Ferocious 'penis worms' were the hermit crabs of the ancient seas

Ferocious 'penis worms' were the hermit crabs of the ancient seas | Roman-era statues of Aphrodite and Dionysus unearthed in Turkey | Why is the flu shot less effective than other vaccines? Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( November 8, 2021 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [Ferocious 'penis worms' were the hermit crabs of the ancient seas]( [Ferocious 'penis worms' were the hermit crabs of the ancient seas]( (Zhang Xiguang) The Cambrian period (543 million to 490 million years ago) brought the first great explosion of biodiversity to Earth, with the ancestors of practically all modern animals first appearing. One of the most feared among them was the penis worm. Technically known as priapulids — named for Priapus, the well-endowed Greek god of male genitals — penis worms, as they’re commonly known, are a division of marine worms that have survived in the world's oceans for 500 million years. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] History & Archaeology [] [Roman-era statues of Aphrodite and Dionysus unearthed in Turkey]( [Roman-era statues of Aphrodite and Dionysus unearthed in Turkey]( (Head of Aizanoi Excavation / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) According to Greek mythology, the deities Aphrodite and Dionysus had a grand love affair. So, perhaps it's fitting that archaeologists found the ancient statuary heads of the goddess of love and the drunk reveler near each other during a dig in the ancient city of Aizanoi, in western Turkey. The discovery of the deities' heads helps top off a previous find; on an earlier dig, archaeologists found the statues' headless bodies, Gokhan Coskun, an archaeologist at Kütahya Dumlupınar University in Turkey and the excavation coordinator, told Anadolu Agency, a Turkish state-run news organization. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Life’s Little Mysteries [] [Why is the flu shot less effective than other vaccines?]( [Why is the flu shot less effective than other vaccines?]( (Getty / Geber86) The effectiveness of the seasonal flu shot pales in comparison to knockout shots like the MMR vaccine, which is about 97% effective at preventing measles, 88% effective at preventing mumps and 97% effective against rubella. By contrast, flu shots typically range from 40% to 60% effective, and sometimes their effectiveness dips as low as 10%. But why are flu shots less effective than other commonly used vaccines? A lot of it comes down to the rapid mutation of influenza viruses and the uncertainty around which strains might be circulating when flu season rolls around, experts told Live Science. And some of the vaccine's flaws may stem from how the shot is manufactured and the specific parts of the influenza virus it targets. But although the flu shot isn't perfect, it still offers enough protection that the shot is worth getting, Live Science previously reported. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [What does the president do all day?]( [What does the president do all day?]( (Rick Kern/Getty Images for Ford Motor Company) Presidents are seemingly everywhere: campaigning for themselves and like-minded politicians, promoting their agenda among the public and Congress, and even hosting winning sports teams at the White House. But what, exactly, does the U.S. president do all day? Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Space Exploration [] [NASA picks landing site at the moon's south pole for ice-drilling robot]( [NASA picks landing site at the moon's south pole for ice-drilling robot]( (Intuitive Machines) NASA has set its sights on the moon's south pole in its quest for ice. This week, the space agency and the company Intuitive Machines announced Shackleton Crater landing site at the south pole of the moon for a small lander set to launch next year. The location is called the "Shackleton connecting ridge" and NASA data hint at ice lurking below the surface, the agency said in a statement on Nov. 3. The robotic mission includes NASA's Polar Resources Ice-Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) that requires solar power and a view of Earth for communications. The ridge zone should provide both, NASA said. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Powerful Landsat 9 satellite beams home 1st photos of Earth]( [Powerful Landsat 9 satellite beams home 1st photos of Earth]( (NASA/USGS) Landsat 9 has opened its eyes. The next-generation Earth-observation satellite, which launched on Sept. 27, snapped its first photos of our planet on Oct. 31, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced on Friday (Nov. 5). The two agencies, which work together on Landsat 9, have released the initial imagery. It depicts the Florida Panhandle; Detroit and its surrounding area; Navajo Country in northern Arizona; the high Himalayas; and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Climate Change [] [Can a digital replica of Earth save the world from climate disaster?]( [Can a digital replica of Earth save the world from climate disaster?]( (ESA) A digital replica of Earth could help scientists better model the future of our planet and find solutions to problems wrought by climate change. The advanced model, dubbed Digital Twin Earth, is being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and its partners based on data and images from Earth-observation satellites and sensors on the ground. To run reliably, the project will require new advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and powerful supercomputers, which are currently being developed. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Astronomy & Astrophysics [] ['Cannibal CME' sun storm marks rise of new solar cycle in space weather]( ['Cannibal CME' sun storm marks rise of new solar cycle in space weather]( (Yelena Vereshchaka\TASS via Getty Images) The sun is waking up — and making sure we all know it. On Nov. 3 and 4, Earth was hit with a sizeable geomagnetic storm, the result of a series of outbursts from the sun on Nov. 1 and 2. Such outbursts are tied to sunspots, which are magnetic storms on the sun's surface. Both sunspots and solar activity ebb and flow on a cycle stretching about 11 years, and this week's storms are symptomatic of the sun's current stage in that cycle. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Quiz [] POLL QUESTION: How many sunrises can International Space Station astronauts witness per day? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [8]( [Vote]( [16]( [Vote]( [24]( [Vote]( [40](   [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