News
- Space
5 of Jupiter’s newly discovered moons received names in a public contest
Astronomers first announced the discovery of the worlds in July 2018, and have now named them for goddesses and spirits of Greek and Roman mythology.
- Life
Fecal transplants might help make koalas less picky eaters
Poop-transplant pills changed the microbial makeup of koalas’ guts. That could allow the animals to adapt when a favorite type of eucalyptus runs low.
- Chemistry
Plant-based fire retardants may offer a less toxic way to tame flames
Flame retardants created from plant materials could be less harmful to the environment than traditional flame-smothering chemicals.
- Neuroscience
Honeybee brain upgrades may help the insects find food
Changes in honeybee neurons may help the insects decode their fellow foragers’ waggle dances.
- Earth
Ocean acidification could weaken diatoms’ glass houses
Ocean acidification may lead to smaller, lighter diatoms in seawater, which could also shrink how much carbon the tiny ocean algae can help sequester.
- Life
How a newly identified bacterium saps corals of their energy
A parasitic bacterium that preys on corals quickly reproduces when it senses more nutrients in its host.
- Health & Medicine
An Illinois patient’s death may be the first in the U.S. tied to vaping
Officials have announced one death among nearly 200 patients with severe lung illnesses that are potentially related to vaping.
- Earth
Brazil’s Amazon has burned this badly before. This year’s fires are still bad
An environmental scientist discusses possible impacts from the thousands of fires burning across the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.
- Health & Medicine
Marijuana and meth are getting more popular in America, but cocaine has declined
In 2006, drug users spent more on cocaine than on heroin, marijuana or methamphetamine. By 2016, marijuana expenditures had exceeded the other drugs.
- Space
For an asteroid, Ryugu has surprisingly little dust on its surface
Ryugu lacks the dust that some other space rocks have. The near-Earth asteroid may hide the fine debris inside porous rocks or eject it into space.
- Health & Medicine
Vaping may have sent 153 people to hospitals with severe lung injuries
In the last two months, 16 U.S. states have reported 153 people hospitalized with lung injuries that may be tied to vaping.
- Health & Medicine
High blood pressure throughout middle age may increase the risk of dementia
A pattern of high blood pressure during midlife followed by high or low readings in one’s golden years is linked to dementia.
