In the News: Surviving a Volcano

Fig.1. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was extraordinarily destructive, yet some writings may have survived (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted in one of the more infamous disasters in European history. Charred scrolls buried beneath more than 50 feet of ash may finally be readable with the help of special x-ray technology. This story and more for this week's #FollowFriday!

• Buried by a volcano, the scorched papyri may yet yield their secrets: “X-Rays Reveal Snippets From Papyrus Scrolls That Survived Mount Vesuvius,” National Geographic (20 Jan 2015)

• Natural history museums often hold many secrets, including new species! “Waiting to be Discovered for More Than 100 Years, New Species of Bush Crickets,” ScienceDaily (19 Jan 2015) 

• These adorable mammals from 65 million years ago are key to understanding arboreality and primate evolution: “Purgatorius, Paleocene Tree Dweller,” Palaeoblog (20 Jan 2015)

• Gene sequencing is a powerful tool, and ended up saving lives in this hospital after an 80-week test case: “Quashing Stubborn Hospital Infections Relies on Genetic Sequencing,” Scientific American (16 Jan 2015)

• Now, more than ever, we need an international research infrastructure for the study of rare diseases. Biobank networks offer valuable resources for such research, but need coordination between countries: “Rare Diseases Need International Research Infrastructure,” The Ethics Blog, Uppsala Universitet (20 Jan 2015)

• Get a grip! Human are capable of using our hands and grips in very different ways than our great ape relatives. Recent evidence, however, says that these abilities may go back further than originally thought: “Maybe Early Humans Weren’t the First to get a Good Grip,” NPR online (22 Jan 2015)