Science News Roundup: New Zealand base for methane-measuring satellite mission; Prehistoric ape from Germany was a pioneer of two-legged walking


Reuters | Updated: 08-11-2019 02:29 IST | Created: 08-11-2019 02:26 IST
Science News Roundup: New Zealand base for methane-measuring satellite mission; Prehistoric ape from Germany was a pioneer of two-legged walking
Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

New Zealand base for methane-measuring satellite mission

A satellite mission to measure global methane emissions from oil and gas facilities will be based in New Zealand, the government said on Wednesday, in a collaboration with a U.S. environmental group. The MethaneSAT, due to be launched in 2022, is designed to locate and measure methane from human sources worldwide, and will provide data to track and reduce those emissions, the government said in a statement.

Prehistoric ape from Germany was a pioneer of two-legged walking

Fossils unearthed in southern Germany of a remarkable ape that lived about 11.6 million years ago may dramatically alter the understanding of the evolutionary origins of a fundamental human trait - walking upright on two legs. Scientists on Wednesday said the ape, called Danuvius guggenmosi, combined attributes of humans - straight lower limbs adapted for bipedalism - with those of apes - long arms able to stretch out to grasp tree branches. That indicates Danuvius was able to walk upright on two legs and also use all four limbs while clambering through trees.

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