Science News Roundup: Hearth site in Utah desert reveals human tobacco use 12,300 years ago; Chinese lunar samples suggest moon cooled down later than thought and more

Dangerous blood clots can occur in moderate COVID-19 Chinese lunar samples suggest moon cooled down later than thought Remnants of solidified lava brought back by a Chinese mission were 1 billion years younger than material acquired by other missions decades ago, according to an article in the journal Science, suggesting the moon cooled down later than thought.


Reuters | Updated: 13-10-2021 10:40 IST | Created: 13-10-2021 10:32 IST
Science News Roundup: Hearth site in Utah desert reveals human tobacco use 12,300 years ago; Chinese lunar samples suggest moon cooled down later than thought and more
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Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Hearth site in Utah desert reveals human tobacco use 12,300 years ago

Scientists have unearthed evidence of a milestone in human culture - the earliest-known use of tobacco - in the remnants of a hearth built by early inhabitants of North America's interior about 12,300 years ago in Utah's Great Salt Lake Desert. Researchers discovered four charred seeds of a wild tobacco plant within the hearth contents, along with stone tools and duck bones left over from meals. Until now, the earliest documented use of tobacco came in the form of nicotine residue found inside a smoking pipe from Alabama dating to 3,300 years ago.

Chinese lunar samples suggest moon cooled down later than thought

Remnants of solidified lava brought back by a Chinese mission were 1 billion years younger than material acquired by other missions decades ago, according to an article in the journal Science, suggesting the moon cooled down later than thought. Samples brought back from U.S. and Soviet missions were more than 2.9 billion years old. The samples acquired on China's Chang'e-5 mission late last year - around 1.96 billion years old - suggests volcanic activity persisted longer than previously expected.

Energy from bogs: Estonian scientists use peat to make batteries

Peat, plentiful in bogs in northern Europe, could be used to make sodium-ion batteries cheaply for use in electric vehicles, scientists at an Estonian university say. Sodium-ion batteries, which do not contain relatively costly lithium, cobalt or nickel, are one of the new technologies that battery makers are looking at as they seek alternatives to the dominant lithium-ion model.

Risk of dangerous blood clots linked to moderate COVID-19; high-dose blood thinner can prevent clots

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Dangerous blood clots can occur in moderate COVID-19

With 'Captain Kirk' aboard, Blue Origin to return to 'space, the final frontier'

Three months after billionaire U.S. businessman Jeff Bezos soared into space aboard a rocketship built by his Blue Origin company, the craft is set on Wednesday to take another all-civilian crew on a suborbital ride, this time with "Star Trek" actor William Shatner in the lead role. As one of four passengers selected for the flight, Shatner, at age 90, is poised to become the oldest person ever to venture into space.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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