Science Ticker

A roundup of research and breaking news

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Animals

    This may be the world’s tiniest snail

    Tiny snail unearthed in China could be the world's smallest, researchers report.

    By Helen Thompson
  2. Animals

    Some bats chug nectar with conveyor belt tongues

    Grooved bat tongues work like escalators or conveyor belts, transporting nectar from tip to mouth.

    By Helen Thompson
  3. Planetary Science

    Salt streaks sign of present-day water flows on Mars

    Salt deposits on Mars hint at contemporary seasonal water flows on the Red Planet.

    By Christopher Crockett
  4. Animals

    Don’t judge a whale’s gut microbiome by diet alone

    Evolutionary history and diet may both determine the microbes that live in a baleen whale's stomach, researchers report.

    By Helen Thompson
  5. Anthropology

    Ancient hominid ears were tuned to high frequencies

    Two ancient hominid species may have heard high-frequency sounds especially well.

    By Bruce Bower
  6. Astronomy

    This weekend, lunar eclipse coincides with supermoon

    On September 27, sky gazers will be treated to a rare type of total lunar eclipse.

    By Christopher Crockett
  7. Health & Medicine

    Balloons-and-glue device seals remote wounds inside the body

    To repair damaged tissue, surgeons can deliver a glue patch using two balloons and a blast of UV light.

    By Meghan Rosen
  8. Physics

    Invisibility cloaks slim down

    An ultrathin invisibility cloak called a skin cloak offers more stealth in a thinner package.

    By Andrew Grant
  9. Animals

    Warmer waters give Arctic mosquitoes a growth spurt

    Arctic mosquitoes develop faster in warmer waters, outpacing increased predation.

    By Sarah Schwartz
  10. Planetary Science

    Satellite captures double solar eclipse in action

    NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught a rare double eclipse as both Earth and the moon partially blocked the sun.

    By Christopher Crockett
  11. Climate

    Earth just had its first storm-free hurricane peak in 38 years

    This year marks the first time since 1977 that September 12, the typical height of the Atlantic hurricane season, passed without a single major cyclone anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere.

    By Thomas Sumner
  12. Ecosystems

    Patrolling bats protect corn fields from pests

    Bats play a key role in protecting corn from pests and fungus.

    By Sarah Schwartz