Earth tipped on its side (and back again) in 'cosmic yo-yo' 84 million years ago

Wildfires burned Antarctica 75 million years ago, charcoal remnants reveal | 'Rogue' antibodies found in brains of teens with delusions and paranoia after COVID-19 | Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in children Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( October 26, 2021 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [Wildfires burned Antarctica 75 million years ago, charcoal remnants reveal]( [Wildfires burned Antarctica 75 million years ago, charcoal remnants reveal]( (Illustration by Maurilio Oliveira; De Lima, F.J. et al. Polar Research (2021); CC BY 4.0) Raging wildfires tore through Antarctica 75 million years ago, back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, a new study finds. During the late Cretaceous period (100 million to 66 million years ago), one of the warmest periods on Earth, Antarctica's James Ross Island was home to a temperate forest of conifers, ferns and flowering plants known as angiosperms, as well as to a slew of dinosaurs. But it wasn't a total paradise; ancient paleo-fires burned parts of those forests to a crisp, leaving behind charcoal remnants that scientists have now scooped up and studied. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] COVID-19 [] ['Rogue' antibodies found in brains of teens with delusions and paranoia after COVID-19]( ['Rogue' antibodies found in brains of teens with delusions and paranoia after COVID-19]( (Getty / CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY) Two teens developed severe psychiatric symptoms such as paranoia, delusions and suicidal thoughts during mild COVID-19 infections. Now, scientists think they've identified a potential trigger: Rogue antibodies may have mistakenly attacked the teens' brains, rather than the coronavirus. The researchers spotted these rogue antibodies in two teens who were examined at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children’s Hospital after catching COVID-19 in 2020, according to a new report on the cases published Monday (Oct. 25) in the journal JAMA Neurology. The antibodies appeared in the patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is a clear liquid that flows in and around the hollow spaces of the brain and spinal cord. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/25) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in children]( [Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in children]( (Shutterstock) Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 6 to 12 years, the company announced on Monday (Oct. 25). The findings are part of a clinical trial on the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine in around 5,700 children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years; More than 4,700 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years participated in the study and were given two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart, but at half the dose (50 µg) given to adults (100 µg). Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/25) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] History & Archaeology [] [These retouched photos of Shackelton's 1914 expedition look like they were taken yesterday]( [These retouched photos of Shackelton's 1914 expedition look like they were taken yesterday]( (Stuart Humphryes/Babel Colour) Retouched images of the famous Shackleton expedition of 1914 to 1917 look like they might have been snapped by a photographer visiting Antarctica today. The photos were originally taken in color, but London multimedia artist Stuart Humphryes brought them into the 21st century by enhancing what was already there. In the original color photographs — saved at no small effort by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew after their ship was crushed in the pack ice — the colors are muted, giving the photographs a far-off, distant feeling. The retouched versions are more textured and immersive. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Amazing Earth [] [Earth tipped on its side (and back again) in 'cosmic yo-yo' 84 million years ago]( [Earth tipped on its side (and back again) in 'cosmic yo-yo' 84 million years ago]( (Shutterstock) Earth has not always been upright. Turns out, the planet's crust tipped on its side and back again around 84 million years ago, in a phenomenon that researchers have dubbed a "cosmic yo-yo." The actual name for the tipping is true polar wander (TPW), which occurs when the outer layers of a planet or moon move around its core, tilting the crust relative to the object's axis. Some researchers had previously predicted that TPW occurred on Earth late in the Cretaceous period, between 145 million and 66 million years ago, but that was hotly debated, according to a statement by the researchers. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Life’s Little Mysteries [] [How did ancient people store food before refrigeration?]( [How did ancient people store food before refrigeration?]( (Peter Cade via Getty Images) Refrigeration is a pretty new phenomenon, so for millennia, people had to find clever ways to preserve food. These practices slowed the growth of microorganisms that could cause foodborne illnesses or lead food to rot. Many preservation practices other than refrigeration — like salting, drying, smoking, pickling and fermenting — have been used for a long time. These methods aside, how did ancient people store their leftovers? It turns out that early hunter-gatherers had some pretty creative ways to extend the "shelf life" of their larder. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/25) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Curious Creatures [] [Giant purpleblack flying squid photobombs crew investigating shipwreck]( [Giant purpleblack flying squid photobombs crew investigating shipwreck]( (OceanX) Scientists mapping the seafloor in the Gulf of Aqaba, the "right antenna" part of the northern Red Sea, recently made two remarkable sightings almost simultaneously: a sunken shipwreck and a mysterious big squid zipping around it, according to the marine research organization OceanX. After sending down a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the OceanX team quickly identified the shipwreck — it was the Pella, a ferry that caught on fire and sank in November 2011. The squid, however, took longer to identify. But it made plenty of cameos; the crew used the ROV and submersibles to visit the wreck three times, and each time they saw a huge squid swimming by. Full Story: [Live Science]( (10/25) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Poll Question [] POLL QUESTION: What percentage of a watermelon is water? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [2%]( [Vote]( [52%]( [Vote]( [72%]( [Vote]( [92%]( [Vote]( [100%](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( © Future US, Inc. 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004