Hi, I'm Scientific American podcast editor Steve Mursky.

Here's a short piece from the August 2018 issue of the magazine in the section called

Advances, Dispatches from the frontiers of science, technology, and medicine.

The article is called Quick Hits and is a rundown of some science and technology stories

from around the globe compiled by editorial intern Maya Miller.

From Mexico, Cavers and scientists in the Mexican state of Oaxaca discovered that the world's ninth largest

known cave is deeper than previously thought.

With a depth of 5,118 feet, it houses dozens of species not found anywhere else.

From Brazil, archaeologists discovered a tooth from an opossum-sized creature that once inhabited This somewhere between 87 million and 70 million years ago when Tyrannosaurus rex still

roamed. From Scotland Microsoft has begun installing computer servers on the sea floor near Scotland's northern islands

as an alternative to data farms on land.

The idea is that the water will create a cool environment for the servers.

From Zimbabwe, the oldest African Beabab tree, roughly 2,500 years of age,

died within the past decade, researchers found. Nine of the 13 oldest

Beobabs, all in Africa, have perished since 2005, possibly as a result of unprecedented climate change.

From China, the Chinese government announced it will take on a new role in monitoring scientific

misconduct. Such cases previously handled by institutions

will be maintained in a national database

and could disqualify scientists from applying for certain research

opportunities and jobs.

And from India, solar power is on the rise in India.

In the first quarter of 2018, newly installed panels produced 3, 269 megawatts.

...