On this week’s news update...
Huge dinosaur footprints are discovered...
Dinosaur Footprints
Scientists create a robotic fish...
Robotic Fish
And why these monkeys bathe in hot springs.
Bathing Monkeys
First up, scientists have been studying huge dinosaur footprints, thought to be 170 million years old!
Around 50 fossil footprints were recently discovered on the Isle of Skye, in Scotland.
Isle of Skye, Scotland
The researchers photographed, measured, and analyzed the footprints, and found that they were made by two types of dinosaur: theropods and sauropods.
They were left behind during a time known as the Middle Jurassic Period.
The discovery is particularly important because not many fossil sites from this time have been found around the world.
Next up, it’s Tech Beat.
Studying wildlife can be full of challenges, like how to get close to animals without disturbing them!
Scientists from MIT in the USA have come up with an invention that could provide a solution to this problem.
This is SoFi, a soft robotic fish that can swim alongside real fish and other animals in the ocean.
SoFi
Parts of the robot are made of rubber and plastic, which help it turn and bend in the water.
It is specially designed to move quietly, and it uses a camera to record what’s happening around it.
Researchers are still carrying out tests and making improvements to SoFi, but they hope it could be used as a tool to help study our underwater world.
And finally, it’s Animal Watch!
These are Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys.
Japanese macaques
In the wild, these primates are only found in areas of Japan.
Japan
They have thick layers of fur to keep them warm during the freezing winter, and they also spend time bathing in hot springs to keep warm.
Now scientists have discovered that’s not the only reason they take a dip.
Researchers studied a group of snow monkeys and found that this behavior also lowers stress.
They analyzed samples of the monkeys’ poop, and found that bathing in the hot springs reduced their levels of stress hormones.
So it seems that they take a warm bath to de-stress and relax – just like humans do!
That’s all for this week – we’ll see you next time!