Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Plain ol’ Texas rat snakes basically match vipers for speed
Rattlesnakes and other vipers are not the fastest fangs in the West.
- Tech
Computer program bests world champion 4-1 in strategy game Go
Google DeepMind’s Go-playing computer program AlphaGo has topped Lee Sedol, the world’s reigning Go player, in a five-game match in South Korea.
- Ecosystems
FDA predicts no significant environmental impact from GM mosquitoes
The FDA has taken a step in the process of deciding whether to allow the first test release in the United States of genetically modified mosquitoes to fight diseases such as Zika.
- Planetary Science
ExoMars mission to search for signs of life on the Red Planet
The next mission to Mars will tally gases in the planet’s atmosphere and test technologies for a 2018 rover.
- Animals
Great tits sing with syntax
Humans are no longer the only species to use compositional syntax. Great tits do, too.
- Tech
Computer takes first game in match against Go world champion
The computer program AlphaGo takes the lead in a five-match challenge of the strategy game Go.
- Animals
Mite-virus alliance could be bringing down honeybees
Parasitic mites and a virus have a mutually beneficial alliance while attacking honeybees.
- Planetary Science
Mountains on Pluto are a winter wonderland of methane snow
On Pluto, methane snow blankets mountain tops.
- Health & Medicine
Brazil study strengthens link between Zika virus, birth defects
In a study of pregnant women in Brazil, nearly 30 percent of those infected with Zika virus had babies with fetal abnormalities.
- Animals
These beetles use surface tension to water-ski
Waterlily beetles are in for a fast and bumpy ride as they fly across ponds, researchers find.
- Science & Society
Zika virus, mosquitoes, gene drives: Ask us anything
Three Science News reporters answer questions about zika virus, genetically engineered mosquitoes, mosquito biology and more in a Reddit AMA on Friday, March 4.
- Environment
Low levels of radiation from Fukushima persist in seafood
Aquatic species in Japan contain low levels of radioactive cesium, but some freshwater species risk high contamination.
