Notebook
- Tech
Flame-finding pistols set off decades of blazing technology
Researchers unveiled a gun-shaped flame detector in 1965
- Earth
Natural concrete keeps lid on Italian volcano
Naturally occurring, concretelike rock allows the ground around Italy’s Campi Flegrei caldera to bulge without bursting.
- Animals
Giant pandas live in the slow lane
Giant pandas burn far less energy than similarly sized land mammals.
- Tech
Plastic shell lets roach-bot squeeze through gaps
An arched shell helps a six-legged robot shimmy past obstacles.
- Animals
Centipede discovered in caves 1,000 meters belowground
A newly discovered centipede species lives deep underground.
- Physics
In retirement, Nobelist takes up moon bouncing
A lifelong amateur radio enthusiast, Joseph Taylor sends signals via the moon.
- Planetary Science
50 years ago, Mariner 4 sent back first pictures from Mars
On July 14, 1965, Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft to fly by Mars. The probe also sent back the first pictures of another planet taken from space.
- Animals
Newly discovered yeti crab swarms around Antarctic hydrothermal vents
A newly discovered species of yeti crab thrives in tough conditions on Antarctic hydrothermal vents.
- Paleontology
Fossil worm adds head to its spiny appearance
Hallucigenia sparsa gives hints to how some animals ended up with teeth in their guts and platelike pieces around their mouths.
- Animals
Silver ant hairs reflect sunlight, keeping Sahara dweller cool
The shiny hairs of the Saharan silver ant simultaneously reflect sunlight and permit the release of body heat, keeping the insects just cool enough to scavenge in the extreme summer sun.
- Astronomy
Big exoplanet may be surrounded by helium
Warm Neptune-sized exoplanet might have atmospheres filled with helium.
- Earth
Most of Earth’s impact craters await discovery
Hundreds of undiscovered impact craters probably dot Earth’s surface, new research estimates.
