Weekly Science Report

December 6, 2019
 
“These virtues do not have ineffable meaning but offer a sense of morality-a way to be, and a
way to behave, as a member of the human family.”
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Kingdom of Jordan on being Muslim
 

Introduction
 
Steve Detwiler created this publication with the support of Graham Hancock and the late John
Anthony West to share news and information on various disciplines to include but not limited to
paleontology, space sciences, genetics and archaeology.  His goal behind sharing this publication
has always been very simple, by sharing knowledge we can make our world a better place.  This
publication is Mr. Detwiler’s contribution to bring people together and share ideas and discoveries
with his fellow humans.
 
I hope you enjoy this publication and that the content challenges and inspires you!
 
The Weekly Science Report is also on social media at:
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weeklysciencerpt/
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/wklysciencerpt
 

News Articles
 
Paleontology, Evolution and Prehistoric Studies
 
Beautifully Preserved Skull of 'Biblical Snake' with Hind Legs Discovered
https://www.livescience.com/snake-with-legs-skull.html?utm_source=notification
 
Piecing Together a 12,000-Year-old Way of Life
https://today.uconn.edu/2015/06/piecing-together-a-12000-year-old-way-of-life/
 
Scientists Show Humans May Share a ‘Musical Grammar’
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-show-humans-may-share-musical-
grammar-180973653/
 
Were other humans the first victims of the sixth mass extinction?
https://theconversation.com/were-other-humans-the-first-victims-of-the-sixth-mass-extinction-
126638
 
Flesh-Ripping Dinosaurs Replaced Their Teeth Multiple Times a Year
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/flesh-ripping-dinosaurs-replaced-their-teeth-
multiple-times-year-180973661/
 
 

History
 
Why Hindu nationalists are cheering moves to build a temple, challenging a secular tradition
https://theconversation.com/why-hindu-nationalists-are-cheering-moves-to-build-a-temple-
challenging-a-secular-tradition-126901
 
Who owned these Jewish-owned treasures? V&A seeks clues from public
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/gallery/8-jewish-owned-objects-from-the-v-and-a-s-collection-
with-unclear-provenance
 
Faith made Harriet Tubman fearless as she rescued slaves
https://theconversation.com/faith-made-harriet-tubman-fearless-as-she-rescued-slaves-127592
 
Chief who signed treaty with Pilgrims to be reburied
https://valliantnews.com/2019/11/15/chief-who-signed-treaty-with-pilgrims-to-be-reburied/
 
REP. HAALAND SEEKS TO RESTORE OLYMPIC RECORDS FOR NATIVE OLYMPIAN
JIM THORPE  
https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/rep-haaland-seeks-to-restore-olympic-records-for-native-
olympian-jim-thorpe/?fbclid=IwAR1Utslk-
hDxXemCLfftorcbRrxZUQjDcbtWgVXasicu4aQKXVJvhl7h410
 
50 years later, Native Americans return to Alcatraz to remember occupation
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/50-years-later-Native-Americans-return-to-
14850171.php?fbclid=IwAR27vFBZIveh_52eugQ6oN848HZQmqlupVyo88gTpPh4-
WTufMOpPBzGWKg
 
Indigenous protectors of these sacred peaks have kept others out—till now
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2019/11/indigenous-protectors-sacred-peaks-secret-
until-now/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=social::src=twitter::cmp=editorial::add=tw20191201hist-
indigenousprotectors::rid=&sf224793702=1
 
The battle to rebuild centuries of science after an epic inferno
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02141-2
 
What is a Concentration Camp?
https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/what-concentration-camp
 
Where an ancient Jewish-Muslim coexistence endures
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2019/1105/Where-an-ancient-Jewish-Muslim-
coexistence-endures?cmpid=kwpsub&kwp_0=1464848&kwp_4=4459673&kwp_1=1883791
 
Art of the steal: European museums wrestle with returning African art
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2019/0430/Art-of-the-steal-European-museums-wrestle-
with-returning-African-art?
cmpid=kwpsub&kwp_0=1364837&kwp_4=4293595&kwp_1=1800378&fbclid=IwAR2VWuTFw
w5AFtlXAMIAW591oxaIAWtr867lOMIVzNtlvGjo7a_tSV81anA
 
Possibility Of Female Deacons Gives Some Catholics Hope
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/30/781998550/possibility-of-women-deacons-gives-some-catholics-
hope?sc=tw
 
Identity of Fourth Soviet Spy Who Stole US Atomic Bomb Secrets Finally Revealed
https://www.livescience.com/manhattan-project-fourth-spy.html
 
This Orphanage Did More Than Find Homes for Children of the Holocaust. It Helped Them
Reclaim Their Humanity
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/orphanage-helped-them-reclaim-their-humanity-
180962516/?
utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&fbclid=IwAR0ne4feCkwMkv2MlXa_vGT
O6EBkGOBzeUf8Xd-IeQfDuYsT7mTUYvakB0s
 
Milan Kundera's Czech Citizenship Is Restored After 40 Years
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/03/784473689/milan-kunderas-czech-citizenship-is-restored-after-40-
years?sc=tw
 
Alabama honors Native American tribes it exiled
https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/12/02/alabama-honors-native-american-
tribes-exiled/4319350002/?
fbclid=IwAR2ClQa0lhqmlYRIdixMoMLZvN31XCIeKMp0KRxXs_Zj7mh1ohawGcyGFls
 
David Rubenstein says it's time to give Americans a proper education in history
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-rubenstein-is-on-a-mission-to-educate-america-congress-
through-a-lesson-in-history/
 
500 Years After Leonardo Da Vinci's Death, France Celebrates His Life And Work
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/29/782568048/500-years-after-leonardo-da-vincis-death-france-
celebrates-his-life-and-work?sc=tw
 
How smallpox brought the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes together
https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/community/history/4792782-How-smallpox-brought-the-
Mandan-Hidatsa-and-Arikara-tribes-together
 
States Move to Add Native American History to Curriculum
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-11-29/states-move-to-add-native-american-
history-to-education-curriculum
 
'We're still here:' Seminole Tribe shares dark history of Egmont Key
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/seminole-tribe-egmont-key/67-a6ee7a61-ceb9-45e6-a2cd-
f699a7e72fd1
 
Trump 'Founders' proclamation another attempt to erase Native American history, tribal academics
say
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2019/11/26/native-american-heritage-month-president-
celebrates-white-settlers-too/4286620002/
 
The Unprecedented Effort to Preserve a Million Letters Written by U.S. Soldiers During Wartime
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unprecedented-effort-preserve-million-letters-written-
soldiers-wartime-180973336/
 
Pearl Harbor Veteran Expected To Be Last USS Arizona Survivor Interred On Ship

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/06/785562612/pearl-harbor-
veteran-expected-to-be-last-uss-arizona-survivor-interred-on-
ship?sc=tw

Archaeology
 
Archaeologists Discover 3,000-Year-Old Megalithic Temple Used by a 'Water Cult'
https://www.livescience.com/ancient-megalithic-temple-discovered-peru.html?
utm_source=notification
 
Glories of old Kabul emerge from decades of war - and trash

http://news.trust.org/item/20191127003441-rn4vi/
 
V&A launches ‘world’s largest and most accessible’ cultural heritage preservation database
https://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/news/va-launches-worlds-largest-accessible-cultural-
heritage-preservation-database/?
fbclid=IwAR19cPsb81d66Mms_hEAKhx42Lt8yfv_L6PlOTqP4KA0bDZi6TYF38oNWGk
 
Radar Uncovers Viking Ship Buried on Norway Farm
https://www.livescience.com/viking-ship-georadar-norway.html
 
Two-Horned 'Rook' Might Be the Oldest Chess Piece on Earth
https://www.livescience.com/oldest-chess-piece-humayma-jordan.html
 
Tribe signs deal to co-manage Petroglyphs Historic State Park with DNR
https://www.themorningsun.com/news/local/tribe-signs-deal-to-co-manage-petroglyphs-historic-
state-park/article_ea1f863c-16b3-11ea-8497-6f5cb995879e.html?
utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-
share&fbclid=IwAR1ygiZisjjjtFniy6R1oak3S0aIPzA9mXwLAdXd_MYHftUSajwwGLpzvaQ
 
Authorities Recover 10,000 Artifacts Stolen by International Antiquities Trafficking Ring
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/authorities-recover-10000-artifacts-stolen-
international-antiquities-trafficking-ring-180973636/?
utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia
 
Vandalism At Kansas City, Kansas, Underground Railroad Site Might Help Preservation Efforts
https://www.kcur.org/post/vandalism-kansas-city-kansas-underground-railroad-site-might-help-
preservation-efforts#stream/0

Egyptology
 
Official 3D Scans of Nefertiti Bust Are Released After Three-Year Battle
https://hyperallergic.com/530400/official-3d-scans-of-nefertiti-bust-are-released-after-three-year-
battle/
 
Found: Surprisingly Modern Paint on an Ancient Egyptian Gate
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/found-yellow-paint-ancient-egypt
 
Egypt hails rare find of mummified lion cubs, cats and crocodiles
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/egypt-mummified-cats-scn/index.html?
utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_source=fbCNNi&utm_content=2019-11-
30T11%3A30%3A15
 
1,700-Year-Old Sock Spins Yarn About Ancient Egyptian Fashion
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews-history-archaeology/1700-year-old-sock-spins-yarn-
about-ancient-egyptian-fashion-180970501/?
utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&fbclid=IwAR2LJ4BGlYq7aBR2Jc6IBirGI
cUmZBDcXOZ-VIM_FIncindUkn0J9ARBpAM
 
Original tomb raider: was Tutankhamun buried in someone else's grave?
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/27/original-tomb-raider-tutankhamun-treasures-
golden-pharaoh-saatchi
 
 
 
 
 

General Science
 
End of an era as Japan's Panasonic exits chip business
https://techxplore.com/news/2019-11-era-japan-panasonic-exits-chip.html
 
The artificial skin that allows robots to feel
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/11/28/business/robot-artificial-skin-scn/index.html
 
Physics, Earth and Space Sciences

 
SpaceX's 1st Full-Size Starship Prototype Suffers Anomaly in Pressure Test
https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-prototype-anomaly-pressure-test.html?
utm_source=notification
 
Contrary to recent reports, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is not in danger of disappearing
https://theconversation.com/contrary-to-recent-reports-jupiters-great-red-spot-is-not-in-danger-of-
disappearing-127673
 
'Wow.' Astrophysicist Eugene Parker Reacts to Namesake Sun Probe's 1st Science Results (Video)
https://www.space.com/astrophysicist-eugene-parker-solar-probe-science-reaction-video.html
 
A fifth fundamental force could really exist, but we haven't found it yet
https://phys.org/news/2019-11-fundamental-havent.html
 
Astronomers discover massive black hole that "should not even exist" in the Milky Way galaxy
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/astronomers-discover-massive-black-hole-lb-1-that-should-not-
even-exist-in-the-milky-way-galaxy/
 
Objective Reality Doesn't Exist, Quantum Experiment Shows
https://www.livescience.com/objective-reality-not-exist-quantum-physicists.html
 
19 Galaxies Are Apparently Missing Dark Matter. No One Knows Why.
https://www.livescience.com/19-galaxies-missing-dark-matter.html
 
Hoag's Object Is a Galaxy Within a Galaxy Within a Galaxy (and Nobody Knows Why)
https://www.livescience.com/hoags-object-perfect-ring-mystery.html?fbclid=IwAR0sc1wg-
tSRfx2GDJoxK1Tod7Y947HA0VHGKhC6qD_c8MQNtFa1hTnBXcI
 
A 'Mole' Isn't Digging Mars: NASA Engineers Are Trying To Find Out Why
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/29/783278261/a-mole-isn-t-digging-mars-nasa-engineers-are-trying-
to-find-out-why?sc=tw
 
Inside The 24/7 Search For Another Habitable Planet Within 100 Light Years Of Earth
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2019/11/25/inside-the-247-search-for-another-
habitable-planet-within-100-light-years-of-earth/#249765203442
 
A Comet From Another Star Hints That Our Solar System Isn't One-Of-A-Kind
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/05/784898213/a-comet-from-another-star-hints-that-our-solar-system-
isnt-one-of-a-kind?sc=tw
 

Environment, Climate Change and Alternative Energy

Sources
 
NOAA Wants More Cameras On Fishing Vessels And Fewer Biologists
https://www.opb.org/news/article/noaa-fisheries-observer-cameras/?
utm_campaign=Crushin5&utm_source=UrbanAirship&utm_medium=push
 
Arctic Ocean could be ice-free for part of the year as soon as 2044
https://phys.org/news/2019-11-arctic-ocean-ice-free-year.html
 
Secretive energy startup backed by Bill Gates achieves solar breakthrough
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/business/heliogen-solar-energy-bill-gates/index.html?
fbclid=IwAR1eH8KP0-Q6oFYMgXZA8I8XHtiOUZ9pe4mVamY0Fq0-bD-iCg6bJoXPJS0
 
Whales are vital to curb climate change - this is the reason why
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/whales-carbon-capture-climate-change
 
South Korea is building 3 hydrogen-powered cities for 2022
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/south-korea-green-energy-hydrogen-future-city-fossil-
fuel-renewables
 
Northern California's undersea kelp forests decimated by purple sea urchins
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/northern-california-s-undersea-kelp-forests-decimated-
purple-sea-urchins-n1067906
 
Chew On This: Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/11/30/783001327/chew-on-this-farmers-are-using-food-
waste-to-make-electricity?sc=tw
 
Why Desalinating Water is Hard — and Why We Might Need To Anyway
https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/why-desalinating-water-is-hard-and-why-we-
might-need-to-anyway?
utm_source=dscfb&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dscfb&fbclid=IwAR24VbVFAxgoHMQ
JY87aj2iRC841zhddhO4TzQzaP8_uRo7XjZYrPUvSsEE
 
How Peru’s potato museum could stave off world food crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/29/how-perus-potato-museum-could-stave-
off-world-food-crisis
 
Young Researchers Feel Excitement And Sadness To See Arctic Ice That May Disappear
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/25/781776385/young-researchers-feel-excitement-and-sadness-to-see-
arctic-ice-that-may-disappe?sc=tw
 
How Americans can change their mindset about wasting food
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-americans-can-change-their-mindset-about-wasting-food
 
Offshore Wind May Help The Planet — But Will It Hurt Whales?
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/05/782694371/offshore-wind-may-help-the-planet-but-will-it-hurt-
whales?sc=tw
 

Biological, Genetics and Medical Sciences

 
Scientists develop artificial nerve cells which behave just like real cells
https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-develop-artificial-nerve-cells-which-behave-just-like-real-
cells/?ftag=CAD-03-10abf2b
 
How gene-edited white blood cells are helping fight cancer
https://theconversation.com/how-gene-edited-white-blood-cells-are-helping-fight-cancer-126806
 
Breakthrough discovery in plants' DNA may lead to slowing aging process in humans
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/18/health/plant-longevity-telomerase-scn-wellness/index.html?
utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_source=fbCNN&utm_content=2019-12-
01T05%3A29%3A02
 
The Inuit Paradox
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-inuit-paradox
 
The True Story of the Genetically Modified Superfood That Almost Saved Millions
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/17/golden-rice-genetically-modified-superfood-almost-saved-
millions/
 
Malaysia Says Goodbye to Iman, Its last Sumatran Rhino
https://www.livescience.com/malaysia-last-sumatran-rhino-dies.html
 
Raiders Of The Lost Crops: Scientists Race Against Time To Save Genetic Diversity
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/12/03/784259743/raiders-of-the-lost-crops-scientists-
race-against-time-to-save-genetic-diversity?sc=tw
 
A Cancer Care Approach Tailored To The Elderly May Have Better Results
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/11/23/714300273/a-cancer-care-approach-tailored-
to-the-elderly-may-give-better-results?sc=tw

Other
 
Rescuing Art: The creativity and science of restoration
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rescuing-art-the-creativity-and-science-of-restoration/?
fbclid=IwAR0BOBH9Wsq2vbrS9F4FLC_IAILYXjeeYSqTwjokO4rHfir67ZaQaE_-vRc#
 
Rethinking farms and food in the AI age
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2019/1127/Rethinking-farms-and-
food-in-the-AI-age
 
Holland Aims to Bring Back Its Starry Nights
https://www.citylab.com/life/2019/11/dark-sky-night-stars-netherlands-light-pollution-map-nacht/
601846/?utm_campaign=citylab&utm_term=2019-11-
26T13%3A09%3A24&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo
 
Italy passes law to send unsold food to charities instead of dumpsters
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/italy-passes-law-to-send-unsold-food-to-charities/?
fbclid=IwAR3SQhiGCxdze2KwlpHdDH5xFnM6Mz6hW1SYzqRl2joYw9-7EKfamSe6jNc
 
Researchers develop a mass-producible, centimeter-scale metalens for VR, imaging
https://phys.org/news/2019-12-mass-producible-centimeter-scale-metalens-vr-imaging.html?
fbclid=IwAR2KOKX8EFBd3LppxIMexqRzfsKXuNHqwMTjQkGfBqDKGug-6hw-xnUzoLA
 
Floating Cities: The Next Big Real Estate Boom
https://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2019/12/02/floating-cities-the-next-big-real-estate-
boom/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
 
'We Wanted Our Patrons Back' — Public Libraries Scrap Late Fines To Alleviate Inequity
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/30/781374759/we-wanted-our-patrons-back-public-libraries-scrap-
late-fines-to-alleviate-inequi
 
 
 

Additional Informational
 
Star Trek Command Training Program (Internship)
https://www.emmys.com/foundation/programs/internship/startrek/apply
 
Masters of Tradition: A Cultural Journey across America
https://storymaps.esri.com/stories/heritage-fellows/map/?id=424
 
SETI Newsletter
https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/donor_letter_nov19.php
 
NASA, Climate Change: How Do We Know?
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
 
TED Talk, The world's most mysterious book
https://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_bax_the_world_s_most_mysterious_book?
utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co&utm_campaign=social
 
Native American activism after Standing Rock: Where is it now?
https://ideas.ted.com/native-american-activism-after-standing-rock-where-is-it-now/amp/
 
TED Talk, America's native prisoners of war
https://www.ted.com/talks/aaron_huey_america_s_native_prisoners_of_war?
utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co
 
TED Talk, The Magic of Small Numbers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=790nFPASyhM&app=desktop
 
Thank you, Mr. Rogers: An escape hatch for the holidays
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2019/11/27/thank-you-mr-rogers-an-
escape-hatch-for-the-holidays/
 
Response from Graham Hancock to the Society for American Archaeology
https://grahamhancock.com/saa-archaeological-record-response/
 
FLOATING SOLAR PANELS RESTORE LIFE TO PERUVIAN SOIL
https://stories.undp.org/floating-solar-panels-restore-life-to-peruvian-soil
 
Forecasting agricultural vulnerabilities on a changing planet
https://digital.hbs.edu/data-and-analysis/forecasting-agricultural-vulnerabilities-on-a-changing-
planet/?sf112474196=1
 
WWII in Asia: Between History & Memory Webinar, Dec 11
https://www.facinghistory.org/calendar/web2019nat29-wwii-asia-between-history-memory
 
I Invented the World Wide Web. Here’s How We Can Fix It.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/24/opinion/world-wide-web.html