Ancient Peru Throne and Everest's Growth: Highlights from Current Science News

This round-up of current science news includes the discovery of a stone throne in ancient Peru pointing to a possible female ruler, explanations for Mount Everest's unexpected growth due to river system mergers, updates on SpaceX's activities with ISS missions and Falcon 9 rocket malfunctions, and CERN's end of cooperation with Russian scientists.

In a landmark discovery, archaeologists in Peru have uncovered a stone throne and elaborate murals that suggest a woman might have ruled the ancient Moche culture over 1,300 years ago, according to Jessica Ortiz, research director at the Panamarca site.

Meanwhile, scientists have identified that Mount Everest, Earth's tallest peak, is growing faster than expected. Researchers attribute this anomaly to the merger of two nearby river systems, building on the mountain's ancient uplift from the Indian-Eurasian collision 50 million years ago.

In space news, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked at the ISS to eventually bring home astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. This comes amid the U.S. FAA grounding SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket after a second-stage malfunction.

Finally, in a significant policy shift, CERN has announced it will end its cooperation with Russian scientists due to Russia's actions in Ukraine, impacting up to 500 researchers associated with Russian institutions.

(With inputs from agencies.)