Out beyond Neptune, past Pluto, through the chaos of the Kuiper belt to a point some 8.5 billion miles from the sun, a new dwarf planet has joined our solar system. The Iowa-sized object is about half as big as Pluto and twice as distant. Known for now as 2014 UZ224, the "trans-Neptunian object" was discovered as part of the Dark Energy Survey — an international effort to map the universe and elucidate some of its mysteries, particularly, why the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
Skeleton may be first death by boomerang ever found
The skeleton found along the Darling River in Australia's Toorale National Park seemed to be crying out for help — its mouth wide open, and a gash stretching from the right eye to the jaw. The man, between 20 and 30 when he died, apparently lived between A.D. 1260 and 1280. It was clear that he was killed by a traditional weapon, but what? Historical accounts suggest to the researchers that it may have been a wonna, or fighting boomerang, wielded by ancient Aboriginals. The blade was reminiscent of a saber, and it was probably used for close combat.
14,500-year-old etchings found in cave in Spain
More than 50 cave etchings thought to be around 14,500 years old have been found in the northern Spanish town of Lekeitio. Bizkaia regional official Unai Rementeria said the etchings were a "treasure of mankind," and "of exceptional technical quality and visibility." He said experts have praised the etchings as the "most spectacular" in the Iberian peninsula. Among the figures carved into the stone surface are horses, bison, goats and, for the first time, at least two lions. The region of Bizkaia neighbors Cantabria, home to the famous Altamira cave paintings.
Tiny T. rex arms appear little used, researchers say
It turns out the Field Museum's T. rex Sue didn't use those tiny arms very much. At least that's the initial conclusion from a detailed look at the fossil's right forelimb at the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago. Researchers used a scan to generate a 3-D image of the arm bones down to the cellular level. There "aren't many signs of stress on the bones that would indicate frequent use," said Pete Makovicky, associate curator of dinosaurs. Precisely why T. rex had forelimbs is one of the enduring mysteries of dinosaur paleontology.
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