Science Tuesday: January 2017

Happy Tuesday, Aledan Merfolk! It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted a Science Tuesday, but since I’m focusing on science activism this year, I thought it was time to start it up again. I’m posting tons of science news from the past month, so get ready to have your mind blown by awesomeness.

Incubation times for some dinosaur eggs stretched into months

Second type of dark matter may have once existed in early universe

NASA may house astronauts on Mars in advanced igloos

Geologist may have found fossil of ancient reptile

Scientists seek answers about Earth’s earliest years

A look at how connectomes work

Gut membrane reclassified as organ

Off switch devised for CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system

Ancient cross etched near older menorah carving in Israel cave

Songbirds experiencing mating woes as urban development grows

Ocean ecosystems detailed in new 3D map

Tiny worm species starts life as a “swimming head”

Study compares mortality rate in adults born to mothers with, without diabetes

Distant dwarf galaxy source of recurring radio bursts, researchers say

Bizarre asteroids focus of 2 new NASA missions

Purple rocks on Mars linked to mineral

Ancient shark-like creature related to mysterious modern chimaeras

Researchers show how carbon atoms can break 4-bond rule

Mediterranean diet may stave off brain shrinkage

1.7% of patients become long-term opioid users, study finds

Huge quantity of black holes seen in X-ray image taken by space observatory

Ancient, rare berry fossil found in Patagonia

Scientists use high-tech techniques to reconstruct face of ancient man

Massive iceberg close to breaking off from Antarctic ice shelf

Infants’ early introduction to peanuts could prevent allergies later

Device allows safer insertion of softer nanoelectrodes into brain

Study finds no link between inadequate vitamin D in infancy, food allergy

Stars on track to collide in about 5 years

Strong, light structures created with graphene

Great Barrier Reef’s past holds lessons for today

Pathogen that caused Irish potato famine started in South America

Hagfishes’ loose skin can protect them from shark bites

Microbes linked to endometrial cancer, could help screen for disease

Several objects hit Earth, creating moon from moonlets

Hubble looking at interstellar clouds with eye toward future missions

New negatively charged hydrogen clusters created in lab

Higher levels of shellfish toxin seen when ocean temperatures rise

Silicon may be among elements found in Earth’s core

Study associates prenatal antacid intake, increased asthma risk

Comets detected flying toward star in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group

Exoplanet may be causing shadow in disk surrounding star

Wounds may one day be stitched with artificial spider silk

Wings of huge ancient goose built for fighting, not flying

Physical components needed for speech may have evolved earlier than thought

Strange digestive tract keeps leggy sea spider’s blood circulating

Stem-cell procedure restores vision in blind mice

Pain-signaling protein also triggers relief

Childhood secondhand smoke exposure may increase miscarriage risk

Protein found in bacteria can act like a prion

Predatory behavior triggered in mice when brains stimulated by laser light

World’s tightest knot created by chemists in UK

Mysterious Planet Nine may have come from another solar system

Study reveals moon is 4.51 billion years old

Atari game system gets the best of neuroscientists

Consumed planet, not aliens, caused star’s strange dimming

Harvester ants soften large seeds by letting them germinate

Researchers examine how earwax works

Number of ring-tailed lemurs in wild drops 95% since 2000

Geologists uncover details about supercontinents

Japanese spacecraft spots massive gravity wave over Venus

Oxygen levels briefly high enough to support complex life 2.3B years ago

Formerly mated leopard shark now produces offspring asexually

Researchers identify genes behind false thumbs on giant, red pandas

Common leopards heading higher in Tibetan mountains

Compound can block old blood’s aging effects in brain

Researchers examine efficacy of wearables to predict diseases

Babies learn language very early

Machine learning algorithm can predict quantum computer’s state

More countries to release bacteria-infected mosquitoes to fight dengue, Zika

Vampire bats widen their menu to include human blood

Turtle-shaped sunspot seen in ALMA radio telescope images

Cirrhosis risk higher for hospital patients with alcohol problems

Saturn moon Daphnis seen making waves in A ring

Curiosity’s latest Mars rock find likely a meteorite

It looks like 2016 has edged out 2015 as world’s warmest year

60% of primate species could soon be extinct

Traffic noise raises tree frogs’ stress levels

Mexico’s Colima volcano eruption recorded by webcam

3D-printed model helps researchers understand ancient portable sundial

Observing sun’s position helps ants navigate

Researchers developing polio vaccine that contains no live virus

Stronghold located in Scotland is from Dark Ages

Cell-like chemically active droplets may contain clues about origins of life

New Horizons on way to study Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69

Humans may have spurred extinction of Australia’s ancient megafauna

Caterpillar with leafy covering seen moving through Peruvian Amazon

Sedentary lifestyle may make cells age faster

Remains of ancient wolf-sized otter found in China

Solar system’s past uncovered in rare shards of early meteorites

Fear of death eased following out-of-body experience via VR

Masked hypertension may elevate heart disease risk

Hormone injections may help with sexual arousal

US cervical cancer mortality rates are underestimated

Researchers create bacteria with 2 additional letters in genetic code

Personality traits linked to brain wrinkles

Plasma accelerator may be key to studying information loss in black holes

Clusters of dwarf galaxies discovered

Cats likely have episodic memory

EPA told to stop new grants, contracts

Rats grow mouse pancreases in lab

Head ornamentation linked to larger dinosaurs

Evidence of plate tectonics seen on Charon

Measurement of kilogram to be redefined in 2018

Chimera embryos developed in sows for 28 days

Hydrogen transformed into metal under extremely high pressures

Interest growing for pro-science march in D.C.

Pilgrimages may have spread leprosy to medieval England

Study unlinking memories in mice could lead to PTSD treatments

Avian influenza’s geographic reach, diversity of strains could signal danger

Unique amber-encased insect should have its own order, researchers say

Rise in drug-resistant bacteria seen in China

Time crystals that move without energy developed

Ancient, rare meteorites were common over 466 million years ago

What makes something meaningful examined in study using LSD

Newly discovered Amazon reef seen in pictures from Greenpeace

Children with autism may benefit from microbiota transfer therapy

Researchers develop new canine influenza vaccines

Methane spikes may have kept ancient Mars warm enough for liquid water

Rocks may be concealing life on Mars

Oxygen in moon soil may have been picked up from Earth’s magnetosphere

Tiny sea creature is humans’ oldest ancestor

Researchers aim to improve wine through biotechnology


If you want to receive the same daily science emails I do, you can sign up for the Sigma Xi SmartBrief here.

Leave a Reply