Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced his resignation on Wednesday following an independent review into his past research as a neuroscientist. The review found flaws in five papers in which he was a principal author, but cleared him of any fraud or falsification of scientific data. The Board of Trustees expressed their appreciation for Tessier-Lavigne’s service and their commitment to ensuring the highest standards of integrity in research and scholarship. No successor has been announced.
Posts published in “Science”
This fossil discovered in China's Liaoning Province provides evidence that some mammals may have hunted dinosaurs for dinner. It shows a badger-like creature locked in mortal combat with a much larger beaked dinosaur, with the mammal biting two of the dinosaur's anterior dorsal ribs. This is the first evidence of actual predatory behavior by a mammal on a dinosaur, challenging the long-held belief that dinosaurs were the dominant species on land.
This week, the Northern Hemisphere has experienced heat waves and flooding due to extreme weather conditions. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that temperatures are expected to continue to rise, with Phoenix, Arizona potentially tying the heat record set in 1974. The WMO has warned that the heat wave is likely to continue into August, highlighting the effects of global warming and the need to take action.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Alaska late Saturday night, prompting a brief tsunami advisory that was canceled about an hour later. In Kodiak, Alaska, sirens warned of a possible tsunami and sent people driving to shelters late at night. The USGS continues to monitor the situation and has urged people in the area to remain vigilant and be prepared for aftershocks.
This weekend, the Southwest region of the United States is expected to experience extreme temperatures, with some areas reaching up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat wave is the latest in a series of extreme weather events linked to climate change, caused by El Niño and the world's hottest period in the last 125,000 years. Governments and citizens must take action to reduce emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change in order to address the urgent need to combat climate change.
On July 14th, 2023, India's space agency successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft aboard a LVM3-M4 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The mission will be the first to land on the dark side of the moon, carrying a lunar lander and a small rover to explore the lunar surface. If successful, the mission will be a major achievement for India's space program and will further cement India's position as a major space power.
A rare solar storm is bringing the northern lights to 17 states in the United States, including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Maryland. The best time to view the northern lights is at night, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, and away from the lights of a city. Cities such as Helena, Montana; Montpelier, Vermont; Minneapolis and Milwaukee are expected to have “highly active auroral displays” visible overhead.
After 119 years, a long-lost book has finally been returned to its rightful home at the New Bedford Free Public Library. Discovered by the curator of rare books at West Virginia University Libraries, the book had not been stamped "Withdrawn", indicating it had not been discarded. Now available for public viewing in the library's special collections, the book serves as a reminder of the power of libraries to preserve our shared cultural heritage and the importance of returning overdue books.