This week, a report by whale scientists may finally explain why orcas have been attacking boats, a billionaire has plans for a new submersible trip to the Titanic wreckage, and a tiny fern has broken the world record for the largest genome of any organism. Finally, we explore how humans and chimpanzees are able to be so different despite sharing 98.8 percent of DNA.
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“Mystery” Glass Squid In Antarctica Could Be First-Ever Colossal Squid Baby Filmed
The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is one of the ocean’s biggest mysteries. There are no photographs and no footage of a living colossal squid in its natural habitat. Now, a team of researchers have captured footage that could show either an unknown species, an adult Galiteuthis glacialis squid, or the first footage of a small juvenile colossal squid ever recorded. Read the full story here
The Puzzling Rise In Orca “Attacks” On Boats Has Been Explained By Whale Scientists
Since 2020, a small group of orca off the Iberian Peninsula (known as Iberian killer whales) have interacted with vessels off the coast of Morocco, Spain, and Portugal at least 673 times – a lot more than in previous years. Now, scientists at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have released a report investigating the behavior. Read the full story here
Your Star Sign Has No Impact On Your Well-Being, Debunking Yet Another Astrology Claim
Astrology has received a well-deserved beating in a new study that’s shown zodiac signs have no link to a person’s well-being; whatever “star sign” you happen to be, it doesn’t impact your happiness, affirming the view that the movement of planets has no direct influence on human affairs. Read the full story here
Billionaire Aims For New Sub Trip To Titanic Wreck, One Year After OceanGate Disaster
A billionaire and a deep-sea explorer have announced they are hoping to travel in a submersible to explore the sunken Titanic wreckage, less than one year after the ill-fated Oceangate sub imploded on a voyage to the wreck site. Read the full story here
Tiny Fern Breaks The World Record For The Largest Genome Of Any Organism
The saying goes that good things come in small packages, and while the discovery of the world’s largest genome in any organism is an incredible find, the reality is a little bit more complicated than that. The New Caledonian fork fern species Tmesipteris oblanceolata has a genome that when stretched out would be taller than Big Ben’s tower, and is now a three-time world record holder. Read the full story here
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Feature of the week:
Human And Chimp DNA Is 98.8 Percent Identical – So How Are We So Different?
Along with bonobos, chimpanzees are humanity’s closest living relatives, with a genome that is strikingly similar to our own. Yet chimps don’t drive cars, speak Danish, or play the clarinet, so if we’re so genetically alike, how can we be so different in our appearance and behavior? Read the full story here
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