The Tallest, Smallest, and Oldest Science of 2019 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Scientists discovered the world's oldest fungus, designed a circuit to detect the weakest radio signal possible, and found potential underground mountain peaks in the Earth's mantle.

Key Insights

• 🍄 Scientists discovered the world's oldest fungus through the examination of microscopic fossils in Arctic Canada, potentially shedding light on the evolution of fungi and the spread of life to land.
• 📻 A circuit utilizing quantum computing principles was developed to detect even the weakest radio signal, offering potential applications in medical imaging and radio astronomy.

Transcript

Read and summarize the transcript of this video on Glasp Reader (beta).

Questions & Answers

Q: What evidence supports the claim that the discovered microfossils are the world's oldest fungus?

The scientists identified long, thin, branching cells resembling modern fungi, found spores, and discovered chemical analysis signs of chitin, a substance used by fungi to build cell walls.

Q: How can detecting the weakest radio signal benefit scientific research?

Being able to detect a single photon can improve technologies such as MRIs and radio astronomy, enabling examination of super-faint radio wave sources.

Q: How did scientists analyze the Earth's mantle layers and discover potential underground mountain peaks?

By analyzing seismic waves from a past earthquake incident in Bolivia, researchers observed craggy topography with significant dips and peaks at the 660-km boundary in the mantle.

Q: What insights can the discovery of underground mountain peaks provide?

The finding aids in understanding mantle mixing and suggests the presence of ancient tectonic plates that have been drawn down into the mantle.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Scientists discovered microscopic fossils of what could be the world's oldest fungus in Arctic Canada, dating back to 890 million to one billion years old.

• A circuit was designed to detect the weakest radio signal by using a qubit, a principle behind quantum computers, and effectively filtering out background noises.

• Seismic wave analysis revealed potential underground mountain peaks between layers in the Earth's mantle, providing insights into mantle mixing and the possibility of ancient tectonic plates.