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What do Ancient tusks, black holes, and dog feelings have in common?

Plus: Where’s Waldo but on Mars?

by Nick Lucchesi
great mamooth evening walks illustration
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Like the Perseids meteor shower, we’re back. We’ve got stories on ancient tusks, the surface of Mars, how black holes shaped the early universe, and what your dog is thinking when you eventually, maybe, leave for work again.

I’m Nick Lucchesi, and this is Inverse Daily. Thanks for reading this daily dispatch of new, essential science and innovation news stories. We try to do The Journalism a little differently here, so tell a friend to subscribe using this link.

Coming tomorrow: A long-form guide to cults and deprogramming.

This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for Monday, August 16, 2021. Subscribe for free and earn rewards for reading every day in your inbox. ✉️

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Spy this Mars Easter egg NASA's Ingenuity helicopter takes an aerial photo that enables viewers to hunt for the Perseverance rover on the ground as the rover itself hunts for ancient life, reports Jon Kelvey:

NASA released its own version of Where’s Waldo?, courtesy of the space agency’s Ingenuity helicopter.

This week, Ingenuity climbed to an altitude of 39 feet above Mars and snapped a photo of the rippled and russet plains of the Jezero Crater. Somewhere in that expanse of dunes, dust, and rocks lies NASA’s Perseverance rover — if you can spot it.

It’s a fun visual challenge, but it’s more than just a cool view for NASA scientists, who, thanks to Ingenuity’s aerial reconnaissance, can now chart better courses for Perseverance as it pursues its mission of seeking signs of possible life on Mars.

Read the full story.

More stories from the surface of Mars:

LEONELLO CALVETTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

The lives of ancient arctic beasts There’s still no consensus on how the woollies went extinct, but cases like this one give us insight into the lives — and deaths — of these famed beasts, writes Jenn Walter:

It might seem like we know a lot about the iconic woolly mammoth, but much of its life cycle remains a mystery for scientists. An August 12 report published in the journal Science, however, gives an unprecedented look at how mammoths lived and migrated. Researchers analyzed a 17,000-year-old mammoth tusk found above the Arctic Circle in Alaska’s North Slope.

Read the full story.

More raw stories from the ancient world:

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Black holes influenced the early universe Passant Rabie reports scientists have discovered something fascinating about the mass of a black hole:

Colin Burke noticed something odd while observing a smaller-than-average supermassive black hole at the center of a nearby galaxy.

There was a major difference when he compared the flickering of light from the cosmic maw with the light coming from more massive black holes. That variability in the flickering indicated that perhaps black holes of different sizes have different surrounding lights — bursts caused by matter sucked into the black hole itself.

Using that, Burke and his colleagues came up with a new way to measure the mass of black holes by looking at the flickering light of their accretion discs.

In the process, they may have a game-changing new method for measuring the mass of black holes and other cosmic dense objects — a tool that can eventually be used to understand how black holes influenced the early universe.

Read the full story.

More wavy headlines:

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Your dog’s separation anxiety Nature writer Tara Yarlagadda offers science-backed tips on pet separation anxiety and ways to keep dogs happy when you return to the office. That day is coming for a lot of us. Here’s how to handle it:

One potential cause for owners returning dogs to shelters is behavioral issues, such as separation anxiety. As workers return to offices, owners must prepare their pets for the change in routine and stay attuned to their emotional needs.

Inverse reviewed the science and spoke with experts about the seven essential questions for how to keep pups happy and anxiety-free while you’re away at work.

“It’s important to work with your veterinarian to formulate a plan to help your pet be more comfortable when left alone,” Kristin Wuellner, a licensed veterinarian at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, tells Inverse.

Read the full story.

The more you know:

Taika Waititi signs an autograph at the Free Guy Opening Night Fan Event at El Capitan Theatre on August 12, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. The filmmaker marks a birthday today.

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