News

Astronomy

Astronomers have found the closest known black hole to Earth

Discovered by how it pushes around a companion star, the black hole is about 1,500 light-years away and roughly 10 times the mass of the sun.

Health & Medicine

Cat allergies may be tamed by adding an asthma therapy to allergy shots

Adding an antibody already used to treat asthma to standard allergy shots improved cat allergy symptoms for a least a year, a small study finds.

Health & Medicine

The U.S.’s alcohol-induced death rate rose sharply in the pandemic’s first year

Studies suggested cases of alcoholic liver disease rose in the first pandemic year, and new data show the death rate from alcohol use climbed too.

Physics

Crowdsourced cell phone data could keep bridges safe and strong

Accelerometers and GPS sensors in smartphones could provide frequent, real-time data on bridge vibrations, and alert engineers to changes in integrity

Planetary Science

Marsquakes hint that the planet might be volcanically active after all

Seismic data recorded by NASA’s InSight lander suggest molten rock moves tens of kilometers below the planet’s fractured Cerberus Fossae region.

Animals

Deer-vehicle collisions spike when daylight saving time ends

In the week after much of the United States turns the clock back, scientists found a 16 percent increase in crashes between vehicles and deer.

Health & Medicine

A major malaria outbreak in Ethiopia came from an invasive Asian mosquito

Malaria may become a much bigger problem in Africa’s cities if the invasive mosquito continues to spread.

Microbes

Ancient bacteria could persist beneath Mars’ surface

Radiation-tolerant microbes might be able to survive beneath Mars’ surface for hundreds of millions of years, a new study suggests.

Archaeology

King Tut’s tomb still has secrets to reveal 100 years after its discovery

More of Tut’s story is poised to come to light in the coming years. Here are four things to know on the 100th anniversary of his tomb’s discovery.

Animals

Here’s how polar bears might get traction on snow

Microstructures on the Arctic animals’ paws might offer extra friction that keeps them from slipping on snow, a new study reports.

Animals

Bizarre aye-aye primates take nose picking to the extreme

A nose-picking aye-aye’s spindly middle finger probably reaches all the way to the back of the throat, CT scans suggest.

Animals

Insect swarms might generate as much electric charge as storm clouds

Honeybees flying over a sensor measuring atmospheric voltage sparked a look into how insect-induced static electricity might affect the atmosphere.