Oldestknown

Nature: World’s oldest-known wild bird gives birth to her 40th youngster at age 70

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The world’s oldest-known wild bird, a 70-year-old Laysan albatross called ‘Wisdom‘, has hatched another chick — making this at least the 40th youngster she has reared. The septuagenarian seabird gave birth again last month on the breeding habitat of Midway Atoll, a tiny island in the north Pacific, some 1,300 miles from Hawaii. Wisdom was … Read more

Archaeology: Oldest-known case of ‘stone bone disease’ discovered in Iron Age remains from Albania 

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Osteopetrosis is a bone disease that makes bones abnormally dense and prone to breakage.  Researchers have described several major types of osteopetrosis, which are usually distinguished by their pattern of inheritance: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked.  The different types of the disorder can also be distinguished by the severity of their signs and symptoms. … Read more