Hi, I’m Scientific American podcast editor Steve Mirsky. And here’s a short piece from the November 2019 issue of the magazine, in the section called Advances: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Science, Technology and Medicine.

The article is titled “Quick Hits,” and it’s a rundown of some science and technology stories from around the globe, compiled by editorial intern Jennifer Leman.

Canada:
In the famed Burgess Shale rock formation, paleontologists discovered hundreds of fossils of a horseshoe crab–shaped, prehistoric predator that lived in the ocean 506 million years ago. It measured up to a foot long.

Tanzania:
Marine biologists discovered a colorful fish species, dubbed the vibranium fairy wrasse, during a biodiversity assessment of largely unstudied deep reefs off Zanzibar’s coast.

Colombia:
Scientists confirmed a destructive fungus targeting banana plants has arrived in the country. No treatment is available, so officials put potentially infected crops under quarantine to stop its spread.

Mexico:
Researchers have rationed electricity and cut temporary employees’ jobs after Mexico’s president lowered funding for federal institutions by 30 to 50 percent in certain budget items, including those supported by the National Council of Science and Technology.

Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea:
Scientists found that Goliath frogs, which are Earth’s largest living frogs and can be longer than a football, construct protected ponds for their young by pushing heavy rocks across streams. They live only in this region.

That was “Quick Hits,” by Jennifer Leman.