New Delhi: A new study has taken us one step closer to understanding the origins of water on the Moon.
According to a new paper in the PNAS journal published this week, scientists have found two possible theories—lunar water originated from a meteorite that is also said to be responsible for Early Earth formation, or from comets that struck the Moon’s surface.
The scientists conducted something known as a triple oxygen isotope technique, which basically analysed three of oxygen’s stable isotopes in lunar dust samples from the Apollo mission. This isotopic analysis found that one of the main contributors to water on the Moon’s surface is a type of meteorite known as enstatite chondrites.
These are also meteorites linked with water formation on the Earth’s surface.
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According to the study, the second biggest contributor to lunar water is comets, another result of the isotope analysis of lunar dust.
As studies and experiments on the moon’s conditions for habitation continue at a fast pace, a study like this is well-timed to help us understand more about the origins of water, an essential life component, on the lunar surface. Read more here.
Remains from 4,000-yr-old massacre
A study by archaeologists at the University of Oxford seems straight out of a grizzly murder novel. While studying the bones and remains of 30 men, women and children found in the Charterhouse Warren site in England dating back to 4,000 years ago in the Early Bronze Age, researchers have made startling discoveries on how they died.
Earlier believed to be bodies from a single community, researchers now feel these people died a violent death. After analysing blunt force trauma and injuries to the bones, researchers came to the conclusion that they were massacred, cut into pieces, and even consumed before being thrown into the shaft, where their bodies were discovered.
The archaeologists found evidence that cannibalism occurred at the same time as death, and they also found cattle bones alongside the dead.
The study explains how this indicates consumption of humans was not out of ‘need’ but more a ritualistic display of power over the dead. This study puts into perspective our ideas about Early Bronze Age-England and social relations at that time. Read more here.
Are squirrels carnivorous?
Squirrels can be carnivorous and have been spotted killing and eating mouse-like rodents called voles. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have just published a paper with these findings in the Journal of Ethology.
The authors observed California ground squirrels regularly hunt and eat voles across 74 different observations they carried out earlier this year. These were squirrels of all ages and sexes, and the scientists put forth the idea that these animals, usually known for eating nuts and fruits only, are opportunistic and respond to the availability of prey around them.
While they did not actively hunt other animals, voles were their common targets. This study brings a new angle into our understanding of squirrels, their dietary preferences, and their adaptability in an environment. Read more here.
Baby heart rates fluctuate when they speak
A new study by scientists in Texas shows that first-time infants make sounds or talk closely linked to their heart rate. When infants talk or even make the first noises or babbles, it is not only a result of speech and voice muscles but also a cognitive function that involves multiple muscles and bodily responses.
The authors sampled 2,708 vocalisations by 34 infants and found linkages between their fluctuating heart rate and the timing of the speech. When the heart rate is at a local peak or trough, the infants are more likely to make vocalisations and sounds. This means that the timing of speech in infants is directly related to the fluctuations in their heart rate.
The study could have an impact on studying language development in children and also understanding early onset speech disorders. Read more here.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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