Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Paleontology
Bedbugs bugged prehistoric humans, too
Scientists have found the oldest known specimens of bedbug relatives in an Oregon cave system where ancient humans once lived.
- Astronomy
Event Horizon Telescope to try to capture images of elusive black hole edge
Network of radio observatories will attempt a first-ever glimpse at an event horizon.
- Tech
SpaceX launches and lands its first reused rocket
Aerospace company SpaceX has successfully reused a Falcon 9 rocket’s booster section for the first time.
- Anthropology
Neandertals had an eye for patterns
Neandertals carved notches in a raven bone, possibly to produce a pleasing or symbolic pattern, scientists say.
- Climate
Arctic sea ice hits record wintertime low
Warm temperatures and heat waves reduced sea ice extent in the Arctic to its smallest maximum extent ever seen.
- Animals
Tool use in sea otters doesn’t run in the family
A genetic study suggests that tool-use behavior isn’t hereditary in sea otters, and that only some animals need to use tools due to the type of food available in their ecosystem.
- Particle Physics
Large Hadron Collider experiment nabs five new particles
LHCb experiment detects new particles composed of two strange quarks and one charm quark.
- Animals
Tropical bedbugs outclimb common bedbugs
A study of bedbug traps and feet names finds that tropical bedbugs are much better at scaling slippery walls than common bedbugs.
- Astronomy
In new Cassini portraits, Saturn’s moon Pan looks like pasta
Photographs taken this week by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft provide a closer view of Saturn’s small moon Pan, which resembles ravioli.
- Archaeology
Ancient dental plaque tells tales of Neandertal diet and disease
Researchers have reconstructed the diet and disease history of ancient Neandertals.
- Particle Physics
Rare triplet of high-energy neutrinos detected from an unknown source
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory spotted three neutrinos within 100 seconds that seem to have come from the same place in the sky.
- Health & Medicine
Certain birth defects are on the rise since Zika arrived in the U.S.
The rate of certain birth defects is much higher in babies born to Zika-infected mothers in the United States, the CDC reports.
