on Red planet come from dark streaks that appear on the surface of it.
Number 1: picture from Mars (source: NASA)
Now, however, strong evidence for them being driven by water has been collected by an instrument called CRISM on board Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It has seen the signature of salts known as perchlorates in the dark streaks. These indicate that flowing salty water is responsible for the markings.”
(Pictures from NASA)
http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2015/sep/28/water-on-mars-buildup-to-nasa-mystery-solved-announcement-live
They go on by saying that NASA is on their way of finding where the water comes from and how much of it is down there.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-s-top-10-science-stories-of-20151/
While working, scientist Lucas Delezene found a fossil pile of 190 teeth - a critical part of any analysis, since teeth alone are often enough to identify a species. But these teeth weren’t like anything the scientists in the “tooth booth” had ever seen. Some features were astonishingly humanlike—the molar crowns were small, for instance, with five cusps like ours. But the premolar roots were weirdly primitive. “We’re not sure what to make of these,” Delezene said. “It’s crazy.”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/
Number 3: H.Naledi’s hand has curved fingers, which is a clue that they were able to climb trees and rocks. The thumb and wrist are looking modern.
Number 4: H. naledi is much closer to appearance to H. erectus or “Turkana boy”(right side) than to australopithecines, such as Lucy. (left side).
But it possesses enough traits shared with no other member of our genus that it warrants a new species name.
Scientists still need to find the age of H. naledi which has raised more questions than it has been answered.
NEW VIEWS OF PLANET MARS
The astronomers have had pictures of Mars since early 70’s, from first spacecraft to orbit Mars. It has been suggested that water once flowed on the surface of Mars. In September 2015. this theory was confirmed by NASA’s Dr. Jim Green at the press conference in Washington DC.
The evidence that water existed on Red planet come from dark streaks that appear on the surface of it.
Number 1: picture from Mars (source: NASA)
Now, however, strong evidence for them being driven by water has been collected by an instrument called CRISM on board Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It has seen the signature of salts known as perchlorates in the dark streaks. These indicate that flowing salty water is responsible for the markings.”
(Pictures from NASA)
http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2015/sep/28/water-on-mars-buildup-to-nasa-mystery-solved-announcement-live
They go on by saying that NASA is on their way of finding where the water comes from and how much of it is down there.
First picture was taken in 2003. and it shows
dark streaks water escaping at the surface of Mars.
Dark narrow streaks recurring slope emanate out of the walls of Garni crater on Mars. (second picture)
Photograph: Nasa/AFP/Getty Images
dark streaks water escaping at the surface of Mars.
Dark narrow streaks recurring slope emanate out of the walls of Garni crater on Mars. (second picture)
Photograph: Nasa/AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Joe Michalski, Mars researcher at the Natural History Museum in London mentioned that life can not only survive but thrive in the conditions that are “extreme” in comparison of what is habitable for human. He goes on by saying “On Earth, whenever we find water, we find life”. Scientists and astronomers have found water in ice form and in structures of many types of minerals, which lead us to a theory that there was life on Mars and possibly can be.
NASA also says that something happened to the Red planet so she lost all of the “life” she might had.
This announcement may not be rivers and seas, but even the smallest amount of water on the other planet and possible life on other planet is big news for astronauts and future investigation and may just make sending astronauts to Mars a lot easier.
NEW ANTIBIOTIC AFTER 30 YEARS
Humans started making antibiotics in 1940s. Before 1960s they have made more than 20 new classes of antibiotic, but since then, only two.
A team of scientists led by Kim Lewis have identified new antibiotic called teixobactin. Teixobactin kills some kinds of bacteria, and it does it by preventing them from building their outer coats. They did a successful test on infected mice, but when they tried to, on purpose, evolve strains of bacteria that resist the drug, they failed. Teixobactin appears resistant to resistance.
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/01/07/antibiotic-resistance-teixobactin/
But what is really interesting is how scientists found it. They developed a device called an iChip. iChip can allow scientists to explore almost untouched wilds for other antibiotics and unknown chemicals, and soon, it could maybe be used to find other types of drugs or potential energy sources.
Lewis's team is going to keep on doing tests on other animals. They will also try to make it more dissolved which will allow them to get higher doses, and of course, use iChip to find other potential drugs.
Teixobactin will have to go through years of testing to be proven safe and effective, of course, but it is still a start.
Teixobactin will have to go through years of testing to be proven safe and effective, of course, but it is still a start.
These are all different topics but, I am sure that scientists will look for more evidence and find out more news.
In conclusion, I found these three news absorbing and I think that they will be really important for the future.
WWW: The information is interesting, you went into detail, it is well organised
ReplyDeleteEBI: Better subtitles for the topics
EBI: Pictures were not numbered
ReplyDeleteWWW: Referance to locations and people