It’s been another busy week for scientists! Science is always advancing rapidly everyday, and it’s surprising we can even catch our breath to understand everything that gets thrown our way! So, I’ve tried to round up the three stories that have caught my eye this week!
1.) The mystery of why we yawn may soon be solved.
According to a new study, yawning may play a big role in thermoregulation, and thus, the cooling down of the body. Everyday we go through various sleep cycles, cortical processes and stresses, which all increase the brain temperature, so this needs to be regulated. Brain cooling helps mental efficiency, and it’s thought that higher temperatures induce more yawning, but this is dependent on the type of climate in that environment.
Reference: http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/why-do-we-yawn
2.) Dinosaur discovered that is related to the Tyrannosaurus rex.
This dinosaur has a longer snout than it’s cousin, and thus it has been named Pinnocchio rex! It was discovered in China, in Ganzhou. It’s been suggested that it survived more on it’s speed than it’s strength, and fed on smaller organisms.
Reference: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25527-new-tyrannosaur-was-the-dobermann-of-the-dinosaur-era.html#.U2uAf_ldXco
3.) A computer simulation has created the very first realistic virtual universe.
The Illustris simulation has created a virtual representation of a huge galaxy cluster that exists today. It shows it on both large and small scales simultaneously. It shows all the stars and bodies that existed since the big bang in just one space, it can also go forward in time, so scientists can examine what’s happening in that area.
Reference: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507142849.htm
So, that’s your scientific info-byte for this week! I hope you enjoyed it!
Heather
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The Daily Geek 