News in Brief
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- Astronomy
Molecular handedness found in space
Propylene oxide in an interstellar cloud sets up a testing ground for understanding why life chooses one type of mirror-image molecule over another.
- Animals
City living shortens great tits’ telomeres
Great tits raised in urban nests have shorter protective caps on their chromosomes than those raised in rural nests.
- Astronomy
Limestone world gobbled by planet-eating white dwarf
Debris from a shredded planet points to a world that was once covered in calcium carbonate.
- Animals
‘Kermit Sutra’ gets seventh amphibian mating position
Bombay night frogs’ unusual mating protocol features indirect sperm transfer and female croaks.
- Life
Refined ‘three-parent-baby’ procedure improves chances for healthy infant
Improved technique could reduce risk of passing on faulty mitochondria.
- Chemistry
Four newest elements on periodic table get names
Four elements officially recognized in December, highlighted in yellow, now have names that honor Japan, Moscow, Tennessee and physicist Yuri Oganessian.
- Astronomy
Space-based probe passes tests for gravitational wave detection
The LISA Pathfinder mission has demonstrated that future observatories in space could detect gravitational waves.
- Environment
Bikini Atoll radiation levels remain alarmingly high
Lingering radiation levels from nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll are far higher than previously estimated.
- Animals
Tiny plastics cause big problems for perch, lab study finds
Researchers have linked microplastics to feeding behavior changes and development issues in Baltic Sea perch.
- Astronomy
Young exoplanet found nestled close to its star
Scientists have found one of the youngest exoplanets ever, snuggled up close to its star.
- Planetary Science
Comet 67P carries two ingredients for life: glycine, phosphorus
Two ingredients essential for all life, phosphorus and the amino acid glycine, have been found floating around a comet.
