A melting glacier in the Italian Alps triggered a devastating avalanche on July 3, 2022. The collapse led to a massive ice avalanche that charged more than two kilometres down the steep northern slope, killing 11 mountaineers. Researchers conclude that next-generation monitoring should be developed to deliver early warnings to tourists in glaciated areas. Hair found in a cave on the Mediterranean island of Menorca provided rare direct evidence that people in prehistoric Europe consumed hallucinogenic plants.
00:44 The unusual receptors that let octopuses hunt by touch
Researchers have shown that the suckers of octopuses are covered with specialised receptors that allow them to taste by touching things. Similar receptors are also found in squid, but there are differences that mirror differences in the animals’ hunting behaviours; while octopuses feel for their prey, squid pull things towards themselves before deciding whether or not to eat it.
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, what climate scientists can learn from medieval descriptions of lunar eclipses; how to retrieve rock samples from the surface of Mars; and the ongoing debate about whether T. rex had lips.