Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
- Chemistry
Names for four new elements get seal of approval
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry has approved the proposed names for the four elements added to the periodic table in December 2015.
- Oceans
Coral die-off in Great Barrier Reef reaches record levels
Bleaching has killed more than two-thirds of corals in some parts of the Great Barrier Reef, scientists have confirmed.
- Animals
Dogs form memories of experiences
New experiments suggest that dogs have some version of episodic memory, allowing them to recall specific experiences.
- Health & Medicine
This week in Zika: Vaginal vulnerability, disease double trouble and more
Puerto Rico cases of Zika suggest that the virus prefers women. And two new findings reveal more about Zika’s transmission and ability to survive outside the body.
- Animals
In some ways, hawks hunt like humans
Raptors may track their prey in similar patterns to primates.
- Health & Medicine
Chinese patient is first to be treated with CRISPR-edited cells
Researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 to engineer immune cells that were then injected into a patient with lung cancer, the journal Nature reports.
- Climate
Skimpy sea ice linked to reindeer starvation on land
Unseasonably scant sea ice may feed rain storms inland that lead to ice catastrophes that kill Yamal reindeer and threaten herders’ way of life.
- Climate
CO2 emissions stay steady for third consecutive year
Global emissions of carbon dioxide from human activities will probably see almost no increase in 2016 despite economic growth.
- Animals
Narwhals are really, really good at echolocation
Audio recordings from the Arctic suggest that narwhals take directional sonar to the extreme.
- Climate
Say hola to La Niña
La Niña, El Niño’s meteorological sister, has officially taken over and could alter weather patterns throughout the world this winter.
- Environment
Ocean plastic emits chemical that tricks seabirds into eating trash
Some seabirds might be eating plastic because it emits a chemical that smells like food.
- Astronomy
Young planets carve rings and spirals in the gas around their suns
New telescope images show rings and spiral arms in disks encircling young stars, suggesting the presence of actively growing planets.
