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Life

By leaking light, squid hides in plain sight

Glass squid camouflage their eyes with wonderfully inefficient bioluminescence.

Astronomy

Space-based probe passes tests for gravitational wave detection

The LISA Pathfinder mission has demonstrated that future observatories in space could detect gravitational waves.

Earth

Spy satellites reveal early start to Antarctic ice shelf collapse

Declassified spy satellite images reveal that Antarctica’s Larsen B ice shelf began destabilizing decades earlier than previously thought.

Environment

Bikini Atoll radiation levels remain alarmingly high

Lingering radiation levels from nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll are far higher than previously estimated.

Quantum Physics

Quantum weirdness survives space travel

Quantum weirdness travels from Earth to space and back again.

Animals

Pygmy blue whales deepen their moans

Sri Lankan pygmy blue whales are tweaking their calls — making one part deeper and keeping another part the same — but scientists can’t say why. The finding injects a new wrinkle in theories about blue whale calls.

Genetics

Ancient DNA tells of two origins for dogs

Genetic analysis of an ancient Irish mutt reveals complicated history of dog domestication.

Animals

Tiny plastics cause big problems for perch, lab study finds

Researchers have linked microplastics to feeding behavior changes and development issues in Baltic Sea perch.

Planetary Science

Jupiter’s stormy weather no tempest in teapot

New radio observations reveal how ammonia moves about beneath Jupiter’s clouds and provide a sneak peek at what NASA’s Juno mission will learn later this year.

Archaeology

Earliest evidence of fire making in Europe found

Clues to Stone Age fire making surface in a Spanish cave.

Life

Jumping gene turned peppered moths the color of soot

A single gene is behind some of the most famous examples of natural selection.

Science & Society

Science fairs offer top students a grand stage

Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses the value of science communication for students.