Notebook
- Chemistry
Movie viewers’ exhaled chemicals tell if scene is funny, scary
Changes in trace gases exhaled by movie audiences could point the way to a subtle form of human communication.
- Plants
Scary tomato appears to bleed
A new species of Australian bush tomato bleeds when injured and turns bony in old age.
- Psychology
Kids’ anxieties, depression need attention
Psychological troubles in childhood are no longer considered a part of normal development.
- Climate
U.S. weather has gotten more pleasant, but will soon worsen
Warmer winters have made U.S. weather more pleasant since 1974 thanks to climate change, but that will soon change.
- Animals
Pandas have ultrasonic hearing
Giant pandas hear very high frequencies. Scientists still don’t know why.
- Science & Society
Biologist Kate Rubins’ big dream takes her to the space station
Molecular biologist Kate Rubins led a 14-person virology lab before becoming an astronaut. She heads to the International Space Station on June 24.
- Tech
3-D TVs are a work in need of progress
In 1966, scientists predicted 3-D TVs would broadcast life-size holograms by 1984.
- Life
Fruit fly’s giant sperm is quite an exaggeration
Giant sperm, about 20 times a male fruit fly’s body length, could make the insects the champs of supersized sexual ornaments.
- Physics
The center of Earth is younger than the outer surface
Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts the center of the Earth is two years younger than the crust.
- Oceans
The Arctic Ocean is about to get spicier
Variations in the saltiness and temperature of seawater of the same density, called spiciness, could increase as the Arctic Ocean warms.
- Health & Medicine
With easy e-cig access, teen vaping soars
The vast majority of U.S. states ban sales or distribution of e-cigarette products to minors. Still, it’s no sweat for teens to buy them online.
- Astronomy
Fast-moving star duo is heading out of the Milky Way
A pair of hyperfast stars hurtling through a remote region of the Milky Way might have been orphaned after a long-ago galactic collision, a new study suggests.
