Vol. 200 No. 9
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Cover of 11/20/21 issue of Science News

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More Stories from the November 20, 2021 issue

  1. image of the Whirlpool galaxy
    Astronomy

    Astronomers may have spotted the first known exoplanet in another galaxy

    The spiral-shaped Whirlpool galaxy may be the host of the first planet spotted outside of the Milky Way.

    By
  2. a metallic walkway in the MicroBooNE detector under construction
    Particle Physics

    Doubt cast on theorized ‘sterile’ particles leaves a neutrino mystery unsolved

    MicroBooNE weakens the case for sterile neutrinos, but the mystery that shrouded earlier neutrino experiments remains.

    By
  3. illustration of planets colliding
    Astronomy

    Space rocks may have bounced off baby Earth, but slammed into Venus

    New simulations suggest a way to help explain dramatic differences between the sibling worlds.

    By
  4. illustration of a clocks floating across the sky at different heights showing different times
    Physics

    An atomic clock measured how general relativity warps time across a millimeter

    A record-breaking result reveals the precision achievable by atomic clocks, letting researchers detect slightly faster ticking over a tiny height change.

    By
  5. Fish swimming around roots of red mangrove forest
    Life

    How these sea-loving mangroves ended up far from the coast

    On the Yucatán Peninsula, mangroves trapped nearly 200 kilometers from the ocean are part of a “relict ecosystem” that’s more than 100,000 years old.

    By
  6. four barnacles on the surface of a crab carapace
    Animals

    Barnacles are famed for not budging. But one species roams its sea turtle hosts

    Once settled and glued to the substrate, adult barnacles stay put. But turtle barnacles upend this trend, sliding slowly across their reptilian rides.

    By
  7. A flock of greater flamingos standing in water
    Animals

    Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink

    During mating season, flamingos rub a makeup-like rouge on their necks to catch the eye of the opposite sex. They don’t bother once chicks are born.

    By
  8. columns of ice mixed in with pebbles and dirt
    Earth

    Here’s how ice needles sculpt patterns into cold, rocky landscapes

    Striking stone patterns decorate remote, frigid landscapes. The recipe for these naturally forming stripes and swirls: Freeze, thaw, repeat.

    By
  9. 3-D image created using lidar data recreating a ceremonial Olmec center on Mexico's Gulf Coast, with sunrise aligned with entrance
    Archaeology

    Lidar reveals a possible blueprint for many Olmec and Maya ceremonial sites

    An Olmec site forged a building plan more than 3,000 years ago for widespread Olmec and Maya ritual centers across Mexico’s Gulf Coast.

    By
  10. elephants
    Animals

    Tuskless elephants became common as an evolutionary response to poachers

    After poachers tore through a Mozambican elephant population, tuskless females tripled in number as humans altered the species’s evolutionary trajectory.

    By
  11. a herd of horses running across grassland in Mongolia
    Animals

    Scientists found modern domestic horses’ homeland in southwestern Russia

    Two genes tied to endurance and docility may help explain the horses’ success in spreading across Eurasia.

    By
  12. A reconstructed Viking Age hut with an overgrown roof in Newfoundland
    Archaeology

    Vikings lived in North America by at least the year 1021

    Wooden objects provide the most precise dating yet of a Norse settlement in Newfoundland.

    By
  13. an ancient burned tobacco seed shown from three angles
    Archaeology

    The earliest evidence of tobacco use dates to over 12,000 years ago

    Burned seeds at an archaeological site in Utah hint at tobacco’s popularity long before it was domesticated.

    By
  14. A gecko standing on a mossy surface, with a yellowish snout and striped tail
    Animals

    An agile gecko found in India named after the legendary Jackie Chan

    A hard-to-catch gecko species is named after martial artist Jackie Chan. Skin patterns, like one resembling a galaxy, inspire other newfound geckos’ names.

    By
  15. mallard ducklings swimming behind a mother duck
    Physics

    Here’s the physics of why ducklings swim in a row behind their mother

    By paddling in just the right spots, ducklings save energy by surfing their mom’s waves, and pass along the benefit to siblings down the line.

    By
  16. illustration of a white dwarf star and a red dwarf star in the binary star system AE Aquarii
    Astronomy

    The fastest-spinning white dwarf ever seen rotates once every 25 seconds

    A white dwarf star that spins every 25 seconds owes its record-breaking rotation rate to a companion star dumping gas onto it.

    By