Rare, 'rule-breaking' quasicrystal found in chunk of 'fossilized' lightning

Look at the face of the 'Jericho Skull,' buried 9,000 years ago with shells for eyes | What does it mean for a disease to be 'endemic'? | How many times can you fold a piece of paper in half? Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( January 9, 2023 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE]( [] Top Science News [] [Rare, 'rule-breaking' quasicrystal found in chunk of 'fossilized' lightning]( [Rare, 'rule-breaking' quasicrystal found in chunk of 'fossilized' lightning]( (Luca Bindi) A tube of "fossilized lightning" from Nebraska's Sandhills holds a rare type of quasicrystal that had previously only been found in meteorites and at atomic bomb test sites. Quasicrystals are materials that break the traditional rules of crystallography. Before they were first discovered in 1984, scientists thought materials could either be crystalline — with symmetrical, repeating patterns — or amorphous, meaning randomly arranged and disordered. Full Story: [Live Science]( (1/9) [] History & Archaeology [] [Look at the face of the 'Jericho Skull,' buried 9,000 years ago with shells for eyes]( [Look at the face of the 'Jericho Skull,' buried 9,000 years ago with shells for eyes]( (Cicero Moraes/Thiago Beaini/Moacir Santos) A famous, 9,000-year-old human skull discovered near the biblical city of Jericho now has a new face, thanks to efforts by a multi-national team of researchers. The so-called Jericho Skull — one of seven unearthed by British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon in 1953 and currently housed in the British Museum in London — was found covered in plaster and with shells for eyes, apparently in an attempt to make it look more lifelike. Full Story: [Live Science]( (1/9) [] Life’s Little Mysteries [] [What does it mean for a disease to be 'endemic'?]( [What does it mean for a disease to be 'endemic'?]( (Peter Zelei Images via Getty Images) You may have heard the term "endemic" used to describe diseases, often in comparison with the terms "epidemic" and "pandemic." Many health officials say that COVID-19 is likely transitioning from pandemic to endemic status in many countries. But what does that mean? Full Story: [Live Science]( (1/9) [] [How many times can you fold a piece of paper in half?]( [How many times can you fold a piece of paper in half?]( (Aliaksandr Barysenka / EyeEm via Getty Images) A common claim states that a sheet of paper cannot be folded in half more than seven times. But is this true? How many times can you fold a piece of paper? Full Story: [Live Science]( (1/7) Featured Content Sponsored Content from Pfizer [Pfizer's using Artificial Intelligence to change medication development]( Artificial intelligence is set to play a massive role in how medication is developed going forward. Pfizer is using it to uncover how diseases develop in the body, screen for the best molecules for new medications, and even create individualized treatment plans. [Learn more here.]( [] UFOs & Search for Extraterrestrial Life [] [Why hasn't ET phoned Earth? Maybe aliens are waiting for the exact right moment.]( [Why hasn't ET phoned Earth? Maybe aliens are waiting for the exact right moment.]( (NASA/Ames Research Center/Daniel Rutter) Aliens may be waiting until a cosmic version of "high noon" to send out their signals to us, scientists have suggested. In a new study, researchers hunted for technological signs of E.T. during the moments when exoplanets pass directly in front of their suns, from Earth's point of view. These exact moments could be the perfect chance for an alien world to beam out a signal to Earthlings in an attempt to make contact. Full Story: [Live Science]( (1/6) [] Your Brain [] [Humans' big-brain genes may have come from 'junk DNA']( [Humans' big-brain genes may have come from 'junk DNA']( (nopparit via Getty Images) Scientists once considered much of the human genome "junk" because large stretches of its genetic code don't give rise to any proteins, the complex molecules tasked with keeping cells running. However, it's since been discovered that this so-called junk DNA plays important roles in cells, and in a new study, researchers report that humans may actually have junk DNA to thank for our exceptionally big brains. Full Story: [Live Science]( (1/6) [] [Human and Neanderthal brains have a surprising 'youthful' quality in common, new research finds]( [Human and Neanderthal brains have a surprising 'youthful' quality in common, new research finds]( (Petr Student via Shutterstock) Many believe our particularly large brain is what makes us human — but is there more to it? The brain’s shape, as well as the shapes of its component parts (lobes) may also be important. Results of a study we published Thursday (Jan. 5) in Nature Ecology & Evolution show that the way the different parts of the human brain evolved separates us from our primate relatives. In a sense, our brains never grow up. We share this "Peter Pan syndrome" with only one other primate — the Neanderthals. Full Story: [Live Science]( (1/7) [] Daily Quiz [] POLL QUESTION: Britney Gallivan currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most times to fold a sheet of paper in half. How many times did she manage to fold her record-setting paper? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [8 times]( [Vote]( [9 times]( [Vote]( [11 times]( [Vote]( [12 times](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036