There sure is a lot of museum exhibit artifact repatriations going on these days. The latest example involves Germany and Brazil. Per Nature,

After more than two years of negotiations, a controversial fossil is on its way home. The specimen — representing the first non-avian dinosaur with feather-like structures found in South America — will return to Brazil in June, according to the Guimarães Rosa Institute in Brasília, an agency housed in Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that is focused on cultural and educational diplomacy.

The 110-million-year-old fossil, currently at the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe in Germany, has been at the heart of a dispute between Brazilian and German officials since December 2020. This was when a team of palaeontologists in Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom published a research paper describing the specimen and its dinosaur, Ubirajara jubatus, in the journal Cretaceous Research. The researchers had obtained the fossil in the 1990s from the Araripe Basin in Brazil and then stored it at the German museum.

However, Brazil has a law, enacted in 1942, stating that fossils are federal property and cannot be removed from its borders without permission. The authors of the paper said that they had a permit from a Brazilian mining official allowing the Ubirajara specimen to be exported.

Does all’s well that ends well apply here? https://bit.ly/3IbG9Kc

If you love ominous, apocalyptic increases in temperature, good news! Expect the world to get a little warmer this year. Per USA Today,

Buckle up. The world’s most influential natural weather feature is shifting gears. 

An El Niño is building along the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean. And, there’s above-normal chances it will be a strong El Niño, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this week. That could have dramatic impacts in the United States and around the globe later this year and into next year.  

Climate scientists are especially concerned about the potential for hotter temperatures. Given things already are warmer than normal, they say a strong El Niño could send global average temperatures soaring to a record high.

El Niño is a natural climate pattern. It's counterpart La Niña ended over the winter, after three years of disastrous weather.

Gotta admit. Not a big fan of warming temperatures… https://bit.ly/3Md0foK

Speaking of warming temperatures, it’s hot hot hot in China. Per Channel News Asia,

Major Chinese cities issued heat advisories, with Beijing expected to swelter in 36 degrees Celsius temperatures on Monday (May 15), as China braces for another year of record-breaking temperatures that could threaten electricity supply, crops and a fragile economy.

China has suffered from heat waves in several regions since March. Yunnan province in the southwest, which is known for its mild weather, recently suffered temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius, putting a huge burden on the power grid as millions of homes switched on air conditioners.

The eastern province Shandong and the capital Beijing have issued heat warnings while Jinan and Tianjin in the north and centrally located Zhengzhou, are expected to see temperatures soar to as high as 37 degrees Celsius.

The heat waves are occurring ahead of the regular summer season, making it particularly worrying for agriculture. https://bit.ly/453t3s4

Dreams are pretty mysterious. It’s still not completely clear why we dream. What purpose do they serve? With that in mind, an electronic glove being developed by scientists is supposed to be able to guide people’s dreams. Per Science,

“On a stormy night in 1816, Mary Shelley had a terrifying dream about a corpse coming to life—a nightmare that inspired her to write Frankenstein. More than a century later, a melody in a dream led Paul McCartney to compose one of The Beatles’s most beloved songs, Yesterday.

Is there something about dreaming that enhances our creativity? Or is it just sleep itself? Scientists say they’re closer to an answer, thanks to an unusual study that used an electronic glove to guide people’s dreams while they slumbered.

“This is a truly seminal scientific contribution,” says Jonathan Schooler, who studies creativity at the University of California, Santa Barbara, but was not involved in the work. "It makes major inroads on a topic that has fascinated humanity for centuries, if not millennia."

Question is whether this adds to scientists’ understanding of dreams from a biological standpoint. https://bit.ly/3BsqMcA

Hold onto your leashes, folks! The Guinness World Records have unleashed a true canine legend. Per the Associated Press,

The world’s oldest dog recently celebrated his 31st birthday, according to Guinness World Records.

Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of Portuguese dog, celebrated during a party Saturday at his home in the Portuguese village of Conqueiros, where has lived his entire life.

More than 100 people attended the “very traditional” Portuguese party, owner Leonel Costa said.

Local meats and fish were served to up to 100 guests, with extra for Bobi, who only eats human food. A dance troupe also performed with Bobi participating in one of their routines.

Costa has owned several old-age dogs in the past, including Bobi’s mother, Gira, who lived to age 18. However, Costa said he never imagined any of his dogs would reach their 30s.

“We see situations like this as a normal result of the life that they have, but Bobi is one of a kind,” Costa said.

Costa claims that one of the biggest contributing factors to Bobi’s longevity is the “calm, peaceful environment” in which he lives. https://bit.ly/3nVUTGj

Thanks for reading. Let’s be careful out there.