Stinky flowers, a wormy-earache and giant viruses made our top pics this week. Read on for some cool Science.
10. T Rex Really Was a Fearsome Predator
As most anyone who went through the "dinosaur phase" in childhood already guessed Tyrannosaurus rex was a fearsome predator.
A plant-eating dinosaur found with a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth lodged in its the tail of a plant-eating dinosaur has confirmed what scientists long suspected: T. rex was a predator.
9. Flesh-Eating Worms Cause Woman's Ear Pain
The scratching sound that Rochelle Harris kept hearing was all in her head - literally.
After the British tourist returned from a vacation in Peru earlier this year, she started experiencing headaches, shooting pains down the side of her face and an unexplained discharge from one ear.
8. Why Some Flowers Stink
Credit: Rafflesia arnoldii image via Shutterstock
In the next few hours or days, an enormous blossom that reeks of rotting flesh will bloom in the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. But the plant, aptly nicknamed the corpse flower, or titan arum, is only one of several hundred species of plants that produces stinky blooms reeking of dung and rancid carrion.
But even in that relatively small number, there are a surprising variety of flowers that pursue this strategy, said Andreas Jürgens, a researcher at South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal. They smell this way to attract flies and beetles, which normally lay their eggs in faeces and rotting materials. Tempted by the scent, the insects visit the flowers and inadvertently pollinate them before leaving. Sometimes they even lay eggs in the smelly flowers, although the eggs die for lack of food.
7. New Giant Virus Found
Giant viruses, more than twice as big as the last largest known viruses, have now been unearthed from sludge across the world, researchers say.
Even more titanic viruses might await discovery, the scientists said, and they may have features that could blur the lines between life and viruses, which are not considered to be living things.
6. Two Cubs Born to Endangered Leopards
Two Persian leopard cubs were born in a Russian national park last week for the first time in 50 years, according to a statement from the World Wildlife Fund. The species is endangered.
The Persian leopard is one of the largest leopard subspecies, and the beasts once heavily roamed southwest Russia's Caucasus Mountains and the surrounding region along the southern Caspian Sea.
5. More Worries Over the New Bird Flu in China
Some strains of the H7N9 bird flu in China are becoming resistant to the only antiviral drugs doctors have left to treat the infection, a new study suggests.
The study, which examined the viruses in a single person infected with H7N9, found that a portion of the H7N9 viruses lurking inside the person were resistant to the antiviral drugsoseltamivir (marketed as Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). About 35 percent of the viruses were resistant to these drugs, while 65 percent were sensitive, the researchers said.
4. Sharks Are Thriving in Fiji
In Fiji's largest marine reserve, shark populations are benefiting from "no-take" protections that keep their food supply steady, according to a new study.
Compared with waters where fishing is allowed, there are up to four times as many reef sharks in a protected zone called the Namena Reserve, researchers say.
3. Chimps Can Remember Things They Learned Long Ago
Chimpanzees and orangutans can apparently remember things that happened years ago in their lives, scientists now find.
People's memories of days long gone by can often surface unexpectedly in response to sensory cues, such as scents. For instance, in a renowned scene in Marcel Proust's most famous novel, commonly known as "Remembrance of Things Past," the flavour of a certain cake known as a madeleine spontaneously evoked a long-forgotten childhood memory for the main character regarding breakfast at his aunt's house.
2. Dinos Butted Heads
Dinosaurs with giant domes on their heads may have used their extra padding for head butting, new research suggests.
An analysis of pachycephalosaurid skulls revealed head wounds likely incurred during combat. The pattern of wounds, described July 16 in the journal PLOS ONE, suggest the dome-headed dinos butted heads, just as bighorn sheep do today.
1. Royal Baby Watch: Why Firstborns Tend to Be Late
Credit: Newborn baby via Shutterstock
The world is eagerly awaiting the birth of the royal baby, but considering this is Kate Middleton's first pregnancy, is the baby likely to be late?
Buckingham Palace has not provided an official due date for the baby but has said the new-born is expected in mid-July.
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