The Russian ‘matryoshka diamond’
Diamonds are formed deep within the earth, and while the process of their formation is theoretically understood, there is a long way to go before humans completely comprehend exactly what geological processes take place below the ground. In Russia, a mining company has discovered a ‘matryoshka diamond’ — a diamond rattling around inside the empty cavity of another, like a Russian matryoshka doll. Analysing this diamond could provide further clues into the formation process. National Geographic has more.
Cows painted like zebras receive 50% less fly-bites
A Japanese study attempted to recreate the zebra’s natural defence mechanism against flies for bovines, and succeeded. Zebras are thought to have evolved the stripes to deter flies that bite by confusing their motion detection. The researchers painted white stripes on black cows, and found that painted cows experienced a 50 per cent reduction in bites from flies, such as March flies, which track animals by their outline. More in The Guardian.
‘Cheat devices’ divert ship pollution to the sea
Global shipping companies have spent over $12 billion dollars on devices called open-loop scrubbers, which extract sulphur from ships’ exhaust fumes and dump them into the water instead of the atmosphere. The devices are primarily found on ships belonging to the UK. In 2013, there were less than 100 ships with this fitting, while today, there are 4,000 in the UK alone. More are expected to join the ranks globally. Full report in The Independent.
California experiences power cuts to combat fires
More than a million people experienced a power outage in the US state of California, after it was shut off to prevent the risk of wildfire. Seasonal wildfires affect California every year, causing millions of dollars worth of losses. Up to two million people are expected to remain without power for the next few days, despite concerns raised regarding the loss of communication during a natural disaster. Read more in Time.