Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
For snowy owls, wintering on the prairie might be normal
Some snowy owls leave the Arctic for winter. That’s not a desperate move, new study says.
- Health & Medicine
Mosquito moms can pass Zika to offspring
In the lab, Zika virus can pass from a female mosquito to her eggs, suggesting how infections can flare up again after adult insects dwindle.
- Genetics
Genes help snub-nosed monkeys live the high life
Snub nosed monkeys have certain genetic variants that help them breathe easy in low oxygen.
- Animals
Hoverflies (probably) can’t sense gravity
Acrobatic insects called hoverflies may simply use visual and airflow cues and not gravity to orient their bodies midair.
- Animals
Evidence piles up for popular pesticides’ link to pollinator problems
Neonicotinoid pesticides linked to population declines in California butterflies and wild bee extinctions in Great Britain.
- Animals
Female fish have a fail-safe for surprise sperm attacks
A Mediterranean fish provides evidence that, even after laying their eggs, females can still influence who fertilizes them.
- Astronomy
This year’s Perseid meteor shower will be especially flashy
This year’s Perseid meteor shower could produce up to 200 meteors per hour as Earth plows through the debris trail of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
- Animals
Colugo genome reveals gliders as primate cousins
New genetic analysis suggests gliding mammals called colugos are actually sisters to modern primates.
- Genetics
Scientists get a glimpse of chemical tagging in live brains
For the first time scientists can see where molecular tags known as epigenetic marks are placed in the brain.
- Neuroscience
Red blood cells sense low oxygen in the brain
Red blood cells sense low oxygen and speed to the scene, a new study suggests.
- Chemistry
X-rays reveal portrait hiding beneath Degas masterpiece
X-ray technique reveals an additional painting hiding behind Edgar Degas’ "Portrait of a Woman."
- Animals
Smart mice have better odds of survival
African striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) may survive summer droughts by their wits, a study suggests.
