Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Plants
Ancient gardeners saved the gourd
Domestication might have helped early vine plants like pumpkin survive after seed-dispersing megafauna went extinct.
- Anthropology
DNA puts Neandertal relatives in Siberia for 60,000 years
Recovered DNA suggests Denisovans inhabited Siberia for around 60,000 years.
- Quantum Physics
More tests confirm quantum spookiness
New experimental results confirm and strengthen evidence for the “spooky” reality of quantum physics.
- Anthropology
Mummified boy’s DNA unveils new but ancient maternal lineage
An Inca child’s DNA shows he hailed from a newly identified line of maternal ancestors.
- Health & Medicine
Blood-brain barrier jiggled loose to deliver medicine
Using ultrasounds, doctors attempted to slip a chemotherapy drug into a woman’s brain through the blood-brain barrier.
- Astronomy
Chile telescope array spots nearby Earth-sized planet
The discovery of GJ 1132b, the nearest Earth-sized planet known beyond the solar system, could herald the era of probing the atmospheres of nearby worlds for signs of life.
- Planetary Science
Impact from a space rock might have formed Pluto’s heart
Pluto’s heart is deep basin, possibly caused by a run in with something else in the Kuiper belt.
- Tech
Laser light turns graphene paper into a microbot
Tiny origami-inspired robot uses laser light to walks like an inchworm.
- Physics
Water droplets spontaneously bounce, sans trampoline
Initially stationary water droplets can bounce on an extremely water-repellent surface as if on a trampoline.
- Planetary Science
Course set for New Horizons journey to Kuiper belt object
New Horizons bids Pluto farewell as it starts a 1.45-billion-kilometer cruise to its next target.
- Astronomy
Nearby galaxies put a lens on hundreds of distant ones
Cache of faint galaxies in early universe discovered with help from massive galaxy clusters a bit closer to home.
- Earth
New recipe for diamonds: Just add acid
Rises in acidity during interactions between rocks and water in Earth’s interior can spark diamond formation, simulations show.
