A lot of facts have been proven true by scientists this year. The findings come from different fields such as astronomy, astrophysics, marine biology and paleontology.
BuzzFeed collated a list of over 30 science facts that have just been discovered this year. We have started with the first two parts of the series. Read it here and here.
Ninth planet
The real ninth planet in our solar system is believed to be situated just beyond Pluto. Moreover, according to USA Today, Caltech researchers believe that it may be the cause of why the sun appears tilted.
Apparently, the planet has caused the solar system no other choice but to slowly twist. The Guardian reported that the calculations match with the researchers' hypothesis.
Earth's second moon
Well, this is more like a quasi-satellite. (469219) 2016 HO3 is the fifth quasi-satellite discovered. It joins (164207) 2004 GU9, (277810) 2006 FV35, 2013 LX28 and 2014 OL339.
The Earth co-orbital is able to switch repeatedly between the quasi-satellite and horseshoe configurations. Its current episode started about 100 years ago and is estimated to end in about 300 years from now, Space Ref reported.
Dinosaur tail preserved in amber
A dinosaur tail, complete with feathers, bones and soft tissue, has been found preserved in amber. This is the first time that scientists were able to associate well-preserved feathers with a dinosaur as per National Geographic.
This discovery has provided researchers with a better understanding of how dinosaurs look like. It was noted that the feathers were from a young coelurosaur.
New take on Pluto
New research, published on Science Magazine, has found evidence of Pluto's tectonics, glacial flow as well as cryovolcanoes. It was also found that the atmosphere on the dwarf planet has been found to be more compact and colder than what was previously known and has numerous extensive layers of haze.
