Notebook

Chemistry

How butterflies stay dry

Slightly bumpy surfaces reduce water drops’ contact time.

Plants

Tannosome

A newly discovered structure where mouth-puckering compounds called tannins form inside plant cells.

Planetary Science

Uninhabitable Earth

A recent estimate of the lifetimes of the habitability zones of Earth and various exoplanets suggests Earth could become unable to support life as soon as 1.75 billion years from now, when the sun brightens before dying out.

Paleontology

Oldest bug bonk

Preserved as fossils, two insects remain caught in the act 165 million years later.

Animals

Pink armadillos ain’t your Texas critters

It’s a real animal, the smallest armadillo species in the world. At about 100 grams, it would fit in your hands.

Animals

Dolphin without a name

While splitting the dolphin family tree, researchers found a new species.

Physics

New Atomic Accelerator

This excerpt from the December 14, 1963, issue of Science News Letter talks about how the atom smashers at Argonne National Lab have evolved.

Materials Science

Qingsongite

This newly christened mineral has an atomic structure that’s similar to diamond and nearly as hard.

Animals

Clearly new snail

Croatia’s deepest cave system is home to a tiny, translucent resident.

Planetary Science

Moon material on Earth

Scientists now think that tektites are a type of impactite, formed during the rapid heating and cooling of material ejected when a meteorite strikes Earth.

Physics

Oldest pitch-drop experiment

The allure of pitch — a black tarlike hydro-carbon by-product of distilling petroleum, wood or coal — comes from its split personality: It shatters from a quick hit with a hammer, but flows if set aside for long periods.

Health & Medicine

Seek Meningitis Vaccine

Excerpt from the November 9, 1963, issue of SCIENCE NEWS LETTER.