Science Ticker
A roundup of research and breaking news
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Body clock mechanics wins U.S. trio the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine
The cellular mechanisms governing circadian rhythms was a Nobel Prize‒winning discover for three Americans.
- Animals
Bedbugs may be into dirty laundry
When humans aren’t around, bedbugs go for the next best thing: smelly human laundry.
- Paleontology
Saber-toothed kittens were born armed to pounce
Even as babies, saber-toothed cats had not only oversized canine teeth but also unusually powerful forelimbs.
- Paleontology
This giant marsupial was a seasonal migrant
The giant, extinct marsupial Diprotodon optatum migrated seasonally, the first marsupial shown to do so.
- Health & Medicine
About 1 in 5 teens has had a concussion
Almost 20 percent of U.S. teens have had at least one diagnosed concussion in the past, an analysis of a 2016 national survey finds.
- Earth
Plate tectonics started at least 3.5 billion years ago
Analyses of titanium in rock suggest plate tectonics began 500 million years earlier than thought.
- Animals
Old barn owls aren’t hard of hearing
A new study suggests that older barn owls hear just as well as younger ones.
- Astronomy
These are Cassini’s parting shots of the Saturn system
In its last hours before plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere, the Cassini spacecraft turned its cameras to some of the system’s well-known features.
- Planetary Science
The Cassini probe dies tomorrow. Here’s how to follow its end
Science News is on the scene at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the big finish of the Cassini mission to Saturn.
- Astronomy
So long, Titan. Cassini snaps parting pics of Saturn’s largest moon
The last swing past Saturn’s largest moon sent Cassini heading directly towards the planet — and showed how future spacecraft will explore other moons.
- Astronomy
Final flyby puts Cassini on a collision course with Saturn
A “last kiss goodbye” with Saturn’s largest moon sent the Cassini spacecraft on its final trajectory into the planet’s atmosphere.
- Astronomy
Pluto’s pits, ridges and famous plain get official names
From Adlivun to Voyager, the International Astronomical Union officially names 14 surface features on the dwarf planet.
