Uncategorized

Cosmology

A cosmic flare called the ‘Cow’ may reveal a new way that stars die

A burst of light from far away may have been an odd type of exploding star or a white dwarf being eaten by a black hole.

Tech

Desalination pours more toxic brine into the ocean than previously thought

Desalination plants help offset the world’s growing water needs, but they also produce much more supersalty water than scientists realized.

Chemistry

Your phone could reveal your radiation exposure after a nuclear disaster

Examining personal electronics may help gauge people’s radiation exposure in the event of a nuclear accident or attack.

Science & Society

Here’s how the record-breaking government shutdown is disrupting science

The partial government shutdown is taking many U.S. scientists out of commission and putting up hurdles to their research.

Climate

A drill built for Mars is being used to bore into Antarctic bedrock

An autonomous drill originally designed for work on Mars has its first mission in Antarctica.

Animals

How worm blobs behave like a liquid and a solid

Blobs of worms flow like a fluid, plop like a solid and fascinate scientists.

Neuroscience

Nerve cells from people with autism grow unusually big and fast

In some forms of autism, nerve cells develop faster than normal, possibly setting the stage for the disorder, a study finds.

Animals

Poison toilet paper reveals how termites help rainforests resist drought

Novel use of poisoned toilet paper rolls and teabags led to discovery that termites help tropical forests resist droughts.

Oceans

Floating seabirds provide a novel way to trace ocean currents

Seabirds idly drifting with ocean currents provide a novel way to track and understand how these flows change with time and location.

Animals

50 years ago, scientists studied orcas in the wild for the first time

The study of killer whales has come a long way since the capture of seven in 1968 allowed scientists to study the animals in their habitat.

Anthropology

‘Little Foot’ skeleton reveals a brain much like a chimp’s

An ancient skeleton dubbed Little Foot points to the piecemeal evolution of various humanlike traits in hominids, two studies suggest.

Health & Medicine

This protein may help explain why some women with endometriosis are infertile

Infertile women with endometriosis have a reduced amount of a protein found to be important for establishing pregnancy in mice, a study finds.