All Stories by Science News Staff
- Neuroscience
Dogs’ brains may process speech similar to humans’
When it comes to interpreting human speech, dogs may have brain-hemisphere biases similar to people’s.
- Science & Society
Visualizing Earth’s past, finding numbers in nature, and more
Exhibits at science museums around the country showcase the vastness of geologic time, whale evolution, life in ancient Maya civilization, and the mathematics hidden in nature.
- Particle Physics
Two new particles found at Large Hadron Collider
Physicists with the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment have identified two new particles called Xi_b'- and Xi_b*-.
- Astronomy
Good night, Philae
The Philae lander has depleted its batteries and gone into idle mode, probably drawing to a close the surface-based study of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
- Archaeology
Feedback
Readers ask questions about a study on sweeteners, how scientists recognize primitive tools and the purpose of a dinosaur's sail.
- Life
Semen seems to counteract microbicides that kill HIV
Semen seems to inhibit most microbicides from killing HIV, but one that targets a receptor on cells remains effective, suggesting a promising approach against HIV.
- Animals
Giant otters hum, scream, say ‘hah’ and more
Often overlooked as vocalists, giant otters make 22 different calls as adults and 11 kinds of baby babble.
- Animals
Snake moms-to-be crave toxic toads
The snake Rhabdophis tigrinus seeks out toxic toads to eat when breeding. The snakes can then pass the poisons on to her offspring as chemical defenses.
- Health & Medicine
Whooping cough shot shown safe for pregnant women
Women who get a booster shot against whooping cough, or pertussis, during pregnancy don’t increase their risk of having a problem birth, and they boost their babies’ immunity to the disease.
- Neuroscience
Chronic marijuana use may alter the brain
Long-term marijuana use may lead to reduced gray matter and increased white matter connectivity in the brain.
- Planetary Science
Comet delivered a showy meteor shower — on Mars
Comet Siding Spring dumped several tons of material into the Martian atmosphere that could have damaged NASA spacecraft.
- Animals
Hermit thrushes, humans share some musical basics
The melodious birds share a humanlike bias for notes mathematically related by simple integers.
