News in Brief
- Planetary Science
Salty source of Ceres’ mysterious bright spots found
Bright spots on Ceres contain salts from a possible subsurface layer of ice while ammonia-rich minerals hint at building blocks incorporated from the far outer solar system.
- Neuroscience
Eyes hard at work can make ears go temporarily deaf
When challenged with a tough visual task, people are less likely to perceive a tone, suggesting that perceptual overload can jump between senses.
- Planetary Science
Japanese spacecraft reaches Venus — five years late
The Japanese Space Agency’s Akatsuki spacecraft succeeded at a second attempt at orbiting Venus, five years after an engine failure prevented its intended mission.
- Animals
Gut bacteria’s compounds bring cockroaches together
German cockroaches may rely on gut bacteria to help attract fellow roaches.
- Physics
There’s no hiding from new camera
A new camera tracks objects hidden around a corner by detecting light echoes, similar to the way bats use sound to find prey.
- Animals
Pygmy slow loris hibernates in winter
The pygmy slow loris truly hibernates, making it the first primate found outside Madagascar to do so, a new study says.
- Health & Medicine
Virus spread by mosquitoes linked to rare birth defect
In addition to fever, rash and vomiting, Zika virus may cause rare birth defect.
- Health & Medicine
Pregnancy hormone could keep multiple sclerosis at bay
A small trial hints that pregnancy hormone can reduce MS flare-ups.
- Astronomy
Mysterious cosmic signals carry a clue to their origins
A burst of radio waves from another galaxy ran into a dense magnetized plasma while en route to Earth, hinting at an origin near a population of young stars.
- Health & Medicine
Taking antiviral drug ‘on demand’ can guard against HIV
The antiviral drug Truvada taken before and after sex cuts HIV transmission rates.
- Animals
Snakes evolved from burrowing ancestor, new data suggest
A new X-ray analysis of inner ears is the latest to weigh in on whether modern snakes descended from a burrowing or a swimming reptile.
- Astronomy
More mysterious extragalactic signals detected
Five more fast radio bursts from other galaxies have shown up and one of them is a double.
