IN A FLASH Unlike Earth lightning, which is most concentrated at the equator, Jupiter’s strikes at its poles, as shown in this artist’s rendition.
SwRI, JPL-Caltech/NASA, JUNOCAM
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Magazine
In the June 23 SN: Emmy Noether gets her due, the 411 on ancestry testing, bonobo birthing buddies, a mysterious neutrino surplus, the oldest known lizard fossil, genetic genealogy in police work, Pluto’s dunes and more.
Science News
News
A 2,200-year-old Chinese tomb held a new gibbon species, now extinct
Researchers have discovered a new gibbon species in an ancient royal Chinese tomb. It's already extinct.
News in Brief
Einstein’s general relativity reigns supreme, even on a galactic scale
Scientists have made the most precise test of Einstein’s theory of gravity at great distances.
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News
It may take a village (of proteins) to turn on genes
Clusters of proteins transiently work together to turn on genes, new microscopy studies of live cells suggest.
Feature
Special report: Genetic testing goes mainstream
Consumer genetic tests may not tell customers that much about themselves. Science News delves into these tests in a multipart series.
News in Brief
Here’s how drinking coffee could protect your heart
Coffee’s heart-healthy effects rely on boosting cells’ energy production, a study in mice suggests.
Feature
In her short life, mathematician Emmy Noether changed the face of physics
A century after she published a groundbreaking mathematical theory, Emmy Noether gets her due.
The –est
Each year painted lady butterflies cross the Sahara — and then go back again
Painted ladies migrate the farthest of any butterfly.
News
With this new system, robots can ‘read’ your mind
Giving robots instructions via brain waves and hand gestures could help the machines operate more safely and efficiently.
Mystery Solved
On Jupiter, lightning flashes from storms swirling at the poles
After almost 40 years, scientists have discovered that Jupiter has lightning that is similar to lightning on Earth — it just happens in a different place.
News
Phone apps are helping scientists track suicidal thoughts in real time
Researchers are using smartphones to tap into the ups and downs of suicidal thinking that occur over hours and days, hoping to help prevent suicides.
Feature
DNA testing can bring families together, but gives mixed answers on ethnicity
DNA testing has become a new way for millions of Americans to expand their family trees and learn something about themselves, but results vary widely.
News
To combat an expanding universe, aliens could hoard stars
An advanced alien civilization might combat the impact of dark energy by harvesting stars.
News
Venus’ thick atmosphere speeds up the planet’s spin
Venus’ thick atmosphere can push on mountains on the surface, changing its rotation period by a few minutes every day.
News
The most ancient African baobabs are dying and no one knows why
Scientists aren’t sure what’s killing the oldest African baobabs, nine of which have lost big chunks or died in the last 13 years.
News
Magnetic fields may be propping up the Pillars of Creation
Scientists made a map of the magnetic field within the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming area depicted in an iconic Hubble Space Telescope image.
50 Years Ago
In 1968, scientists thought they were close to detecting gravity waves
Despite an unverified discovery in 1968, spacetime ripples remained elusive for nearly 50 years.
Science Stats
Leaf-cutter ants pick up the pace when they sense rain
Leaf-cutter ants struggle to carry wet leaves, so they run to avoid rain.
News
The number of teens who report having sex is down
About 40 percent of high school students are having sex, the lowest amount in the last three decades.
News
Underwater fiber-optic cables could moonlight as earthquake sensors
The seafloor cables that ferry internet traffic across oceans may soon find another use: detecting underwater earthquakes.
News in Brief
Swirling gases reveal baby planets in a young star’s disk
A new technique pinpointed three planets forming around a young star about 330 light-years from Earth.
Introducing
These newfound frogs have been trapped in amber for 99 million years
Trapped in amber, 99-million-year-old frog fossils reveal the amphibians lived in a wet, tropical climate.
Experiences
What I actually learned about my family after trying 5 DNA ancestry tests
Ancestry results vary widely depending on which company you use.
News in Brief
The Mars rover Opportunity is sleeping, not dead, NASA says
Opportunity is hunkered down in a deep sleep on Mars to ride out what’s looking to be a long dark dust storm.
News
Here’s what narwhals sound like underwater
Scientists eavesdropped while narwhals clicked and buzzed. The work could help pinpoint how the whales may react to more human noise in the Arctic.