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Mammoths roamed the Earth for millions of years. They first emerged in Africa five million years ago and moved around the world before dying out around 4,000 years ago. Although they’re extinct, evidence of their presence – in the form of tusks – has now allowed scientists to reveal fascinating details of the animals’ evolution.
Researchers took three samples of mammoth tusks that had been preserved in permafrost in Siberia, dating back to more than one million years ago. After extracting the animals’ DNA, the team studied the pattern of chemical bases on it, making it the oldest DNA yet to be sequenced. The results revealed the lineage of mammoth evolution isn’t as simple as previously thought.
Genome sequencing, albeit for RNA instead of DNA, was also the technique by which scientists discovered the Kent variant of the coronavirus. Now, there’s a chance this variant is spreading more readily in children, causing an increase in the number of cases in young people in Italy and Israel.
Ever wanted to walk on the Moon or pay a visit to Mars? If so, here’s your chance. For the first time in 11 years, the European Space Agency is calling for applicants for its space programme – but have you got what it takes?
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Abigail Beall
Science and Tech Editor
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Current view of the steppe mammoth, an ancestor to the woolly mammoth.
Beth Zaiken/Centre for Palaeogenetics
David Díez-del-Molino, Stockholm University; Love Dalén, Stockholm University
Our results have revolutionised the previously held view of the evolution of mammoths.
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Children in Tel Aviv, Israel, playing on a merry-go-round, February 7, 2021.
Abir Sultan/Shutterstock
Simon Clarke, University of Reading
A spike in cases has been reported among young people in Israel and Italy.
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Future astronauts will visit Mars.
Shutterstock/Vadim Sadovski
Elisa Raffaella Ferrè, Royal Holloway
Many of people may have dreamed of becoming an astronaut since childhood, but do you have what it takes?
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Business + Economy
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Andrew Sturdy, University of Bristol; Ian Kirkpatrick, University of York
Three years ago, research findings showed that consultants were making UK health service more inefficient. Now a follow-up finds that the problem is getting worse.
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Ian Hamilton, University of York; Harry Sumnall, Liverpool John Moores University
Psychedelics use is on the rise and it's partly due to a wellbeing rebrand.
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Gaaitzen de Vries, United Nations University; Emmanuel B Mensah, University of Groningen; Hagen Kruse, University of Groningen; Kunal Sen, United Nations University
Industrialisation was key to long-term economic growth in the west and Asia. After years of going in the wrong direction, new research suggests that many African countries have seen a turnaround.
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Science + Technology
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Rachel Clutterbuck, University of Bath; Lucy Anne Livingston, Cardiff University; Mitchell Callan, University of Bath; Punit Shah, University of Bath
Scientists have not properly distinguished mind-reading from empathy - until now.
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Hugo Defienne, University of Glasgow
Entangled photons have been used for the first time to encode information in a hologram, which could lead to improved medical diagnosis and speed up the advance of quantum technologies.
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Jan Lemnitzer, Copenhagen Business School
Ransomware is quietly developing into one of the most disruptive – and lucrative – forms of cybercrime.
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Environment + Energy
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Pawas Bisht, Keele University
An academic expert in environmental storytelling reads the Sun and the Express.
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Peter Howson, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Bitcoin is attracting attention from big buyers like Tesla. But don't be fooled – it's still a disaster for the climate.
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Politics + Society
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Filippo Tronconi, Università di Bologna; Luca Verzichelli, Università di Siena
Mario Draghi, former president of the European Central Bank, has been appointed prime minister after the government collapsed.
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Natalie Zacek, University of Manchester
The word 'patriot' has a particular meaning to many Americans. But some of them took their idea of patriotism a bit far on January 6.
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Education
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Helena Gillespie, University of East Anglia
A focus on 'catching up' implies a deficit on the part of pupils.
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Health + Medicine
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Steven Smith, Brunel University London
Maintaining antibodies in the blood requires creating certain long-lasting immune cells – but this doesn't always happen.
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Featured events
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Online, Birmingham, Warwickshire, B15 2TT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham
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Online Public Lecture, Reading, Reading, RG6 6AH, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Reading
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Online event, N/A, London, City of, N/A, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Westminster
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Whiteknights, Reading, Reading, RG62UR, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Reading
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