An Ignoble Experiment: Fetus inside Egyptian mummy was 'pickled like an egg,' researchers say

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January 28, 2022

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Fetus inside Egyptian mummy was 'pickled like an egg,' researchers say

(Warsaw Mummy Project)

Researchers studying the remains of what they believe to be a fetus found inside a pregnant mummy from ancient Egypt say the developing infant was slowly "pickled like an egg" over centuries as the mom's uterus became increasingly acidic.

However, not everyone in the field is convinced. One expert told Live Science that they are skeptical of the new findings and suggest the mummy may not have been pregnant. But if the finding is verified, it could change the way researchers study mummies in the future and potentially help identify other pregnant mummies.

Full Story: Live Science (1/27)

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Ancient solar storm smashed Earth at the wrong part of the sun's cycle — and scientists are concerned

(NASA)

An extremely powerful solar storm pummeled our planet 9,200 years ago, leaving permanent scars on the ice buried deep below Greenland and Antarctica.

A new study of those ancient ice samples has found that this previously unknown storm is one of the strongest outbursts of solar weather ever detected and would have crippled modern communications systems if it had hit Earth today.

But perhaps most surprising, the massive storm appears to have hit during a solar minimum, the point during the sun's 11-year cycle when solar outbursts are typically much less common, according to the study, published Jan. 11 in the journal Nature Communications. Because of this unexpected discovery, the study researchers are concerned that devastating solar storms could hit when we least expect them — and that Earth might not be prepared when the next big one arrives.

Full Story: Live Science (1/28)

Curious Creatures

See first-ever photos of polar bears playing house in the Russian Arctic

(Photo courtesy of Dmitry Kokh)

Dozens of polar bears have been making themselves at home in abandoned buildings on an Arctic island, and a Russian photographer recently captured remarkable photos of the bears peering through windows and standing on porches.

When photographer Dmitry Kokh traveled to the remote Russian region of northern Chukotka in late summer 2021, he was hoping to find polar bears to photograph on Wrangel Island, a natural reserve and World Heritage site that's protected by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization and is located above the Arctic Circle.

What he found instead was a strange and unexpected sight: On the smaller Kolyuchin Island to the south of Wrangel Island, more than 20 polar bears had taken up residence in buildings that were once part of a Soviet weather station. Kokh photographed the polar bears in their dilapidated homes and shared the photos on his website and on Instagram, alongside other examples of his dramatic marine wildlife photography, and the images struck a chord with viewers and quickly went viral, Kokh told Live Science.

Full Story: Live Science (1/28)

Watch a python swallow an impala whole in this jaw-dropping video

(reptiles4all via Getty Images)

An incredible video shows an African rock python (Python sebae), one of the largest snake species on the planet, slowly swallowing an impala whole. The video, recorded in MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa, shows the snake's head slowly slinking across the impala's body as the snake seems to magically stretch barely wide enough to swallow the creature whole.

Amazingly, taking down such a large animal is not out of the ordinary for these predators, experts told Live Science. These snakes can reach an impressive 20 feet (6 meters) long, and they may prey upon creatures even longer.

Full Story: Live Science (1/27)

Biology

Gene mutation that helps make 'toy' dog breeds so small existed in wolves 54,000 years ago

(Shutterstock)

One of the main genetic mutations responsible for small size in certain dog breeds, such as Pomeranians and Chihuahuas, evolved in dog relatives long before humans began breeding these miniature companions. Researchers discovered that the mutation can even be traced back to wolves that lived more than 50,000 years ago.

Researchers discovered the mutation, which is found in the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene, by studying data collected as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dog Genome Project, a citizen science project in which ownerst collect DNA samples from pet dogs. This "unusual" mutation, found not in the IGF1 gene itself, but rather in DNA that regulates the expression of this gene, had previously evaded researchers for over a decade.

Full Story: Live Science (1/27)