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Fromdazzling Anglo - Saxon treasuretoEarth ’s constellation of " minimoons , " it ’s been a fussy calendar week for skill news show . While our own major planet has delivered its fair parcel of surprising stories , our cosmic neighbor has stolen show with its latest cheeseparing - ups .

In the last few months , NASA ’s Martian scouter have place back images ofgiant " kidney bean"-like structures , " ripples " left by ancient waterandrocks that look like spider egg . Now , gamy - resolution satellite imagery has revealedwave - like soil patterns on the Martian surfacethat intimately resemble those find on our own planet .

Split image of the Martian surface and free-floating atoms.

Wave patterns on Mars and free-floating atoms.

On Earth , these ripples tend to form on the gradient of cold mountains , where dirt block and thawing throughout the twelvemonth . It is unclear whether the same process produce these patterns on Mars , but research worker hope that canvas them will offer valuable insights into the planet ’s clime history , as well as aiding in our hunt for signs oflife on Mars .

Mysterious hilltop discovery

Archaeologists discover hundreds of metal objects up to 3,400 years old on mysterious volcanic hilltop in Hungary

High on a volcanic hill in western Hungary , archeologist haveuncovered a rarified hoard of hundred of ancient artifacts , include jewelry , military decorations and weapon system , dating from the recent Bronze Age ( 1450 to 800 B.C. ) to the former Iron Age ( 800 to 450 B.C. ) .

Today , the area around Somló is primarily recognize for its wine production . However , in the late 19th hundred local farmers and wine-colored producers began unearthing ancient artifacts , leading researchers to plunk deeper into the hilltop ’s buried secrets .

The findings signal that the brow might once have been a nates of power among the communities that once go there .

A selection of metal objects

Some of the metal artifacts dating to the Early Iron Age that archaeologists found on Somló Hill in Hungary.

Discover more archaeology word

— closed book of ancient Maya blue pigment disclose from crack and clues on a twelve bowls from Chichén Itzá

— Archaeologists unearth tree - lined walkway that pass to ancient Egyptian fortress in Sinai Desert

a close-up of a human skeleton

Scientists have several methods that can help determine the biological sex of a skeleton.

— alloy detectorists unearth daze Anglo - Saxon gold - and - garnet raven capitulum and ringing : ' It ’s unbelievable — I ’m a bit emotional '

Life’s little mysteries

How do archaeologists figure out the sex of a skeleton?

When archeologist chance a human skeleton in the cupboard , they are able-bodied to estimate whether that person was male or distaff with 95 % accuracy . But with most of the pick out piano tissue break down , how do researchers in reality go about sexing these ancient skeletons ?

No unmarried method acting is 100 % accurate , but archaeologist have several caper up their sleeves when it derive to distinguishing differences between sexual activity , from DNA analysis to measuring their finger cymbals .

‘Free-range’ atoms

In a first, physicists spot elusive ‘free-range’ atoms — confirming a century-old theory about quantum mechanics

For the first time ever , scientists have observed free - float atoms interact in space , confirming some of the most basic principles of quantum mechanic .

Single atoms are notoriously hard to contemplate due to their quantum behaviors , such as their ability to behave as a individual particle and a undulation at the same time . However , physicists at MIT have discovered that free - floating speck can be observed in " molecule swarm " with the help of laser .

" It ’s like seeing a swarm in the sky , but not the individual water molecules that make up the cloud,“Martin Zwierlein , a physicist at MIT and co - author of the new research , said in astatement .

an abstract illustration of spherical objects floating in the air

An illustration of atoms floating freely in the air.

The discovery enable scientists to capture images of these " free - compass " particle as they float about in space , which they go for will aid next investigation into other mysterious quantum mechanical phenomena .

get wind more physics tidings

— World ’s first atomic number 14 - based quantum computer is small enough to plug into a regular major power socket

An illustration of a woman with weapons behind her

— Physicists create groundbreaking atomic clock that ’s off by less than 1 second every 100 million years

— Physicists create ' black gob bomb ' for first time on Earth , validating decades - old theory

Also in science news this week

— uncommon genic mutation lets some people flourish on just 4 hours of shut - heart

— Climate change made April ’s ruinous floods worse , write up find

— Invasive Asian acerate leaf ants are surging in US Southeast — and their chomp can trigger anaphylaxis

Split image of Skull Hill on Mars and an artificially stimulated retina

— T. rex may have evolved in North America after all , scientist say

Science Spotlight

‘If it was a man, we would say that’s a warrior’s grave’: Weapon-filled burials are shaking up what we know about women’s role in Viking society

diachronic depictions of woman often focalise on their use as mothers and homemakers — however , new research increasingly suggests that in Viking Scandinavia , somewomen were anything but meek and modest .

Numerous excavations have disclose distaff skeletons buried with lethal arm . " Women can be as substantial , as skilled , as tight as men,“Leszek Gardeła , an archaeologist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and author of " Women and Weapons in the Viking domain : Amazons of the North " ( Casemate , 2021 ) , distinguish Live Science . " There is nothing in the biology there that would prevent them from being warriors . "

However , the poor preservation of Scandinavian graves and lack of historical texts make it very difficult to support the roles of these women in Viking society , leave the bailiwick of char warrior hotly deliberate among archaeologists .

Split image of a "cosmic tornado" and a face depiction from a wooden coffin in Tombos.

Something for the weekend

If you ’re looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend , here are some of the well long reads , Scripture excerpts and interviews print this week .

— Sir David Attenborough turned 99 this calendar week . Here are 9 fact about the iconic British broadcaster(Fact file )

— La Niña is dead — what that means for this twelvemonth ’s hurricanes and weather(Analysis )

A two paneled image. On the left, a microscope image of the rete ovarii. On the right, an illustration of exoplanet k2-18b

— kid assume today are going to get up in a hellscape , grim climate study finds(Report )

— ' slaying anticipation ' algorithms resound some of Stalin ’s most horrid policies — political science are treading a very dangerous line in perusing them(Opinion )

Science in motion

Watch elusive New Zealand snail lay an egg through a ‘genital pore’ in its neck

In a reality first , a rare carnivorous snail has been filmedsqueezing a pearly-white egg out of a " genital pore " in its cervix .

Powelliphanta augustaare large snails found only on the Buller Plateau of New Zealand ’s West Coast . Their populations are severely imperil by local mining activeness , and very little is known about their life cycle due to their elusive , nocturnal behavior .

Researchers from the New Zealand Department of Conservation have been canvass these mysterious mollusks in immurement for nearly two decades , but only now have they observe one of these snails repose an egg .

Split image of merging black holes and a woolly mice.

" It ’s remarkable that in all the time we ’ve spend give care for the snails , this is the first time we ’ve seen one set an egg , " Lisa Flanagan , DOC ranger who captured the footage , said in astatement .

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Split image of newborn planets and the burial object left in a newly discovered ancient Egyptian tomb.

A two paneled image. On one side, a space capsule in the ocean. On the other side, an illustration of a human with a DNA strand

an illustration of a base on the moon

a photo of the Milky Way reflecting off of an alpine lake at night

A composite image of the rings on Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter

an illustration of Mars

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

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

A satellite photo of an island with a giant river of orange lava

a hoatzin bird leaping in the air with blue sky background

a black and white photo of a bone with parallel marks on it

An image of a spiral galaxy

Green carved scarab beetle in a gold setting and a gold chain

An aerial photo of mountains rising out of Antarctica snowy and icy landscape, as seen from NASA’s Operation IceBridge research aircraft.