In the April 14 SN: Killer heat, mass insect migrations, the latest Saturn updates, rethinking the Nobel Prize, tectonics on Venus, the science of mass shootings, ancient tool trends and more.
DAY JOB A Bajau diver, spear in hand, fishes off the coast of Indonesia. Bajau divers spend 60 percent of their diving time completely underwater, comparable to sea otters.
Melissa Ilardo
THE WINNER IS… In mice, norovirus invades tuft cells (the two bright green spots) in the lining of the small intestine (left) and the colon (right). Other cells in the intestines that weren’t infected (blue) are also shown.
C. Wilen et al/Science 2018
HOW SWEET Long before humans inhabited Polynesia, sweet potatoes may have been carried across the ocean from South America to the South Pacific islands by wind, water or maybe even birds.
The Bajau people of Southeast Asia have a gene variant associated with larger spleens, boosting their oxygen while breath-hold diving, researchers say.