News in Brief
- Chemistry
Using laser tweezers, chemists nudged two atoms to bond
This is the first time researchers have purposefully combined two specific atoms into a molecule.
- Physics
A key constant’s new measurement hints ‘dark photons’ don’t exist
New measurement of the fine-structure constant is the most precise yet.
- Animals
These hummingbirds aim their singing tail feathers to wow mates
Acoustic cameras reveal how male Costa’s hummingbirds can aim the sound produced by fluttering tail feathers during courtship dives.
- Physics
Einstein’s general relativity reveals new quirk of Mercury’s orbit
A tiny effect of general relativity on Mercury’s orbit has been calculated for the first time.
- Microbes
This material uses energy from ambient light to kill hospital superbugs
A quantum dot–powered material could help reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections, including those with drug-resistant bacteria.
- Health & Medicine
World’s hottest pepper may have triggered this man’s severe headaches
A man ate one of the hottest peppers in the world. About a minute later, his head began pounding.
- Tech
A new soft bot mimics octopuses and inchworms to climb walls
A new soft robot that scales walls could help with surveillance or building inspections.
- Tech
Sheets of tiny bubbles could bring a sense of touch to virtual reality
Shape-shifting films used in sleeves or other garments could provide tactile feedback that makes virtual realities feel more real.
- Astronomy
Dark matter isn’t interacting with itself after all
Hints that a distant galactic collision knocked dark matter askew fizzled with new observations.
- Paleontology
This ancient lizard may have watched the world through four eyes
A lizard that lived 50 million years ago had both a third and a fourth eye.
- Materials Science
Toxic chemicals turn a new material from porous to protective
A new material switches from a comfortable, breathable form to a sealed-up, protective state when exposed to dangerous chemicals.
- Life
Why cracking your knuckles can be so noisy
Knuckles crack due to the partial collapse of bubbles in joint fluid, a new study suggests.
