News in Brief
- Tech
These robots can follow how-to diagrams
Robots capable of reading diagrams could work in more varied environments and be easier to communicate with.
- Astronomy
The first suspected exomoon may remain hidden for another decade
The discoverers of the first evidence for a moon orbiting a planet around a distant star are still trying to confirm the object’s existence.
- Chemistry
Your phone could reveal your radiation exposure after a nuclear disaster
Examining personal electronics may help gauge people’s radiation exposure in the event of a nuclear accident or attack.
- Oceans
Floating seabirds provide a novel way to trace ocean currents
Seabirds idly drifting with ocean currents provide a novel way to track and understand how these flows change with time and location.
- Anthropology
Paint specks in tooth tartar illuminate a medieval woman’s artistry
Tooth tartar unveils an expert female manuscript painter buried at a German monastery.
- Animals
A protein in mosquito eggshells could be the insects’ Achilles’ heel
A newly discovered protein found exclusively in mosquitoes may one day help control their numbers.
- Physics
A weird type of zirconium soaks up neutrons like a sponge
Zirconium-88 captures neutrons with extreme efficiency, and scientists don’t yet know why.
- Physics
High-speed video reveals physics tricks for shooting a rubber band
To fire a rubber band flawlessly, use a wide band and don’t pull too hard, physicists suggest.
- Physics
The physics of fluids explains how crowds of marathon runners move
A new liquid-inspired theory can predict the movements of marathoners lining up for a race.
- Planetary Science
China just landed the first spacecraft on the moon’s farside
China’s Chang’e-4 lander and rover just became the first spacecraft to land on the farside of the moon.
- Health & Medicine
How decorating for Christmas sends people to the ER
A study takes a stab at quantifying Christmas-related mishaps.
- Space
The sugar that makes up DNA could be made in space
Deoxyribose, the sugar of DNA, was created in a lab simulating ice in space.
