Tech
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
Plesiosaurs swam like penguins
Computer simulations of plesiosaur swimming motion may resolve long-standing debate on how the marine reptile got around.
- Tech
Online reading behavior predicts stock movements
People's current web surfing patterns predict future stock movements. The discovery could help authorities to stabilize financial markets.
- Environment
Converted milk proteins clean pollution, strike gold
A new membrane uses sticky amyloid proteins to trap contaminants in water.
- Earth
Succession of satellites keep eye on Earth
50 years after plans were laid for the first Earth-observing spacecraft, the youngest Landsat satellites are still flying and imaging the planet’s surface.
- Tech
Stretchy silicon sticker monitors your heartbeat
A new stretchy memory device looks like a temporary tattoo and works like a heart rate monitor.
- Tech
SpaceX rocket sticks its landing
A Falcon 9 rocket section lands after launching a set of satellites during a successful test of SpaceX’s reusable rocket parts.
- Tech
SpaceX rocket blasts to space and back, sticks the landing
A Falcon 9 rocket section lands after launching a set of satellites during a successful test of SpaceX’s reusable rocket parts.
- Math
Year in review: New algorithm quickly spots identical networks
In what may be a once-in-a-decade advance, a computer scientist claimed to have devised an algorithm that efficiently solves the notorious graph isomorphism problem.
- Quantum Physics
Google’s quantum computer speeds up, but practical use is unclear
Google’s D-Wave quantum computer is getting faster, but it’s still unclear whether it will ever outperform regular computers at completing useful tasks.
- Life
Microbes show up on schedule after death
Microbes in the soil beneath dead bodies offer forensic clues for time and place of death.
- Physics
There’s no hiding from new camera
A new camera tracks objects hidden around a corner by detecting light echoes, similar to the way bats use sound to find prey.
- Tech
Roses rigged with electrical circuits
Bioelectric molecules can form wires and conduct electricity in cut roses, researchers find.
