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A section of the ancient cave art discovered in Indonesia that depicts a type of buffalo called an anoa, at right, facing several smaller human–animal figures.Credit: Ratno Sardi
Is this cave painting humanity’s oldest story?
A 44,000-year-old cave painting seeming to depict a pig and buffalo hunt is the world’s oldest recorded story, according to archaeologists. Found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the 4.5-metre panel features reddish-brown forms that seem to depict human-like figures hunting local animal species. Rock art in Europe that dates back to 14,000 to 21,000 years ago was thought to be the world’s oldest clearly narrative artworks, but the Sulawesi art pre-dates this.
Foreign researchers: Friend or foe?
The threat of “improper foreign influence” on US science — in particular from China — is real and growing, an elite science advisory group has warned in a report to the US National Science Foundation. However, the group advises that the issue should be addressed in a way that preserves the nation’s ability to attract top scientific talent. US science agencies have struggled to deal with the growing concerns. A 2018 probe prompted investigations at dozens of academic institutions — and raised concerns about racial profiling, because most of the scientists involved are ethnically Chinese.
JASON report (PDF)
Why New Zealand’s volcano eruption was hard to predict
Despite close monitoring of the New Zealand White Island volcano, whose eruption killed a number of people on Monday, geologists say that nothing they observed could have immediately predicted the eruption. But some researchers suggest that the volcano’s highly unpredictable nature means it’s never entirely safe to visit. White Island has been in a state of near-continuous eruption, with numerous, mostly small, explosions since 2011. The volcano is unusual because its crater sits close to sea level, so seawater can seep into cracks and fissures and become superheated. As the cracks become clogged with debris and precipitated minerals, the only way to release the pressure is in an explosion — and that’s difficult to predict.
Features & opinion
All aboard the change train
Science needs to revisit the practices and incentives that underpin the profession, says Marcus Munafò. The only way to address problems in the community — from misconduct to perverse incentives, to training or reproducibility — is for institutions to work together and collectively raise standards until they become the norm.
Nobel laureate decries India’s citizenship bill
Venki Ramakrishnan, joint winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and president of the Royal Society in London, has spoken out against a bill passed this week in India that uses religious faith as a criteria for granting citizenship. Ramakrishnan highlights the fact that the Indian Constitution “promotes the scientific temperament” — using evidence, and not discriminating on the basis of things such as religion.
The Telegraph India | 5 min read
China tops chemistry league
For the first time, China has taken the Nature Index crown as the biggest producer of high-quality research in chemistry, knocking the United States down to second place. Check out which other countries made the top ten.
Share’ is a measure of how many articles a nation has contributed to the journals tracked by the index. China’s share has grown by 17.9% since 2017.Nature Index
