News
-
Chemistry
Ink analysis reveals Marie Antoinette’s letters’ hidden words and who censored them
Chemical analyses of letters written by Marie Antoinette solve a French Revolution mystery: Who censored the queen?
-
Climate
2020 babies may suffer up to seven times as many extreme heat waves as 1960s kids
Children born in 2020 will bear a much heavier burden from climate change during their lifetimes than those born in 1960, a new analysis finds.
-
Earth
A volcano-induced rainy period made Earth’s climate dinosaur-friendly
New physical evidence links eruptions 234 million to 232 million years ago to climate changes that let dinosaurs start their climb to dominance.
By Megan Sever -
Neuroscience
A blood test may help predict recovery from traumatic brain injury
High levels of a key blood protein point to brain shrinkage and damage to message-sending axons, providing a biomarker for TBI severity and prognosis.
-
Genetics
All identical twins may share a common set of chemical markers on their DNA
Identical twins may share a set of unique chemical tags on their DNA that could be used to identify individuals who were conceived as identical twins.
-
Materials Science
These colorful butterflies were created using transparent ink
See-through printer ink can create a whole spectrum of colors when printed in precise, microscale patterns.
-
Paleontology
This is the oldest fossil evidence of spider moms taking care of their young
A spider trapped in amber 99 million years ago guarded her eggs and may have helped raise her young.
By Freda Kreier -
Animals
Bloodthirsty vampire bats like to drink with friends over strangers
Cooperation among vampire bats extends beyond the roost. New research suggests that bonded bats often drink blood from animals together.
-
Anthropology
‘Ghost tracks’ suggest people came to the Americas earlier than once thought
Prehistoric people’s footprints show that humans were in North America during the height of the last ice age, researchers say.
By Freda Kreier -
Genetics
DNA offers a new look at how Polynesia was settled
Modern genetic evidence suggests that statue builders on islands such as Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, had a shared ancestry.
By Bruce Bower -
Physics
Whirling maple seeds inspired these tiny flying sensors
Scientists envision that small objects modeled after maple tree whirligigs could be used to monitor the environment.
-
Health & Medicine
Why only some people will get COVID-19 booster shots at first
In the United States, boosters may next go to people 65 and older, those at high risk for severe disease and people whose jobs put them at high exposure risk.