Scientists create high-quality holograms

    The Star Wars scene (featuring the late Carrie Fisher) offered us a glimpse of the sort of holograms that have never become a part of life -- at least, not yet. But in another step forward, physicists have created a tiny device that produces "the highest-quality holographic images ever achieved," according to an Australian National University news release. The invention “could replace bulky components to miniaturize cameras and save costs in astronomical missions by reducing the size and weight of optical systems on spacecraft.”     
    The lead researcher, Lei Wang, is a doctoral student at the university’s Research School of Physics and Engineering.

PREHISTORIC OTTERS: Otters may look cute now. But millions of years ago an otter the size of wolf weighed about 110 pounds.
    A fossil of the creature, discovered by a team of international researchers, was found in Yunnan province, Southwestern China. It is one of the largest otter species ever found, according to the Taylor and Francis group, which published the scientists’ findings in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.
    Researchers discovered a cranium, mandible, dentition and various skeletal elements of an otter species. “It belongs to an ancient lineage of extinct otters, which goes back at least 18 million years (and) that was previously known only from isolated teeth recovered from Thailand,” the publishing firm's news release explains.
    The newly discovered species of otter is called Siamogale melilutra. Its jaw was large and powerful, the news release said.  

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