News in Brief
- Materials Science
Etched glass stops cracks in their tracks
Adding wavy lines to glass reduces the material’s notorious brittleness.
- Genetics
Stone Age Spaniard had blue eyes, dark skin
Genetics of 7,000-year-old skeleton suggests blond hair, pale skin came later.
- Materials Science
Nanotube whiskers could aid robot-human interaction
Tiny hairlike sensors made from nanomaterials are more sensitive than existing devices to detect tiny pressures.
- Humans
Small fetal size early on might carry risks later
A smaller size in first trimester of pregnancy has been linked to heart-health warning signs in childhood.
- Archaeology
Stone Age fishing spear found on Southeast Asian island
Notched piece of bone found near Indonesia illustrates surprisingly complex tool making 35,000 years ago.
- Animals
Swimming dolphins don’t need to cheat
Dolphins swimming through bubbles burst old notion of underpowered muscles.
- Health & Medicine
‘Good bacterium’ prevents colic symptoms in newborns
Crying time was nearly halved in babies receiving the beneficial microbe.
- Health & Medicine
Green tea may sabotage blood pressure medication
Antioxidants in drink may keep intestinal cells from taking up drug.
- Animals
Wrinkle arises in soggy hand studies
An experiment bucks earlier finding that ridges help fingers grasp.
- Neuroscience
Caffeine may improve memory
Taking the stimulant after learning new information boosted people’s recall the next day.
- Astronomy
Earth-mass planet resembles a mini-Neptune
KOI-314c, an exoplanet 200 light-years away, is about 60 percent larger than Earth but made mostly of gas.
- Chemistry
Battery blueprint promises green energy storage
A device that relies on organic molecules could cheaply bank power from renewable sources.
