News in Brief

  1. Animals

    Barnacles track whale migration

    The mix of oxygen isotopes in the shells of barnacles that latch on to baleen whales may divulge how whale migration routes have changed over millions of years.

    By Thomas Sumner
  2. Planetary Science

    Europa spouting off again

    Plumes of presumably water erupt from the surface of Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa, in images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

    By Christopher Crockett
  3. Climate

    Methane didn’t warm ancient Earth, new simulations suggest

    Scarce oxygen and abundant sulfate prevented methane from accumulating enough to keep Earth warm hundreds of millions of years ago, reviving the faint young sun paradox.

    By Thomas Sumner
  4. Planetary Science

    Source of Charon’s red north pole is probably Pluto

    The dark red pole on Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, is probably gas that escaped from Pluto and was then transformed by sunlight.

    By Christopher Crockett
  5. Animals

    Sandboxes keep chicken parasites at bay

    Fluffing feathers in sand and dust prevents severe mite infections in cage-free hens.

    By Amy McDermott
  6. Planetary Science

    Philae lander spotted on comet 67P

    Missing since November 2014, the Philae comet lander has been found lurking in the shadows on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

    By Christopher Crockett
  7. Animals

    Bonobos adept at nut cracking

    Bonobos demonstrate their overlooked nut-cracking skills in an African sanctuary.

    By Bruce Bower
  8. Planetary Science

    Juno transmits first intimate snapshots of Jupiter

    Hurricane-like clouds spiral over Jupiter’s poles, new photos taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveal.

    By Emily Conover
  9. Planetary Science

    Water plays big role in shaping dwarf planet Ceres

    Findings from the Dawn spacecraft turn up cryovolcanoes, ice patches and hydrated minerals on Ceres, supporting the idea that water helped shape the dwarf planet.

    By Christopher Crockett
  10. Genetics

    Thank (or blame) your genes for ability to handle java jolt

    A gene involved in caffeine processing may control coffee consumption.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  11. Animals

    Warm-up benefit could explain morning birdsong

    Even birds sing better after vocal warm-up, and an evolutionary arms race among rivals might have led to the intensity of the dawn chorus.

    By Susan Milius
  12. Animals

    Bird nest riddle: Which shape came first?

    Today’s simple cup-shaped songbird nests look as if they just had to have evolved before roofed nests. But that could be backward.

    By Susan Milius