Briny water under Antarctica's surface could host life

An airborne survey of a presumably dry Antarctic valley has revealed a stunning and unexpected interconnected subsurface briny aquifer deep beneath the frozen tundra.  The finding not only has implications for understanding extreme habitats for life on Earth, but the potential for life elsewhere in the solar system, particularly Mars.

Lapita colonised Tonga within two generations

It only took a generation or two for the first settlers of Polynesia to spread from their original colonisation site in Tonga.  The rapid spread could have been driven by resource depletion and sibling rivalry.

Female chimps more likely to make and use spears

Female adult chimps made and used spears more often than adult males. The males relied more on their size and strength for hunting. Female chimps are almost always hindered by infants that ride on their backs or bellies, so spear hunting is far more effective for them than attempting to chase down prey.

Dark matter may not be completely dark

Scientists have found tantalising evidence suggesting dark matter may be more dynamic than thought.  For the first time dark matter may have been observed interacting with other dark matter in a way other than through the force of gravity.

Brontosaurus reinstated as a dinosaur genus

More than 100 years after it was banished from existence, Brontosaurus can be reinstated as a dinosaur genus, according to a detailed study of the iconic dinosaur's family tree.  Palaeontologists from the UK and Portugal conducted a comprehensive anatomical survey of 81 specimens of the Diplodocidae superfamily of large long-necked dinosaurs, which includes Diplodocus, Apatosaurus, and once again, Brontosaurus.

'Little Foot' fossil sheds light on human forerunners

A sophisticated new dating technique has shown that Little Foot — an important early hominid fossil unearthed in the 1990s in South Africa — is roughly 3.7 million years old.  Previous estimates had been as broad as from 1.5 to four million years.  Little Foot — a member of the species Australopithecus prometheus — lived at roughly the same time as Australopithecus afarensis, the species whose most famous fossil, known as Lucy, comes from Ethiopia. Both species blended ape-like and human-like traits but with different features.

How Jupiter survived

A new model could explain how giant gas planets like Jupiter can exist.  Planets such as Jupiter are thought to be very common in the Universe. But computational models of planetary system evolution to date have struggled to explain how these gas giants survive beyond the embryonic stage.  According to these models, gas giants should migrate inwards and eventually fall into their host star within about 100,000 years.  Now, new computer simulations indicate that planetary embryos heat their surrounding environments, countering the forces dragging them into their stars.

Dark matter is non-interactive

A new study of colliding galaxy clusters has found that dark matter doesn't even interact with itself. The findings mean some existing dark matter models — which give the mysterious substance properties similar to normal matter — will need to be revised.