MAJOR MELTDOWN Southern Ocean storms in 2016 brought intense, warm winds that broke up Antarctica’s fragile sea ice and hastened its usual springtime melting.
NASA ICE/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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Magazine
In the June 24 SN: Unlikely worlds around dim red stars, bacteria to the rescue, flamingos’ balancing act, Jupiter up close, hominid origins revisited, spacetime shakes again, ladybug wing origami and more.
ECHO ART Ancient farmers in southeastern France created rock art in shelters where sounds echoed into the surrounding landscape, researchers say. Among this set of cliff cavities at a site called Baume Brune, only the middle one (with the smallest opening) contains ancient rock art. It also has special acoustic properties that produce loud echoes.
M. Díaz-Andreu
OUT OF BREATH Caesar’s last moments have inspired much scientific thinking, as well as a new book.
VINCENZO CAMUCCINI/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
COUNTING TREES Researchers analyzed Google Earth imagery of dryland forest plots (one example of an open baobab forest in Senegal, shown) to reveal millions of forest hectares not previously reported.
FAO/Faidutti
Science News
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Horse version of ‘Who’s your daddy?’ answered
Genetics and horse pedigrees reveal all modern domestic stallions’ sires.
Feature
Quantum computers are about to get real
Qubit-based machines are gearing up to solve problems that are out of reach for even the most powerful supercomputers.
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Getting a flu ‘shot’ could soon be as easy as sticking on a Band-Aid
Microneedle patches may make home-based vaccination a reality.
Feature
Life might have a shot on planets orbiting dim red stars
The number of planets in the habitable zone of dim red suns, known as M dwarfs, is growing. They’re a good place to look for life.
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Male cockatoos have the beat
Male cockatoos tap trees to a beat to get girls.
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Gecko-inspired robot grippers could grab hold of space junk
Aboard a microgravity plane, NASA is testing gecko-inspired grippers that one day could help clear up space junk.
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Carved human skulls found at ancient worship center in Turkey
Visitors to an ancient ritual site may have carved human skulls as part of ancestor worship.
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Chronic flu patients could be an early warning system for future outbreaks
Cancer patients’ long-term flu infections may preview future viruses.
News in Brief
Floral curve test shows what’s great for a moth is not so good for a flower
3-D printed flowers reveal a hidden conflict between a hawk moth and the flowers it pollinates.
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Battering storms caused Antarctic sea ice to shrink at record pace
Unusually intense storms could explain why Antarctic sea ice shrank to its smallest observed extent this year.
News
Sound-reflecting shelters inspired ancient rock artists
Ancient Europeans sought rock art sites where sounds carried.
Science Stats
Earth’s dry zones support a surprising number of trees
A Google Earth-based estimate of dryland forests adds serious leafage to Earth’s total tree count.
Reviews & Previews
Every breath you take contains a molecule of history
In 'Caesar’s Last Breath', best-selling author Sam Kean tells vivid stories about the gases we can’t see.
Introducing
This glass frog wears its heart for all to see
A newly discovered glass frog species has skin so clear that it reveals most of the animal’s internal organs, including the heart.
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Scientists spy on the secret inner life of bacteria
New images reveal the inner workings of bacteria.
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Flight demands may have steered the evolution of bird egg shape
An analysis of nearly 50,000 bird eggs finds a link between a species’ egg shape and flight ability.
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Bones make hormones that communicate with the brain and other organs
Bones send out hormone signals that chat with other parts of the body, studies in mice show. What influence these hormones have in people, though, remain a mystery.
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Protein in Parkinson’s provokes the immune system
The immune system recognizes parts of a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease as foreign, triggering an autoimmune response.
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A baby’s DNA may kick off mom’s preeclampsia
A large genetic analysis points to a protein made by the fetus that may trigger preeclampsia in the mom.
For Daily Use
Here’s why your wheelie suitcase wobbles
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New material could filter water contaminants that others miss
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Kepler shows small exoplanets are either super-Earths or mini-Neptunes
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DNA reveals how cats achieved world domination
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African farmers’ kids conquer the marshmallow test
Nso farmers in Cameroon groom kids for self-control that Western peers often lack.