No, it is not a misspelt version of hullabaloo. Bula means hello in Fijian, language of the people of the island nation Fiji. And Brachylophus bulabula (double hello) is the name of a new Pacific iguana species, which has been discovered in its central regions. “The distinctive Fijian iguanas are famous for their beauty and also their unusual occurrence in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Because all their closest relatives are in the Americas,” says Scott Keogh, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and lead author of the study on the new iguana. However, there are only three living Brachylophus iguana species, and they all face threats from loss of habitat and from animals like feral cats, mongooses and goats. So, even this new found variety may join the list of endangered species.
Seanderthals
Neanderthals, our closest hominid cousins, savoured seafood. Fossil hunters working in ancient seaside caves in the Rock of Gibraltar say that the last of the Neanderthals ate warmed mussels, baby seals and washed-up dolphins. Excavations have unearthed flint stone tools and leftovers of seafood meals near embers of hearths. They all date back to around 28,000 years. An international team led by Chris Stringer at the Natural History Museum in London and Clive Finlayson at the Gibraltar Museum uncovered bones and shells that had clearly been butchered with primitive cutting and stripping tools. The findings suggest that the plentiful food supply from the Mediterranean helped the Neanderthals’ groups living in Gibraltar to survive, while those elsewhere became extinct around 7,000 years earlier due to glaciation.
Slipping away
Maugean skate, a type of ray, is among the 113 new species of Australian sharks and rays recently discovered during a study by scientists at the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO). They studied museum specimens in Australia, New Zealand and Europe, and used DNA techniques to identify them. The skate is a living relic, and has roamed the waters near southwestern Tasmania, an Australian island state, for hundreds of millions of years. But, over-fishing and a tiny habitat of just three estuaries has already given it endangered status on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Discovered at the verge of extinction?
Hairy secret
Plant hair may reveal the secret of disease resistance in human beings. The spiky hairs on the stems of tomato plants, called glandular trichomes, secrete chemical compounds that have antibiotic qualities. They are the biochemical factories of defensive compounds, which deter insects, pests and invading pathogens. Now, they may help scientists to understand the workings of immune responses in human beings. “Through our advanced understanding of the genetic make-up of plants, animals and humans we are learning that the three have more in common than previously believed,” says Professor Rob Last, a geneticist at Michigan State University, US.
Dark discovery
Astronomers have discovered the most ‘dark matter-dominated’ galaxy in the universe. It is called Segue 1, and is one of the small satellite galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. It is a billion times less bright than the Milky Way. But it is nearly a thousand times more massive than it appears, thanks to its dark matter. “Segue 1 is the most extreme example of a galaxy that contains only a few hundred stars, yet has a relatively large mass.” Says Marla Geha, an assistant professor of astronomy at Yale University and the paper’s lead author. She adds, “These dwarf galaxies tell us a great deal about galaxy formation. For example, different theories about how galaxies are created determine the ratio of dwarf galaxies and large ones”.
No, it is not a misspelt version of hullabaloo. Bula means hello in Fijian, language of the people of the island nation Fiji. And Brachylophus bulabula (double hello) is the name of a new Pacific iguana species, which has been discovered in its central regions. “The distinctive Fijian iguanas are famous for their beauty and also their unusual occurrence in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Because all their closest relatives are in the Americas,” says Scott Keogh, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and lead author of the study on the new iguana. However, there are only three living Brachylophus iguana species, and they all face threats from loss of habitat and from animals like feral cats, mongooses and goats. So, even this new found variety may join the list of endangered species.
Neanderthals, our closest hominid cousins, savoured seafood. Fossil hunters working in ancient seaside caves in the Rock of Gibraltar say that the last of the Neanderthals ate warmed mussels, baby seals and washed-up dolphins. Excavations have unearthed flint stone tools and leftovers of seafood meals near embers of hearths. They all date back to around 28,000 years. An international team led by Chris Stringer at the Natural History Museum in London and Clive Finlayson at the Gibraltar Museum uncovered bones and shells that had clearly been butchered with primitive cutting and stripping tools. The findings suggest that the plentiful food supply from the Mediterranean helped the Neanderthals’ groups living in Gibraltar to survive, while those elsewhere became extinct around 7,000 years earlier due to glaciation.
Plant hair may reveal the secret of disease resistance in human beings. The spiky hairs on the stems of tomato plants, called glandular trichomes, secrete chemical compounds that have antibiotic qualities. They are the biochemical factories of defensive compounds, which deter insects, pests and invading pathogens. Now, they may help scientists to understand the workings of immune responses in human beings. “Through our advanced understanding of the genetic make-up of plants, animals and humans we are learning that the three have more in common than previously believed,” says Professor Rob Last, a geneticist at Michigan State University, US.
Astronomers have discovered the most ‘dark matter-dominated’ galaxy in the universe. It is called Segue 1, and is one of the small satellite galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. It is a billion times less bright than the Milky Way. But it is nearly a thousand times more massive than it appears, thanks to its dark matter. “Segue 1 is the most extreme example of a galaxy that contains only a few hundred stars, yet has a relatively large mass.” Says Marla Geha, an assistant professor of astronomy at Yale University and the paper’s lead author. She adds, “These dwarf galaxies tell us a great deal about galaxy formation. For example, different theories about how galaxies are created determine the ratio of dwarf galaxies and large ones”.
