1. The Big Ring
Scientists at the University of Central Lancashire have discovered a ring-shaped cluster of galaxies which spreads out 1.3bn light years wide.
Not only is it an aesthetically pleasing spectacle, the Big Ring is also challenging everything we thought we knew about space. One of the fundamental principles in cosmology is that after the Big Bang, matter was spread equally across the universe.
However, this cluster of galaxies has been discovered – relatively – close to the Giant Arc, another colossal structure in space spanning 3.3bn light years, thus disproving the theory that all matter in the universe is distributed evenly.
Alexia Lopez, the PhD student at the University of Central Lancashire who discovered both structures, described how unbelievable this moment was:
“It’s really surreal. I do have to pinch myself, because I made these discoveries accidentally, they were serendipitous discoveries,” she said. “But it is a big thing and I can’t believe that I’m talking about it, I don’t believe that it’s me.”
2. Tyrannosaurus Mcraeensis
Palaeontologists have discovered a new type of dinosaur, named the Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, which existed 70 million years ago. These findings were published on Thursday.
While some of its bones – including its jaw – were discovered in Kettle Top Butte, New Mexico in 1983, these remains were believed to be those of a T. Rex.
However, recent tests on the fossilised jaw show that this bone is more slender than that of the ferocious predator.
The Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis is the closest relative to the T. Rex that has ever found. Because it was alive around 5 million years before the Tyrannosaurus rex came into existence, scientists have begun to question whether it was an early predecessor to one of the most iconic dinosaurs to walk the planet.
Spencer Lucas, curator of paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, described the discovery as one of “the joy[s] of paleontology”:
“When you… find that fossil, you’re the first human being that’s ever seen that animal in millions and millions of years,” he said. “On top of it, in this case, we’ve got a whole new species of animal that was not known to science before.”
