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Archaeologists in Panama have uncovered the spectacular tomb of a pre-Hispanic chieftain whose funerary offerings include lavish gold items and earrings made of whale teeth‚ among other treasures. Dated to around 750 CE‚ the adult male buried within the grave is likely to have been a high-status member of the ancient Gran Coclé culture‚ which was famous for its gold artisanry in pre-Columbian times.The burial was discovered within a necropolis known as the El Caño archaeological park‚ where other tombs as well as stone monoliths and wooden ceremonial structures have previously been found. According to the Panamanian Ministry of Culture‚ the site was in use between roughly 700 and 1000 CE and has already yielded a number of “multiple burials”‚ each of which contains between eight and 32 bodies belonging to elites and lower-ranking individuals who were sacrificed in order to accompany their superiors in the afterlife.The ancient nobleman was buried alongside staggering amounts of gold.Image courtesy of Ministry of Culture of PanamaIt’s currently unclear how many people were interred within the newly discovered grave‚ although archaeologists have confirmed that the Coclé lord was buried facedown on top of the body of a woman‚ as was customary for this society. Alongside the remains‚ researchers discovered large numbers of ceramic artifacts as well as gold pieces with enormous monetary and historical value.Among these funerary items were five gold chest-plates‚ two belts of golden beads‚ two human-shaped earrings (one man and one woman)‚ another earring in the form of a “double crocodile”‚ and a series of circular gold plates. A further five earrings decorated with gold-capped sperm whale teeth were also found in the tomb‚ as were bracelets and clothing elaborated with dog teeth.Earrings in the shape of people and crocodiles were found within the tomb.Image courtesy of Ministry of Culture of PanamaOther objects buried with the chieftain include a series of bone flutes‚ two rattles‚ and a beaded necklace. Archaeologists are still in the process of excavating the tomb in order to learn more about its ancient inhabitants and their elaborate possessions.Archaeologists are now continuing their excavations at the bling-filled site.Image courtesy of Ministry of Culture of PanamaThought to have existed from roughly 200 BCE to 1550 CE in what is now Panama‚ the Gran Coclé culture is known for its skillfully created gold artifacts. Spectacular examples of these expertly crafted items have been found at numerous ancient burial sites across the country.

If someone says “Galápagos Islands”‚ it often conjures up thoughts of giant tortoises or Charles Darwin – but there’s something important missing from that list. The islands are volcanic‚ and they’ve just dished up a steaming hot reminder of that with the eruption of La Cumbre volcano late on Saturday night.La Cumbre‚ a shield volcano found on Fernandina Island‚ began erupting on March 2 at around 11:50 pm local time. Lava began to flow from the fissure in the volcano’s southeastern flank‚ lighting up the night sky‚ whilst a gas cloud shot up an estimated 2 to 3 kilometers above the summit. Though the eruption is yet to conclude‚ Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute has reported that it’s likely to be larger than the eruptions of La Cumbre observed in 2017‚ 2018‚ and the most recent eruption in 2020. Seismic activity in the area gradually increased since then‚ indicating a build-up of magma that eventually escaped in the current eruption.    However‚ the island of Fernandina is no stranger to eruptions. In fact‚ its resident lava spout gives off pretty strong toddler vibes; though it’s the youngest of the Galápagos volcanoes‚ La Cumbre has recorded between 28 to 30 eruptions since 1800‚ giving it the highest temper tantrum eruption recurrence rate in the archipelago.Thankfully the island is uninhabited – at least by humans. “But what about the animals?!” we hear you cry‚ which is understandable considering the island is home to a whole host of unique creatures. Whilst we imagine at least some of them got unwittingly killed (RIP)‚ according to the charity Galápagos Conservancy‚ the current eruption doesn’t pose “a significant immediate threat to any Galápagos wildlife”.However‚ eruptions aren’t precisely predictable‚ meaning there is potential for the situation to change. One resident in particular on some people’s minds is a giant Galápagos tortoise by the name of Fernanda‚ a member of a species thought to have gone extinct due to volcanic activity. She was the first to be seen in 113 years.La Cumbre’s youthful level of activity presents a problem for tortoise survival‚ as Adalgisa Caccone‚ a senior research scientist and lecturer in Yale’s Department of Ecology &; Evolutionary Biology‚ told IFLScience in 2022. "What that has done is constantly create new lava fields that are very difficult to pass‚” said Caccone. “Even for humans to explore properly is really difficult‚ but for the tortoises it’s created isolated patches of suitable habitats so they can’t go from one place to the other.”Let’s hope the elusive giant is tucked away safe and sound from this latest eruption.

For many years‚ Apophis was considered the most dangerous known asteroid. Astronomers calculated it had a small chance of hitting our planet either in 2029 or‚ if that was a miss‚ in 2036. More precise observations of its orbit over the years have shown that it will actually come as close as 40‚000 kilometers to Earth in 2029 but will definitely miss us – as long as a natural collision between Apohis and another passing object doesn't change its orbit. Astronomers have now calculated what that risk is.For those on Team Asteroid‚ you should know that a 335-meter (1‚100-foot) object such as Apophis wouldn’t send us the way of the dinosaurs. It would create vast devastation though and for this reason‚ scientists remained alert and curious about the possibilities. On April 13‚ 2029 (yes‚ a Friday 13th)‚ Apophis will get just 37‚399 kilometers (23‚240 miles) from Earth. A little nudge from another object between now and then might create a large deviation in the future. After all‚ when NASA's DART mission redirected asteroid Dimorphos‚ it demonstrated just that (as well as completely changing its shape).  "Given how closely Apophis will pass Earth‚ there is a possible risk that a deflection from its current trajectory may move Apophis closer to impacting us‚" co-author Benjamin Hyatt‚ an undergraduate student at Waterloo University‚ said in a statement. "Hypothetically‚ another asteroid colliding with Apophis could cause such a deflection‚ motivating us to study this scenario‚ however unlikely it may be."On Friday‚ April 13‚ Apophis will make a close approach to Earth at just 40‚000 kilometers away. Its orbit will be diverted by Earth's gravity.Image credit: European Space AgencyTo investigate‚ Hyatt and lead author Professor Paul Wiegert from Western University calculated the trajectory of 1.3 million known asteroids in the Solar System. They looked at how these space rocks would move over the next several years to see if any might get too close to Apophis‚ and if they did‚ whether Apophis would be sent on a more dangerous course. Luckily‚ their results show that there is zero chance of that happening."We calculated the paths of all known asteroids using a detailed computer simulation of our Solar System and the possibility of such an unlikely event was evaluated‚" said Wiegert. "Fortunately‚ no such collisions are anticipated."          So‚ we are safe from Apophis but we won’t stop studying it. In fact‚ there is a mission currently traveling to study it right now: OSIRIS-APEX‚ the mission formerly known as OSIRIS-REx that visited the current most dangerous known asteroid Bennu‚ bringing back a huge sample of it‚ including something we've never had before."Asteroid Apophis has fascinated us as a species since its discovery in 2004: it was the first credible threat from an asteroid to our planet‚" said Wiegert‚ a member of the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration. "Even now that we know it's on course to miss us by a safe margin‚ astronomers remain vigilant. It's the asteroid we just can't stop watching."The study has been accepted by the Planetary Science Journal and is available on the arXiv preprint server.

Never one to take a relaxed approach to surveillance‚ China is reportedly looking into ways to install an extensive network of sensors and cameras to monitor their future base on the moon.The International Lunar Research Station is a planned lunar base proposed in 2021 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Roscomos‚ the Russian space agency. Over the next few decades‚ the base aims to be a fully operational station on the lunar surface built for scientific research‚ with the ultimate aim of establishing a permanent human presence on the moon. Several other countries have since expressed serious interest in collaborating with the project‚ including Venezuela‚ South Africa‚ Azerbaijan‚ Belarus‚ and Pakistan.This prime piece of real estate will require some degree of protection‚ especially when international relations back home on planet Earth are becoming increasingly frosty. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP)‚ scientists at CNSA‚ the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation‚ and Zhejiang University have recently outlined a plan to constantly survey the International Lunar Research Station using hundreds of cameras. Per their report‚ small 100-gram (3.5-ounce) cameras will be equipped with AI-driven chips “capable of identifying‚ locating‚ tracking and aiming at suspicious targets independently”. If any “abnormalities” are detected‚ the system is prepped to “promptly generate alarm signals and initiate appropriate response measures”.The system has been dubbed Skynet 2.0‚ alluding to the mass surveillance network that keeps a close eye on Earth-bound China. Figures vary‚ but it's estimated that China is outfitted with hundreds of millions of CCTV cameras‚ a growing number of which are capable of face recognition. The CNSA is reportedly looking at this techno-authoritarian model to inspire their surveillance of the International Lunar Research Station.“The construction and operation of the optical surveillance system for the (International) Lunar Research Station can draw on the successful experience… of China’s Skynet project‚” reads a paper published in the Chinese academic journal Acta Optica Sinica‚ according to the SCMP. It's not hyperbole to say we are already living in the age of space espionage. Recent years have seen a surge in reconnaissance satellites keeping tabs on foreign adversaries on Earth‚ while space companies are set to become an increasingly common target for foreign cyberattacks.Even as humanity is making steps toward colonizing other parts of the Solar System‚ it seems that grievances and suspicion from the home planet still live strong.

The decomposition of a corpse until there’s nothing left but bone is a process known as skeletonization‚ and it can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few years. The rate of decomposition depends heavily on the environmental conditions‚ but what about that skeleton that’s left behind? If bones don’t decompose‚ how come we’re not walking on skeletons everywhere we go?Do bones decay?Yes‚ bones decay‚ albeit sometimes very‚ very slowly. The process that helps our bones to achieve that coveted “dust to dust” status is known as diagenesis and it encompasses microbial‚ chemical‚ and mechanical changes. It can take anywhere from a few days‚ to a few thousand years‚ to a few million.Once a poorly understood area of science‚ we’re getting to know more about how bones break down in the short-term thanks to studies such as this 2022 paper that buried the ribs of six humans for 12 months to see what changes they underwent.Bones are made up of minerals and collagen‚ a protein that holds bones together. The researchers found that hydrolysis fragmented the collagen's bonds‚ weakening it over time‚ while the minerals undergo dissolution and recrystallization.Without collagen acting as glue‚ the remaining skeletal material is exposed and fragile. Anything from extreme temperatures and moisture to carnivores and wind can turn what remains to dust. As for those special bones we find seemingly still intact millions of years after the animal died‚ that all comes down to the quirks of mineralization‚ which is just one of several fossilization processes.   What can we learn from skeletal remains?That bones hang around longer than the rest of us is something that forensic taphonomists have figured out how to use to our benefit. As it turns out‚ skeletal remains can help us to reconstruct a deceased person’s identity.“It involves creating what we call the osteobiographical profile‚ and typically comprises an estimation of biological sex‚ age at death‚ stature‚ potential trauma that might have occurred either before or around the time of‚ or after‚ death‚” explained forensic expert Dr Devin Finaughty to IFLScience as part of an interview that first appeared in our digital magazine CURIOUS. “There's also a lot of information you can pull up about a person's lifestyle from their skeleton. I like to say that our life stories are written into our bones; the types of activities that we do‚ the level of physical activity that we do‚ history of disease processes.Even when we’ve stopped growing‚ it doesn't mean that your bones just stop doing what they do.Dr Devin FinaughtyIf you get really sick with something‚ that is often reflected in the bones‚ Finaughty pointed out. "Ongoing disease processes – if they're quite systemic‚ or maybe sometimes very localized – can affect bone as well. Histories of surgeries‚ the insertion of prostheses‚ repairs.“We can reconstruct a person's diet at different stages of their lives depending on where we source the tissue from. Even when we’ve stopped growing‚ it doesn't mean that your bones just stop doing what they do. Your body continues to turn over that‚ and it's pulling in material from your diet as it does that. This means we can use stable isotope analysis to generate information based on your diet. Everything from the type of water you were drinking to the type of food that you were eating‚ all of that is written in bones.”And as for what happens to all the squishy stuff? Well‚ we have the decomposition ecosystem to thank for that.