Notebook
-
- Animals
Each year painted lady butterflies cross the Sahara — and then go back again
Painted ladies migrate the farthest of any butterfly.
- Astronomy
On Jupiter, lightning flashes from storms swirling at the poles
After almost 40 years, scientists have discovered that Jupiter has lightning that is similar to lightning on Earth — it just happens in a different place.
- Astronomy
In 1968, scientists thought they were close to detecting gravity waves
Despite an unverified discovery in 1968, spacetime ripples remained elusive for nearly 50 years.
- Animals
Leaf-cutter ants pick up the pace when they sense rain
Leaf-cutter ants struggle to carry wet leaves, so they run to avoid rain.
- Paleontology
These newfound frogs have been trapped in amber for 99 million years
Trapped in amber, 99-million-year-old frog fossils reveal the amphibians lived in a wet, tropical climate.
- Health & Medicine
At-home telomere testing is not a reliable marker of aging, researcher says
Telomere testing for consumers offers a poor measure of “biological age,” says Johns Hopkins oncologist Mary Armanios.
- Tech
50 years ago, NASA astronauts prepared to return to space
Apollo 7 crewmembers underwent their first major tests 50 years ago. Today, U.S. astronauts struggle to get into space.
- Health & Medicine
Blame opioids for a fifth of young adult deaths in the United States
Of young adults aged 25 to 34 who died in 2016, 20 percent of those deaths were opioid-related.
- Health & Medicine
Even in the shade, a car’s interior can get lethally hot
A car’s interior can get lethally hot on summer days, even when it’s parked in the shade.
- Health & Medicine
The CDC advises: Don’t swallow the water in a hotel swimming pool
In a 15-year period, hotel swimming pools and water parks had the highest number of swimming-related disease outbreaks in the United States.
- Animals
50 years ago, scientists warned of a sparrow’s extinction
Only 17 dusky seaside sparrows remained in 1968. Today, there are none.
