Saturday Discoveries: Webb’s Astonishing Find, The Face of Early Humans, and Why Humans and Dogs Love to Relax Together

This week brought some fascinating news from different corners of science. Let’s dive in!

First, researchers discovered that reading a dog’s emotions can be quite a challenge for humans. If you’ve ever tried to figure out what your pet is feeling, you know how tough it can be. Meanwhile, in the depths of the ocean, male blue-lined octopuses have a surprising strategy for mating: they paralyze females to avoid being eaten. And in the realm of physics, a recent game showed how quantum mechanics can give an advantage in cooperation.

Now, on to a particularly intriguing finding: galaxies have a surprising preference for spinning clockwise. A new study looked at data from 263 galaxies captured by the James Webb Space Telescope and found that about two-thirds spin that way. This discovery could change our understanding of the universe’s origins and how we measure cosmic distances.

Lior Shamir, a computer science professor at Kansas State University, explains that this might relate to how the universe began. One theory suggests that the universe could have started spinning like a black hole. Another possibility is the Doppler shift effect, where light from galaxies spinning in the same direction as our Milky Way appears red, while those spinning the opposite way appear blue. Shamir hints that if these findings are confirmed, we might need to revise how we measure distances in deep space.

In another exciting discovery, archaeologists in Spain uncovered ancient facial bones from a human ancestor. This piece, dated between 1.1 and 1.4 million years old, includes part of the cheekbone and upper jaw. Although not the oldest hominin remains (that title still belongs to a collection of Homo erectus fossils found in Georgia), this discovery shows that early humans were exploring Europe over a million years ago. The fossils exhibit traits similar to H. erectus but are still a bit mysterious due to the absence of teeth.

Lastly, let’s talk about the power of pets in reducing stress. A study from Chiang Mai University in Thailand revealed that spending just 15 minutes with dogs can significantly lower stress for both humans and the dogs involved. Stressed-out students who participated reported a 33.5% decrease in stress levels after interacting with the dogs. These pets, despite not being certified therapy dogs, proved invaluable in calming nerves and improving well-being. Even in stressful environments, non-certified dogs can play an important role in helping people feel better.

These findings not only highlight the wonders of our universe and the history of humankind but also the comfort that our furry friends can bring into our lives.

For more details on the study of galaxies, you can check out the full article on Phys.org.

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