The Junior Age

Articles

World’s First Sabre-Toothed Cat Mummy Discovered

In 2020, a mummy of a 35,000-year-old sabre-toothed cat was discovered by chance by a group of explorers looking for mammoth tusks in eastern Siberia. This was the first time ever that a sabre-toothed cats’ mummy was found with its fur intact, allowing scientists to learn more about its muscles, skin, and fur. Prior to this discovery, scientists only knew about these big cats through skeletons. The three-week old kitten was found frozen in the permafrost near the Badyarikha River in Siberia. Scientists say that finding mummified mammals from that period in history is very rare. By studying the mummy with CT scans, the researchers were able to identify it as a Homotherium saber-toothed cat.

Homotherium was the last kind of saber-toothed cat known to have existed. 

Homotherium adults were about the size of a lion, but thinner, and good at running long distances.

What was the Sabre-Tooth Cat?

Sabre-toothed cats were large meat-eating mammals that lived thousands of years ago. This top predator lived in the prehistoric world after the dinosaurs died out. They have been named sabre-toothed cats because of their long, swordlike canine teeth. They died out around the end of the last Ice Age.

Word Check

Permafrost is a layer of ground in Arctic and Antarctic areas that remains frozen. Due to climate change, areas of permafrost are thawing, revealing secrets long buried and frozen.

Team India Wins Fifth Hero Asian Hockey Championship

The Indian team won their fifth Hero Asian Champions Trophy by defeating China 1-0 in the final. The tournament was hosted by China and the following countries participated: India, Pakistan, China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. With five titles, India have won most Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy. Pakistan are at the second spot with three titles, including one shared with India.

Did You Know?

The first edition of the Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy was played in 2011.

India is the World’s Largest Plastic Polluter

According to a new study by the University of Leeds, India is the world’s biggest contributor to plastic pollution. Generating nearly 20% of the world’s total plastic waste, India is producing 9.3 million tons of plastic waste annually. This is double that of populous countries like China, Nigeria, and Indonesia. India became a major contributor due to its large population’s waste, and lack of proper waste management. A significant portion of the waste still remains uncollected. It indicates that India lacks a strong waste management system.

  • 1/5 Of global plastic pollution comes from India
  • 9.3 Million Tons of plastic pollution is released by India every year
  • 5.8 Million Tons of plastic is burnt by India every year

Lego Plans To Use Recycled Plastic For All Bricks By 2032

Lego has announced that by 2032 it will be able to remove fossil fuels from its bricks by using renewable or recycled plastic instead. Presently, Lego bricks are made from ABS, an oil-based material which is not biodegradable. 

This means that the lego bricks cannot easily be recycled. At the moment, 22% of the plastic used in its bricks in the first half of 2024 came from renewable and recycled sources. That’s up from 12% in 2023.

Stars of Wimbledon 2024

Former French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic claimed her first Wimbledon women’s singles title. She won 2 sets to 1 against Jasmine Paolini, who is from Italy. 

In a repeat of last year’s final, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic to win his second consecutive All England Tennis Championship in London. Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Roger Federer has won the most Wimbledon titles.