Abby Tabor
As MyScienceWork takes to the air to take its first steps on US soil, the week’s science news brought us several stories revealed from beneath the Earth, coursing through its air currents, and beyond, into space.
This week, on the MyScienceWork menu:
To start the week, we reported on the launch of a brand new initiative on European soil that will provide women scientists with tools for professional development and opportunities to network and advance their careers.
The First European Women Researchers Day: “Let us add more than a factor of two!”
In the forests of the Champagne region of France, we learned this week, milder weather is not necessarily a good thing: the increasingly early arrival of spring each year is hurting deer populations, specifically fawns.
Baby Deer Suffer the Effects of Climate Change
Some favorites from around the web:
The Earth, this week, revealed a number of secrets that had been hiding beneath its surface. For one: a 1,500-year-old archaeological find with beautiful artwork still intact.
Byzantine Monastery and Mosaics Found in Israel
Egypt’s continues to please professionals and fans of archaeology, alike:
Ancient Tomb Unearthed In Egypt Had Its Own Pyramid, Archaeologists Say
Closer to our times, but not necessarily any easier to pin down:
'Richard III' Skeleton's Authenticity Called Into Question
Letting go of the firm soil to take to the air, the news this week was decidedly less cheerful. The conclusions of the IPCC summit on global warming, for instance, were not positive:
Climate change report 'should jolt people into action' says IPCC chief
The many changes currently taking place in the Earth’s climate and ecosystems lead some to wonder if we could be heading for a major extinction of species. It looks like some very tiny agents may have been responsible for the biggest extinction ever on Earth.
Archaeageddon: how gas-belching microbes could have caused mass extinction
More recently, a bacterium ravaged Europe in the form of the plague known as the Black Death. Everyone knows it was transmitted by the bite of fleas carried by rats, only maybe it wasn’t…
Bodies of Black Death victims give up their secrets
Today, too, microbes continue reminding us that we are not beyond their reach:
Why Is Guinea's Ebola Outbreak So Unusual?
Let’s turn our gaze even higher for some more positive findings:
Saturn’s tiny moon is believed to hold a reservoir of water beneath its icy crust! This may be the spot to look for microbial life in the Solar System.
Saturn's Enceladus moon hides 'great lake' of water
Researchers have observed for the first time star clusters forming like a ring of beads around a black hole, just as predicted.
Black hole makes 'String of Pearls' clusters
And, returning to more terrestrial concerns, new results helped to clarify a little further the origins of autism:
Brain tissue adds to evidence that autism begins before birth
Stem cell science was recently in the news with a huge step forward in the ability to produce them—results that, now, have been called into question:
Rising Japanese scientist faked heralded stem cell research, lab says
Stay tuned for further updates. Until then, enjoy the science news!
