human nature

Human Nature
The Most Interesting Science News Articles of the Week
by Live Science Staff | March 30, 2018 11:45pm ET

The Most Interesting Science News Articles of the Week
Scientists discovered the new organ, which consists of fluid-filled spaces, in the body's connective tissue, including in the skin's dermis, which is shown above as the light pink layer at the bottom of this image. Original Image
Credit: Eric V. Grave/Getty
Each week we uncover the most interesting and informative articles from around the world, here are 10 of the coolest stories in science this week.

New in the known
Scientists discovered the new organ, which consists of fluid-filled spaces, in the body's connective tissue, including in the skin's dermis, which is shown above as the light pink layer at the bottom of this image.
Scientists discovered the new organ, which consists of fluid-filled spaces, in the body's connective tissue, including in the skin's dermis, which is shown above as the light pink layer at the bottom of this image. Original Image
Credit: Eric V. Grave/Getty

With all that's known about human anatomy, you wouldn't expect doctors to discover a new body part in this day and age. But now, researchers say they've done just that: They've found a network of fluid-filled spaces in tissue that hadn't been seen before. [Read more about organ.]

The problem of dark matter
The image on the right shows the galaxy, full of "globular clusters." The image on the left shows the measurement the researchers used to track the speed of one such object.
The image on the right shows the galaxy, full of "globular clusters." The image on the left shows the measurement the researchers used to track the speed of one such object. Original Image
Credit: Gemini Observatory / NSF / AURA / W.M. Keck Observatory / Jen Miller / Joy Pollard
Here's a problem: The universe acts like it's a lot more massive than it looks.

A new paper, published today (March 28) in the journal Nature, provides compelling evidence that there really is dark matter out there and that modifying the laws of physics wouldn't by itself solve the universe's weight problem. [Read more about the claim.]

Rare find
The remains of what is likely a juvenile T. rex were discovered in Montana's Hell Creek formation.
The remains of what is likely a juvenile T. rex were discovered in Montana's Hell Creek formation. Original Image
Credit: David Burnham
Paleontologists digging in Montana have hit the dinosaur jackpot. They've uncovered what appears to be an elementary-school-age Tyrannosaurus rex, they announced Thursday (March 29). [Read more about the fossil.]

Third time's a charm
Rocketeer flat-Earther “Mad” Mike Hughes launched his Liberty One rocket on the third attempt Saturday (March 24, 2018) near Amboy, California.
Rocketeer flat-Earther “Mad” Mike Hughes launched his Liberty One rocket on the third attempt Saturday (March 24, 2018) near Amboy, California. Original Image
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews/SCNG/Zuma
A flat-Earth conspiracy theorist named Mike Hughes finally lifted off our spherical planet's surface into the skies aboard a self-made, steam-powered rocket Saturday (March 24).

His ultimate goal? Hughes reportedly wants to build what he's calling a Rockoon, or a rocket that hitches a ride into the air aboard a gas-filled balloon. The rocket would then separate and take Hughes to an altitude of 68 miles (110 kilometers), where he could then take pictures to prove the flatness of the Earth, according to the AP. One can see Earth's curvature starting at an altitude of about 6.6 miles, or 35,000 feet (10,700 m). [Read more about the launch.]

Finding perspective
Blushing is a uniquely human reaction.
Blushing is a uniquely human reaction. Original Image
Credit: Rebecca Abell Dreamstime.com
If a day goes by and you don't quietly relive the horror of some embarrassing thing you did in seventh grade, call a biologist, because you're probably not human.

When something embarrassing happens to you, chances are you focus too much on your own perspective and forget about the empathy of others. Observers probably feel for you more than you know, and judge you less than you imagine. [Read more about the study.]

Uncovering the past
A digitally enhanced photo of footprint found on Calvert Island, in British Columbia.
A digitally enhanced photo of footprint found on Calvert Island, in British Columbia. Original Image
Credit: Duncan McLaren
About 13,000 years ago, two shoeless adults and a child squished their bare feet through wet clay near the water's edge, leaving footprints that still exist today.

The researchers made the remarkable discovery on Calvert Island, located off the western coast of British Columbia, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Vancouver Island. [Read more about the print.]

A Vanished Population
Aerial photo of site Mt05, a circular enclosure (140 m diameter) located on a hilltop, was uncovered during surveys of the Amazon. This and other earthworks reveal that the Amazon was once densely populated before the arrival of Columbus.
Aerial photo of site Mt05, a circular enclosure (140 m diameter) located on a hilltop, was uncovered during surveys of the Amazon. This and other earthworks reveal that the Amazon was once densely populated before the arrival of Columbus. Original Image
Credit: José Iriarte
Mysterious geoglyphs and a host of other earthworks in the Amazon rainforest suggest that the now-sparsely populated region was home to up to 1 million people before the arrival of Columbus, a new study finds. [Read more about the culture.]

A Sign of the Times
Northern Atlantic right whales typically reproduce during winter migration to warmer waters — but not this year.
Northern Atlantic right whales typically reproduce during winter migration to warmer waters — but not this year. Original Image
Credit: Shutterstock
Researchers who have been observing migrating North Atlantic right whales, which are endangered, are troubled by what they found this season: no sign of any newborns.

Of the 450 whales, only about 105 are breeding females, NOAA reported in the statement. Producing fewer calves — or none at all — means that their dwindling numbers won't be replenished, and the populations will eventually die out. [Read more about the species.]

A Sad, Strange Find
A mysterious, medieval skeleton discovered in Italy shows signs of a "coffin birth" and primitive brain surgery.
A mysterious, medieval skeleton discovered in Italy shows signs of a "coffin birth" and primitive brain surgery. Original Image
Credit: Pasini et al./World Neurosurgery/Elsevier
In a cramped stone grave beneath the medieval town of Imola, Italy, a 1,300-year-old woman lies dead with a hole in her skull and a fetus between her legs.

Archaeologists from the University of Ferrara and University of Bologna attempted to unwind the mystery of this mother's and child's deaths in a new study published in the May 2018 issue of the journal World Neurosurgery. [Read more about phenomenon.]

Dimming Again
An artist's illustration depicting a hypothetical dust ring orbiting Tabby's star, more formally known as KIC 846.
An artist's illustration depicting a hypothetical dust ring orbiting Tabby's star, more formally known as KIC 846. Original Image
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A faraway megastar that once raised questions about aliens because of its weird pattern of dimming has darkened once again.

The vagaries of KIC 8462852, the star better known as "Tabby's star" in honor of Boyajian, have been the subject of scientific sleuthing for years. [Read more about star.]

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