LIGHT THE WAY A new microscope uses laser light to image growing mammal embryos. Scientists used the instrument to track a mouse embryo (seen in false color) as it developed over two days.
K. McDole et al/Cell 2018
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Magazine
In the Oct. 13 SN: 2018’s scientists to watch, superconductors heat up, the world’s oldest drawing, a sneaky superbug slayer, Ceres’ ice volcanoes, the birth of a neutron star, kidney stones close-up and more.
MY TWO DADS This mouse pup has two biological fathers and no mother. The mouse was produced in a lab from stem cells from two male mice. It did not survive to adulthood.
Leyun Wang
BEE TOTALITY During the solar eclipse over the United States in 2017, citizen scientists recorded bee sounds to help researchers find out what the insects do when day suddenly plunges into darkness.
Susan Ellis, Bugwood.org
A SPACE TELESCOPE IS BORN From the start, the Hubble Space Telescope (seen being released from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990) has survived many potentially career-ending scares.
NASA
Science News
News
Genealogy databases could reveal the identity of most Americans
Keeping your DNA private is getting harder.
Science Ticker
1 week ago
Film
The Neil Armstrong biopic ‘First Man’ captures early spaceflight's terror
At a time when NASA is considering how to return astronauts to the moon, ‘First Man’ is a sobering reminder of how risky the first giant leap was.
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News
Hundreds of dietary supplements are tainted with potentially harmful drugs
Most dietary supplements tainted with pharmaceutical drugs were marketed for sexual enhancement, weight loss or muscle building.
Feature
The SN 10: These scientists defy limits to tackle big problems
With a drive to understand how things work, these young researchers are making a mark in sustainable energy, medicine, astronomy and technology.
Teaser
Self-driving cars see better with cameras that mimic mantis shrimp vision
A new type of camera that sees in polarized light across a wide range of light intensities could help make self-driving cars safer on the road.
News
The first observed wimpy supernova may have birthed a neutron star duo
Scientists have spotted a faint, fast supernova for the first time, possibly explaining how pairs of dense stellar corpses called neutron stars form.
News
Gene editing creates mice with two biological dads for the first time
Scientists have used CRISPR/Cas9 to make mice with two biological fathers.
Science Visualized
See these dazzling images of a growing mouse embryo
A new microscope creates intimate home movies of mice embryos taking shape, and could shed light on the mysterious process of mammalian development.
News
If the past is a guide, Hubble’s new trouble won’t doom the space telescope
Hubble is in safe mode, but astronomers are optimistic that the observatory will keep working.
News in Brief
What bees did during the Great American Eclipse
A rare study of bees during a total solar eclipse finds that the insects buzzed around as usual — until totality.
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, a 550-year-old seed sprouted
Old seeds can sprout new plants even after centuries of dormancy.
News
These light-loving bacteria may survive surprisingly deep underground
Traces of cyanobacteria DNA suggest that the microbes live deep below Earth’s surface.
News in Brief
Nearly 2 million U.S. adult nonsmokers vape
A new study finds that an estimated 1.9 million U.S. adult nonsmokers use e-cigarettes, highlighting worries that the devices are addictive.
Reviews & Previews
‘Sawbones’ invites readers to laugh at the bizarre history of medicine
‘The Sawbones Book,’ based on the popular podcast by Dr. Sydnee and Justin McElroy, ties the strange history of modern medicine to modern pseudoscience.
News
How your brain is like a film editor
A brain structure called the hippocampus may slice our continuous existence into discrete chunks that can be stored as memories.
News in Brief
The economics of climate change and tech innovation win U.S. pair a Nobel
Climate change and tech innovations inspired the new Nobel Memorial Prize winners in Economic Sciences.
News
Spiky ice spires may stud the equator of Jupiter’s moon Europa
Fields of jagged ice spires, if they exist, could affect where future spacecraft land on the Jovian moon.
News
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees versus 2 has big benefits, the IPCC says
A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change compares the impact of warming targets on extreme weather, sea level rise and habitat loss.
Reviews & Previews
‘Einstein’s Shadow’ explores what it takes to snap a black hole’s picture
The new book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Event Horizon Telescope’s attempt to image a black hole.
News
The universe’s continued existence implies extra dimensions are tiny
The strictest limits yet on the size of extra dimensions come from the fact that black holes haven't destroyed the universe.
News
A new ultrafast laser emits pulses of light 30 billion times a second
A new technique allows lasers to pulsate at a higher rate than ever before.
News
City size and structure may influence influenza epidemics
The size and structure of cities helps shape the progression of new influenza cases during a flu season, a new study finds.
News
Saturn’s ‘ring rain’ is a surprising cocktail of chemicals
NASA’s Cassini probe got a closeup view of the material falling from Saturn’s rings into the planet. The data could help illuminate the belts’ origins.
News in Brief
How wind power could contribute to a warming climate
If the United States had enough wind turbines to generate all of its power, they would warm the country by 0.24 degrees Celsius on average.