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It ’s the first week of 2024 , and this workweek in science word has uncovered some glorious ancient artifacts , reignited aT. rexcontroversy and answer an age - one-time question — why is pee lily-livered ?

1,500-year-old gold buckles discovered in Kazakhstan

Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered two golden smash buckles in a 1,500 - yr - honest-to-goodness grave that feature theearliest know depictions of the great khan , or " khagan , " of the Göktürks — a nomadic confederation of Turkic - verbalize peoples who engross the neighborhood for around three century .

The lavish gold plaques portray " the crowned sovereign , majestically sitting on a commode in a saintly pose and surround by servants,“Zainolla Samashev , an archaeologist at Kazakhstan ’s Institute of Archaeology who led the dig , told Live Science in an email . " This clearly portray the hallowed nature of power in ancient Turkic society . "

Related news this week : Medieval bang buckle of ' dragon ' eating frog may be from unknown pagan cult

Some of the details on the best-preserved plaque have melted, but it shows a Göktürk khagan seated on a throne that represents two horses, flanked by kneeling servants.

Some of the details on the best-preserved plaque have melted, but it shows a Göktürk khagan seated on a throne that represents two horses, flanked by kneeling servants.

Parasitic worms get pulled from man’s abdomen

When a man inChinawent to the hospital for routine surgical procedure , his doctors found something very unusual : live worms squirming inside his abdomen .

Using a small camera inserted into the abdomen of the 70 - year - old — who was due to undergo surgery to remove a neoplasm to care for colon Crab — doctors discovered five large , brownish parasitic worms in his biliary tract , the organs and tubes that acquire , shop and secrete bile — a yellowy - gullible fluid that aid productive digestion .

The Dr. extracted the critters and identified them asClonorchis sinensis , more commonly known as the Chinese or oriental liver fluke .

Still image of a video that doctors captured of inside the man’s abdomen showing one of the brown liver flukes

Doctors discovered five liver flukes in the man’s biliary tract, pictured above.

Controversial study in Nanotyrannus vs. T. rex saga

In the latest episode of a long - standing public debate over the identity of a Seth of dinosaur dodo , a controversial new work has found that the dino bones go not to a youngTyrannosaurus rexbut to a separate metal money : Nanotyrannus lancensis .

In the decades since the first skull was discover in Montana in 1942,paleontologists have gone back and forthon whether the skull andlater fogey discoveriesbelong to a distinct species or to juvenileT. rexes .

The writer of the new study title to have snuffed out the babyT. rexhypothesis once and for all — although other experts are n’t convinced .

An illustration of an adult Nanotyrannus attacking a young T. rex.

An adult Nanotyrannus lancensis attacking a young Tyrannosaurus rex.

Life ’s Little Mysteries : Why was the name ' Brontosaurus ' work back from the deadened ?

Monstrous X5 solar flare launched on New Year’s Eve

Even the sunshine is not above launching a few New Year ’s Eve fireworks , it seems . In the final hours of Dec. 31 , 2023 , artificial satellite near Earth detected agargantuan X5 - class solar flare pass erupting from our sensation — cease the yr with the single most powerful solar plosion since 2017 .

grant to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) , the flair was accompanied by a gargantuan blob of mellow - velocity solar mote bang as acoronal sight ejection(CME ) .

alive Science longsighted read : Solar maximum could hit us hard and rather than we thought . How dangerous will the sun ’s disorderly summit be ?

Power X5 solar flare.

A powerful X5 solar flare event.

Finally, we know why pee is yellow

We ’re told to watch out for color changes in our pee , as the passing of its normal , yellowish hue could be a signaling of a aesculapian trouble — but what actually makes urine yellow in the first spot ?

Turns out , scientists did n’t cognise the exact answer to this question until lately . Now , researchers have detect that pee ’s golden color iscaused by an enzyme call bilirubin reductase , which is produce by bacteria in the gut .

Picture of the week

A deep - sea squid has been film glide through inky-black water withthousands of egg suspend from its arms .

Researchers spotted the pitch-black - eyed squid ( Gonatus onyx ) — one of the few squids known to grizzle their ballock — off the coast of Costa Rica in December . magnetize footage shows the calamari track its cargo of eggs like a long robe and flapping the fin jut out from its head to move through the H2O .

" The large ball mass is suspended from hook on the squid ’s arms , and while carrying it for several months , the cephalopodan will go without feeding , " representatives of the Schmidt Ocean Institute , which organized the military expedition , write in a Emily Price Post onInstagram .

Close-up of a hand wearing a lab glove holding up a sealed see-through container containing a sample of urine

Scientists discovered that urine is yellow due to the action of a specific enzyme made in the gut.

Sunday reading

What’s in store for 2024?

With 2023 stretching further into the distance , now is the meter to look forwards at what the world of science has in store for us in 2024 .

trope capture a starving Leo the Lion , fighting bison and cavity of viper honored in environmental picture taking awards

Hoatzin : The unknown ' stinkbird ' born with taloned wings that looks like an evolutionary ' orphan '

A squid swims in black waters with thousands of eggs suspended from its arms.

Researchers aboard a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition spotted a black-eyed squid (Gonatus onyx) carrying thousands of eggs.

Was it a stone tool or just a rock ? An archaeologist explicate how scientists can tell the difference

A screen filled with computer code.

2023 was a breakout year for artificial intelligence, but what does 2024 have in store?

a photo of an eye looking through a keyhole

a tiger looks through a large animal�s ribcage

a rendering of a computer chip

a photo of burgers and fries next to vegetables

an infant receives a vaccine

An artist�s illustration of a satellite crashing back to Earth.

a photo of a group of people at a cocktail party

A photo of the Large Hadron Collider�s ALICE detector.

An illustration of a satellite crashing into the ocean after an uncontrolled reentry through Earth�s atmosphere

A photograph of downtown Houston, Texas, taken from a drone at sunset.

A detailed visualization of global information networks around Earth.