Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Planetary Science
A salty sea could lurk beneath the heart of Pluto
An ocean more than 100 kilometers thick might hide beneath Pluto’s surface.
- Archaeology
Digital rehab exposes Biblical roots of ancient Israeli scroll
Virtual unwrapping reveals Biblical text on charred remains of ancient Israeli scroll.
- Climate
Arctic sea ice shrinks to second-lowest low on record
A warm summer helped shrink sea ice in the Arctic Ocean to a statistical tie with 2007 for the second smallest sea ice minimum on record.
- Animals
Hawaiian crows ace tool-user test
The almost-extinct Hawaiian crow joins the small, select flock of birds shown to use sticks tools routinely and well to wiggle bits of food out of crevices.
- Planetary Science
Source of Charon’s red north pole is probably Pluto
The dark red pole on Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, is probably gas that escaped from Pluto and was then transformed by sunlight.
- Planetary Science
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launches tonight for mission to grab asteroid sample
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is about to launch for a seven-year mission to study the asteroid Bennu and bring samples of the space rock back to Earth.
- Paleontology
Jurassic ichthyosaur dubbed ‘Storr Lochs Monster’ unveiled
A rare, 170-year-old skeleton discovered in Scotland is one of the best-preserved ichthyosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic.
- Planetary Science
Rosetta spots Philae lander on surface of comet 67P
Missing since November 2014, the Philae comet lander has been found lurking in the shadows on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
- Animals
Bonobos rival chimps at the art of cracking oil palm nuts
Bonobos demonstrate their overlooked nut-cracking skills in an African sanctuary.
- Chemistry
FDA bans chemicals in antibacterial soaps
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled against 19 antibacterial soap ingredients, citing insufficient evidence of bacteria-killing and safety problems.
- Tech
SpaceX rocket explodes on Florida launchpad
SpaceX has lost a Falcon 9 rocket and its satellite payload in a standard prelaunch test.
- Planetary Science
Water has played a big role in shaping dwarf planet Ceres
Findings from the Dawn spacecraft turn up cryovolcanoes, ice patches and hydrated minerals on Ceres, supporting the idea that water helped shape the dwarf planet.
