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[size=2][font=Times]If this gets cut off before the end (as sometimes happens in these forums), you can find the whole thing [url=http://www.msb-science.com/ScienceNews/Science-Current-Events-2016Sep03.pdf]here[/url].[/font][/size]
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[b][color=black][size=4][font=Times]This week’s news: [/font][/size][/color][/b]
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[li][b][color=black][font=Times]Life Science:[/font][/color][/b][font=Times] [/font][i][color=#262626][font=Times]Based on Bone Scans, Researchers Say Lucy Died from a Fall[/font][/color][/i][/li]
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[li][b][color=black][font=Times]Environmental Science [/font][/color][/b][i][color=#191e2b][font=Times]Mosquito Moms Can Pass Zika to Offspring[/font][/color][/i][/li]
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[li][b][color=black][font=Times]Earth Science: [/font][/color][/b][font=Times] [/font][i][font=Times]Mt. Etna Forms Multiple Craters[/font][/i][/li]
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[li][b][color=black][font=Times]Climate Change: [/font][/color][/b][font=Times] [/font][i][font=Times]Climate Change Predicted to Halve Coffee-Growing Area that Supports 120 Million People[/font][/i][/li]
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[li][b][color=black][font=Times]Physical Science and Technology:[/font][/color][/b] [font=Times] [/font][i][font=Times]High-Tech Cloth Could Make Cool Summer Clothing[/font][/i][/li]
[li][b][color=black][font=Times]Astronomy[/font][/color][/b][b][color=black][font=Times]:[/font][/color][/b][font=Times] [/font][i][font=Times]Water Played a Big Role in Shaping the Dwarf Planet Ceres[/font][/i][/li]
[li][b][color=black][font=Times]Science & Society:[/font][/color][/b][font=Times] [/font][i][font=Times]FDA Bans Sale of Many Antibacterial Soaps[/font][/i][/li]
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[b][color=black][size=4][font=Times]Life Science:[/font][/size][/color][/b]
[i][color=#262626][size=4][font=Times]Based on Bone Scans, Researchers Say Lucy Died from a Fall[/font][/size][/color][/i]
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[size=3]Over 40 years ago, scientists discovered the fossilized bones of Lucy, an early human ancestor who lived 3.2 million years ago. One of the oldest mysteries in science — how Lucy died — may have just been solved. Researchers used high-resolution CT scans (a special type of x ray, which takes pictures from many different angles) to examine the broken bones in Lucy's right shoulder. They looked at damage to other parts of her skeleton, too. Lucy's bones show a pattern of fractures, or breaks, that are common in people who have had a severe fall. So it appears that Lucy's life ended shortly after a serious fall from a great height, probably from a tree. But researchers can be more specific. Based on fracture patterns and other data, it looks like Lucy tumbled out of a tree, landed hard on her feet and then pitched forward, extending her arms straight out in front of her in a desperate attempt to break her fall. The force of the impact of her hands hitting the ground is likely responsible for the crippling compression fracture in her shoulder. But the fall also caused several bones in her body to break and probably led to severe organ damage. Death would have followed quickly.
Part of what made the Lucy find so important was her unusual mix of features. She had relatively short legs and long arms like a chimpanzee, but her wide pelvis indicated that she walked upright. This combination of traits suggests that her species, [i]Australopithecus afarensis[/i], may have been a link between modern humans and our tree-living ancestors. Lucy was much smaller than modern humans. Although she appears to have been a full grown adult at the time of her death, she stood just 3' 6? tall, and weighed approximately 60 lb — about the size of a first-grader.
[/size][size=2][url=https://newsela.com/articles/lucy-fossil-mystery/id/21188/]https://newsela.com/articles/lucy-fossil-mystery/id/21188/[/url] [/size]
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[b][color=black][size=4][font=Times]Environmental Science [/font][/size][/color][/b]
[i][color=#191e2b][size=4][font=Times]Mosquito Moms Can Pass Zika to Offspring[/font][/size][/color][/i]
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At least in one mosquito species, lab tests show that female mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus can pass the infection to the next generation. Among [i]Aedes aegypti[/i] mosquitoes, thought to be the main species spreading Zika in the Americas, at least one out of every 290 lab offspring acquires the virus from its mother. Infected eggs, which can survive for months on dry surfaces, could keep the virus circulating even after dry or cold spells, when adult mosquitoes die off. Earlier research had already shown that babies of this species can inherit related viruses, such as those causing dengue, West Nile, and yellow fever. While mom-to-egg transmission of Zika doesn't see
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