News

Astronomy

The first black hole portrait got sharper thanks to machine learning

A machine learning technique filled in data gaps in the image of M87’s black hole, resulting in a thinner ring.

Paleontology

Newfound bat skeletons are the oldest on record

The newly identified species Icaronycteris gunnelli lived about 52.5 million years ago in what is now Wyoming and looked a lot like modern bats.

Animals

Freshwater leeches’ taste for snails could help control snail-borne diseases

A freshwater leech species will eat snails, raising the possibility that leeches could be used to control snail-borne diseases that infect humans and livestock.

Animals

The last leg of the longest butterfly migration has now been identified

After a long journey across the Sahara, painted lady butterflies from Europe set up camp in central Africa to wait out winter and breed.

Animals

This sea cucumber shoots sticky tubes out of its butt. Its genes hint at how

A new genetics study is providing a wealth of information about silky, sticky tubes, called the Cuvierian organ, that sea cucumbers use to tangle foes.

Math

Dense crowds of pedestrians shift into surprisingly orderly lines. Math explains why

New research into collective behavior adds to decades of study on the wisdom of crowds.

Environment

Satellite imagery reveals ‘hidden’ tornado tracks

Twisters that churn over barren landscapes leave scars that are invisible to human eyes but are detectable with infrared light.

Climate

Baseball’s home run boom is due, in part, to climate change

Higher air temperatures led to an average of 58 more home runs each MLB season from 2010 to 2019, a study shows.

Oceans

‘Jet packs’ and ultrasounds could reveal secrets of pregnant whale sharks

Only one pregnant whale shark has ever been studied. New underwater techniques using ultrasound and blood tests could change that.

Animals

Invasive yellow crazy ants create male ‘chimeras’ to reproduce

Yellow crazy ants are first known species where chimerism is required in males: Each of their cells holds DNA from just one of two genetic lineages.

Archaeology

Hair analysis reveals Europe’s oldest physical evidence of drug use

Analyses of human hair found in a Mediterranean cave turned up psychoactive plant substances, revealing use of hallucinogens around 3,000 years ago.

Planetary Science

Venus has almost 50 times as many volcanoes as previously thought

Where are there NOT volcanoes on Venus? A new map of the planet unveils a veritable volcanic bonanza.