Science News Roundup: Dwarf planet Ceres is 'ocean world' with salty water deep underground; British fossil hunters find bones of new dinosaur species and more

Stem cells give hope for revival of Malaysia's extinct rhinos Some skin, eggs and tissue samples are all that remain of Malaysia's last rhino, Iman, who died last November after years of failed breeding attempts. Now scientists are pinning their hopes on experimental stem cell technology to bring back the Malaysian variant of the Sumatran rhinoceros, making use of cells from Iman and two other dead rhinos.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 12-08-2020 18:54 IST | Created: 12-08-2020 18:27 IST
Science News Roundup: Dwarf planet Ceres is 'ocean world' with salty water deep underground; British fossil hunters find bones of new dinosaur species and more
Representative image Image Credit: ANI
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Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Back from the dead? Stem cells give hope for a revival of Malaysia's extinct rhinos

Some skin, eggs and tissue samples are all that remain of Malaysia's last rhino, Iman, who died last November after years of failed breeding attempts. Now scientists are pinning their hopes on experimental stem cell technology to bring back the Malaysian variant of the Sumatran rhinoceros, making use of cells from Iman and two other dead rhinos.

Humanity versus disease showcased as London's Science Museum reopens doors

Exhibits showcasing humanity's battle with infectious disease will greet visitors recently emerged from coronavirus lockdowns when London's Science Museum re-opens its doors next week after its longest closure since World War II. "Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries" tracks medical advances through history, and its timely displays include an iron lung used for polio patients in the 1950s, an isolation trolley from the 1970s, PPE from the Ebola epidemic and statistics on the effectiveness of vaccinations.

British fossil hunters find bones of new dinosaur species, cousin to T.Rex

Four bones found on a beach on the Isle of Wight, off England's south coast, belong to a new species of theropod dinosaur, the group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex, researchers at the University of Southampton said on Wednesday. The new dinosaur, which has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus, lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago and was estimated to have been up to four metres long, the palaeontologists said.

Dwarf planet Ceres is 'ocean world' with salty water deep underground

Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is an "ocean world" with a big reservoir of salty water under its frigid surface, scientists said in findings that raise interest in this dwarf planet as a possible outpost for life. Research published on Monday based on data obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which flew as close as 22 miles (35 km) from the surface in 2018, provides a new understanding of Ceres, including evidence indicating it remains geologically active with cryovolcanism - volcanoes oozing icy material.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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