SLOW SMASH The two lobes of Ultima Thule probably came together at the speed of a person walking briskly into a wall, researchers announced.
NASA, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute, ESA
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Magazine
In the March 16 SN: Disappearing Bering Sea ice, nanohealers, the world's largest bee, pollen’s beautiful physics, a tiny T. rex relative, testing Ebola drugs in Congo and more.
MISSING ICE Cameras, like this one, set up in the Chukchi and Bering seas, record how much light reaches through the melt ponds that sit atop sea ice. More light means more algal blooms grow below the surface.
K. Frey
ANIMAL MAGNETISM Like birds, bacteria and other creatures with an ability known as magnetoreception, humans can sense Earth’s magnetic field (illustrated), a new study suggests.
vchal/Shutterstock
BACK ON TOP Smithsonian Channel’s new documentary Epic Yellowstone describes the return of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park, and the critical role such top predators play in the park’s ecosystem.
Smithsonian Networks
Science News
News
Surprising astronomers, Bennu spits plumes of dust into space
Bennu spews dust from its rocky surface, which may be a new kind of asteroid activity.
News
The learning gap between rich and poor students hasn’t changed in decades
The educational achievement gap between the poorest and richest U.S. students remains as wide as it was almost 50 years ago.
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Reviews & Previews
How a tiger transforms into a man-eater
‘No Beast So Fierce’ examines the historical and environmental factors that turned a tiger in Nepal and India into a human-killer.
Feature
What happens when the Bering Sea’s ice disappears?
Record-low sea ice in 2018 sent ripples through the Bering Sea’s entire ecosystem. Will this be the region’s new normal?
News
Ultima Thule may be a frankenworld
The first geologic map of Ultima Thule shows it might be made of many smaller rocks that clumped together under the force of their own gravity.
Feature
Nanosponges sop up toxins and help repair tissues
Nanoparticles coated with blood cell membranes can move through the body to clean up toxins or heal tissues — without instigating an immune reaction.
News
People can sense Earth’s magnetic field, brain waves suggest
An analysis of brain waves offers new evidence that people subconsciously process information about the planet’s magnetism.
Introducing
Meet India’s starry dwarf frog — a species with no close relatives
The newly identified starry dwarf frog represents a new species, genus and potentially even a new family.
News
Resurrecting woolly mammoth cells is hard to do
Japanese scientists say some proteins in frozen mammoth cells may still work after 28,000 years. But that activity may be more mouse than mammoth.
Television
‘Epic Yellowstone’ captures the thriving ecosystem of the world-famous park
A new documentary series about Yellowstone displays the dynamic, dramatic and exciting ecosystem that thrives within the park’s gates.
How Bizarre
Some shrimp make plasma with their claws. Now a 3-D printed claw can too
Scientists used a replica of a shrimp claw to re-create the extreme pressures and temperatures that the animals produce underwater.
News in Brief
U.S. heart attack mortality reached a two-decade low in 2014
Deaths within 30 days of a heart attack have declined from 20 percent in 1995 to 12.4 percent in 2014, according to an analysis of Medicare patient data.
Exhibit
A new T. rex exhibit takes a deep dive into the iconic dinosaur
“T. rex: The Ultimate Predator,” a new exhibit in New York City, draws on the latest science to provide a fresh look at Tyrannosaurus rex and its relatives.
News
The rise of farming altered our bite and changed how people talk
Eating soft, processed foods refashioned adults' jaws, which added “f” and “v” sounds to speech and changed languages worldwide, a study finds.
News
Flickers and buzzes sweep mouse brains of Alzheimer’s plaques
Precisely timed clicking noises can counter signs of Alzheimer’s in the brains of mice and improve memory.
News
Students worldwide are striking to demand action on climate change
On March 15, students are set to attend more than 1,000 events to demand that governments do more to rein in greenhouse gas emissions.
News in Brief
An origami design helps this robot lift delicate and heavy cargo
Fragile items, such as soft fruits, as well as heavier goods are in safe hands with a new robotic gripper.
News in Brief
Ultraprecise atomic clocks put Einstein’s special relativity to the test
Physics obeys the same rules no matter what direction you’re facing, a new experiment confirms.
News
Geneticists push for a 5-year global ban on gene-edited babies
Prominent scientists are using the word “moratorium” to make it clear that experiments to create babies with altered genes are wrong, for now.
News
Hidden compounds in many medications can trigger allergies
Analysis of 42,000 pill recipes shows nearly 93 percent have ingredients that may cause allergic reactions.
Science Stats
Pharmaceutical abuse sent more than 350,000 people to the ER in 2016
The misuse of pharmaceuticals sent an estimated 350,000 people to U.S. emergency departments in 2016.
Reviews & Previews
Nine companies are steering the future of artificial intelligence
In ‘The Big Nine,’ futurist Amy Webb explores the political and economic factors that are shaping artificial intelligence.
News in Brief
Stroke victims with busy immune responses may also see mental declines
A small study links an active immune response soon after a stroke with a loss in cognitive ability a year later.
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, doctors lamented a dearth of organ donors
Fifty years ago, surgeons’ supply of heart donations was woefully low.