OGN's Pick of The 3 Most Remarkable Stories of The Year so Far
- Editor OGN Daily
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Scientists have discovered an entirely new form of life; that a cow has joined the exclusive club of tool users; and others are investigating why some glaciers are actually growing.
New Lifeform Found in Scotland
A 370 million-year-old fossil is an entirely new form of life which towered up to 26ft tall, scientists have confirmed. The genus - called Prototaxites - resembled a woody giant tree trunk without a leafy canopy and was originally thought to be a form of fungus. However, researchers from the University of Edinburgh and National Museums Scotland have discovered that the fossil is neither fungus nor plant, but a new form of life that became extinct around 370 million years ago. Read on...
First Evidence of Cow Using Tools
Apart from humans, only chimpanzees have been acknowledged as making use of tools. Now, a cow called Veronika has joined the club - challenging long-held assumptions about bovine intelligence. The definition of tool use is strict - an animal must intentionally use an object in order to achieve a specific goal. Researchers in Austria observed how Veronika used a deck-cleaning broom over a series of 70 trials and she consistently used the broom as a tool, using her tongue to get a grip on the broom’s handle and manoeuver it to scratch different parts of her body. Read on (plus video)...
Some Glaciers Are Growing
Whilst we are all aware that glaciers around the world are shrinking as a result of global warming, there are striking exceptions. Defying the odds and mystifying scientists - and they want to know how and why. So, an expedition has ventured into the Pamir mountains to try and figure out how humanity could help these rivers of ice survive as the planet warms. “If we could learn the mechanism behind the increased volume of ice there, then we may be able to apply that to all the other glaciers around the world.” That really would be good news. Read on...
