HIDDEN TREASURES This map of the cosmic microwave background taken by the Planck satellite could also hide signs of exo-Oort clouds — planetary graveyards surrounding other stars.
Planck/ESA and NASA, IPAC Infrared Science Archive
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Magazine
In the Nov. 10 SN: Real benefits of virtual therapy, monkey malaria in humans, round electrons disappoint, mouse pups with two dads, bats’ hover techniques, Europa’s icy spikes, a vampire burial and more.
POT PROBLEM After exposure to a marijuana-like drug in adolescence, male rats had changes in structures that surround and help stabilize certain nerve cells.
Roberto Valdivia/Unsplash
RESIST Bacteria that cause gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae, illustrated) have developed resistance to numerous antibiotics over the years, rendering the drugs unable to kill the microbes.
James Archer/CDC
RESTING RHYTHM The time of day matters for burning calories when the body is at rest, researchers have discovered. This daily cycle of calorie burning is one of the many body processes that follow a biological clock.
Vu Thu Giang/Unsplash.com
Science News
News
China is about to visit uncharted territory on the moon
The next two Chinese missions to the moon will visit places no spacecraft has been before. The rest of the world wants a piece of the lunar action.
News
A potent fish oil drug may protect high-risk patients against heart attacks
People with, or at high risk of, cardiovascular disease lowered their chances of having a heart attack or stroke with a drug containing an omega-3 fatty acid.
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News
Vitamin D supplements don’t prevent heart disease or cancer
Vitamin D supplements won’t cut your risk of heart attack or stroke, according to highly anticipated study results.
Feature
Malaysia is ground zero for the next malaria menace
With deforestation in Malaysia, monkeys and humans are getting closer — and mosquitoes are infecting humans with malaria from monkeys.
Say What?
These tiny, crackly bubbles are a new type of volcanic ash
Scientists have identified a new type of volcanic ash made up of millimeter-long spheres with a crackled surface.
Feature
Virtual reality therapy has real-life benefits for some mental disorders
Cheap, user-friendly virtual reality hardware could help VR therapy go mainstream. Some treatments are ready for primetime, while others are still in early testing.
News
Ancient DNA suggests people settled South America in at least 3 waves
Genetic studies of ancient remains are filling in the picture of who the earliest Americans were and how they spread through the Americas long ago.
News
How a life-threatening allergic reaction can happen so fast
Cells that act as sentries facilitate quick communication between allergens and anaphylaxis-triggering immune cells, a study in mice finds.
News
These fragile, futuristic batteries run longer with a little oil
A redesign for batteries that use aluminum and oxygen could help these inexpensive, lightweight power cells last longer.
News in Brief
The number of calories you burn while resting depends on the time of day
This daily cycle of calorie burning is one of the many body processes that follow a biological clock.
News in Brief
A new drug may boost dwindling treatment options for gonorrhea
An antibiotic that targets the bacteria that causes gonorrhea proved effective in treating patients in a clinical trial.
News in Brief
Marijuana may change the decision-making part of teen brains
A marijuana-like drug given to male rats during adolescence changed the structure of their brains.
News
Like Europe, Borneo hosted Stone Age cave artists
Rock art may have spread from Borneo across Southeast Asia starting 40,000 years ago or more.
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, atomic testing created otter refugees
Nuclear testing on the island of Amchitka caused hundreds of otters to be rehomed 50 years ago. Those hundreds have grown into thousands.
News in Brief
Bizarre metals may help unlock mysteries of how Earth’s magnetic field forms
Weyl metals could simulate the dynamo effect that generates the planet’s magnetism, a new study suggests.
News in Brief
A lack of sleep can induce anxiety
Pulling an all-nighter induced anxiety in healthy people, a recent study finds.
Reviews & Previews
‘End of the Megafauna’ examines why so many giant Ice Age animals went extinct
‘End of the Megafauna’ ponders the mystery of what killed off so many of Earth’s big animals over the last 50,000 years.
News
Loneliness is bad for brains
Social isolation shrinks nerve cells in the brains of mice, a new study shows.
News
Virtual avatars learned cartwheels and other stunts from videos of people
A new computer system that lets animated characters learn acrobatic skills from videos could be a cheaper alternative to traditional motion capture.
News in Brief
Physicists measured Earth’s mass using neutrinos for the first time
Counting tiny particles that can zip straight through the Earth reveals what the planet is like on the inside.
News
A mashup of yeast and E. coli shows how mitochondria might have evolved
An engineered partnership between yeast and E. coli suggests one way mitochondria may have evolved.
News in Brief
Hubble has been busy since coming back online
Since getting back to work on October 26, the Hubble Space Telescope has been studying red dwarf flares, among other celestial objects.
News
A new measurement bolsters the case for a (slightly) smaller proton
The PRad physics experiment has come up with a result favoring a punier proton.
News in Brief
Neandertal teeth reveal the earliest known signs of lead exposure
Chemical analyses of teeth from young Neandertals show that lead exposure in hominids goes back some 250,000 years.