🔬 Ancient Fossils, Hell Ants, and Brain-Music Connection: Weekly Science Roundup
Welcome to Science News Daily, your daily dose of fascinating discoveries from around the world of science.
In an extraordinary fossil discovery, a 62-million-year-old complete skeleton found in New Mexico is rewriting mammal history. The Mixodectes pungens, previously shrouded in mystery for over 140 years, has been revealed as a leaf-eating, tree-dwelling mammal closely related to primates and colugos.
Speaking of ancient discoveries, scientists have identified what they're calling a 'hell ant' with killer scythe jaws, dating back 113 million years. This remarkable specimen from northeastern Brazil is now the oldest ant fossil ever discovered, showing that advanced predatory traits evolved much earlier than previously thought.
In astronomical news, the world's largest telescope is taking shape beneath the stunning Milky Way in Chile's Atacama Desert. The European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope will soon become our biggest eye on the cosmos, and you can watch its construction through live webcams.
A fascinating breakthrough in materials science comes from an unexpected source - velvet worms. These creatures produce a remarkable slime that can transform from liquid to fiber and back again, a property that's remained unchanged for 400 million years. This discovery could revolutionize the development of sustainable bioplastics.
In other news, researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery about how we experience music. It turns out we don't just hear music - our brains and bodies physically resonate with it, supporting what scientists call Neural Resonance Theory.
And here's an unexpected twist in evolution: new fossil evidence suggests that echidnas, one of Earth's strangest mammals, evolved from water-dwelling ancestors rather than land-based ones. A 108-million-year-old bone found in Australia has completely changed our understanding of these unique creatures.
Lastly, in environmental news, researchers have released their 2024 sea level report cards, providing crucial forecasts for 36 coastal communities through 2050. This new interactive dashboard, incorporating 55 years of historical data, will be vital for planning and adaptation efforts in coastal regions.
That's all for today's science news. Join us tomorrow for more fascinating discoveries that continue to shape our understanding of the world around us. This is Science News Daily, signing off.
