Deflated galaxy
We are surrounded by a flattened beach ball of dark matter, according to results presented at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington DC. The halo appears to be roughly perpendicular to the galaxy鈥檚 disc of stars. 鈥淚t begs the question of how our galaxy formed in its present orientation,鈥� says David Law of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Four legs old
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The oldest known footprints made by a four-legged vertebrate have been found in the Holy Cross mountains, Poland. The tetrapod tracks are 397 million years old, pushing back the previous record by around 10 million years. The surrounding rock is of marine origin, hinting that our ancestors may have invaded land from the sea, rather than rivers and lakes.
Spidery eyesore
Exotic spider-handlers should wear eye protection or risk the same fate as a hapless tarantula owner whose pet blasted him with a 鈥渕ist鈥� of barbed hairs (The Lancet, vol 375, p 92). The hairs severely irritated his corneas and took months to clear with steroids.
Prions 鈥榚volve鈥�
The rogue proteins that cause brain diseases such as the human form of BSE seem able to alter the way they fold in response to changes in their environment. The alterations, which can be passed from prion to prion, may help them to develop drug resistance (Science, ).
Solomons shake
A 3-metre-high tsunami struck the Solomon islands this week. The region, east of Papua New Guinea, experienced a series of powerful earthquakes 鈥� one at magnitude 7.2. Early reports suggested more than 1000 people had been left homeless when 200 houses were destroyed.