Uncategorized

Climate

Rising CO₂ levels might not be as good for plants as we thought

A 20-year experiment spots a reversal in the way two kinds of plants take up extra carbon from the atmosphere.

Animals

Male fruit flies enjoy ejaculation

Red light exposure made some genetically engineered fruit flies ejaculate, spurring a surge of a brain reward compound — and less desire for booze.

Anthropology

A hole in an ancient cow’s skull could have been surgery practice

Before performing skull operations on people, ancient surgeons may have rehearsed on cows.

Physics

How ravens caused a LIGO data glitch

Ravens pecking at frosty pipes caused a glitch in gravitational wave data.

Planetary Science

This meteorite’s diamonds hint that it was born in a lost planet

Bits of metal nestled inside diamonds suggest the space rock could have formed in a Mars-sized protoplanet in the early solar system.

Tech

Why touch can be such a creepy sensation in VR

Touch sensation in VR can go from immersive to unnerving as the feeling gets more realistic, if you can’t see the source.

Oceans

Masses of shrimp and krill may play a huge role in mixing oceans

Hoards of migrating shrimp and krill can cause large-scale turbulence in the ocean, a new study suggests.

Animals

These seals haven’t lost their land ancestors’ hunting ways

Clawed pawlike forelimbs help true seals hunt like their land-dwelling ancestors.

Archaeology

This ancient Maya city may have helped the Snake King dynasty spread

A rural hub in an ancient Maya state gets its due with some laser help.

Science & Society

Here’s why putting a missile defense system in space could be a bad idea

Expanding missile defense capabilities could put the world on a slippery slope to space warfare.

Materials Science

A new plastic film glows to flag food contaminated with dangerous microbes

Plastic patches that glow when they touch some types of bacteria could be built into food packaging to reduce the spread of foodborne illness.

Archaeology

Dogs lived and died with humans 10,000 years ago in the Americas

Dogs unearthed at sites in Illinois were older than originally thought.