HOT MESS Scientists have found superflares erupting from older, sunlike stars, not just from young stars (one illustrated with an exoplanet).
NASA, ESA and D. Player/STScI
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Magazine
In the June 8 SN: Measles roars back, collapsars spin gold, a new kind of dementia, the Southern Ocean's secrets, Denisovans lived on top of the world, and more.
GHOSTLY GALAXY The dim galaxy Antlia 2 (faint glow shown at right in this illustration) was found orbiting the Milky Way (center) in 2018. It’s a bit bigger than the Large Magellanic Cloud, another satellite galaxy (left), but contains far fewer stars.
V. Belokurov/Univ. of Cambridge/CCA, based on the images by Marcus and Gail Davies and Robert Gendler
SMOKED OUT Excavations of tombs such as this at a cemetery in western China yielded evidence that people burned cannabis and inhaled its fumes during rituals for the dead around 2,500 years ago.
Xinhua Wu
CHAOS TERRAIN Rough patches on Europa’s surface, seen in these NASA Galileo images, may partly owe their yellowish hue to sodium chloride.
Univ. of Arizona, JPL-NASA
Science News
News
Norovirus close-ups might help fight stomach flu
Detailed views of a common stomach virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea could aid vaccine and disinfectant development.
News in Brief
Diamond detectors could aid the search for dark matter
Elusive dark matter particles could be spotted when they slam into electrons or atomic nuclei within diamond, scientists say.
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Is a long-dormant Russian volcano waking up? It’s complicated
Scientists debate how to interpret seismic activity near Bolshaya Udina on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula.
News in Brief
Table salt may be hiding in Europa’s underground sea
Observations of Europa by the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the moon’s ice-covered ocean may hold sodium chloride, or common table salt.
News
Many of the world’s rivers are flush with dangerous levels of antibiotics
Antibiotic pollution can fuel drug resistance in microbes. A global survey of rivers finds unsafe levels of antibiotics in 16 percent of sites.
News
Massive superflares have been seen erupting from stars like the sun
Older stars, like the sun, can still send out massive bursts of energy that can be seen from light-years away.
Feature
The Southern Ocean may be less of a carbon sink than we thought
The Southern Ocean’s ability to suck up much of the carbon that humans pump into the atmosphere is in question.
News in Brief
Some Canadian lakes still store DDT in their mud
Yesterday’s DDT pollution crisis is still today’s problem in some of Canada’s lakes.
News
People may have smoked marijuana in rituals 2,500 years ago in western China
Cannabis may have been altering minds at an ancient high-altitude cemetery, researchers say
News
The National Weather Service has launched its new U.S. forecasting model
The United States has finally unveiled its new, highly touted weather prediction model, but some scientists worry that it’s not ready for prime time.
News in Brief
Bats are the main cause of rare rabies deaths in the U.S.
In the United States, bats are mostly to blame for rabies deaths, while rabies transmitted by overseas dogs comes in second.
News in Brief
Astronomers may have spotted the ghost galaxy that hit the Milky Way long ago
Astronomers think they’ve identified a galaxy that hit the Milky Way and ruffled its edges millions of years ago.
News
Extra fingers, often seen as useless, can offer major dexterity advantages
Two people born with six fingers on each hand can control the extra digit, using it to do tasks better than five-fingered hands, a study finds.
News
A tiny crater on viruses behind the common cold may be their Achilles’ heel
Researchers have discovered a potential new drug target in a family of viruses responsible for the common cold and more serious infections.
News
These knotted cords may hide the first evidence that the Incas collected taxes
Some knotted string devices point to crop levies imposed by the Incan empire, researchers say. But other khipus continue to evade description.
News
Genealogy companies could struggle to keep clients’ data from police
Police probably won’t stop searching DNA family trees to find crime suspects. New restrictions on database searches could spur more fights over privacy.
News
Some fungi trade phosphorus with plants like savvy stockbrokers
New views show how fungi shift their stores of phosphorus toward more favorable markets where the nutrient is scarce.
News in Brief
The U.S. is still using many pesticides that are banned in other countries
In 2016, the United States used millions of kilograms of pesticides that are banned or being phased out in the European Union, Brazil and China.
Reviews & Previews
Carbon plays a starring role in the new book ‘Symphony in C’
In Symphony in C, geophysicist Robert Hazen explores carbon’s ancient origins, its role in life and its importance in the modern world.
News in Brief
Medicaid-expanding states had fewer cardiovascular deaths than other states
Counties in states with expanded Medicaid eligibility had 4.3 fewer cardiovascular deaths per 100,000 residents, on average, than if they hadn’t expanded.
News in Brief
DNA reveals ancient Siberians who set the stage for the first Americans
A previously unknown population of Ice Age people who traveled across Beringia was discovered in Russia.
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, scientists wanted to build solar panels on the moon
In 1969, scientists proposed building solar panels on the moon to convert the sun’s energy into electricity that can be used on Earth.
News in Brief
Physicists have finally figured out how pentaquarks are built
The particles are made of up two smaller particles, stuck together like atoms in a molecule.
News
In a first, magnetic fields have been spotted between two galaxy clusters
The discovery of magnetic fields in the gaseous filament between two galaxy clusters suggests that some large cosmic structures are magnetized.