Wind turbine parts may be giant technofossils that puzzle future scientists

(CNN) — Like nostalgia-evoking songs, objects can help us feel like we’ve preserved a moment in time.

After our wedding last Sunday, my husband and I were already anticipating how we might relive our special day years down the road.

Photos and videos captured so many moments, like our vows that mirrored an appreciation for the stars (points to the groom for working in syzygy).

A keepsake we especially treasure is a blue flower crafted by my nephew, complete with a charm displaying our initials.

And it made me wonder: What stories will objects left behind tell about humanity one day? Two paleontologists are already considering how everyday items could become artifacts in the distant future.

Back to the future

Rather than dig up fossils of bones, the scientists of the future will likely puzzle over technofossils such as wind turbines, cell phones and other vestiges of our current reality.

Sarah Gabbott and Jan Zalasiewicz, paleontologists at the UK’s University of Leicester, explore this topic in the new book “Discarded: How Technofossils Will Be Our Ultimate Legacy.”

So many of today’s plastic and other manufactured items won’t break down easily, and substances such as epoxy resin may function like amber, leaving behind many traces without much context.

“The smartphone gives very little away,” Gabbott said. “They’ll see loads and loads of these things. They will know that it was important to the civilization, but what the hell was it used for?”

Dino-mite

In other paleontological news, the claws of a newly discovered two-fingered species had researchers questioning whether they came from a giant sloth or the 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands.”

Instead, the massive curved claws — close to 1 foot (30 centimeters) in size — belonged to a creature unearthed in what’s now Mongolia. Duonychus tsogtbaatari, which stood 10 feet (3 meters) tall, was part of an awkward-looking group of dinosaurs.

It used its fearsome claws to grasp and munch on entire trees — and the recreation of the towering, feathery dino has to be seen to be believed.

Meanwhile, scientists identified a previously unknown parasitic wasp from specimens trapped in amber 99 million years ago. The unusual insect could have evolved a bizarre structure to inject creatures with its eggs.

And another team of paleontologists found a fossilized newfound species of fish up to 16 million years old in Australia with its last meal still intact.

Solar update

A partial solar eclipse turned the sun into a crescent over the US Northeast, eastern Canada, Greenland and other areas Saturday morning. For those in North America, the celestial event occurred during sunrise.

The spectacle comes two weeks after a total lunar eclipse created a “blood moon” in the night sky.

A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and Earth but the celestial bodies aren’t completely aligned, making it look like the moon is taking a bite out of the sun.

If you missed out on witnessing the event, keep your certified viewers handy — another pairing of a total lunar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse occurs in September.

Other worlds

When the Curiosity rover analyzed portions of a pulverized rock sample, it uncovered the largest organic molecules found on Mars. Scientists believe it’s possible the molecules are fragments of fatty acids, which are chemical building blocks of life.

The samples do not contain conclusive signs that the compounds were created by life. But the findings suggest any signs of life on Mars from billions of years ago could still exist today.

Separately, substances such as perchlorates and other toxins in Martian dust may cause life-threatening effects for astronauts on a future mission to the red planet, new research suggests.

Fantastic creatures

Cave paintings have helped researchers trace the mysterious origins of the European bison, which markedly changed in appearance between 22,000 and 17,000 years ago.

Scientists believe that the European bison is a hybrid, called a wisent, that arose from crossbreeding now-extinct steppe bison with the aurochs, or the larger ancestor of modern cattle.

But the bison were hunted for their hide and horns, which were used as drinking vessels, and the population collapsed across much of the continent as well as western Asia.

Breeding programs have helped bison make a comeback across Europe, and their soil-bathing habits are even improving ecosystem diversity.

Curiosities

Take a deep dive into these gripping stories:

— Metal detectorist Peter Heads uncovered more than 800 high-status Iron Age artifacts in 2021 in North Yorkshire, England. Now, new excavations and research have shown the items could change the way researchers understand what life was like in ancient Britain.

— Layoffs at NASA are being called “targeted” and “cruel” by employees, with some wondering how these changes will affect the agency’s science and exploration goals.

— Scientists have captured recordings of the first known sounds made by sharks, and one species is behind the balloon-popping noises.

— Little sizzles of barely visible “microlightning,” created by charged droplets of water mist, may have helped spark the earliest life on primordial Earth.

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