Facebook under fire
Social media companies should be liable for illegal content posted on their platforms, says a new report from the UK’s Committee on Standards in Public Life. If the recommendations become law, firms could be fined for hosting content that is racist, extremist or related to child sex abuse.
Gym bunnies
Living near a gym helps keep you trim, according to a study of around 40,000 UK adults. People with at least six physical activity facilities within 1 kilometre of their home have 0.8 per cent less body fat and a waist 1.2 centimetres smaller than average. Living near a fast-food outlet, in contrast, boosts waist size by 0.2 centimetres (The Lancet, )30212-8).
Little Foot steps out
The near-complete skeleton of an extinct hominin found in South Africa’s Sterkfontein caves in the 1990s has finally gone on display after 20 years of study. Little Foot is an Australopithecus from 3.67 million years ago. Detailed findings will be released next year.
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Penguins’ new heights
An extinct species of giant penguin was as tall as an average man, reaching 1.77 metres. Kumamanu biceae lived in New Zealand more than 55 million years ago. It is one of the largest and oldest penguins ever found, and probably evolved its stature independently of other giant penguins.
Icy pinnacle resized
Mount Hope is the highest peak on the Antarctic Peninsula, not Mount Jackson as we thought. According to new satellite data, Mount Hope is 3239 metres tall, 55 metres higher than Mount Jackson. As the Antarctic Peninsula is claimed by the UK, Mount Hope is now also the tallest British mountain, surpassing the 1345-metre Ben Nevis.
