New Images of Pluto show Alien-Looking Landscape with Regular Ripples

NASA's New Horizons has recently sent a new batch of images of Pluto which includes spectral maps and high-resolution images of the dwarf planet. One such image also shows a 'snakeskin' texture that appears covering wide area.

As per NASA experts, the most exciting thing about these images is that like most of the high-resolution views being beamed back from the Kuiper belt, planetary scientists only have a vague idea as to what might be going on.

William McKinnon, New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging (GGI) team deputy lead from Washington University in St. Louis, said the images show a unique and puzzling landscape stretching over hundreds of miles.

Global Warming and Evolution Reshaping Bodies of Some American Bumblebees

A team of researchers, through a study, has come across another harm caused by global warming. The team noted that global warming and evolution is reshaping bodies of some American bumblebees.

The study showed that the tongues of the two Rocky Mountains species of bumblebees are about one-quarter shorter than they used to be 40 years ago. Study authors said the bumblebees are evolving this way because climate change altered the buffet of wildflowers they normally feed on.

According to the researchers, in one of these species, they found that the tongue had been almost half the size of the bee's body, the equivalent of a human tongue going down to the waist.

Last Chance to view Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

It will be the last opportunity for skywatchers to see a supermoon lunar eclipse as this rare event will not occur again until 2033. Area experts have suggested that people do not require any special instruments to see this rare celestial event.

Stephanie Rybka, director of the Waubonsie Valley High School planetarium, said in a statement that lunar eclipse set to happen on Sunday night will align with the time when the moon's orbit is closest to earth.

Rybka said during such a situation, the moon comes closer to earth and appears 14% larger than its normal size in the sky, due to which it is called as a supermoon.

The result of the two events combined creates what is known as a 'blood moon' because the moon turns a coppery orange color at the peak of the eclipse, Rybka said.

Researchers Discover Oldest Known Beheaded Skull in America

A team of international researchers claimed that they have discovered the oldest known beheaded skull in the United States. The unique thing about the skull is that it has been arranged in a strange, possibly symbolic pose, said the researchers.

The skull, which the team described in the journal PLOS ONE, was found in a rock shelter in east-central Brazil known as Lapa do Santo. The skull appeared to be of a young man.

The skull was discovered in a grave which was almost 22 inches underneath the surface. The researchers said they also found that there were several limestone slabs placed on the grave, estimated to be between 9,127 and 9,438 years old.

FDA to hold hearing on permanent birth control

Women who have complained about the potential side effects linked to Essure permanent birth control will keep an eye on a day-long public hearing in the nation’s capital to be held by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In June, the FDA made an announcement regarding the public meeting of its Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Panel, together with adding patient information, serious risks, and physician information to website of the agency in relation to Essure.

Essure is promoted as permanent birth control without the need of a surgery. However, several women say that they have experienced side effects of the device, and their number has increased to over 20,900.

Brain-to-computer Technology helps Man Walk

According to doctors in Southern California, a brain-to-computer technology that is able to convert thoughts into leg movements has helped a paraplegic man walk without the use of robotics. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, described in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation how they helped the patient.

A system was used to make it possible for the man to walk. The system allowed the brain to bypass the injured spinal cord and send messages with help of a computer algorithm to electrodes put around knees of the patient to activate controlled leg muscle movements.

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