Buzz
As another week wraps up, let's take a moment to reflect on some of the most fascinating stories that made the news. Click here for a deeper dive into the significant global events, or keep reading for a look at the more unusual and quirky highlights.
The past few days were filled with space-related headlines, especially concerning Mars. The Red Planet had quite a week, with revelations about an underground lake, a monumental dust storm (more on that below), and discussions about naming a new Mars rover. (Yes, 'Rover McRoverface' was considered.) We also explored some curious animal behaviors, the idea of an Olympic Games for robots, and footage of the world’s loneliest man.
10. DARPA is Organizing the Olympics for Tiny Robots
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has unveiled a new project aimed at creating tiny robots designed to operate in challenging environments where larger machines fail. This initiative, called SHort-Range Independent Microrobotic Platforms (SHRIMP), will accept proposals from external teams, with the most innovative robots competing in a series of ‘Olympic-style’ contests.
Founded 60 years ago, DARPA is a division of the United States Department of Defense. It has previously organized ambitious challenges to drive cutting-edge research with military applications. According to SHRIMP program lead Dr. Ronald Polcawich, this time the objective is to create technologies that could aid in disaster relief, emergency rescue, prosthetics, and steerable optics. DARPA plans to allocate $32 million to the projects selected for SHRIMP.
The first phase of the program involves receiving and evaluating proposals for suitable robots. To qualify, robots must be smaller than a cubic centimeter and weigh less than a gram. The top designs will eventually be built and pitted against each other in a series of competitions, including steeplechase, vertical climbs, shot put, weightlifting, and rock stacking. The SHRIMP Olympics are scheduled for 2021.
9. Andromeda Devoured Our Neighboring Galaxy
A recent study published in Nature Astronomy suggests that there was once a galaxy similar to our Milky Way, which was “consumed” by Andromeda approximately two billion years ago.
The Milky Way and Andromeda are part of a larger collection of galaxies known as the Local Group, which includes over 50 galaxies. However, these two are by far the largest. Research from the University of Michigan (UM) reveals that a third galaxy of comparable size once existed but was absorbed during a merger with Andromeda.
The idea that Andromeda, or Messier 31 (M31), tends to absorb nearby galaxies isn’t new. This was precisely the focus of UM researchers Richard D’Souza and Eric Bell’s study. While running computer simulations to reconstruct ancient galactic mergers, they had an epiphany: they discovered that the stars found in the distant outer regions of Andromeda’s “halo” originated from a single galactic merger.
Further simulations uncovered new details about the Milky Way’s lost sibling, named M32p. This galaxy was at least 20 times more massive than any galaxy our own has collided with and merged with Andromeda around two billion years ago. Surprisingly, researchers now believe that M32, the current satellite galaxy orbiting Andromeda, is the remnant of the long-lost galaxy, left behind after Andromeda’s cosmic feast.
8. Amazon Video Reveals Last Surviving Member of Isolated Tribe
Brazilian authorities have recently made public a rare video showing an indigenous man residing in the Amazon, who is thought to be the last known survivor of an uncontacted tribe.
The footage, owned by the National Indian Foundation (Funai), was filmed back in 2011. Initially, the organization refrained from releasing it due to the inability to obtain the man’s consent. However, they ultimately decided to share the video in hopes of raising awareness about the struggles of over 100 isolated tribes in the Amazon whose lands are under threat from loggers, miners, and farmers.
It is believed that the last members of this man’s tribe were killed around 1995 or 1996 during an encounter with ranchers. Since then, Funai has been monitoring him from a distance, though they made an attempt to establish contact in 2005, only to be met by a barrage of arrows.
Apart from that single attempt at contact, the tribesman has been living alone in the jungle for more than twenty years. The only other known image of him is a frame from a documentary filmed in the early 1990s, where his face is partially obscured by foliage. His tracking team refers to him as “the Indian in the hole” due to a distinctive pit he dug. Their last sighting was in 2016, but they continue to track signs of his presence, such as footprints, planted fruit, and cut trees.
7. Why Do Crows Engage in Sexual Behavior With the Deceased?
Crows, known for their high intelligence, exhibit complex behaviors when it comes to dealing with their dead. They will signal other crows to the presence of a body, avoid areas or people linked to the death of their kin, and sometimes even gather around the deceased to hold what could be described as a “funeral.” On rare occasions, they may even engage in sexual behavior with the corpse.
Necrophilia in animals remains a poorly understood phenomenon, but thanks to a recent study by University of Washington student Kaeli Swift, we now have more insight into the behavior of crows regarding this practice.
In 2015, Swift was attempting to capture footage of a crow “funeral” while filming a taxidermied bird. To her surprise, another crow arrived and began displaying courtship behaviors, such as flaring its wings and bobbing its tail. This led her to expand her study, using a variety of taxidermied animals to observe the behaviors of hundreds of crows.
Her study analyzed the interactions of 309 breeding pairs of crows. Of these, 24% of the birds interacted physically with the corpses, and 4% attempted to engage in sexual activity with them. Interestingly, many of these necrophilic behaviors were accompanied by aggressive actions such as mutilation and dismemberment.
Regarding the possible motivation, Swift suggests it might be linked to hormonal activity. Her research was conducted from April to August, coinciding with the breeding season. Most necrophilic behavior occurred during late spring, when crow testosterone levels peak. While some experts agree, they believe a winter study could provide further clarity.
6. Martian Dust Storm Could Wipe Out Opportunity Rover
While Earth grapples with a scorching heatwave, Mars is facing its own atmospheric challenge—a series of storms have generated a dust cloud so massive that it’s nearly enveloped the entire planet.
This kind of event happens roughly every six to eight years. What started as a localized storm on May 30 quickly grew to a global scale in under a month. It has now become the most powerful dust storm ever observed on Mars, and it’s expected to persist for at least a few more months.
Scientists are still uncertain about how such a storm forms or progresses, which is why they’ve deployed every available tool to study the phenomenon. Instruments like the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, Curiosity, and Mars Odyssey are all actively monitoring the situation.
The Opportunity rover, however, has been notably silent. Despite being active on the Martian surface, it hasn’t sent any data since July 18. Since the rover relies on solar energy, NASA scientists have temporarily halted its scientific operations to protect its batteries. The thick dust layer might insulate the rover, shielding it from dangerously low nighttime temperatures, but it could also take weeks or even months for the dust to settle. NASA predicts that communication with Opportunity might not resume until September, and until then, the fate of the rover remains unknown as it rides out the Martian storm.
5. We Unveiled Another Untouched Tomb
A tomb discovered in Alexandria sparked a great deal of buzz in the media recently. Having remained sealed for over 2,000 years, it contained a mysterious black sarcophagus. Speculation ran wild, with some even suggesting it could be the lost resting place of Alexander the Great. But when we opened it, the results were underwhelming. However, this week, a similar find in Greece went largely unnoticed. Archaeologists uncovered an untouched grave on the island of Sikinos.
This time, however, the tomb’s contents did not disappoint. The skeleton was well-preserved, her jewelry still intact, and thanks to an inscription, we even know her name—Neko. She was a noblewoman buried around 1,800 years ago during the Roman period within the vault of the Episkopi Monument. The structure was later repurposed as a Byzantine church, but Greek archaeologists now think it was originally built as a mausoleum for Neko herself.
Among the items found with the skeleton were golden rings, wristbands, a necklace, a buckle, vases, and fragments of clothing. Dimitris Athanassoulis, the director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades, believes the grave was spared from looters due to its concealed location in a hidden spot between two walls. Scholars are now eager to uncover more about Neko and her possible connections to the island of Sikinos.
4. Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel Takes Her Final Bow
After nearly four decades in the spotlight, Twiggy the water-skiing squirrel is hanging up her skis for good. The 39-year-old sensation gave her final performance on Sunday at the X Games in Minneapolis.
For those who might not know, squirrels typically don’t have long lifespans. In fact, this is the seventh Twiggy to don Styrofoam skis and race across a pool towed by a remote-controlled boat. Twiggy’s “mom,” Lou Ann Best, has trained all of the squirrels. She found the first one as an orphan after Hurricane David in 1979 and noticed it enjoyed riding on people’s shoulders while they swam.
Twiggy’s fame took her beyond the pool, making appearances in films and TV shows, including a cameo as Nutty the water-skiing squirrel in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Lou Ann has used her show to teach children about water safety ever since her husband tragically drowned more than twenty years ago. Now, she plans to retire to a senior living community, and Twiggy will be accompanying her. She’s open to selling the business to someone willing to continue the tradition of water safety education.
3. Star Confirms Einstein's Theory
One of the phenomena predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity is gravitational redshift. This occurs when light emitted by an object moving towards something with an intense gravitational field is stretched into longer wavelengths, causing it to appear redder. While lab experiments had demonstrated this effect, it had never been directly observed in space—until now. Scientists finally caught the moment when a star passing near a black hole at the center of our galaxy showed clear signs of gravitational redshift.
Astronomers first began tracking the star, known as S2, in the early 1990s. Since then, they have patiently followed its elliptical orbit around the black hole, located approximately 26,000 light-years from Earth.
S2 made its closest approach on May 18 this year, an event watched by instruments from across the globe. As the star reached its periapsis, it accelerated to 7,600 kilometers per second (4,700 mi/s), or three percent of the speed of light. Results from an international team of scientists, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, confirmed that the light emitted by the star was altered by the black hole's gravitational pull, resulting in redshift.
2. Naturists Face Off Against Crested Larks
A proposal by Belgian naturists to establish a second nudist beach in the country was met with resistance from wildlife officials, who raised concerns that the activities of beachgoers could threaten the local population of crested larks.
Currently, Belgium only has one nudist beach, located in Bredene. Koen Meulemans, chair of the Belgian Naturism Federation, argues that this is insufficient, as more and more people are seeking holiday destinations where they can shed their clothes and immerse themselves in nature. The federation boasts 17 clubs and 8,200 paying members, an increase of 600 members in the past two years. A secluded spot near Westende, free of buildings and dykes, seemed ideal for a second nudist beach.
However, officials from the Flemish Agency for Nature and Woodland opposed the plan, fearing it would disrupt the local population of crested larks. In particular, they are concerned that intimate activities in the dunes could disturb these protected birds. Meulemans criticized this stance, pointing out that such behavior is not typical of true naturists, though it does occur.
Initially, the solution proposed was to build a barbed wire fence around the dunes where the larks breed. However, this idea was quickly dismissed by Bredene's mayor, Steve Vandenberghe, who argued that barbed wire would be ineffective in deterring a man without clothes.
1. A New Scale for Measuring Alien Encounters
A group of researchers from the University of St. Andrews and the SETI Institute introduced an updated version of the Rio Scale, designed to assess the significance of alien-related reports.
First created in 2001, the original Rio Scale was primarily used by astronomers to inform the public about how excited they should be about stories involving potential extraterrestrial phenomena. The revamped version aims to be more relevant in the age of social media and 24-hour news cycles. The researchers hope that Rio Scale 2.0 will evolve into something akin to the Richter Scale for earthquakes, becoming the go-to tool for assessing stories involving possible alien interactions.
The scale comes with an online Rio Scale Calculator, which anyone can use to evaluate an event's significance. It factors in the probability of the event, the reliability of the source, and its potential impact on humanity, even if the event is real. The final score ranges from 0 (None) to 10 (Extraordinary). Rio Scale 2.0 is awaiting formal approval from the International Academy of Astronautics Permanent Committee.
