From icy snow has deadly forest fires, this week’s scientific news has been nothing short of apocalyptic.
Flames swept through more than 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) of Los Angeles County, killing at least 10 people and destroying more than 10,000 homes and other structures. In the meantime, record low temperatures and heavy snowfall hit the East Coast and Midwest.
Meanwhile, the United States saw its first death from bird flu on Monday (January 6.)
But there was also some fun science news, like predicting future eruptions from one of America’s most famous volcanoes.
Yellowstone’s next eruption
The Yellowstone supervolcano last erupted about 70,000 years ago, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) – and it’s not expected to happen again for hundreds of thousands of years. But when it blows, where will this eruption take place?
By studying the volcano’s magma storage system, scientists found that only one region on the northeast side of the national park is likely to erupt in the future.
Discover more news about planet Earth
—Yellowstone’s ‘wolf queen’ killed by rival pack after living to 11 and having 10 litters of puppies
The little mysteries of life
Our largest satellite, the moon, appears to be a cold, lifeless rock. But like on Earth, temperatures on the Moon’s surface change throughout the day, and fluctuations can be quite dramatic.
Jean Monnierprofessor of astronomy at the University of Michigan, told Live Science that the moon’s temperature can vary from about minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit to over 212 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 100 degrees Celsius to over 100 degrees Celsius).
Tomb of Ancient Egyptian Royal Physician Discovered
A 4,100-year-old tomb discovered in Saqqara, Egypt, which researchers say belonged to a doctor who “treated the pharaoh himself.”
According to tomb inscriptions, the doctor – named Tétinebefou – held the title of “conjurer of the goddess Serget”, a deity believed to protect against scorpion stings. This indicates that the man was a specialist in venomous bites, according to the researchers. He was also “chief dentist,” a title that researchers say is extremely rare among the archaeological record.
Discover more news on archeology
—2,000-year-old painted penis bone discovered in quarry shaft in Roman Britain
Also in science news this week
—800-mile-long ‘DUNE’ experiment could reveal hidden dimensions of the universe
—‘Reanimated’ herpes viruses hidden in the brain could link concussions and dementia
—Never-before-seen parasite is resistant to ivermectin
Spotlight on science
If you could travel back in time and stop your grandfather from having children, you would erase your very existence. This so-called “grandfather paradox” is one of the main reasons why scientists have considered time travel impossible. However, this issue may have been resolved.
By combining general relativity, quantum mechanics and thermodynamics, Vanderbilt University physicist Lorenzo Gavassino demonstrated how time travel could be feasible without these logical contradictions. The theory is based on one of the predictions of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which states that there are paths through space-time that loop back on themselves.
Something for the weekend
If you’re looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best long reads, book excerpts, and interviews released this week.
—Our ancient primate ancestors mostly had twins – humans don’t, for good evolutionary reason
—Why time slows down in altered states of consciousness
And for the latest technology, be sure to check out our coverage of the Customer Electronic Show 2025:
Science in pictures
An unnamed mountain in Antarctica has attracted the attention of conspiracy theorists due to its striking resemblance to the Ancient Egyptian pyramids. However, the four symmetrical faces of this 4,150 foot (1,265 meter) high “pyramid” were not built by human (or extraterrestrial) hands…
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