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This week NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter took its final flight‚ a newly discovered astronomical object is either the heaviest known neutron star or the lightest black hole‚ and a new gene therapy enables an 11-year-old boy to hear for the first time. Finally‚ we investigate the history behind BMI‚ and why it is not a measure of health.Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter for all the biggest science news delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday and Saturday. New Room Temperature Superconductor Throws Hat In The Ring – This Time‚ It’s GraphiteSuperconductive materials can transmit electricity without resistance‚ making them fundamental for advanced and efficient technologies. The current drawback is that this property is only obtained below a certain temperature‚ often pretty close to absolute zero. Scientists are hunting for a material that would be superconductive at room temperature‚ and the latest “hat in the ring” for this quest is actually a pretty common material in a pretty peculiar configuration: graphite‚ the substance that makes up the writing part of pencils.  Read the full story hereGoodbye Ingenuity‚ Humanity’s First Flying Vehicle On Another Planet NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has taken its final flight across the dusty plains of Jezero Crater. The first flying vehicle on another world‚ Ingenuity spent almost 1‚000 days on the Red Planet carrying out test flights and helping its rover companion Perseverance navigate the Martian terrain‚ 33 times longer than NASA had initially planned. Having proven that controlled powered flight on another world is possible‚ after its most recent flight‚ a brief loss of communication‚ and a bad landing‚ NASA has confirmed the mission has ended. Read the full story hereWorld’s First IVF Rhino Pregnancy Is Big Step To Saving Species On Brink Of ExtinctionA huge breakthrough for endangered rhino species in Africa has been achieved through the world’s first in-vitro fertilization (IVF) rhino pregnancy. A team has successfully implanted a lab-created rhino embryo into a surrogate rhino mother for the first time‚ resulting in pregnancy. This could be a big step towards saving the northern white rhino‚ a species on the very brink of extinction. Read the full story hereNewly Discovered Astronomical Object Is Right On The Edge Of Two Extreme PossibilitiesAstronomy is full of puzzling objects‚ and an international team of researchers has just added another juicy one: A dense compact object that has been spotted orbiting a pulsar. This in itself is not that groundbreaking – but the mass of this object is puzzling. It's in the so-called mass gap. Researchers are either observing the heaviest neutron star known or the lightest black hole. Read the full story here11-Year-Old Boy Hears For First Time Ever Thanks To Gene Therapy BreakthroughAn 11-year-old boy who was born with an extremely rare form of deafness that is thought to affect only about 200‚000 people worldwide has become the first patient to receive a new gene therapy procedure‚ and it’s allowed him to hear sounds for the first time in his life. Now‚ the procedure is being trialed on more children. Read the full story hereTWIS is published weekly on our Linkedin page‚ join us there for even more content.Feature of the week: Your BMI Is Not A Health Measure – Here's Why In the last 50 years‚ the body mass index (BMI) has gone from a relatively obscure demographic tool to an ever-present gauge of personal worth. With the level of importance we tend to impart upon the metric‚ you might expect the BMI to be the result of years of research by health experts. It’s not. In fact‚ it was never meant to be used on individuals at all. Read the full story hereMore content:Have you seen our free e-magazine‚ CURIOUS? Issue 18 January 2023 is out now. Check it out for exclusive interviews‚ book excerpts‚ long reads‚ and more.PLUS‚ the entire season 3 of IFLScience's The Big Questions Podcast is available now.

Human remains that are over 2‚000 to 2‚500 years old have been recovered by archaeologists within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The discovery‚ what is essentially a new “bog body”‚ was made in peatland at an excavation site in Bellaghy in October 2023. At the time‚ police were made aware that human bones had been found at the site and it was unclear whether they were old or more recent.“On initial examination‚ we couldn’t be sure if the remains were ancient or the result of a more recent death”‚ Detective Inspector Nikki Deehan explained in a statement.“Therefore‚ we proceeded to excavate the body with full forensic considerations in a sensitive and professional manner. This approach also ensures that any DNA evidence could be secured for any potential criminal investigation. Ultimately this wasn’t the case in this instance.”At first‚ the team carrying out the excavation discovered bones from a human's left lower leg and right arm. These included a tibia and fibula‚ as well as a humerus‚ ulna‚ and radius bone. As they continued to search‚ the team recovered more bones belonging to the same individual.The first findings had been close to the surface‚ but the bones of a lower left arm and left femur were soon discovered about 5 meters (16.4 feet) south of the surface remains. Additional finger bones‚ fingernails‚ part of the left femur‚ and the breastbone were found upon further excavation.Given the state of the remains‚ it is not possible to draw too many conclusions about the individual themselves. However‚ postmortem analysis conducted by a forensic anthropologist has determined that the individual was probably male‚ and between 13-17 years old when they died.Bog bodies are human remains that have been naturally mummified in peat bogs‚ which contain acids that preserve bodies for centuries. Throughout history‚ thousands of people have been preserved in this way after their bodies fell into the muck‚ either after being murdered‚ sacrificed‚ or simply by accident. Unlike some bog bodies‚ the remains of humans that are naturally mummified in peat bogs‚ these fragments have retained some of the individual’s skin‚ finger‚ and toenails‚ and maybe even a kidney.“The well-preserved nature of the body meant radiocarbon dating could be used to ascertain the time of death‚” Detective Inspector Deehan added.              IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.“The radiocarbon dates have placed the time of death between 2‚000 - 2‚500 years ago‚ approximately 500 [BCE]. This is the first time radiocarbon dating has been used on a bog body in Northern Ireland‚ and the only one to still exist‚ making this a truly unique archaeological discovery for Northern Ireland.”According to Dr Alastair Ruffel of Queen’s University Belfast; “To ensure the highest possible standards in forensic recovery of human remains were maintained‚ we conducted two phases of high-resolution ground penetrating radar survey at the site. The results showed no indications of further human remains.”The remains were initially discovered about 1 meter (3.2 feet) below the current ground surface‚ which‚ Ruffel explained‚ “matches the radiocarbon estimates.” It seems the remains were also “amongst a cluster of fossil tree remains”‚ which suggests the individual “may have died or been buried in a copse or stand of trees‚ or washed in.”The Chief Executive of Forest Services‚ John Joe O’Boyle‚ added: “Forest Service recognizes the significance of this very exciting find. This ancient bog body was discovered on land owned by the Department and we are now working with National Museums NI to transfer it to them so that they can continue with further examination and preservation of the remains.”“I hope‚ in due course‚ the find will help us all understand better something of our very early history.”

Plastic shells have become a fashion trend for hermit crabs across the world. In a new study‚ scientists have looked into how often hermit crabs are using plastic and other human-made materials as their shells‚ concluding that it is likely to be a global problem across many different species.Researchers at the University of Warsaw in Poland analyzed nearly 29‚000 images of hermit crabs that had been uploaded to online platforms such as iNaturalist by wildlife enthusiasts. They identified 386 crabs that had co-opted artificial shells as their homes. The most common human-made material was plastic caps‚ like the ones you find on soda bottles‚ which accounted for up to 85 percent of the artificial shells.All in all‚ they estimated that the problem impacts at least 10 of 16 terrestrial hermit crab species found across the tropical regions of the planet. "When I first saw these pictures‚ I felt it was heart-breaking‚" Professor Marta Szulkin‚ study author from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Warsaw‚ told BBC Radio 4.Examples of plastic-shelled hermit crabs used in the study.Image credit: Shawn Miller via Z. Jagiello et al.‚Science of The Total Environment ‚ 2024 (CC BY 4.0 DEED)“At the same time‚ I think we really need to understand the fact that we are living in a different era and animals are making use of what is available to them‚" she added.Hermit crabs have a soft abdomen with an exoskeleton that needs protection. To save on the energy-intensive process of growing their own shell‚ they’ll simply hijack the disused shells left behind by dead crustaceans. However‚ with the world’s oceans becoming increasingly polluted with plastic‚ it appears many hermit crabs are increasingly tempted to use trash as their shelter.The new study looked into why hermit crabs are ditching their typical natural shells in favor of artificial alternatives and concluded that it likely hinges on a few different things. Sexual selection is a likely factor because females may be attracted to the novelty of the plastic shell. Plastics are also generally lighter than chitin shells‚ which makes it a more practical choice. Additionally‚ hermit crabs may be choosing plastic shells as it helps them camouflage in polluted environments.    It’s not clear if the plastic shells are impacting the well-being of the hermit crabs or whether it’s a benign consequence of living in the Anthropocene. In a follow-up study‚ the team hopes to uncover whether this new behavior is affecting the evolution of hermit crabs.“These analyses will deepen our understanding of the consequences of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems‚ as well as the evolution of species in the context of new evolutionary pressures associated with the Anthropocene‚” the researcher said in a statement.Hermit crabs aren’t alone in their plastic plight. In recent times‚ scientists have documented a myriad of ways that the natural world is being changed by the ever-growing presence of plastic‚ from turtle bellies filled with artificial netting to ants becoming entangled in synthetic fibers.In one particularly jarring example‚ geologists have recently discovered "plastic rocks" on a remote volcanic island off the Brazilian coast.The new study is published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.