This week, we learn about some shark species’ desire to walk among us, a synthetic mouse embryo has been grown from stem cells, and we speak to Jessica Watkins about her incredible work aboard the ISS.
Shark Filmed Strolling On Land Like It’s No Big Deal
If you’re really scared of sharks there are a few islands you should avoid, because there are places they sometimes come onto land. Footage of one doing just that has gone viral, although it’s probably too small and cute to put you off a visit. Read the full story here
Pig Organs Restored To Health One Hour After Death Using New Tech
A remarkable new system has restored function in pig organs one hour after the animals have died. Fear not: the researchers have no plans to create an army of undead pig zombies, but they do hope their work could someday help to save lives by increasing organ availability for transplantation. Read the full story here
Ancient Maya May Have Turned Their Dead Rulers Into Balls For Popular Game
While excavating a temple complex in southern Mexico, archaeologists uncovered 400 urns containing a mixture of human ashes, rubber, coal and plant roots. It seems the ancient Maya may have devised a unique solution to the age-old problem of what to do with rulers when they die: turn them into a ball and play a game of "pelota". Read the full story here
World First "Synthetic" Mouse Embryos Grown Without Need For Egg, Sperm, Or Womb
Scientists have successfully grown mouse embryos using stem cells cultured in a petri dish. The novel method for embryonic development research meant they could create synthetic mouse embryo models without the need for a natural embryo formed from a fertilized egg and a womb. Read the full story here
For The Next Week, 6 Meteor Showers Will Overlap With One Set To Peak
There are many lesser-known meteor showers, and the next week sees six of them coincide. Overlapping showers increase the number of shooting stars one can hope to see. It also means the very observant may be able to identify which shower a meteor comes from, or if it is from no shower at all, and even compare the composition of each shower. Read the full story here
Feature of the week:
Exclusive: Astronaut Jessica Watkins Becomes First Person To Publish A Science Paper From Space
IFLScience spoke to Watkins about this impressive record, the challenges of writing an academic paper whilst hurtling through space, and what her work on the ISS is doing to further our knowledge of planetary geology. Read the full story here
