[Jawlist] Weekly Science Report 1-30-26

Sun Feb 1 14:39:43 PST 2026

*Weekly Science Report*

*January 30, 2026*

*“It happened, and it can therefore happen again. Therein lies the core of
what we have to say.”*

Primo Levi, Auschwitz Survivor

Introduction

Steve Detwiler created this publication with the support of Graham Hancock
and the late John Anthony West to share news and information on various
disciplines to include but not limited to paleontology, space sciences,
genetics, and archaeology.  His goal behind sharing this publication has
always been very simple, by sharing knowledge we can make our world a
better place.  This publication is Mr. Detwiler’s contribution to bring
people together and share ideas and discoveries with his fellow humans.

I hope you enjoy this publication and that the content challenges and
inspires you!

The Weekly Science Report is also on social media at:

   - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weeklysciencerpt/
   - Twitter: https://twitter.com/wklysciencerpt

News Articles   *Paleontology, Evolution and Prehistoric Studies*

Meet the Kennewick Man: Face of 'most important' ancient American revealed
after 8,500 years

https://news.sky.com/story/meet-the-kennewick-man-face-of-most-important-ancient-american-revealed-after-8-500-years-13491857

Neanderthals took reusable toolkits with them on high-altitude treks
through the Alps

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-neanderthals-reusable-toolkits-high-altitude.html

Ape-like hominin Paranthropus was more adaptable than we thought

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2512373-ape-like-hominin-paranthropus-was-more-adaptable-than-we-thought/?fbclid=IwdGRzaAPd6VRjbGNrA93pemV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHpZtaHbEWbw2PhpPsgDY8RE3aUQekCEbmiZo3PzZ7wqNgLkmA5MmHZqP39ph_aem_4QUIZEfG5KoavCwuuJ8mIQ&sfnsn=mo

Wolf’s dinner preserved in Siberia for 14,400 years sheds light on woolly
rhino

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/14/wolf-cub-preserved-permafrost-woolly-rhino

T. rex grew up slowly: New study reveals 'king of dinosaurs' kept growing
until age 40

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-rex-grew-slowly-reveals-king.html#google_vignette

A centuries-old debate on how reptiles keep evolving skin bones is finally
settled

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-centuries-debate-reptiles-evolving-skin.html#google_vignette

The dinosaur secrets found in the archives of a natural history museum

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/06/nx-s1-5629195/secrets-dinosaurs-treasures-fossils-holotype-paleontology

This Hammer Created From an Elephant Bone 480,000 Years Ago May Be the
Oldest Known Tool of Its Kind Ever Found in Europe

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-hammer-created-from-an-elephant-bone-480000-years-ago-is-the-oldest-known-tool-of-its-kind-ever-found-in-europe-180988063/

Stone Age teenager was mauled by a bear 28,000 years ago, skeletal analysis
confirms

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stone-age-teenager-was-mauled-by-a-bear-28-000-years-ago-skeletal-analysis-confirms

New animal species that survived mass extinction event half a billion years
ago found in a quarry in China

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-species-mass-extinction-event-found-quarry-china/

Strange Red Rocks in Australia Are Challenging Long-Held Ideas About Fossils

https://scitechdaily.com/strange-red-rocks-in-australia-are-challenging-long-held-ideas-about-fossils/

Scientists launch AI DinoTracker app that identifies dinosaur footprints

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/26/scientists-launch-ai-dinotracker-app-that-identifies-dinosaur-footprints

Scientists Intrigued by Unfamiliar Life Form

https://futurism.com/science-energy/scientists-intrigued-unfamiliar-life-form

Scientists recover the oldest wooden tools from a site in Greece

https://apnews.com/article/oldest-wooden-tools-marathousa-1-6e07cfc79f6d8ba648138f805531b933

Humans returned to British Isles earlier than previously thought at the end
of the last Ice Age

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-humans-british-isles-earlier-previously.html

2.6 million-year-old jaw from extinct 'Nutcracker Man' is found where we
didn't expect it

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/2-6-million-year-old-jaw-from-extinct-nutcracker-man-is-found-where-we-didnt-expect-it

Teenage girl who lived in Italy 12,000 years ago had a rare form of
dwarfism, DNA study shows

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/teenage-girl-who-lived-in-italy-12-000-years-ago-had-a-rare-form-of-dwarfism-dna-study-shows

More than 43,000 years ago, Neanderthals spent centuries collecting animal
skulls in a cave; but archaeologists aren't sure why

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/more-than-43-000-years-ago-neanderthals-spent-centuries-collecting-animal-skulls-in-a-cave-but-archaeologists-arent-sure-why

Baby dinosaurs a common prey for Late Jurassic predators

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114452

*History*

Meet 13 People Who Survived on Deserted Islands, From a Real-Life Robinson
Crusoe to a Noblewoman Marooned With Her Lover

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-13-people-who-survived-on-deserted-islands-from-a-real-life-robinson-crusoe-to-a-noblewoman-marooned-with-her-lover-180988028/

Grandson of Auschwitz commandant: 'My grandfather was greatest mass
murderer in history'

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-884785

How I reclaimed a blueprint of genocide to fight Holocaust denial

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/01/27/how-i-reclaimed-a-blueprint-of-genocide-to-fight-holocaust-denial-opinion/

Lost Temple of Hittite Goddess Kubaba Discovered in Turkey Sheds Light on
Ancient Anatolian Worship

https://greekreporter.com/2026/01/23/lost-kubaba-temple-turkey-ancient-anatolian-worship/

History Remembered This Black Medal of Honor Recipient for the Two Worst
Days of His Life. A New Book Dives Into the Vietnam Vet’s Story

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-remembered-this-black-medal-of-honor-recipient-for-the-two-worst-days-of-his-life-a-new-book-dives-into-the-vietnam-vets-story-180987987/

South African San rock art reveals trance dances and initiation ceremonies

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-south-african-san-art-reveals.html

Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to
mask the smell

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/romans-used-human-feces-as-medicine-1-900-years-ago-and-used-thyme-to-mask-the-smell

The British Crown Enslaved Thousands at the Height of the Trans-Atlantic
Slave Trade. New Research Reveals Their Stories

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-british-crown-enslaved-thousands-at-the-height-of-the-trans-atlantic-slave-trade-new-research-reveals-their-stories-180988005/

Why Do These Tudor-Era Portraits of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I Look So
Strikingly Similar?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-these-tudor-era-portraits-of-anne-boleyn-and-elizabeth-i-look-so-strikingly-similar-180988051/

Ten of the Most Exciting Ways to Commemorate America’s 250th This Year

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/ten-of-the-most-exciting-ways-to-commemorate-americas-250th-this-year-180988106/

A Stunning Escape From Slavery Told on Tattered Pages

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-stunning-escape-from-slavery-told-on-tattered-pages-180988083/

*Archaeology*

Mass grave in Jordan sheds new light on world’s earliest recorded pandemic

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/31/plague-of-justinian-pandemic?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRzaAPrGnBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4eB3b5uvMxG6uVu4po8_YbtxYBV80u0N1fX9ED4hk3FAvXT1nq3113wnQHNg_aem_G5lip45z3lM0P9Uc1WiP4g&sfnsn=mo

Astonishing 1,400-year-old tomb featuring giant owl sculpture discovered in
Mexico

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/science/zapotec-tomb-mexico-scli-intl

Varna Gold: Humanity's first gold jewelry was found in a cemetery with a
gold 'penis sheath'

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/varna-gold-humanitys-first-gold-jewelry-was-found-in-a-cemetery-with-a-gold-penis-sheath

Iron Age teeth fossils reveal diversity of diet of ancient Italians

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/italy-food-love-iron-age-fossil-b2901705.html

India’s Longest Iron Age Spear: 8-Foot Weapon Found in Tamil Nadu Burial

https://greekreporter.com/2026/01/29/india-longest-iron-age-spear-tamil-nadu-burial/

Beach Erosion Reveals Fragments of a 136-Year-Old Shipwreck That Sank in
New Jersey’s ‘Graveyard of the Atlantic’

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/beach-erosion-reveals-fragments-of-a-136-year-old-shipwreck-that-sank-in-new-jerseys-graveyard-of-the-atlantic-180988079/

The Great Mongolian Road: Japanese Imperial Army maps reveal first detailed
documentation

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-great-mongolian-road-japanese-imperial.html

Archaeologists Discovered the ‘Holy Grail’ of Shipwrecks a Decade Ago. Now,
They’re Finally Beginning to Unravel the Secrets of the ‘San José’

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeologists-discovered-the-holy-grail-of-shipwrecks-a-decade-ago-now-theyre-finally-beginning-to-unravel-the-secrets-of-the-san-jose-180988050/

Two rare 5th millennium BC fetal burials in Iran reveal variable
prehistoric practices

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-rare-5th-millennium-bc-fetal.html

*Egyptology*

Discovery of monumental sacred lake at Karnak

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2026/01/discovery-of-monumental-sacred-lake-at-karnak/156860

5,000-year-old rock art from ancient Egypt depicts 'terrifying' conquest of
the Sinai Peninsula

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/5-000-year-old-rock-art-from-ancient-egypt-depicts-terrifying-conquest-of-the-sinai-peninsula

*General Science*

Multi-agent AI and robots automate materials discovery in closed-loop lab
system

*https://phys.org/news/2026-01-multi-agent-ai-robots-automate.html#google_vignette
<https://phys.org/news/2026-01-multi-agent-ai-robots-automate.html#google_vignette>*

*Physics, Earth and Space Sciences*

Halley wasn't the first to figure out the famous comet. An 11th-century
monk did it first, new research suggests.

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/halley-wasnt-the-first-to-figure-out-the-famous-comet-an-11th-century-monk-did-it-first-new-research-suggests

NASA quietly ends financial support for planetary science groups

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-quietly-ends-financial-support-for-planetary-science-groups/?utm_campaign=sprinklr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwVERTSAPdzjBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6ECXAl-jqdCmu_kgR7aBv5Ym91gqtRuCZ9SQt6tPnvzalbXtMG_IkY4BUUug_aem_3aXthJekU85WtTDi7tlbRQ&sfnsn=mo

James Webb Space Telescope discovers young galaxies age rapidly: 'It's like
seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers'

https://www.space.com/astronomy/galaxies/james-webb-space-telescope-discovers-young-galaxies-age-rapidly-its-like-seeing-2-year-old-children-act-like-teenagers

China previews how powerful its new Xuntian space telescope will be ahead
of 2027 launch

https://www.space.com/astronomy/china-previews-how-powerful-its-new-xuntian-space-telescope-will-be-ahead-of-2027-launch-video

Say goodbye to Comet 3I/ATLAS! Watch it head for interstellar space in
real-time with this free livestream today

https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/say-goodbye-to-comet-3i-atlas-watch-it-head-for-interstellar-space-in-real-time-with-this-free-jan-16-livestream

NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who stayed in space for 9 months after
spacecraft problem, retires

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suni-williams-nasa-astronaut-stayed-space-9-months-boeing-problem-reti-rcna255104

After a medical evacuation from space, NASA's Crew-11 returns to Earth a
month early

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/15/nx-s1-5677647/nasa-spacex-crew-11-splashdown-return

New state of matter discovered in a quantum material

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-state-quantum-material.html

NASA pessimistic about odds of recovering MAVEN

https://spacenews.com/nasa-pessimistic-about-odds-of-recovering-maven/

Massive supernova explosion may have created a binary black hole

https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/massive-supernova-explosion-may-have-created-a-binary-black-hole

Eric and Wendy Schmidt to fund space telescope, three ground-based
observatories

https://www.astronomy.com/science/eric-and-wendy-schmidt-to-fund-space-telescope-three-ground-based-observatories/

NASA Powers Up a Massive Solar Engine for the Moon

https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-powers-up-a-massive-solar-engine-for-the-moon/

As puzzling as a platypus: The JWST finds some hard to categorize objects

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-puzzling-platypus-jwst-hard-categorize.html

Astronomers baffled by 'mysterious disruptor' with a mass of 1 million suns
and a black hole for a heart

https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-baffled-by-mysterious-disruptor-with-a-mass-of-1-million-suns-and-a-black-hole-for-a-heart

Mercury May Not Be "Dead" After All

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/mercury-may-not-be-dead-after-all

Hundreds of new 'anomalies' in Hubble data defy explanation

https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/ai-tool-reveals-hundreds-of-anomalies-in-hubble-telescope-archives-and-some-defy-classification

Former astronaut on lunar spacesuits: “I don’t think they’re great right
now”

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/former-astronaut-on-lunar-spacesuits-i-dont-think-theyre-great-right-now/

Trump’s FCC Just Handed Musk a Major Win, but Scientists Are Warning of an
'Orbital House of Cards'

https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/i-spoke-to-astrophysicists-about-starlinks-expansion-heres-the-doomsday-scenario-keeping-them-up-at-night/

Thomas Edison May Have Created a Miracle Material Before Physics Knew It
Existed

https://scitechdaily.com/thomas-edison-may-have-created-a-miracle-material-before-physics-knew-it-existed/

If asteroid YR4 hits our Moon, it'll cause a bright flash and meteors as
debris hits Earth, say scientists

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/effects-asteroid-2024-yr4-hitting-moon

Is time a fundamental part of reality? A quiet revolution in physics
suggests not

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-fundamental-reality-quiet-revolution-physics.html

NASA's Juno spacecraft spots the largest volcanic eruption ever seen on
Jupiter's moon Io

https://www.space.com/astronomy/jupiter/nasas-juno-spacecraft-spots-the-largest-volcanic-eruption-ever-seen-on-jupiters-moon-io

A potentially habitable new planet has been discovered 146 light-years away
– but it may be -70C

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/29/a-potentially-habitable-new-planet-has-been-discovered-146-light-years-awfrom-earth-but-it-may-be--70c

Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long
cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'

https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-1st-black-hole-ever-imaged-launch-a-3-000-light-year-long-cosmic-jet-from-its-glowing-shadow

Mysterious dark matter seen in new high-resolution map of distant galaxies

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dark-matter-map-distant-galaxies/

James Webb Space Telescope sees comet-seeding crystals flowing far from
newborn star

https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-sees-comet-seeding-crystals-flowing-far-from-newborn-star-photo

Earth’s Lower Orbit Could Rapidly Collapse, Scientists Warn

https://futurism.com/space/earths-lower-orbit-rapidly-collapse

Super-Earth exoplanets may have built-in magnetic protection from churning
magma — and that's good news for life

https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/super-earth-exoplanets-may-have-built-in-magnetic-protection-from-churning-magma-and-thats-good-news-for-life

Magnetic avalanches on the sun reveal the hidden engine powering solar
flares

https://www.space.com/astronomy/sun/magnetic-avalanches-european-sun-watching-probe-unveils-the-central-engine-of-a-flare

Another Earth or a blip in the data? We may never find out

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/another-earth-or-a-blip-in-the-data-we-may-never-find-out/

NASA stresses ISS crew safety as it gears up for next astronaut launch

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-stresses-iss-crew-safety-as-it-gears-up-for-next-astronaut-launch/

*Environment, Climate Change and Alternative Energy Sources*

Scripps Scientists in Antarctica Studying Retreating Glaciers,
Cancer-Fighting Microbes and More

https://today.ucsd.edu/story/scripps-scientists-in-antarctica-studying-retreating-glaciers-cancer-fighting-microbes-and-more

How topological surfaces boost clean energy catalysts

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-topological-surfaces-boost-energy-catalysts.html

Strategic tree planting could help Canada become carbon neutral by
mid-century

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-strategic-tree-canada-carbon-neutral.html

*Biological, Genetics and Medical Sciences*

Egypt partnership targets African biotech academy

https://www.scidev.net/global/news/egypt-partnership-targets-african-biotech-academy/

Walking sharks break biology reproduction rules

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-sharks-biology-reproduction.html

Complex building blocks of life form spontaneously in space, research
reveals

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-complex-blocks-life-spontaneously-space.html

UN treaty to protect ‘extraordinary’ marine life due to come into force

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/16/un-treaty-to-protect-extraordinary-marine-life-due-to-come-into-force

Great White Sharks Grow Deadly New Types of Teeth as They Age

https://www.sciencealert.com/great-white-sharks-grow-deadly-new-types-of-teeth-as-they-age

Scientists solve the mystery of why termite kings and queens are monogamous

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114509

New light-based nanotechnology could enable more precise, less harmful
cancer treatment

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114635

Muscle stem cells build resilience but lose regenerative power with age

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114650

Scientists uncover why some brain cells resist Alzheimer's disease

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114676

*Other*

Chung-Ang University scientists generate electricity using Tesla
turbine-inspired structure

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114341

Additional Informational

Perspectives from the Indus: Contexts of interaction in the Late
Harappan/Post-Urban period

https://www.harappa.com/content/perspectives-indus-contexts-interaction-late-harappanpost-urban-period?fbclid=IwdGRzaAPaIxVjbGNrA9ojQmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHom0GPwhqN0Xjh13jmOi5MZgyvoBzmT6OJ1L-BF632Je6bPlBcHb_gIpi8vm_aem_QJFXV6amfKStgAF8Stjwow&sfnsn=mo

Beyond the Cradle Event, Apr 8: Cambridge, MA

https://luma.com/ryyxqq15

NIH Announces Major Policy Shift to End Use of Human Fetal Tissue in
NIH-Supported Research

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-announces-major-policy-shift-end-use-human-fetal-tissue-nih-supported-research

IMAP and the shape of the heliosphere

https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-imap?utm_campaign=downlink&utm_medium=email&utm_source=20260116&s_src=downlink&s_subsrc=20260116

NASA’s Pandora Satellite Acquires Signal

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/smallsatellites/2026/01/12/nasas-pandora-satellite-acquires-signal/

NASA, Department of Energy to Develop Lunar Surface Reactor by 2030

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-department-of-energy-to-develop-lunar-surface-reactor-by-2030/

Artemis II and III: The science that brings us back to the Moon

https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/artemis-ii-and-iii-the-science-that-brings-us-back-to-the-moon?utm_campaign=downlink&utm_medium=email&utm_source=20260130&s_src=downlink&s_subsrc=20260130

The next chapter begins: Announcing my new role with The Planetary Society

https://www.planetary.org/articles/the-next-chapter-begins?utm_campaign=downlink&utm_medium=email&utm_source=20260130&s_src=downlink&s_subsrc=20260130

Synchronized Eruptions on Io: Possible Evidence of Interconnected
Subsurface Magma Reservoirs

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025JE009047

NASA Finds Lunar Regolith Limits Meteorites as Source of Earth’s Water

https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/astromaterials/nasa-finds-lunar-regolith-limits-meteorites-as-source-of-earths-water/

NASA Reveals New Details About Dark Matter’s Influence on Universe

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-reveals-new-details-about-dark-matters-influence-on-universe/

NASA Updates Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal, Launch Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/01/30/nasa-updates-artemis-ii-wet-dress-rehearsal-launch-opportunities/

Rakhigarhi excavation report new

https://www.academia.edu/24830219/Rakhigarhi_excavation_report_new?fbclid=IwdGRzaAPrvohjbGNrA-u-rWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtsfcevGhCZexhjjDgvonJKevlj2FC00EVt6y7lbksmtWpS6yBV-7vodhBm7_aem_xBSDPNq-baz8DtyXT_UhUw&sfnsn=mo

Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09968-y

International Science Council Newsletter

https://us5.campaign-archive.com/?e=725b365f54&u=2e9b648776114e2888e7ea8c5&id=319ca9c462

Indigenous knowledge in transdisciplinary research and education:
Experiences from Africa Webinar, March 4

https://council.science/events/indigenous-knowledge-transdisciplinary-africa/

WWII Italian Ship's Wheel Returned to Italy at Ambassador’s Residence

https://www.monumentsmenandwomenfnd.org/post/wwii-ships-wheel-returned-to-italy
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.jawest.net/pipermail/jawlist-jawest.net/attachments/20260201/e8c93643/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Weekly Science Report 01-30-26.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 305759 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.jawest.net/pipermail/jawlist-jawest.net/attachments/20260201/e8c93643/attachment.pdf>