News Briefs from around the World: July 2022

MEXICO

Scientists discovered six new species of micro frog, including one that now holds the record for Mexico’s smallest frog. When fully grown, these forest amphibians are smaller than a human thumbnail.

ARGENTINA

Genetic analysis showed that the Patagonian sheepdog, a breed found in Argentina and Chile, is the closest living relative to the ancestor of all U.K. herding dog breeds. European colonizers likely introduced this line nearly 200 years ago.

U.K.

Researchers searched for traces of parasite infection in more than 450 human pelvic remains dating from prehistoric times to the Victorian era. Petrified roundworm and whipworm eggs suggest that Roman-era and late medieval Brits were most likely to be plagued with these pests.

ANTARCTICA

Investigations detail how the activity of an underwater volcano, the Orca Seamount, triggered a recent series of 85,000 earthquakes along the Antarctic continental plate. The quakes shifted the position of nearby King George Island by roughly four inches.

SWITZERLAND

A four-inch fossilized tooth, found nearly 9,500 feet above sea level in the Swiss Alps, may have come from the largest-known marine reptile. Paleontologists say the tooth belonged to an ichthyosaur up to 50 feet long that swam the ancient seas.

FRANCE

A pipistrelle bat set a new record for the longest-known bat migration. The tiny mammal covered about 1,545 miles—from Borok, Russia, to the French village of Lully—in 63 days. Its journey came to a tragic end when it drowned in a water tank.

JAPAN

Scientists working with food and pharmaceutical company Kirin developed an electrical chopstick accessory that makes food taste 50 percent saltier—without adding salt. The device runs a minuscule current through the utensils, drawing extra ions from the food across a user’s tastebuds.