Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Astronomy
NASA releases 2015 budget with some mission cuts
NASA $17.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2015 supports big missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope. But there are plans to put the SOFIA telescope in storage.
- Health & Medicine
Gaming-type setup relieves phantom limb pain
The treatment reduced one patient’s pain entirely for periods of time and helped him sleep without being awoken by pain.
- Astronomy
Star cluster hurtles through space with tremendous speed
A compact ball of hundreds of thousands of stars has just shot out of the galaxy M87 at millions of kilometers per hour, astronomers report. It is the first hypervelocity globular cluster detected to date.
- Physics
Metamaterials give sound a twist
The design allows researchers rotate a wave at precise angles so that it originates from the opposite direction, which could have implications for improving ultrasound imaging.
- Health & Medicine
Five California children have polio-like symptoms
At least five, and possibly as many as 25, children in California have experienced poliolike symptoms, including paralysis of limbs and breathing problems, since 2012. Scientists are not yet sure what is causing the emerging disease.
- Astronomy
Kepler data confirm 715 new exoplanets
The population of planets outside the solar system has grown by about 70 percent, thanks to discoveries culled from Kepler space telescope data. Researchers are announcing 715 new confirmed planets in a February 26 press conference.
- Health & Medicine
Rabbit heart gets full electrode jacket
A silicon jacket makes it possible for scientists to place sensors on specific areas of the heart without glue or stitches and could one day be used for diagnosing and treating human heart diseases.
- Astronomy
China’s lunar rover alive, but still crippled
Mechanical issues are preventing the Yutu lunar rover from exploring the moon's surface as designed.
- Environment
Handling receipts increases exposure to BPA
People who handle cash register receipts printed on thermal paper show notable exposure to bisphenol A.
- Planetary Science
Lunar asteroid impact caught on video
On September 11, a dishwasher-sized meteoroid slammed into the nearside of the moon, exploding with the equivalent of 16 tons of TNT — and a lucky team of Spanish astronomers caught it on video.
- Neuroscience
Brain’s fact-checker located
A bit of brain tissue near the top of the head may be the body’s fact-checker. Called the supplementary motor cortex, this brain region monitors the body’s action and sends an alert when a mistake is made.
- Earth
Age of Earth’s crust confirmed
Decaying atoms traced in zircon uphold dating of Earth's crust at about 4.374 billion years old.
