Ancient relative of geese is the earliest known modern bird A newly analysed fossil skull settles a palaeontological debate over Vegavis iaai, confirming it as a relative of ducks and geese that lived 69 million years ago
https://www.newscientist.com/a....rticle/2466965-ancie

Enigmatic people who took over Europe millennia ago came from Ukraine A huge study of ancient DNA reveals the origins of the Yamna, who spread across Eurasia around 5000 years ago, showing they came from a mixing of populations north of the Black Sea
https://www.newscientist.com/a....rticle/2466972-enigm

Once considered extinct, Gilbert’s potoroo is still around thanks to conservation efforts Ngilkat, or Gilbert's potoroo, survived a potential extinction-level event thanks to conservation efforts, according to Australian research. The small potoroo species was once thought to be extinct before being rediscovered in 1994 at Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, WA. Australian researchers have documented the conservation efforts following that rediscovery, which included relocating some of the potoroos to two other locations to create 'insurance populations'. The researchers say this strategy proved critical when Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve was hit by a bushfire in 2015, leaving the original population functionally extinct. The researchers say work is currently underway to re-establish a population at the reserve using the two insurance populations - showing the value of this sort of strategy for conserving threatened species that could otherwise be wiped out in a single disaster.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/once-considered-ex

Kids with real-world maths skills can struggle with school arithmetic Kids who learn to solve complex maths problems in the 'real world' may still struggle with arithmetic in the school. Researchers surveyed children working as market vendors in India, and found most were able to solve complex, market-related problems, but generally couldn't solve simpler problems written in the abstract format used in school. By contrast, non-working children enrolled in nearby schools did better with simple abstract problems, but only 1% could correctly answer a market problem. Authors of the study say that working children need to be introduced to maths in a way that harnesses their intuitive understanding.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/kids-with-real-wor

Salt substitutes a good option for people with a history of stroke Chinese and Australian researchers say salt substitutes could help reduce the risk of stroke or death in patients with a history of stroke. Salt substitutes have reduced levels of sodium, and additional levels of potassium, and the researchers suggest this change-up could have positive outcomes. They found, from their trial of over 15,000 people with stroke, the salt substitute led to a 14% reduction in the risk of recurrent stroke, and a 12% reduction in mortality.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/salt-substitutes-a