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This week a megalith discovered on a mountain in Peru is older than Egypt's pyramids, a tiny 12-millimeter-long fish makes a sound comparable to a human hearing a jet plane take off, and the mighty blue whale reclaims its spot as the Earth’s heaviest animal to ever live. Finally, we discover the bizarre behind-the-scenes story of the first-ever detection of gravitational waves.
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First-Ever Photos Of Humpback Whale Sex Involve Two Males
For the first time, photographers have recorded two humpback whales copulating. When they showed their footage to a marine mammal expert, she confirmed both participants were males, confirming once again that same-sex sexual behavior is widespread among animals. There are, however, questions about whether in this case, both whales were happy about the situation. Read the full story here
4,750-Year-Old Megalith Older Than The Pyramids Discovered On Peru Mountain
An ancient ceremonial megalith dated to 4,750 years ago has been discovered in the Peruvian Andes. The find is older than the Great Pyramids of Egypt and represents one of the oldest circular plazas in the region. Unearthed at an archaeological site in northern Peru’s Cajamarca valley, the plaza features concentric walls of large, free-standing, vertically placed megalithic stones, the likes of which have never been seen before in the Andes. Read the full story here
12-Millimeter Long Small-Brained Fish Can Make Sound As Loud As A Jet Plane
When you think of the loudest noises made by the animal kingdom, maybe the first thing that comes to mind is the roar of a lion or the trumpeting of an elephant. It probably isn't the noise made by a tiny translucent fish native to the shallow waters of Myanmar – but new research has revealed they can make a noise so loud it is comparable to a jet engine taking off. Read the full story here
NASA Hit An Asteroid So Hard It Completely Changed Its Shape
In September 2022, NASA performed the first serious test of planetary protection in space. The DART mission was sent to smash into asteroid Dimorphos, the small moon of asteroid Didymos. It was the first time humanity moved a celestial body. DART stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, and as tests go it did very well. Maybe too well. Dimorphos might have experienced global deformation from the event. Read the full story here
Blue Whale Back On Top As Heaviest Animal Ever To Live On Planet Earth
The blue whale was knocked off the top spot for the heaviest animal ever to live on Earth back in 2023, but now, the almighty slab is back reigning supreme thanks to a brand new study. It argues that the recent claim the ~39-million-year-old Perucetus colossus – an ancient whale – was heavier than the blue whale is false, putting ol’ Balaenoptera musculus back on top. Read the full story here
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Feature of the week:
The Bizarre Behind-The-Scenes Story Of The First-Ever Detection Of Gravitational Waves
Imagine you have just observed something that is going to revolutionize science. The first thing you’d do is probably check everything multiple times – is this correct; is it really happening? And if you were in a big international collaboration, you might even want to ask around to check if this is a prank or a test. Or maybe, you might consider something more sinister: someone has created a fake. Read the full story here
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