Scientific American - USA (2019-10)

October 2019, ScientificAmerican.com 17

For more details, visit

http://www.ScientificAmerican.com/oct2019/advances

IN THE NEWS

Quick

Hits

By Jennifer Leman

AUSTRALIA

Researchers redis cov­

ered two fern species—

both thought to be

extinct—on the

mountaintops of

Queens land. Hymeno ­

phyllum whitei and

Oreogrammitis leonardii

had last been spotted

in the wild more than

50 years ago.

GUATEMALA

Archaeologists studying

charred lake sediments found

evidence con firm ing a cryptic

historical record saying the

ancient Mayan city of Bahlam

Jol burned on May 21, a.d. 697.

The research suggests it was

an act of total warfare, which

includes civilian as well as

military targets.

INDIA

Wildlife biologists found that ado­

lescent male Asian elephants, usually

solitary, are forming large, all­male

herds, possibly to help them survive

in human­dominated areas.

BRAZIL

President Jair Bolsonaro fired the head of the Brazilian

National Institute of Space Research after the agency

reported that deforestation in the Amazon this summer

increased significantly from 2018.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong’s gov ernment revealed plans

to build an arti ficial island to alleviate the

nation’s housing crisis, trigger ing con­

cerns from activists and residents about

nearby marine ecosystems.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The government of

Papua New Guinea

aims to build more than

3,700 miles of road

through its rugged

landscape by 2022,

which a team of

scientists cautioned

could impact species

across the country.

© 2019 Scientific American

For more details, visit

http://www.ScientificAmerican.com/oct2019/advances

IN THE NEWS

Quick

Hits

By Jennifer Leman

AUSTRALIA

Researchers redis cov-

ered two fern species—

both thought to be

extinct—on the

mountaintops of

Queens land. Hymeno -

phyllum whitei and

Oreogrammitis leonardii

had last been spotted

in the wild more than

50 years ago.

GUATEMALA

Archaeologists studying

charred lake sediments found

evidence con fi rm ing a cryptic

historical record saying the

ancient Mayan city of Bahlam

Jol burned on May 21, A.D. 697.

The research suggests it was

an act of total warfare, which

includes civilian as well as

military targets.

INDIA

Wildlife biologists found that ado-

lescent male Asian elephants, usually

solitary, are forming large, all-male

herds, possibly to help them survive

in human-dominated areas.

BRAZIL

President Jair Bolsonaro fi red the head of the Brazilian

National Institute of Space Research after the agency

reported that deforestation in the Amazon this summer

increased signifi cantly from 2018.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong’s gov ernment revealed plans

to build an arti fi cial island to alleviate the

nation’s housing crisis, trigger ing con-

cerns from activists and residents about

nearby marine ecosystems.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The government of

Papua New Guinea

aims to build more than

3,700 miles of road

through its rugged

landscape by 2022,

which a team of

scientists cautioned

could impact species

across the country.

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