Notebook
- Genetics
Bad Karma can ruin palm oil crops
Missing epigenetic mark makes for Bad Karma and poor palm oil crops.
- Animals
When octopuses dance beak to beak
The larger Pacific striped octopus does sex, motherhood and shrimp pranks like nobody else.
By Susan Milius - Anthropology
Minutes after encountering danger, lemurs yawn
Madagascar primates yawn within minutes of encountering threats.
By Bruce Bower - Paleontology
Earliest sea scorpion discovered in Iowa
Earliest sea scorpion discovered in impact crater in Iowa.
By Meghan Rosen - Planetary Science
The sad magnetic state of the solar system’s rocky worlds
While a strong magnetic shield protects Earth from the sun’s occasional outbursts, the solar system’s other rocky planets are mostly defenseless.
- Animals
A monkey uses a stick to pick its teeth and nose
A wild bearded capuchin monkey in Brazil was caught using tools to pick its nose and teeth.
By Erin Wayman - Astronomy
Two stars were once considered coldest known
Two stars once thought to be the coldest known are actually scorching compared with some truly frigid brown dwarfs.
- Earth
Millions of dollars’ worth of gold and silver found beneath volcanoes
A jackpot of dissolved gold and silver discovered in reservoirs of hot water beneath New Zealand’s Taupo Volcanic Zone.
- Neuroscience
Whistled language uses both sides of the brain
Unlike spoken words, language made of whistles processed by both sides of the brain.
- Tech
50 years ago, an automat began taking paper money
Ubiquitous today, vending machines that accepted bills were once considered exciting technological achievements.
- Science & Society
Contentious science topics on Wikipedia subject to editing mischief
Global warming and other politically charged issues are prime targets for sabotage on Wikipedia.
By Meghan Rosen - Health & Medicine
‘Vomiting device’ sounds gross but it helps study infections
Scientists created a “vomiting device” to study how norovirus spreads through the air.