NOTHING TO HIDE A newly discovered glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium yaku, shown) has skin so transparent that its beating heart is visible.
J.M Guayasamin et al/ZooKeys 2017
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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.
EGG DIVERSITY Bird eggs vary greatly in shape, size and color. In a new analysis, researchers look for links between egg shape and birds’ traits and lifestyles.
Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology
RED ALERT This micrograph shows how the protein alpha-synuclein (red) builds up in nerve cells (blue) in brains affected by Parkinson’s disease. The immune system can react to parts of the protein, a new study finds.
Roger J. Bick & Mya C. Schiess/UT-Houston Medical School/Science Source
UNDER THE SKIN Researchers have discovered mysterious structures, such as these bubblelike compartments called vesicles that sit between the cell membrane (cyan) and the cell wall (purple) of the bacterium Halothiobacillus neapolitanus (cryotomogram, top; 3-D reconstruction, bottom).
M.J. Dobro/Journal of Bacteriology 2017
Science News
News
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.
Sponsor Message
News
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.
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.
News
Sound-reflecting shelters inspired ancient rock artists
Ancient Europeans sought rock art sites where sounds carried.
Feature
Live antibiotics use bacteria to kill bacteria
Certain bacteria will destroy other bacteria without harming humans. They may be an answer to antibiotic-resistant infections.
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.
News
Scientists spy on the secret inner life of bacteria
New images reveal the inner workings of bacteria.
News
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.
News
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.
News
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.
News
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
Physicists explain why roller suitcases rock back and forth as you dash through the terminal.
News
New material could filter water contaminants that others miss
A new polymer offers a better way to pull fluorine-containing pollutants out of drinking water.
News
Kepler shows small exoplanets are either super-Earths or mini-Neptunes
The final catalog from the Kepler space telescope splits Earthlike exoplanets into two groups and pinpoints 10 new rocky planets in the habitable zone.
News
DNA reveals how cats achieved world domination
Analysis of 9,000 years of cat remains suggests two waves of migration
News
African farmers’ kids conquer the marshmallow test
Nso farmers in Cameroon groom kids for self-control that Western peers often lack.
News
Eclipse watchers catch part of the sun’s surface fleeing to space
A serendipitous eruption during a solar eclipse showed relatively cool blobs of plasma, wrapped in a million-degree flame, streaming from the sun.
Science Visualized
See the latest stunning views of Jupiter
Once every 53 days, NASA’s Juno spacecraft zooms past Jupiter’s cloud tops. A new sequence of images reveals the encounter from Juno’s viewpoint.
News
Ancient attack marks show ocean predators got scarier
Killer snails and other ocean predators that drill through shells have grown bigger over evolutionary time.
News
Magma stored under volcanoes is mostly solid
Ancient zircon crystals provide clues about the magma that fuels volcanic eruptions.
News
Quantum satellite shatters entanglement record
A satellite sent entangled particles to two Chinese cities 1,200 kilometers apart.