GREENHOUSE GASSED In a long-running field experiment in Minnesota, scientists are studying the effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on plots of grassland.
Jacob Miller, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Magazine
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.
Life & Evolution
Topic Image Rail
RED-LIGHT DISTRICT Levels of a brain reward compound increased in male fruit flies genetically engineered to ejaculate when exposed to red light when the insects were bathed in the rosy hue.
Avi Jacob/BIU microscopy unit
TRASH STASH Scientists have modified a bacterial enzyme to make it even better at breaking down PET, a plastic widely used in disposable water bottles.
Bo Eide/Flickr
Life & Evolution
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Animals
News in Brief
Male fruit flies enjoy ejaculation
Red light exposure made some genetically engineered fruit flies ejaculate, spurring a surge of a brain reward compound — and less desire for booze.News
These seals haven’t lost their land ancestors’ hunting ways
Clawed pawlike forelimbs help true seals hunt like their land-dwelling ancestors. -
Plants
News in Brief
Liverwort reproductive organ inspires pipette design
A new pipette is inspired by a plant’s female reproductive structure.News in Brief
These petunias launch seeds that spin 1,660 times a second
One species of petunia spreads its seeds explosively, giving them a rotation of 1,660 times per second. -
Microbes
Science TickerThis plastic-gobbling enzyme just got an upgrade
Scientists tweaked a bacterial enzyme and made it more efficient in breaking down plastics found in polyester and plastic bottles.News in Brief
This material uses energy from ambient light to kill hospital superbugs
A quantum dot–powered material could help reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections, including those with drug-resistant bacteria. -
Fungi
News
A deadly fungus is infecting snake species seemingly at random
A fungal disease doesn’t appear to discriminate among snake species, suggesting many of the reptiles may be at risk.Science TickerHow a mushroom gets its glow
For the first time, biologists have pinpointed the compound that lights up in fungal bioluminescence. -
Conservation
Science TickerShipping noise can disturb porpoises and disrupt their mealtime
Noise from ships may disturb harbor porpoises enough to keep them from getting the food they need.News
Light pollution can foil plant-insect hookups, and not just at night
Upsetting nocturnal pollinators has daylight after-effects for Swiss meadow flowers. -
Evolution
Reviews & Previews
Fossils sparked Charles Darwin’s imagination
Darwin’s Fossils recounts how finding extinct species in South America helped Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution.Letters to the EditorReaders wrangle with definition of ‘species’
Readers asked about the definition of "species," a new atomic clock and how a neutron star collision produces heavy elements. -
Ecology
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, invasive species traveled the Suez Canal
Hundreds of Red Sea species used the Suez Canal to migrate to the Mediterranean Sea, leading to the decline of some native species.Reviews & Previews
Invasive species are a growing global threat
'The Aliens Among Us' describes how invasive species are colonizing — and disrupting — ecosystems worldwide. -
Paleontology
News
Colorful moth wings date back to the dinosaur era
Microscopic structures that scatter light to give color to the wings of modern butterflies and moths date back almost 200 million years.News in Brief
This ancient lizard may have watched the world through four eyes
A lizard that lived 50 million years ago had both a third and a fourth eye. -
Biophysics
News in Brief
Why cracking your knuckles can be so noisy
Knuckles crack due to the partial collapse of bubbles in joint fluid, a new study suggests.News
Earwigs take origami to extremes to fold their wings
Stretchy joints let earwig wings flip quickly between folded and unfurled.
