News in Brief

Life

These fungi drug cicadas with psilocybin or amphetamine to make them mate nonstop

Massospora fungi use a compound found in magic mushrooms or an amphetamine to drive infected cicadas to mate and mate and mate.

Astronomy

A new algorithm finds nearby stars that could host hidden worlds

An algorithm dubbed “Netflix for exoplanets” identified more than 350 stars that, based on their chemistry, might have planets orbiting out of sight.

Life

Dried Earth microbes could grow on Mars with just a little humidity

Showing that salt-loving bacteria can double their numbers after absorbing damp air has implications for life on other planets.

Animals

U.S. honeybees had the worst winter die-off in more than a decade

Colonies suffered from parasitic, disease-spreading Varroa mites. Floods and fire didn’t help.

Neuroscience

Mice and bats’ brains sync up as they interact with their own kind

The brain activity of mice and bats aligns in social settings, a coordination that may hold clues about how social context influences behavior.

Life

This body-on-a-chip mimics how organs and cancer cells react to drugs

The multiorgan system could help test new and existing drugs for effectiveness and unwanted side effects.

Life

‘Sneezing’ plants may spread pathogens to their neighbors

A “surface tension catapult” can fling dewdrops carrying fungal spores from water-repellent leaves.

Health & Medicine

Rotavirus vaccines may lower kids’ chances of getting type 1 diabetes

Vaccination against rotavirus is associated with a reduced incidence of type 1 diabetes in children, according to an analysis of U.S. insurance data.

Particle Physics

Diamond detectors could aid the search for dark matter

Elusive dark matter particles could be spotted when they slam into electrons or atomic nuclei within diamond, scientists say.

Astronomy

Table salt may be hiding in Europa’s underground sea

Observations of Europa by the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the moon’s ice-covered ocean may hold sodium chloride, or common table salt.

Environment

Some Canadian lakes still store DDT in their mud

Yesterday’s DDT pollution crisis is still today’s problem in some of Canada’s lakes.

Animals

Bats are the main cause of rare rabies deaths in the U.S.

In the United States, bats are mostly to blame for rabies deaths, while rabies transmitted by overseas dogs comes in second.