News in Brief
- 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.
- Materials Science
Live heart cells make this material shift color like a chameleon
A new material made of heart cells from rats and hydrogel changes color as the living cells contract and relax.
- Neuroscience
Brain waves of concertgoers sync up at shows
During a live musical performance, audience members’ brain waves get in sync.
- Neuroscience
Parents’ presence promotes a child’s pluck
Parents’ presence or absence during a learning exercise determines whether their child is fearful later, or willing to explore.
- Artificial Intelligence
AI bests humans at mapping the moon
AI does a more thorough job of counting craters than humans.
- Plants
Liverwort reproductive organ inspires pipette design
A new pipette is inspired by a plant’s female reproductive structure.
- Cosmology
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking dies at 76
Beyond his research contributions, Stephen Hawking popularized black holes and the deep questions of the cosmos.
- Planetary Science
Cosmic dust may create Mars’ wispy clouds
Magnesium left by passing comets seeds the clouds of Mars, a new study suggests.
