THE SN 10 Science News spotlights 10 rising scientists who will transform their research fields over the coming decades.
Sam Falconer
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Magazine
In the October 1 SN: Meet the SN 10 — up-and-coming scientists exploring big questions, Tasmanian devils resist an epidemic of cancer, the ebb and flow of one man’s microbiome, oldest fossils, Juno’s first closeups of Jupiter and more.
CHILL OUT Scotch heather weathers summer freezes by forming internal ice barriers that block ice crystals from spreading to its flowers.
Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
GENUINE GODS A book called the Grolier Codex — long regarded as a fake by some scientists — may be the oldest known manuscript of ancient America. Deities depicted on the book’s 10 surviving pages include a death god with a decapitated captive (left) and a bird/serpent god.
Enrico Ferorelli, S. Houston
EDITS UNDER WAY Researchers in Sweden have begun editing genes in viable early human embryos (four-cell stage, shown). Others are probably doing the experiments behind closed doors, scientists say.
NinaSes/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Science News
News in Brief
Methane didn’t warm ancient Earth, new simulations suggest
Scarce oxygen and abundant sulfate prevented methane from accumulating enough to keep Earth warm hundreds of millions of years ago, reviving the faint young sun paradox.
News
Mercury’s surface still changing
A population of small cliffs on Mercury suggests that the planet might have been tectonically active in the last 50 million years.
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Nuclear blasts, other human activity signal new epoch, group argues
A group of scientists will formally propose the human-defined Anthropocene as a new epoch in Earth’s geologic history within a few years, probably pegging the start date to nuclear tests.
Feature
The SN 10: Meet the scientists making the next big discoveries
Science News spotlights 10 rising scientists who will transform their research fields over the coming decades.
News
Sugar industry sought to sugarcoat causes of heart disease
Sugar industry has long, sweet history of influencing science.
News
Natural ally against global warming not as strong as thought
Soils may take in far less carbon by the end of the century than previously predicted, exacerbating climate change.
For Daily Use
It's time to retire the five-second rule
Wet food can slurp bacteria off the floor in less than a second.
50 Years Ago
Old-school contraptions still work for weighing astronauts
To weigh themselves, astronauts still use technology invented about 50 years ago.
News
Single exodus from Africa gave rise to today’s non-Africans
Genetics and climate studies differ on when modern humans left Africa.
News
Endurance training leaves no memory in muscles
Unlike strength training, endurance workouts left no genetic trace months later, calling into question idea of a general muscle memory.
News
Activity trackers fall short in weight-loss trial
In a two-year study, wearable activity monitors didn’t help young adults lose more weight.
News
Primordial continental crust re‑created in lab
Compressing rocks from an ocean plateau at high temperatures and pressures re-creates the formation of Earth’s first continental crust.
News
Vanished star may be first known failed supernova
A star that vanished in another galaxy might be the first confirmed case of a failed supernova — and the birth of a black hole.
Science Visualized
How one scientist's gut microbes changed over a year
Computational biologist Lawrence David chronicled changes in his gut microbes for a year.
News
Brain’s physical structure may help guide its wiring
The brain’s stiffness helps dictate how nerve cells grow, a study suggests.
News
See where Clinton and Trump stand on science
Science News looks at where presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on seven key science issues, from genetic engineering to space exploration.
News
Taming photons, electrons paves way for quantum internet
Scientists are gearing up to create supersecure global quantum networks.
Science Stats
The sun isn’t the only light source behind that summer tan
About 99.999% of the light that creates a suntan comes from the sun; the rest comes from the Big Bang and galaxies throughout the universe.
Reviews & Previews
‘The Long, Long Life of Trees’ takes readers on a walk in the woods
The Long, Long Life of Trees explores the scientific, historical and cultural significance of apple, birch, elm and 14 other kinds of trees.
The Science Life
To study Galápagos cormorants, a geneticist gets creative
To collect DNA from four cormorant species, this scientist called in bird scientists far and wide.