News in Brief
- Environment
When measuring lead in water, check the temperature
Lead contamination in drinking water can be much higher during summer than winter, new research suggests.
- Environment
U.S. oil and gas boom behind rising ethane levels
Oil and gas operations on North Dakota’s Bakken shale are largely to blame for a recent rise in global emissions of the greenhouse gas ethane, researchers conclude.
- Animals
Male giant water bugs win females by babysitting
Female giant water bugs prefer males already caring for eggs, an evolutionary force for maintaining parental care.
- Animals
Peacocks twerk to shake their tail feathers
Researchers reveal the biomechanics of the peacock mating dance.
- Planetary Science
Tiny moon orbits dwarf planet
Hubble Space Telescope images from April 2015 show that the dwarf planet Makemake has a tiny moon.
- Plants
Prions may help plants remember
A plant protein has passed lab tests for prionlike powers as molecular memory.
- Cosmology
Ancient dwarf galaxy was heavy-element factory
A rare event in an ancient galaxy left traces of heavy elements in its stars.
- Paleontology
Baby titanosaur was parents’ Mini-Me
Babies of one species of titanosaur resembled mini-versions of full-grown adults, and probably acted like them, too.
- Anthropology
Belize cave was Maya child sacrifice site
Bones in Central American cave suggest many Maya sacrificial victims were children.
- Cosmology
New sky map charts previously unknown gamma-ray sources
A new map of the sky from the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory charts the cosmic origins of high-energy photons.
- Health & Medicine
Clusters of cancer cells get around by moving single file
Clusters of cancer cells squeeze through thin blood vessels by aligning single file.
- Anthropology
Viking-era woman sheds light on Iceland’s earliest settlers
Viking-era woman accompanied island’s early settlers as a child from Scandinavia or Britain.
