SLIMED When startled, the dusky slug (Arion subfuscus) produces a goopy defense slime that slows down predators. Scientists are studying the chemical structure of this goo to make better surgical adhesives.
A. Smith
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Magazine
In the Sept. 16 SN: Flexible brains learn with ease, making fair-minded machines, learning research hits classrooms, reading dodos’ bones, new battle of the sexes, tiny antennas, Southern Ocean upwelling in 3-D, black hole census and more.
STRONGER TOGETHER Tumor cells (red) grown with bacteria (green) could stave off a common chemotherapy drug because some bacteria can inactivate the drug.
L. Geller
OUT, DAMNED SPOT Ink from permanent markers may seem nearly impossible to remove, but researchers have demonstrated that the surface tension of water can peel the ink off glass.
Stevanovicigor/iStockphoto
MULTI-PURPOSE FEET Tiny tube feet extend from this sea star’s arm. Uncommonly well-preserved fossils of an ancient relative of this echinoderm show it also had an array of these tentacle-like appendages.
Dan Bagur/Shutterstock
Science News
Feature
The list of diseases linked to air pollution is growing
Air pollution levels have come down since the 1970s, but smog is being linked with a growing list of diseases, including dementia, obesity, diabetes and even Parkinson’s.
News
Now we know how much glacial melting ‘watermelon snow’ can cause
Algae that give snow a red tint are making glacial snow in Alaska melt faster.
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Rethink
3-D scans of fossils suggest new fish family tree
Analysis of specimens from China implies ray-finned fishes evolved later than previously thought.
News
R.I.P. Cassini
After 20 years, nearly 300 orbits and pioneering discoveries, the Cassini spacecraft plunges to its death in Saturn’s atmosphere — taking data until its very last breath.
News
A new test of water ripples supports the idea of quantum heat in a vacuum
Water waves bolster theory that accelerating space travelers really feel the heat.
Feature
Machines are getting schooled on fairness
Machine-learning programs are introducing biases that may harm job seekers, loan applicants and more.
Reviews & Previews
‘Big Chicken’ chronicles the public health dangers of using antibiotics in farming
A new book takes a hard look at the chicken industry for its role in fostering antibiotic resistance.
Feature
Learning takes brain acrobatics
Brains that learn best seem able to reconfigure themselves on the fly, a new line of research suggests.
Science Visualized
Tiny ‘supraballs’ put a new spin on creating long-lasting color
Nano-sized balls of melanin and silica generate durable colors.
News
Animal goo inspires better glue
Researchers are turning to nature to create adhesives that work in the wet environment of the human body.
News
A researcher reveals the shocking truth about electric eels
A biologist records the electrical current traveling through his arm during an electric eel’s defensive leap attack.
News in Brief
Microbes hobble a widely used chemo drug
Bacteria associated with cancer cells can inactivate a chemotherapy drug.
News
How to peel permanent marker off glass
Water’s surface tension can peel a thin hydrophobic film such as permanent ink off glass surfaces.
News
Skeleton ignites debate over whether women were Viking warriors
Scientists spar over a 10th century woman who may have had serious fight in her.
News
Like sea stars, ancient echinoderms nibbled with tiny tube feet
An ancient echinoderm fossil preserves evidence of tube feet like those found on today’s sea stars.
News in Brief
In these bot hookups, the machines meld their minds
A new type of robot can team up with its fellows to form a single-minded machine.
News
The sun’s strongest flare in 11 years might help explain a solar paradox
The sun tends to release its biggest flares at the ends of solar cycles — and we might finally be able to test why.
News
Science can’t forecast love
Scientists’ forecast for romantic matches is unpredictable.
Science Stats
Air pollution takes a toll on solar energy
Dust and other tiny air pollutants can reduce solar energy output by as much as 25 percent in parts of the world.
News
When a fungus invades the lungs, immune cells can tell it to self-destruct
Immune system resists fungal infection by directing spores to their death.
News
Brain chemical lost in Parkinson’s may contribute to its own demise
A dangerous form of the chemical messenger dopamine causes cellular mayhem in the very nerve cells that make it.
News
Woolly rhinos may have grown strange extra ribs before going extinct
Ribs attached to neck bones could have signaled trouble for woolly rhinos, a new study suggests.
Science Visualized
Pollen hitches a ride on bees in all the right spots
Flower reproduction depends on the pollen that collects in hard-to-reach spots on bees, a new study shows.
It's Alive
Rising temperatures threaten heat-tolerant aardvarks
Aardvarks may get a roundabout hit from climate change — less food.