Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Astronomy
Rosetta’s comet shows few signs of surface ice
The first data sent back from one instrument aboard the Rosetta spacecraft suggests that comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has little surface ice.
- Health & Medicine
Test Ebola treatments to be rushed to West Africa
The World Health Organization has announced that it will use test treatments in West Africa starting this fall.
- Animals
Numbers of California blue whales rebound
Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, were hunted nearly to extinction. Now the population that feeds off the coast of California appears to have rebounded to close to prewhaling numbers.
- Physics
Unusual turbulence seen along North Carolina coast
Storm winds in Currituck Sound, North Carolina, may have created just the right conditions for scientists to see a rare type of turbulence in ocean waves for the first time.
- Quantum Physics
Molecules stop tumbling with hit of laser light
Stopping molecules' rotation with a custom laser could help scientists harness them for quantum computing.
- Health & Medicine
Removing both breasts may not boost cancer survival
Women diagnosed with cancer in one breast who choose to have both breasts removed may not have better survival rates than women who opt for breast-conserving surgery and radiation.
- Materials Science
Silkworms spin spider-strong threads
Silkworms with a spider protein make silk tough enough to be woven into clothing.
- Astronomy
Pleiades star cluster is a bit farther away than thought
New observations might impact Gaia satellite’s mission to map the Milky Way.
- Psychology
Walking in sync makes enemies seem less scary
Men who walk in sync may begin to think of their enemies as weaker and smaller, a new study suggests.
- Materials Science
Magnetic levitation shows promise for manufacturing
Suspending soft, sticky and fragile objects between magnets may be a way to manipulate the materials in 3-D space without needing to touch them.
- Health & Medicine
States’ pot laws linked to drug overdose death rates
Death rates from drug overdoses appear to be lower in states with medical marijuana laws.
- Materials Science
Greener water splitter for hydrogen fuel designed
A new gadget that runs on a single AAA battery might truly reduce the carbon emissions from hydrogen fuel cell production down to zero.
