Deep cold impact
Gravity measurements by the twin GRACE satellites have revealed a 480-kilometre-wide structure more than 1.6 kilometres below the surface of the east Antarctic ice sheet. It could be a crater more than twice the diameter of Mexico鈥檚 Chicxulub crater, which was caused by the impact widely believed to have killed off the dinosaurs.
Mea culpa
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In a report released on 1 June, the US Army Corps of Engineers has acknowledged responsibility for flaws in the New Orleans hurricane protection system, which it describes as 鈥渁 system in name only鈥�. The levees, pumps and flood walls, which were designed, built and maintained by the corps, failed during hurricane Katrina because the barriers were incomplete and not high enough, and the equipment lacked redundancy.
Neanderthal find
A short section of DNA has been sequenced from the tooth of a young Neanderthal girl who lived around 100,000 years ago in what is now Belgium. By comparing it with more recent Neanderthal DNA, researchers found that Neanderthals were more genetically diverse than had been thought and only distantly related to modern humans.
Goat milk drug
The European Medicines Agency is likely to approve Genzyme Europe鈥檚 clot-busting drug, antithrombin-alpha, extracted from the milk of genetically engineered goats. It is the first time the agency鈥檚 advisory panel has recommended a drug extracted from a genetically modified animal.
Dam begins with a bang
Using nearly 200 tonnes of dynamite, engineers on Tuesday demolished a temporary structure that had protected China鈥檚 Three Gorges Dam during its construction. The dam, the world鈥檚 largest, now starts its flood-control role, two years ahead of schedule.