Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Boas kill by cutting off blood flow, not airflow
Boas actually kill by constricting blood flow of their prey, not suffocating them, as scientists previously suspected.
- Oceans
Blooming phytoplankton seed clouds in the Southern Ocean
Booming phytoplankton populations spark cloud formation in the Southern Ocean.
- Health & Medicine
Mosquitoes can get a double dose of malaria
Carrying malaria may make mosquitoes more susceptible to infection with a second strain of the parasite that causes the disease.
- Neuroscience
Bundles of cells hint at biological differences of autistic brains
Using miniature organoids that mimic the human brain, scientists have identified developmental differences between autistic children and their non-autistic family members.
- Neuroscience
How screams shatter the brain
The acoustical properties of screams make them hard to ignore, a new study suggests.
- Astronomy
Exploding star breaks record for brightest supernova
A recent supernova shines with the light of 600 billion suns.
- Paleontology
How dinos like Triceratops got their horns
A new dino named Wendiceratops pinhornensis gives hints about how Triceratops and other relatives got their horns.
- Health & Medicine
New cases of Ebola emerge in Liberia
Liberia has recorded three new Ebola cases after being declared free of the disease in May.
- Planetary Science
Pluto is only a ‘day’ away
Just one Pluto-day to go until New Horizons tears past the dwarf planet and its moons.
- Planetary Science
New Horizons recovers from overload, is on track for Pluto flyby
New Horizons transmits the best pictures of Pluto to date shortly before the spacecraft went quiet over the weekend.
- Animals
Why seahorses have square tails
3-D printed seahorse tails reveal possible benefits of square cross-sections for armor and gripping.
- Planetary Science
Pluto may have spots the size of Missouri
Dark spots emerge on the surface of Pluto in recent images from the New Horizons spacecraft.
