QCIENCES ENERGIES ENVIRONNEMENT

 

	Largest study ever done on cannabis and brain function finds impact on working memory A study published in JAMA Network Open explores the effects of both recent and lifetime cannabis use on brain function during cognitive tasks.
	Newly discovered fungal species makes zombies of cave spiders on island of Ireland Dr. Harry Evans, Emeritus Fellow at CAB International, led scientists—including from the Natural History Museum of Denmark and Royal Botanical Gardens Kew—in a study to investigate the identity of a fungus found on a spider during filming of the BBC Winterwatch series in Northern Ireland. The work is published in the journal Fungal Systematics and Evolution.
	Ancient DNA analyses bring to life the 11,000-year intertwined genomic history of sheep and humans Sheep have been intertwined with human livelihoods for over 11,000 years. As well as meat, their domestication led to humans being nourished by their protein-rich milk and clothed by warm, water-resistant fabrics made from their wool.
	The oceanic plate between Arabian and Eurasian continental plates is breaking away An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has investigated the influence of the forces exerted by the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on how much the surface of the Earth has bent over the last 20 million years. Their research has revealed that in the present day, deep below the Earth's surface, the Neotethys oceanic plate—the ocean floor that used to be between the Arabian and Eurasian continents—is breaking off horizontally, with a tear progressively lengthening from southeast Turkey to northwest Iran.
	Mouse with two fathers survives to adulthood, marking scientific milestone A team of stem cell scientists have successfully used embryonic stem cell engineering to create a bi-paternal mouse—a mouse with two male parents—that lived until adulthood.
	Healthy gut bacteria that feed on sugar analyzed for the first time A microbe that is associated with good health and found in the lower part of the gut has been comprehensively analyzed and found to have a focused diet breaking down sugars locked away in mucus.
	Super-Earth discovery reveals an exoplanet potentially capable of sustaining life Thirty years after the discovery of the first exoplanet, astronomers have detected more than 7,000 of them in our galaxy. But there are still billions more to be discovered. At the same time, exoplanetologists have begun to take an interest in their characteristics, with the aim of finding life elsewhere in the universe. This is the background to the discovery of super-Earth HD 20794 d by an international team including the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the NCCR PlanetS.
	A 'city-killer' asteroid might hit Earth—how worried should we be? A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles.
	Study finds India doubled its tiger population in a decade and credits conservation efforts India doubled its tiger population in a little over a decade by protecting the big cats from poaching and habitat loss, ensuring they have enough prey, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and increasing communities' living standards near tiger areas, a study published Thursday found.
	World's first scalable, connected, photonic quantum computer prototype developed A team of engineers, physicists and computer specialists at Canadian company, Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc., has unveiled what they describe as the world's first scalable, connected, photonic quantum computer prototype.
	An overlooked nuclear force helps keep matter stable, study reveals Researchers from Kyushu University, Japan have revealed how a special type of force within an atom's nucleus, known as the three-nucleon force, impacts nuclear stability. The study, published in Physics Letters B, provides insight into why certain nuclei are more stable than others and may help explain astrophysical processes, such as the formation of heavy elements within stars.
	Archaeologists find 'lost' site depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that a house in England is the site of a lost residence of Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, and shown in the Bayeux Tapestry.
	'DNA doesn't lie': Study illuminates genetic diversity in North American thoroughbreds Researchers from the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE)—in collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Minnesota and University of California-Davis—have unveiled the most comprehensive genetic study of North American Thoroughbred horses to date.
	Hand axes discovered in Iraqi desert may go back 1.5 million years Ella Egberts (VUB) traveled to Iraq in November and December as part of a pilot project to search for archaeological surface material. This material is meant to help gain insight into the geomorphological history of the Iraqi Western Desert, in the Al-Shabakah area, and to explore the potential for preserving archaeological sites with Old and Middle Paleolithic material (early and middle Stone Age). The campaign was a great success, and now Egberts intends to continue her work in the area for VUB.
	First major chunk breaks off world's biggest iceberg An enormous chunk has broken off the world's largest iceberg, in a possible first sign the behemoth from Antarctica could be crumbling, scientists told AFP on Friday.
	Man on carnivore diet develops yellowish nodules on his hands, feet and elbows A trio of cardiologists, two at Tampa General Hospital and the third at the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center, have reported an incident of an adult man developing yellowish nodules on his hands, feet and elbows after adopting a carnivore diet.
	Africa's largest human microbiome study sheds light on gut diversity and health The most extensive study of the gut microbiome in Africa has discovered new microbial species and never-before-reported metagenomes from several African sites. The paper, titled "Expanding the human gut microbiome atlas of Africa," was published Jan. 29 in Nature.
	Moon is not as 'geologically dead' as previously thought, new study reveals Scientists have studied the moon's surface for decades to help piece together its complex geological and evolutionary history. Evidence from the lunar maria (dark, flat areas on the moon filled with solidified lava) suggested that the moon experienced significant compression in its distant past. Researchers suspected that large, arching ridges on the moon's near side were formed by contractions that occurred billions of years ago—concluding that the moon's maria has remained dormant ever since.
	Large magma bodies found beneath dormant volcanoes, surprising scientists New Cornell University led-research challenges the long-standing belief that active volcanoes have large magma bodies that are expelled during eruptions and then dissipate over time as the volcanoes become dormant.
	There's more than just gravity at work in the solar system Ever since Isaac Newton famously talked about gravity, its dominance as a force in our solar system has been well known. It's responsible for the orbits of the planets and their satellites, but there are other forces that have shape