Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Atomic bombs and whale sharks: How to calculate age of world's largest fish

Scientists have figured out how to calculate the age of whale sharks - Earth's largest fish - with some guidance from the radioactive fallout spawned by Cold War-era atomic bomb testing. By measuring levels of carbon-14, a naturally occurring radioactive element that also is a by-product of nuclear explosions, the researchers determined that distinct bands present inside the shark's cartilaginous vertebrae are formed annually, like a tree's growth rings. Ancient string provides further evidence of Neanderthals talents

Neanderthals used plant fibers to create string more than 40,000 years ago at a site in France where they hunted reindeer, further evidence according to scientists of the ingenuity and cognitive capabilities of our closest extinct human relatives. Researchers on Thursday described a string fragment - comprised of three small bundles of fibers twisted together into a cord - associated with a stone cutting tool that may have been used to skin animal carcasses.