From ancient cannibalism to stars made of dark matter, 2023 delivered several scientific claims that could shake up their fields — if they shape up to be true.
Purported tool marks on a 1.45-million-year-old fossilized leg offer the oldest evidence of cannibalism among humans’ ancient relatives, researchers contend (SN: 8/12/23, p. 10). The marks on the bone, found in Kenya, could have been made by some unidentified hominid using a stone tool to carve muscle away from the shin of another hominid. But a few bone nicks do not cannibal table scraps make, some paleoanthropologists say.
A handful of galaxies from the very early universe are up to 100 times as massive as expected, data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope suggest (SN: 3/25/23, p. 14). The hefty galaxies not only challenge the idea that matter clumped together slowly over the universe’s lifetime, but also hint at some unknown way to fast-track galaxy formation. But the galaxies’ weights and distances must be confirmed with more detailed analyses of their light before astronomers rewrite cosmic history.
The thymus may not be inconsequential for adult health after all (SN: 8/26/23, p. 7). This immune system organ between the lungs is most active in childhood and withers with age, so it is often considered expendable in adulthood. In a study of more than 2,000 adults who had chest surgery, however, researchers reported that removing the thymus gland was associated with higher rates of death and of cancer within the next few years. Why thymus removal might be harmful remains unclear.
2023-12-15 07:00:00
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