Panda cubs and termite guts — August’s best science images

Baby bears. France’s Beauval ZooParc celebrated the arrival of twin panda cubs after female Huan Huan gave birth on 2 August. Adult giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) can weigh up to 125 kilograms, but their newborns are tiny, blind and almost hairless. The animals are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity, and the zoo described the cubs’ birth as “exceptional”. There are now around 1,800 giant pandas in the wild, Chinese officials say, and they are no longer considered endangered, but are still vulnerable.

Northern rock. Shifting pack ice has uncovered what is thought to be the world’s most northerly island, off the coast of Greenland. Scientists discovered the patch of land while on an expedition to collect samples on a different island, called Oodaaq. The new island measures 30 metres across and has a peak about 3 metres above sea level. The team want it to be named Qeqertaq Avannarleq, which means ‘the northernmost island’ in Greenlandic.

Microscopic movie. This video offers a glimpse inside the gut of a live termite, which is home to a complex community of single-celled organisms known as microfauna. These tiny creatures help the termites to survive by breaking down cellulose in the wood that they eat. The mesmerizing movie, captured by amateur microscopist Fabian Weston, won the 2021 Nikon Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition.

Tyre graveyard. Kuwait City’s infamous tyre graveyard, a landfill that has accumulated millions of discarded tyres over decades, sprawls across an area of more than 2 square kilometres that can be seen from space. In mid-August, a fire broke out and footage emerged showing clouds of thick, black smoke produced by the burning rubber. Despite plans to build recycling plants to tackle the backlog, the graveyard continues to expand.

Dental drills. This dummy is part of an experiment to track how viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 might be spread during dental surgery. Scientists at the University of Leeds, UK, used simulated saliva and a harmless virus to map the spread of aerosols in the air and on surfaces during procedures involving different types of drill. They showed that replacing high-speed air drills — the type most commonly used by UK dentists — with slower, electric drills almost eliminated aerosol spray. The researchers say this could cut down the risk of transmitting the coronavirus and allow dentists to treat people more safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Credit: Simon Fraser University

Green cleaning. Thousands of wetland plants on floating platforms have been installed in Sanjay Van Lake in New Delhi as part of a plan to improve the quality of the water. Officials say these ‘floating wetlands’ can help to clean the lake by absorbing pollutants and providing surfaces for beneficial bacteria to grow on. Similar floating wetlands have been established in four nearby lakes, and there are plans to introduce them to others as part of wider clean-up efforts. 

Venus fly-by. The BepiColombo mission captured dozens of shots of Venus as it flew past on 10 August on its way to Mercury, where it will enter orbit and study the planet’s chemistry, geology and magnetosphere. At its closest, BepiColumbo — which is run by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency — was just 550 kilometres from Venus’s surface. The event was the second Venus fly-by in two days — ESA and NASA’s Solar Orbiter mission came within 8,000 kilometres of the planet on 9 August as part of its journey around the Sun.  

Roman tomb. The partially mummified remains of Marcus Venerius Secundio are among the best-preserved to be found in the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy. Archaeologists discovered the body in a tomb at the necropolis of Porta Sarno, one of the city’s entrance gates. Secundio was a custodian of Pompeii’s temple of Venus, and later a priest. He is thought to have been interred years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the Roman city in ad 79. Tests show that he was around 60 years old when he died.